Chapter Text
The lightsaber felt light and cold in his hands, like something made of a fearsome ice. Hux stared at it as he turned it around, inspecting all of its tiny details and decorations. A speck of grease stained it’s otherwise clean handle, sullying it’s worth. He wouldn't be able to deny an accusation that he was infatuated with it- with lightsabers in general. Lightsabers were such beautiful weapons; swords of light and kyber, able to retract and kill at their masters’ will. This one may not be Kylo’s- the very weapon that first gave him his great interest- but it was still just as good. It was Rey’s, and a Skywalker was to be revered.
Sliding his fingers up towards the ignition button, he paused, feeling his palms slicken with sudden sweat. If he were to be caught with Ben’s weapon? Especially at a time like this? It wouldn’t stand in anyone’s eyes. Hux looked around him for any sign of life. It was much too late to be awake, and he felt as if he were about to collapse on the floor then and there, but he had to have waited this long. Ben was asleep- deep asleep- and wouldn’t be woken up by any minor disturbances in the Force. Mitaka, Poe, and the others were slumbering as well, leaving Hux as the only soul still retaining his conciseness.
He bit the insides of his mouth and placed the saber back inside Ben’s bag with great care. A weapon such as that would be of incredible value where he was going, but it wasn’t worth it. Ben was already going to be angry enough to kill him when he woke- adding a stolen lightsaber on top of that would be foolish. His knives- or rather singular knife at this point- would do just as well. I don’t even know how to properly use a lightsaber anyways , he reasoned with himself, pushing down the screaming curiosity about how he would fare with one. I have to get out of here already.
Hux took one last look at the gleaming and tantalizing metal before padding away. Perhaps he could learn its battle techniques in the next plane after he died for this foolish mission. Wouldn’t that just be something? Holding back a plaintive sigh, Hux exited the ship, relieved to see that the rain was falling at a light drizzle for this time of day. It would make his trip much easier; much quicker. He pulled his rainhat further down his face before stepping out, droplets immediately drumming into his ears.
You all better kriffing thank me when this is all done, he bitterly thought. I’ve spied before and I’ll do it again. I’ll stay safe, Ben, he added after a moment, surprised to find no weakness in it. As Hux reached the bottom of the ramp, he heard an almost silent whisper from behind him, setting his heartbeat much too high. Whipping around in fear of being caught, he faltered at the sight of Major Emen, dressed and ready for the outdoors.
“General!” she called, a bit too loudly for his anxieties liking. “General Hux, sir, please, wait for me.”
“Major… What is the meaning of this?” he demanded with a touch of his old superior tone.
“I’m here to assist you, sir. I can guide you to our temporary base. Please, allow me the pleasure of aiding you in your return to us.”
This woman’s out of her plain mind , Hux remarked, almost shocked at her intense formality that he had nearly forgotten about. “Guide me?”
“I am aware that it’s a long ways away, but it’s best if we leave as soon as possible. You picked the perfect time to leave, sir. Those Resistance bantha-brains wouldn’t even suspect it, all tucked away in there.”
“And would you say the same about… Ren?” he asked, pushing her further.
Major Emen didn’t even take a moment to pause before she spoke her answer. “Yes, sir. Our Ex-Supreme Leader abandoned us for the enemy lines when we needed him most. He’s a sympathiser, a regrettable traitor, and we only need you, now. General Hux, sir, we’ve seen the footage of them taking you. We must take you back.”
Hux felt both a flicker of admiration at her confidence and a sting of anger at her treatment of Ben and himself. I wasn’t taken like some animal . Ben isn’t a traitor. He stood straight as he addressed her, not one to give up a better chance at survival. “Thank you, Major. Your assistance in this manner would be much appreciated on my behalf, as well as of the whole First Order’s.”
Major Emen lit up, barely containing a squeal of excitement despite her professionalism. “I know the way. Those idiots forgot to search all of me, I still have the digital map ready to go. Follow me, sir, and I’ll get us there before morning comes.”
“What of your companion?”
“Faether? It would be suspicious to bring him along with us. He and Mitaka can stay behind and cover for us. I've already told them of my plan to convince you to come with us.”
