-waves hand- It didn't take me months to update this fic.
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Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars or any of its characters. This is just for my own (twisted) amusement and not for profit.
Chapter 6: Evidence of Nothing
Kylo was almost certain he wrote down the same sentence at least twice somewhere in this speech. He couldn't be sure because words danced on the page and ran together into an incoherent mess.
By the nine Corellian hells, when was the last time he'd slept? The world was getting heavy and slow and his speech was making less and less sense by the moment.
He turned in his chair to glance outside—the skyline usually told him what time of day it was—only to see an impersonal wall of metal.
His eyes found a chrono.
Maker, was it that early in the morning?
"You should sleep," Hux drawled, echoing his thoughts.
Kylo had pretended not to notice that Hux had dozed off several times as he worked on his speech.
"You look like you're about to fall over," Hux continued.
That was rich coming from the man with a hole in his chest.
"Very well," Kylo said. "I will work on my speech tomorrow."
"It's already tomorrow," Rey said.
Kylo's attention snapped to her and she only stared impassively back at him. He had almost forgotten she was there. If she was fatigued, she was good at not showing it.
Deciding to ignore her, he stood and started out the front doors, towards his living quarters. Hux followed behind him and Rey trailed last.
The one-story ride down the elevator was tense and awkward at best. Rey kept to the corner, keeping as physically far from the two men as possible.
There were already four Stormtroopers posted in his quarters by the time they got there. They snapped to attention as soon as the elevator doors opened, saluting.
Nobody acknowledged them as Kylo made his way to his bedroom, followed by his two…protectors. Maker, he wasn't a child needing to be doted over. At least they weren't insisting to watch him while he slept.
"We will stand guard outside your door," Rey said with a solemnity that seemed almost ridiculous to Kylo's fatigue-addled brain.
"You do that," he muttered.
He shut the door without ceremony.
Shedding clothes as he went, Kylo stumbled to the refresher, starting the water. It was blisteringly hot and he welcomed it.
He didn't realize how disgusting he had felt until after the filth had sluiced down the drain. He was so tired. He didn't even have the energy to jerk himself off.
It was almost laughable.
After nearly falling over, he turned off the water. He stood there, dripping, unsure what to do after he dried himself.
The idea of sleeping naked crossed his mind, but the rational part of him that was still awake told him that if he needed to get out of the building in a hurry, he shouldn't go out exposed to everyone on the planet.
He slipped into a plain shirt and pants instead and lay in his bed, sinking into the covers.
Coruscant truly never slept, but if it was still awake, he wouldn't have known. The shades and the thick windows blocked light and sound from the outside.
Kylo wondered what kind of dreams would meet him.
Darkness overcame him before he could think on the question for much longer.
…
Hux and Rey were alone—totally silent—for fifteen minutes. Then, Hux started back the way they came, towards the elevator
"Where are you going?" Rey asked, accusation leaking into her voice.
Hux didn't turn back.
"Out."
Rey started to follow him, but stopped. She looked back to the closed doors.
"Hux!" she hissed.
He stepped into the elevator and the doors closed behind him. His presence in the Force was still bright. Rey could recognize it from anywhere now. Strong, angry, calculated, guarded.
"Force, that man," she muttered.
If he was going to leave the Chancellor open for attack, fine by her. He would be to blame if something happened.
She paced a few times in front of the doors, slowly. She stopped and got to the ground in a meditative pose. If she was going to be stuck out there for hours on end, then she was going to get some meditation in, damn it.
Breathe in, breathe out. Eyes closed, back tall. The Force. Find the Force. Let it breathe through the body.
Maybe five minutes passed and she reached for her comlink.
Meditation wasn't going to happen. That much was clear.
There was one person who came to mind that she could talk to.
Odds were that he was asleep, but Poe Dameron was nothing if not unpredictable.
She had to wait only a few seconds before a familiar voice sounded on the other end.
"Wazzit? Rey?" Poe muttered ineloquently.
"Is this a bad time?"
A yawn and a sigh from the other end. A sudden exhaustion—which had gone ignored until that moment—swept over Rey, but she bit it down.
Chancellor. Watch the Chancellor.
"Well, Master Ku had insisted that I awake earlier for meditation. Haven't been doing that since he told me that last month. Might as well start now."
There was rustling, clearly Poe getting up from his pallet.
"How's it going?" Poe chirped.
Rey leaned against the wall. "I'm tired. I'm hungry."
"Aren't you always hungry? But I meant with the Chancellor and his hound. I assume this is the reason for your call."
"Well, they already hate me. So. There's that."
Poe laughed.
"Of course Chancellor Ren hates you. With the history he's had with the Jedi Order, I'm surprised he hasn't tried kicking you off the nearest balcony."
