Chapter Text
The bazaar was bustling with creatures from across the known galaxy. Armitage knew well that an individual could buy or trade anything here. It was only a matter of a select number of phrases or gestures and the seedy underbelly would reveal itself from behind a curtain or false front. The numerous cluttered stalls were the perfect places to find lost Jedi artifacts. He was here for specific pieces to complete his little side project. It had been put off long enough and the pull to build could no longer be ignored. He was on track to have it finished before graduation. He stopped before a display with a torc and matching gauntlet. Something about them caught his attention. He felt a slight tug when he saw them. Perhaps that is what he needed to put the pieces together again. Just as he reached out to examine them someone called his name; when he turned back around the torc and gauntlet were gone.
Across the way, a tall imposing figure stomped through the crowd. He was followed by a group of equally dark armored figures. An off-handed gesture from the leader had the others branching off and melting in to the crowd.
The man who once answered to Ben stomped his way through the market, his new helmet obstructing his sight and throwing off his gait. He could feel the pull of the Force coming from somewhere amongst the stalls. The call was almost song like in its quality the closer he got. So, focused on his goal, like a mynock on a star ship, he barely noticed when he bumped into the slight frame of one of the Imperial cadets. As the man turned around, the tendril of Force that he had been following abruptly stopped as though it was hiding from him.
He found himself standing in front of a stall full of trinkets. Sitting towards the back of the display was a torc paired with a matching gauntlet. Something about the shape of them gave him pause. Movement out of the corner of his eye drew his attention, a quick flash of red hair that caused something to twist inside him. A long-forgotten memory teased his thoughts before flickering out. The cadet seemed to vibrate with a mess of contained anxiety and rage drowning out the pull of Force the man had been following.
“Watch where you’re going.” The ginger cadet sneered, looking him up and down, before turning away and dismissing the man as unimportant. He could feel his own rage rise up to push at the edges of his mind. It would be so easy to break the imperial cadet, make him cry and beg. He raised his hand, ready to show the cadet the power of the Force, only to be stopped by a flicker. There was something in the cadet that reached out, almost like a Force Ghost, and whispered “No. Not yet. We are not ready.” Surprised, he let the cadet go without incident.
“Kylo! There’s nothing here, let’s go!” The man, Kylo, looked up to see his knights surrounding him. “You’ve been staring at the same spot for ten minutes. We need to head back to the ship.” Had he imagined the encounter? Kylo shook his head to clear it and turned to follow his knights.
Lieutenant Hux put the encounter out of his mind as he finished buying the pieces and parts he needed. The urge to build, to craft, to create was almost overwhelming by the time he got back to his quarters. He sealed the door before pulling out the things he had purchased at the market. Taking a deep breath, Hux opened himself up to the presence that lived inside of his mind.
“Well? I have all the items you pushed me towards. How do I go about building this blade?” Hux addressed the presence. He felt the flicker of surprise from the presence in his mind but they stayed curled in a tight ball. Hux sighed an took a moment to gather his authority around himself. “Ben! Come here. I need you to show me how to build this weapon so that I may protect you.”
“Protecting you is my responsibility and my honor! This is a last resort plan. I am the muscle to protect you from all comers. I only want you to have this saber in the event that I fall, you will still be protected.” Ben’s impassioned response ended on a whisper.
“Of course. I trust that you will not fail me. I merely wish to have all possible outcomes covered. While you are not here in body, I must defend myself. Phasma cannot be in two places at once as you can. Besides I must have you whole to carry out my orders. Every Emperor needs an enforcer to keep the populace in line.” Hux could feel Ben weigh his words before responding.
“Yes, my Emperor. I will honor your wishes. For this to work, we must become one.” Ben felt the sneer begin to form, “Please listen. I understand that you do not like my presence here. This will allow you more control. It will give you access to all that I know about the Force. I have done my best to help you as I am, but I can feel that my voice is distressing to you. When we merge, I will build a Force shield to protect your mind. What is left of me will merge with you through the original Force bond. It is my hope that you use my abilities to create this lightsaber and train with it so that a part of me will protect you.”
