Chapter Four – Hux's Interrogation
Hux was alone, laid out on an interrogation table in a dark room. It was clear from his haggard appearance that he had been through several rounds of torture already. He flinched as the door to his room opened and Kylo Ren walked through.
"Hello, General Hux," Kylo said. The door closed behind Kylo and Hux, who could not bring himself even to look at Kylo, said nothing.
"I was hoping we could take this time to talk about a few things," Kylo said. "I feel like, while you were a General, there were always so many things getting in the way of our having a real conversation, and now that you are no longer a General, we have an opportunity."
"If you are going to keep torturing me," Hux whimpered, "just get on with it."
"Well there is no need to torture you anymore. The torture achieved what it was meant to. It let you know that it is all over. You're not going to worm your way back. After all, how could I allow that, after what I have done to you? How could I trust you not to work against me? But now that your ambitions are all dead, you can forget about trying to please me and speak honestly; like how you did in the council room," Kylo said.
"This is the reward for honesty?! What reason do I have to tell you anything? Hux yelled.
"Because I haven't taken from you all you were afraid to lose. Almost, but not quite. There is that one last thing," Kylo said menacingly
Hux groaned inarticulately, then collected himself and said, "What do you want to know?"
"I want to know about our dear departed Supreme Leader. You spoke so highly of him in council, of his plans and his accomplishments, and it occurred to me," Kylo said, "you were here from the beginning. Your father served in the Imperial Fleet, survived the fall of the Empire. He was among the original leaders of the First Order, and you were right there with him. I want to know about the early days."
Hux shook his head and said, "You want a history lesson? Now? With our Order crumbling?"
Kylo said "If you want to kill the past, you have to know where it is." Hux looked at him without comprehension. Kylo continued, "Your father helped found the First Order, correct?"
"Yes," Hux said, "after the Battle of Jakku."
"And Snoke wasn't there at the beginning, correct?" Kylo asked.
"No, it was the generals and the admirals," Hux said.
Kylo nodded and asked, "How long until Snoke appeared?"
"A few years," Hux said as he shrugged his shoulders. "I can't be sure, I was a child at the time."
"At the time?" Kylo asked mockingly. Hux gave him a sullen, sour look. Kylo continued, "Did you see him in those days?"
"Snoke? Yes, I suppose," Hux answered.
"What did he look like?" Kylo asked.
"Like a nine foot tall bald man!" a frustrated Hux yelled.
Kylo Ren clenched his fist, and Hux cried out in pain. This went on for a few seconds before Kylo released Hux and asked, "Did he have the scars? Was his face disfigured all along?"
Hux thought for a moment and then said, "No, I guess not."
Kylo Ren clenched his fist and pulled it back towards himself, causing Hux to be pulled against the restraints on the table and scream in agony. This time Ren did not release Hux but simply shouted over his screams, "I am not asking for guesses! I can guess! I want to know what happened!"
Through the pain Hux screamed, "He wasn't scarred then!"
Kylo released Hux from his grasp and said in a voice that was calm once again, "Do you know when he got them?"
"Got what?" Hux asked while panting.
"The scars!" Kylo snapped.
"No!" Hux cried out.
Kylo clenched his fist again, and yelled, "Think!"
"It wasn't long after he first arrived. But I don't know how or why he got them," Hux forced himself to say. Kylo relented and Hux continued, "I was a boy at the time! I wasn't in meetings, and my father certainly didn't talk about these things with me."
"And who would know what happened?" Kylo asked.
"I don't know! Most of the officers back then were old Imperials, and it's been twenty years. Why does any of this matter? Why are you asking me these things now?" Hux asked.
"Well you will be dead soon," Kylo answered, "and I didn't want to run out of time."
"You could have asked me these questions any time in the last five years. What do they matter now? We should be planning for the attack that General Pride described," Hux said.
"We?" Kylo asked. "There is no we anymore Hux."
"I can still be useful. I am sorry. I should not have spoken to you as I did," Hux whined, while looking at Kylo plaintively. When Ren did not respond Hux said, "A demotion! A demotion is what I deserve. Make me a Colonel, or a Major. Let me lead troops in battle! The First Order is all I have!"
Kylo Ren laughed coldly. He leaned over to bring his helmeted head closer to Hux's. He left it there for a moment, watching Hux flinch and tremble, then he stood back up and removed the helmet. "The First Order?" he said mockingly. "The First Order is over Hux. Even if I were to ever let you out of this cell, which I won't, there is nothing left to return to."
"But, but…General Pride's plan…," Hux started to say.
Kylo interrupted Hux to say, "Might lead to the collapse of the Resistance as he intends, but it won't lead to the resurgence of the First Order. We are, as you said, a laughingstock. There are dozens of planets with large enough fleets to wipe us out. It's over."
Hux looked bewildered as he asked, "Then why order the attack?"
"It will buy me the time I need to do what I have to. Time to find answers to my questions, which you, predictably, had none of. But you have helped me figure out who will," Kylo Ren said.