Hux fought the urge to breathe a sigh of relief. Dopheld would stay behind where it was safe, not needing to go back to the First Order. And he never will , Hux vowed to himself. He dug into his pocket and tossed Major Emen a pair of keys. “For the speeder,” he explained. “You are capable of driving one, yes?”
“Of course, sir. Please, follow me.” Major Emen began to head behind the ship before she paused, turning back around to face Hux. “Uhm, General Hux, sir, I think you should leave your pager here. They could track your position with that.”
Using all the willpower he could to stop himself from lashing out at her, Hux simply nodded and threw it on the wet ground. He’d been hoping to keep it if at all possible. It would have been so useful to have it in case things went wrong- in case Ben was right about DJ. Who am I kidding? he thought, following Major Emen to the speeder. That rat of a man could never trust me enough before Ben and Poe come frisking for me. I have a day at most. Hux stared at his pager and stomped it into the mud as a show for Major Emen, cringing at the action. She seemed fascinated by his every detail.
She stopped halfway before igniting the engine of the speeder and motioned for her General to climb on. Her eyes were filled to the brim with excitement and purpose- and as it should be! It was an honour to escort a General such as himself, especially on an important mission such as this. It gave you a great conversation topic for the next lunch break. She knows nothing of what I’ve done to renounce the First Order. She’s… a fan, I suppose.
Hux decided that he didn’t mind Major Emen, though her insistent debate between if she should or shouldn’t revere him was concerning. It was easy to tell that she was enamoured with him; in love with him possibly, to some extent. He knew the look of love well enough. So many of his personal attendants- Lieutenants and Privates and people like that- had that same look in their eyes whenever they’d seen him. He had no qualms with admitting that it’d boosted his ego to a certain extent. But of course, with so many admiring him, so many more were envious of his following.
It might be from his growing sentimentality, but Hux gave a sliver of pity to the woman who was driving him in the rain. (In a side note, Hux was also being pelted in the face with water and awkwardly holding on to the edges of the bike so as to not fall and break something. He was a normal man with normal humiliation after all; no force magicing himself to the seat) Major Emen had no idea of his true intentions. She’d be betrayed and have to deal with that. She was undeniably loyal to him, but even then Hux doubted that she really cared for him . She cared for his rank and title and things like that, not for him as a human being. As long as he continued being the fearsome General she knew him for, he’d be alright.
I must be going soft from living with Poe and Rey and their lot if I’m sympathetic for a Major I hardly know , he told himself grumpily, unable to brush off his attachment to Emen. As he watched her manoeuvre the speeder in her expertly crafted way, a reason for why he might like her dawned on him. A stupid reason, but a reason nonetheless. Her short black hair, her loyalty, her confidence- well maybe not that aspect exactly upon further thought- and her prowess all reminded him of Dopheld. Maker, of course.
Only a few minutes and he was missing his friend. That kind of sentimentality would get him killed some day, he knew it. Just buckle in for a long ride, he told himself, remember how far the note said their base was. He sighed and tightened his grip, squinting his eyes against the rain in annoyance.
——
One thing Hux praised himself one was for being a patient man. He’d waited years to kill the men he needed gone and played an even longer game to rise through the ranks to sit next to Snoke. Patience was the most important trait you needed to become powerful, but it did wear thin. Too much waiting assured that you would get nothing in life. To know the opportune time to strike was a gift, even if that time took years.
Hux stared at the man across from him, wishing that moment would come as soon as possible. He could only be so patient and respectful around a filthy man such as DJ before he snapped. Maker, how can he look like he doesn’t wash on a planet full of rain? Just step outside. Hux held in a breath and took a short moment to be grateful that the man was visibly shorter than him- to have him bigger would be even more demeaning. He gave the tiniest of forced smiles he could muster, earning one just as plainly fake back.
“I almost don’t believe my eyes. You actually came. The General Hux. In my home. What an h-h-honour,” DJ exclaimed, holding his hands against his chest in a sarcastic fashion.
“Of course he came!” defended the ever loyal Major Emen. “He’s our General, he would never abandon us for the Resistance.”