Hux took a moment to digest Ben’s words. There was something Ben was withholding from him but he would let it slide for now. “From what you have told me, I believe all of you must be present for this to fully work.” He held up a hand to forestall Ben’s response as though the other man was in the room, and he could almost see a blue shadowy figure in front of him. “That being said, I will agree to your plan. We shall merge with what we have and I will take extra time to train in blade work.” He could still feel Ben’s worry and did his best to quell it. “I already wear gloves outside of my quarters. No one will see the burns acquired by a novice wielder.”
Hux let out a huff of laughter as he felt Ben acquiesce. He carefully pulled his uniform off, folded it neatly, and placed it on a chair. He cautiously arranged himself in the middle of the floor and dropped the shields he created to keep Ben contained. Hux gasped as he felt the fire race through his veins and light his whole body. He glanced at his reflection in the duristeel; the places where he had been broken on that fateful day were brighter. He watched in fascination as the brighter parts began to cover his skin. Hux glittered like a diamond for a moment before the glow sank into his skin and dissipated. The fire grew into an inferno as it turned inward. He had a brief glimpse of seven armored knights watching him before the blackness took him.
Kylo blinked at the brief glimpse of the cadet from before, lit up like a giant crystal, as the part of himself that was Ben winked out. He jerked like a puppet with his strings cut. He put a hand to his chest but only felt a numb spot where the part of himself that was Ben should be. There was something about it that felt different. He pushed it to the back of his mind as he looked at his knights. Standing slowly and taking his fighting stance, he beckoned them forward. He watched them advance to attack, correcting their form as they did so.
Hux opened his eyes to see a completed saber sitting on his desk and frowned. When had he finished it? Brief flashes of assembling it came back to him. Ben had been right to suggest the merge, though he almost missed the voice. As if called from the depths of his mind a last whisper flitted through his thoughts. “It only needs the crystal to be complete.”
A glance at the time had Hux rolling out of bed and rushing into his clothes. He collected his rifle and absently held out his hand on the way out the door, the saber flew across the room into his hand just as the door shut.
Hux stalked down the corridor to the training room. It would take hours of brutal training before he was confident enough to wield this damn saber. He carefully set his bag down by the wall as the doors slid open behind him. His blaster was up in a flash, causing the intruder to gasp and draw to a sharp stop.
“I’m sorry sir! I thought this room will be empty. I will come back later.” The cadet turned to walk out.
“Stop.” A whisper of Force followed his words to reach out and wrap around the fleeing cadet. It whispered to Hux. This one can help you, blades are in his family. “Your family is proficient in blade work, is it not?” Mitaka’s eyes widened and he nodded. “I need to train with the saber. Since you are already here grab a blade.”
Mitaka took a fortifying breath and stepped into the room to follow orders. His family would never believe that he was being given the opportunity to train his lieutenant in the saber. He couldn’t tell them! There would be no end of humiliation if he poorly trained his commanding officer. He tried to shake of the sense of failure and schooled his expression before turning back to Hux. “Cadet Mitaka, sir! It would be my honor to spar with you.” He saluted sharply.
Hux took a moment to study the cadet before him. This was someone he could work with. It was always nice to have his instincts proven correct. After all, every commander needed a loyal crew if they were to succeed. “Very good. I believe you will prove useful. Don’t disappoint me.”
Kylo blocked the blow aimed for his midsection while throwing out a hand and giving a Force push to the knight attacking him from behind. The knights were getting better at anticipating his use of Force and he was disappointed that they missed that one.
“I need to work on my saber skills. Who will be my victim today?” Kylo’s grin was full of malice. Beth stepped forward with her staff and nodded. Kylo tried not to sneer at the others, who, had the audacity to look relieved. His mood wasn’t what it should be but they ought to be used to it by now. With the compassionate part of him fully integrated into his Emperor; there was nothing holding back the darkness. His eyes flashed green as he ignited the blade.
