Hux awakened slowly. His head hurt. His body ached. He kept his eyes closed as he attempted to ascertain his location.
He was lying on an uncomfortable bed of some sort. The medicinal smell in the air and the gentle beeping of various machines suggested that he was in a sick bay. The slight pain and pressure in one of his hands was probably an IV.
"Come with me if you want to live."
What?
Hux cracked his eyes open and stared at a black monstrosity standing at the end of his bed, one hand stretched in his direction.
"Ren? What the hell?"
"Come with me if you want to live." the mask growled.
Hux groaned. "Take off that damned bucket. I can't understand your inarticulate mumbling."
Ren huffed, released the helmet latches, and lifted it off his head. He glared at Hux.
"Come. With. Me. If. You. Want. To. Live." he enunciated slowly. "Better?"
"What. The. Hell. Ren?" responded Hux. "If this is a joke it's not funny."
"I was barely in time to prevent you from being assassinated," Ren snapped. "You're not safe here anymore."
"You're not going to convince him," drawled a voice behind Kylo. Hux moved his head carefully and saw Phasma standing behind the Knight.
She strolled over to the medical bed and smiled thinly at the general. "Armitage can be a stubborn ass when he wants to be."
"You're insubordinate Captain!" snapped Hux. He tried to sit up in the bed and fell back weakly.
Phasma ignored him and turned back to Kylo. "So what's your plan, Commander?"
Kylo frowned. "I need to get him to my Upsilon. I could just sling him over my shoulder and carry him."
"Excuse me?" Hux was not amused.
"That would be too obvious," answered Phasma, still ignoring a sputtering Hux.
"Well, what would you suggest?" Kylo grumbled.
"Do I get a say in any of this?" protested Hux.
They both looked at him.
"No," said Kylo.
"No sir," said Phasma.
Hux sputtered incoherently while Kylo and Phasma turned back to their conversation.
"I have an idea, but it won't work if he's moving around and making noise," ventured Phasma.
"Do I need to know the details?" asked Kylo.
"No sir, but it would facilitate the operation if the General were to sleep for the next hour or so."
"Not a problem," answered Kylo as he raised his hand toward Hux.
"Wait!" exclaimed Hux, but it was too late. He was out like a light. Kylo smiled thinly. Hux was going to be seriously pissed when he work up.
Kylo grabbed his helmet. "I'll leave the General's transport to you," he told the Stormtrooper Captain. "I'll have a quick chat with the doctor and meet you at my Upsilon."
"Yes sir," she replied stoically as Kylo left the room.
**KS**
CMO Kelley looked up from his datapad as Kylo entered his office and sat down in front of the doctor's desk.
"Yes, Commander? How may I help you?" he enquired politely.
Kylo took off his mask. The man had been helpful and attentive to his medical needs. He deserved a face instead of the mask. Besides, he needed to make eye contact for this to work properly.
"You've taken excellent care of me and General Hux. I'd like to give you something highly prized in the First Order."
"And what would that be, Commander Ren?"
Kylo smiled and raised his hand. "Plausible deniability, doctor."
Kelley's eyes widen for a moment, then closed when the Force pulled him into a deep sleep. As he slumped forward Kylo caught him with the Force and guided him down onto his desk. He was feeling generous.
Kylo looked up at the security camera and erased the last few minutes of recording. Then he broke the camera, just to be sure.
He eased the datapad from under the doctor's head. Good, still unlocked. He inserted a data stick and pulled down his and Hux's medical records. The Knight had a feeling that they would come in useful eventually.
He cleared the datapad and left it on the desk next to the sleeping doctor. He needed to move. Phasma would be at the Upsilon soon.
**KS**
Phasma strode into the hangar, followed by two Stormtroopers supporting a large box with magnetic lifts. As they headed toward Kylo Ren's Upsilon she was intercepted by the hangar duty officer.
"Inspection," he stated pompously.
Phasma raised an elegant eyebrow and glared at him (though the effect was ruined since she had her helmet). "Petty Officer -"
"Jared Pomperoy," he proclaimed importantly.
"Petty Officer Pomperoy, as you are addressing a superior officer I suggest you try that sentence again. Preferably starting it with 'Captain' and ending it with 'sir'."
Pomperoy was momentarily speechless. He wasn't used to being addressed by a stormtrooper in such a manner.
"Excuse me?" he spat, drawing himself to his full height (which would have been more impressive if he wasn't 25 centimeters shorter than Phasma). "All departing cargo must be inspected for contraband before being placed on outgoing vessels."
Phasma stared at the functionary. She could continue to try to talk her way around the self-important pipsqueak, or she could just shoot him and proceed to Ren's shuttle. The latter option was more appealing than the former, but it would result in piles of paperwork. She hated paperwork.
Whatever she did, she needed to do it quickly. Hux-in-the-box would wake up soon, and once he started banging and yelling the fecal matter, so to speak, would hit the environmental air recycler.
As Phasma debated whether she should merely disable the twit or kill him outright she heard the heavy steps of a certain Force user as he walked up behind her.
"Is there a problem Captain Phasma?" Kylo growled.
The voice through his vocoder sounded mechanical and flat, but somehow extremely menacing.
"All departing cargo must be inspected for contraband before being placed on outgoing vessels," declared Pomperoy, proving that he was either incredibly dedicated or incredibly stupid. "That means all outgoing vessels, no exception."
Kylo looked at him in disbelief. "Who the hell are you?"
"I am Petty Officer Jared Pomperoy and I am the shift duty officer for this hangar."
"And do you know to whom you are speaking, Petty Officer Pompous-Ass?" asked Kylo, bemused.
"All cargo must be inspected, even if it belongs to a Knight of Ren," insisted Pomperoy.
Kylo growled and stretched out a hand, wrapping the functionary's neck with the Force and squeezing.
Phasma rolled her eyes (under her helmet, of course). "We don't have time for this, Commander. Please don't kill him. I have enough paperwork as it is."
Kylo glanced toward Phasma. "Fine," he huffed. "You don't object to my rendering him unconscious, do you?" She waved her hand in a 'get on with it' gesture and Kylo dropped him on the deck. He thought a minute and decided to alter the petty officer's memories. It would protect Phasma and give him and Hux more getaway time.
"Let's get on with it," growled Kylo. He glanced around the hangar. "Can you take care of futzing up the security tapes after I leave?"
"Of course," Phasma affirmed. She waved the Stormtroopers toward the Upsilon and watched as they loaded the box into the cargo hold.
"Do you want me to modify their memories?" asked Kylo.
"No need," answered Phasma. "They're due for light reconditioning."
Kylo took off his helmet and handed it to the Stormtrooper Captain. "Do me a favor and drop this in a trash compactor for me. I don't need it anymore."
Phasma nodded. "Take care of the General. He's a good man."
"Are you sure you won't come with us?" asked Kylo.
"Someone needs to stay behind and advocate for the stormtroopers," she replied.
Author notes: Chapter Summary: Kylo has decided enough is enough. He enlists Phasma to help him smuggle Hux out of sickbay and off of the Supremacy.
We have one more short epilogue chapter to go. This story was a lot of fun to write.