“I can speak for myself, Major,” he warned. “Yes,” he added to DJ, “I’m here. Make it worth my while.” Was that too much sternness? Not enough?
“Oh, we-we-we will. A real hot-shot like you will really raise the community morale around here, y’know? Give them something to cheer for.”
“That’s what a General is for,” Hux simply stated. “Bring me somewhere I can dry off and then we can talk, just the two of us.”
“Think I should start calling myself a General?” DJ asked himself aloud. “General DJ, huh?”
“… You use your sur name in your title.”
“Princo!” DJ suddenly called, snapping his fingers before a young man- an older teen, more descriptively- came shuffling to his side. “Show our General to the showers.”
“Yes, sir,” he dully responded, keeping his gaze low.
Before Major Emen could intervene, Hux put the lightest of touches on her shoulder and pulled her back, strutting past to stand in front of the boy named Princo. A small lad with a thick wad of bandages over his left eyes, still clearly quite fresh, and a posture more akin to a Wookie than a human. He looked up only long enough to meet Hux’s gaze and turn away, heading down the hall without a word. If his eye is still looking like that then I can assume there’s a limited supply of bacta here. Limited defenses as well , Hux thought as he took in the rooms around him.
Black walls met nicely with an even blacker floor, scarcely decorated with furniture wherever needed. Long hallways spewed along with large rooms on either side of them, twisting and turning like some sort of sick labyrinth. At a short glance, it seemed mostly like a standard First Order outpost, but upon further inspection it seemed to be something more. The furnishings weren’t First Order at all, and most of the rooms Hux expected to see were null. He mused on the idea of what this place was before he felt the need to ask someone. Good information to have , he told himself.
“What sort of a complex is this?” he asked the boy, not knowing what to address him as.
Princo flinched, seemingly surprised at the noise of Hux’s sharp voice. “An abandoned survey building. The Resistance tried to repurpose it at some point but stopped,” he said in reply. “It’s a confusing mess.”
“Where are the supply rooms? Stock is important for me to know.” Hux demanded, needing a feel for just how abandoned this place was. Perhaps it was so empty and lacklustre in supplies that it would simply cave in on itself and save the Resistance the trouble of destroying it.
“The… The sanitary rooms are just to the right up there. Please excuse me, General sir.”
“Hey,” Hux softly shouted, making Princo turn back around. “How long has your eye been injured and uncared for?”
Princo paused and looked around nervously; paranoidly. He raised a hand to his injured eye and recoiled at the feeling. “I took off my helmet on duty and got hit by a civilian,” he explained. “Punched, more like- with a rock. I can still see, but I can’t perform my duties until I get fixed, so I’m doing whatever DJ asks of me.”
“You’re a stormtrooper?”
“Yes, sir. PR-1130. DJ doesn’t like the numbers though, so he decided to call me Princo. Everyone has a name. I have to go, please, take as long as you need.”
And with that, Princo gave a low bow and marched off in the direction they had come from. Hux narrowed his eyes at the sight of it, but felt a twinge of satisfaction at his story. The locals were putting up fights against stormtroopers without questions, even injuring them to some extent. The galaxy seemed to want the Empire and it’s demon child of the First Order gone for good this time, and Hux was fine with that happening. He sighed at the sudden weight of what felt like everything in the world on his shoulders, opening the door and locking it behind him.
For how minimal the rest of the compound looked, at least the sanitation rooms were up to date- and up to code. There was even a small mouse droid already buzzing near his boots, sucking up the rain that trickled down from his clothes. Kicking it away, Hux’s heart leapt thankfully at the thought of a real shower with shampoo and soap and hot water. It’d felt like forever since he’d had one, and, after checking the lock on the door two more times, he began to strip out of his dripping clothes with joy. He was already happy to imagine how clean and tidy his hair would soon be.
I don’t suppose that DJ ever uses this room , he thought to himself as let the steaming water run over his face. It was calming in a way that almost made him forget about the task at hand; his aim to return to a charade of spying. He wasn’t the best at it, having gotten caught by Ben, but DJ didn’t have the force on his side to help him, or years of service alongside him that would have let him learn all of his ticks. Yet- and he shouldn’t forget- DJ was also a master at reading others. He’d proved it before, and his intuition seemed almost as good as the force in a way. Hux shaked his head of the thoughts and ran his hands over his face, holding them over his eyes.