Kylo barely registered Beth’s flinch as he swept his blade up and lunged forward. All his thoughts focused on the fight; the feel of his muscles as he lunged, parried, and thrust, the feel of Force whispering and the song of violence in his blood. He went back and forth with Beth, allowing her the illusion of holding her own before completely decimating her. He waited, blade pointed at her throat, with silent intensity.
“Yield.” A multilayered voice rolled from him as the quiet violence in Kylo had the other knights quickly taking a knee, heads bowed in submission.
“I yield.” Beth replied, flinching as Kylo’s eyes flashed green again. Kylo slowly disengaged the saber blade. She waited until Kylo stepped back before slowly getting to her feet. The Master would be pleased, his training was coming along nicely. Soon it would be time for Kylo to be deployed to the flagship of the fleet, destiny waits for no man.
Kylo turned, dismissing his knights, and headed for his quarters. He needed to research more about the Imperium phenomenon. Something had happened during that last training, a merging of sorts, an almost out of body experience. It felt as though the Force had poured through his body burning as it went. He needed to do more research to find out what was happening to him.
Hux headed back to his quarters after finishing his sparing. He was mildly impressed with Cadet Mitaka. Training in the saber may not take as long as he originally thought. Learning the basics with the heavier practice blade would help cement the skills he needed in wielding the lighter plasma blade. Once his body learned the movements, and had the muscle memory down, the next part of the plan could begin. For now, he carefully placed his bag next to his desk before rolling the stiffness from his shoulders. Sitting on the ground by his bunk, he took a few deep breaths before reaching inward where Ben had left his knowledge of the Force. He sifted through the information slowly, looking for the knowledge of lightsabers. There!
Hux took out the lightsaber he had made and went over it with the knowledge gleaned from Ben. Everything seemed to be in working order. The only problem he could see is where was he going to get a kyber crystal to power the blade? There was not a chance for him to get off the ship to one of the planets known to have them. The Empire had done a good job of destroying the crystals or guarding them so carefully that only those with the highest clearance could get to them. Hux did not have the time to climb the military ladder to get the clearance needed to gain access. He needed a kyber crystal now.
With his thoughts racing, Hux considered his options slowing when he came to the most outlandish idea of all. There was still kyber imbedded in his body from that long ago fall when Ben had healed him. If this worked, it would be another first for the history books, assuming he ever told anyone. The only problem would be how to get the kyber out of his body without killing him. Trying something small first would be best. Taking a combat knife from his bag, he ran the blade deliberately across his palm. He watched in fascination as the blood welled up and hardened to form a small orange crystal no bigger than a coin. This could change everything! He rolled the crystal in his palm, surprised to notice that the cut had healed with no visible mark. The crystal was too small to power the blade, Hux would need a larger stone. After a few more minutes of rummaging through the Force information the way to get a larger crystal became clear.
The decision made, Hux carefully removed his shirt and tossed it on his bunk. Taking a deep breath Hux counted down his ribs and plunged the knife in. He gasped as he pulled the knife out, watching in fascination as the thick dark heart blood poured from the wound rolling down his chest to coalesce into a glittering blood orange kyber crystal.
Across the galaxy, Kylo dropped to his knees as a sharp pain sliced through his heart. He clutched at his chest as his mind automatically reached out across the stars to feel the other. All he found was a slumped figure with blood pooling beneath it. Instinct took over as he gathered the Force around himself and sent it hurtling down the bond. The feel of the other winked out as Kylo’s consciousness slip away, a single tear dropped to the floor hardening into a small orange crystal.
Hux felt the rush of Force pour into his body like liquid fire. The kyber in his body reacted to the boost by flowing around his organs, his bones, and surrounding them with a glittering impenetrable layer of stone. Everything amalgamated in a sharp note of sound before releasing in a clap of Force as Hux’s consciousness winked out.
The Knights of Ren walked into Kylo’s quarters for their after-training breakdown to find his limp form collapsed in the middle of the floor. Charlotte looked at Beth and sighed.
“Tell the Master he is ready.” Beth nodded and sat down to follow Charlotte’s orders. She reached out and gave a polite nudge, waiting for the Master to reply before giving her report.