Well. That was news to Rey.
"What history? What are you talking about?"
There was a pause. His hesitation was almost palpable despite the space between them.
"Ah, better ask Master Skywalker about that. I shouldn't be the one to tell you the story."
That was disturbingly cryptic for Poe. The older Jedi was usually up-front when it came to matters regarding the Jedi Order. They were both Knights. They were both on equal ground.
Why wasn't he telling her?
"I could always ask the Chancellor himself," Rey muttered, glancing at the bedroom doors.
"I literally just told you about him and a balcony."
Rey laughed at that, and trailed off as remembered what Hux had said about people able to get into even secure channels.
Was the enemy listening in to what was being said, right now?
"I can sense your distress, Rey," Poe sighed.
She wasn't—never was—great with reining in her emotions. But this shadow she felt, this heaviness, was unlike anything she had ever felt before.
Her lip curled as she felt the Chancellor's presence, a burning brand through the Force, almost searing.
No distress. Not to him.
Wherever Hux was, he had better be enjoying himself.
…
Leave it to the Guavian Death Gang to hole up in the shittiest bar in the lower levels.
Bums, bounty hunters, small-time criminals, and prostitutes of every species mingled, danced, and drank in a space roughly half the size of Kylo's office. It was early in the morning, technically, but it was perpetual night in the lower levels and these people showed no sign of stopping.
The faulty multi-colored lights were almost seizure-inducing and the bass of the music pounded another hole in Hux's chest.
He cursed himself for leaving Kylo alone with that Rey girl. But the longer he waited, the more likely some bit of information could get missed.
He pushed his way through, keeping an eye out for pickpockets.
Bala Tik was definitely in the back room. But, if Hux's luck told him anything, he was in the back room either passed out drunk or with a prostitute. Or both.
A man stood in front of the door with a rifle slung across his back. He glared acidly at Hux as he approached.
"You're new," Hux drawled, almost drowned out by the music.
The man—boy, really—sneered.
"Been 'round long enough. What's it to you?"
Hux was really not in the mood for this. His good hand twitched towards the blaster at his hip. He was supposed to be subtle about being down here. Murdering this kid in the middle of the bar definitely lacked subtlety.
"I'm here to see Bala Tik. Let me through."
He didn't give the kid any time to say anything; he stepped closer until he was chest to chest with him.
"My name is General Brendol Hux. Let me through," he growled.
The gang member sniffed and opened the door. He stuck his head in and shouted, loud enough for Hux to hear, "Got a Brenol Hux here to see you, boss. Should I kill him or wha'?"
"For fuck's sake, Yinna, let the man in!" Bala Tik yelled back, exasperation plain in his voice.
Yinna stepped away, glaring daggers at Hux.
"Go," he grumbled.
Hux entered, resisting the urge to smack his shoulder into Yinna's as he passed. Insolent little brat couldn't even pronounce his name correctly. The door shut behind him, doing little to muffle the music.
The room was small and dingy and smelled like mold. Blood, booze, and something Hux didn't want to identify stained the chipped wood of the table.
Facing the door, Bala Tik leaned back in his chair, the light overhead illuminating the grin pulling at his face. "Ah, Little Red, what brings you here?"
Hux's eye twitched at the sound of that old nickname. "You know exactly why I'm here."
"You're still standing, eh?"
Tik made a blaster with his thumb and forefinger, flexing his thumb.
He looked Hux up and down and Hux realized he probably looked like ten pounds of bantha shit in a five pound bag.
"Well, barely standing," Tik amended, "Sit down."
Hux was grateful that Tik didn't round the table to pull out the chair for him. Maker, he was injured but he was not an invalid. He bit back a grunt as he sat, a dull throbbing radiating from his chest down to the fingertips of his left hand.
"Have a drink."
Hux waved off the offer. "As much as I'd like to reminisce about the good old days, I think alcohol compounded with painkillers would put me flat on my ass."
Tik shrugged and knocked back his glass. "So you say. More for me."
Hux sighed. He thought about insisting that Tik stop drinking and give him answer while sober.
"Have you heard anything?" Hux asked.
"About the unlucky bastard who shot you?"
Hux gritted his teeth, patience wearing thin almost immediately. Leave it to Bala Tik to make light of the situation. He wasn't sure why he expected anything different.
Tik raised his hands in mock surrender. "Alright, alright. No funny business. Got that stick shoved up your ass after you started looking after the 'Youngest Chancellor in History'."
Maker, save him.
"I need information," Hux growled.
Tik slammed his glass on the table, waving his free hand.