“The orders have been given. The Supreme Leader will be sending Kylo to the Fleet General. We should go to the ship and head to the base to prepare.” Glancing at Kylo’s limp form, Beth frowned, “He’s going to need our support when he is put back together again.” The pieces that made up his being were fractured, his soul was with the other, and the instinct was left in charge of his being.
“Indeed. I want you all in position before things come to a head. Be sure to integrate into the base personnel and prepare for the coming storm.” Charlotte gave the order and the other knights nodded before heading out to complete their tasks. “You poor, stupid bastard. Things are about to become difficult for you.” Charlotte shook her head at Kylo before leaving.
Hux came to with his cheek pressed to the cold duristeel floor. Groaning he sat up, his body feeling heavy. He opened his hand to find a large kyber crystal. He reached out to pick up the lightsaber hilt at his side placing the crystal in the designated slot. Taking a slow deep breath, he engaged the blade. The blade lit with a soft white glow. Hux felt a smile form as he inspected the blade. It was perfect. Switching the blade off he set it on his bed with a tired smile. After a few minutes he managed to heave himself off the floor to his shower.
Hux tucked his lightsaber back into the hidden holster he had made for it. There would be time to consider how and why he managed to make the kyber later. The best use of his time would be to acquire a black-market lightsaber to train with. He rifled through his bag for his datapad. There were a few less than savory contacts he could tap for what he needed. The best one he knew operated out of the Naboo capital. A quick succinct message later he breathed a sigh of relief. His contact already had what he needed. It was odd that they always seemed to have exactly what he wanted as soon as he needed it; something to think about later.
The com pinged as Hux set the datapad on the small desk. “Report to the conference room immediately. The Supreme Leader wishes to speak with you.” Hux frowned as he straightened his uniform. What could the Supreme Leader possibly want with him? There was something off about this.
The conference room on the ship was on the smaller side. Hux had always thought it was to discourage those in charge from having too many know their secrets. The room was even smaller with the alien in a garish golden robe flanked by guards in red. The sight of it caused Hux to instinctually compress all of his Force into a small grain of sand. Hux stopped at a respectful distance and settled himself into parade rest, waiting to be addressed directly before speaking.
“Lieutenant.” Snoke took his time judging the man before him. He sent out a mental probe to get a better bead on the man. When he encountered a thick shimmering barrier, he had to hide his surprise. This man was an enigma. Perhaps this military man would survive his apprentice. “The First Order needs a general and the soldiers have informed me that they will follow no one but you. Congratulations General. You are to report to the Finalizer immediately.”
“Of course, Supreme Leader.” Hux let no emotion show. He had felt the mental push and was surprised when the barrier had come up to block it. The kyber in his body was constantly surprising him. He had no idea it would come to his defense when a Force user got pushy. He filed the information for later use.
Snoke sat back after he dismissed the new general. The man struck him as a very straight laced and competent soldier. He would be a useful pawn to strike at the lurking threat of The Ren.
On the far side of the galaxy, The Ren paused as they felt the new piece slipped into place. Everything was working perfectly. Things were about to get interesting.
Newly minted General Hux raised his saber to block the incoming blow while using the Force to push his opponent back a few steps. Using the breathing room, he redoubled his attack pushing his opponent into defensive mode. He sank into the movements with all of the grace of a prima ballerina, thrust, block, push, spin. On and on Hux moved with the dance until his opponent finally broke, panting as the tip of his saber cast shadows on the upturned face.
“Very good, Armitage. You have done well. Let Charlotte up.” The Ren smiled as Hux turned towards them, eyes of haunted brown met theirs before fading into a normal green. With a huff of exasperation, Hux flicked the blade off and offered a hand to Charlotte. Yanking her to her feet he turned to The Ren. “Your extra training has proven useful. Can the cadet be trusted?”
“He was the top of his class at the academy.” He held up a hand to forestall any argument before continuing. “That being said he is dying for praise of any kind. I will promote him to lieutenant and he will do anything I ask of him. Those of my crew who have proven themselves will be given promotions. I have given Phasma control of the stormtrooper training program. She completed all the tasks that you and General Sloane set for her.”