"Honestly, I know shit," he said, "Recent days, it was same old, same old. Shit, we didn't even know there was a plot until the holos and that was after it all went down."
There it was. A dead end, just what Hux needed. He wanted to bang his head against the table. Maybe have a drink and let it put him to sleep.
"Well, Little Red, if it's any consolation…"
Bala Tik stood and leaned in close, his breath smelling like cheap whiskey and even cheaper cigarettes.
"You'll have a dignifying scar."
Hux didn't recoil, didn't show any reaction. Fuck, this man was a flirt, drunk or sober. It was ancient history, the two of them. It barely counted as 'history' to begin with. A couple quick fucks and handjobs during arms deals really didn't count as a relationship. But, it wouldn't do him any good to burn this bridge by outright spurning him. He needed the information. He needed the connections.
He changed the subject, stating slowly, "So whoever did this has probably disappeared. Living large in the Outer Rim with the payment."
Tik nodded, his eyes flicking down to Hux's lips.
"Can you give me anything?" Hux prodded. "Anyone to talk to?"
Tik leaned back, taking the hint. His face twisted in contemplation, as if he was going through all the names in the underworld that he knew.
Then he spoke up. "Bazine Netal. Bounty hunter."
The name was familiar. Hux prided himself in knowing who was in the know in the underworld. Netal was a small-time hunter the last time he checked. But he stopped caring about the little players after Kylo was elected to Chancellor.
The heads of the crime gangs and their right and left hands. The big name bounty hunters. Those, he knew like the back of his hand. The threats. The ones who may come knocking expecting a favor.
"What about her?"
"She has connections in some deep, dark shit."
"And?"
Tik exhaled loudly through his nose and took another sip from his glass.
"Maker, you're slow today. She knows people, Red. Odds are, she knows who carried out the hit, maybe even who hired them. And…"
Tik trailed off.
Hux saw the change instantly. He closed up, his eyes shifty, leaning closer like he was afraid someone would hear, despite the fact they were the only ones in the room.
"What else, Bala? Tell me," Hux hissed.
Bala Tik inhaled and exhaled, collecting his thoughts.
"Credits have been bouncing 'round. Millions and millions of credits, not to mention ships and arms, appearing and disappearing. Nothing is staying in one person's hands for long. Couple weeks ago, got a payload in worth 10 million credits. Next day, a Twi'lek comes in asking for the items. Offered to take it off my back for 15. Asked about it a couple days after that and it had been sold for 17."
"What was the payload?"
"Mandalorian shit. Armor, packs, blasters, missiles. Top of the line. Enough for at least seventy men."
Black market arms had been a thorn in the Senate's side for years. Hux knew that at least a quarter of the people on the Senate had some connection to the black market, which often paralyzed any legislation that came to the table. And Mandalorians were protective of their gear. Death or a really lucrative deal were often the only ways to separate a warrior from their weapons.
"Kriff," Hux breathed.
"Kriff, is right. Even the Hutts are wading into this. They've been laying pretty low recently, after the shit Ziro pulled a while back. So, this is some serious shit."
"Serious shit," Hux echoed, pinching the bridge of his nose.
Kylo would want to hear about this. If someone was forming and arming a militia, enough to be a threat…
Tik pointed a finger at Hux's face, seriousness hardening his features. "But you didn't hear that from me."
Hux figured that he would want to stay as far away from this whole mess as possible.
"Where can I find Netal?"
"Last I heard, she's holed up on Takodana."
Great. Fantastic. Takodana, a forest planet in the Mid-Rim. It would still be an impossible search if Hux didn't know that there was only one place on Takodana where she'd be. And that was the one place Hux really didn't want to go.
At least she wasn't in the Outer Rim or the Unknown Regions. If he needed to leave his post, he didn't want to leave for long.
Hux stood, pushing his chair back.
"Thanks, Bala. I owe you one."
He'd ask Kylo to look away the next time the Guavian Death Squad got caught doing something illegal. That would be sufficient repayment for this lead.
Tik held up his glass, winking at him. "Watch yourself, Little Red."
Hux allowed a tight smile. "I always do."
The smile disappeared as he turned to leave the room and reentered the common area. Everyone in his path parted as soon as they caught the expression—steel and ice—on his face.
Hux hopped into his speeder and soared into the early dawn.
He needed to get back to Kylo. He couldn't trust him alone with the young Jedi, even though Tik hadn't implicated the Jedi Order.
He had plans to make.
…
-jazz hands-
Big thanks to Juulna for looking this over and catching my mistakes! You da best!
All feedback is appreciated! Hopefully it doesn't take me forever to update the next time!
Cheers!
~Tiara of Sapphires
PS, check me out on Tumblr at tiaraofreylos