I hope Ben never wakes up. I don’t want to see his face when he finds me. I don’t want him to think of me so low. Hux tensed at that thought. Ben would find him soon- he always did. He’d never been able to avoid his presence for long on the Finalizer ; the longest it seemed he’d ever felt away from Ben was when he first defected. It was like they were connected by some cruel string of fate. Whatever it was, he had a very limited window of time to gather information. Already he had a handful of clues towards the extent of power that was left over, but it wasn’t enough.
So what if the remnants were weak? The Empire’s remains were weak after Vader’s death and they'd flourished into the First Order. Despite better judgement, Hux still felt overly proud of Rae Sloane for doing what she had to restore her government. It was no small feat.
Hux let out a frustrated huff as he turned the water off, immediately roughing up his hair and face with a scratchy towel. Decent shampoo or a soft towel- you could only ever seem to have one of them. Holding some ginger strands between his fingers, he frowned at their length. Dopheld had been right- if he needed anything right now it was a good razor and pair of clippers. He was a mess. Hux glanced around as he got dressed, never one to drop his sense of caution at any moment. He’d been too relaxed before. As he began to reach for his still damp pants with a hint of repulsion, he slumped his shoulders in agitation, gritting his teeth.
“I refuse to work with a man who has zero respect for his colleagues,” he called out, stepping backwards slightly back into the shower, thankful that at least his undergarments were on. Still, nobody- and especially not a nauseating chump- deserved to see him naked.
“Relax, Mr. General. I brought you a more suitable pair of clothes, but you can keh-keh-keep the wet one if you prefer. Maybe you wanna cover up, slim?”
Hux fought the urge to give DJ a death glare, catching a black mass of fabric that was thrown at him from the other side of the room. “What sort of bathroom has two entrances in it?”
“ That’s what you care about? I thought you wanted to talk. We can do it here.”
“It’s a highly inappropriate location for such disscus”- Hux stopped in shock at what he saw in his hands. He unfolded it gently, staring at it with a conflicted frown and a palpitating heart. Oh fuck , he cursed, realizing that it gave him more excitement than disgust.
“Luh-like it?” DJ rhetorically asked, pushing off the wall with his foot and sauntering over with a skip in his step. “Got some boys to dig it out first time I s-s-saw you. Knew you wouldn’t want anything less, even if there’s no big coat.”
Quickly catching his train of thought again, Hux laid the uniform out on a dry bench and cleared his throat as he grabbed the upper half of it. “I’m surprised that this outpost had a General’s uniform in stock,” he said flatly, pulling an arm through the black sleeve of it. “And it’s called a great coat. You should know that term.”
“Oh, there’s so many wonders in here. You’d know what this place was u-u-u-used for, right? I don’t have a clue.” DJ grinned sheepishly and ran a hand through his hair, leaning closer to Hux.
The redhead had never gotten dressed so fast in his life. “Why did you of all men decide to come to the First Order? From what I knew, you were an opportunist, but this is far too big of a gamble for far too little of a reward. Why?”
“Right to it, eh?”
“You want me to lead you because you know that without a proper authority figure, this whole regime will crumble. A slicer doesn’t do well with authority.”
“Maybe not,” DJ confessed, bouncing back and forth on his toes, “but it still makes sense for my situation.”
“Explain,” Hux demanded, tired of never getting direct answers. Really, he was tired in general, and would do anything for a few moments of slumber alone.
DJ paused and flicked his eyes around, coughing lightly into his gloved hand. “Ca-can ya keep a secret, General?” he asked. When he got nothing but a squint of annoyance back, he continued, tugging at the neck of his jacket. “You’re pretty smart. I’m sure you’ve figured it out already- saw how ha-ha-happy I was when I first saw you. Hells, I was crossing my fingers ever since we first saw ya crash. We caught a big one that day.”
“I said to get to the point. If you want to properly lead then you must learn to be clear and concise, no meaningless rambles.”
“But that’s exactly it!” DJ nearly shouted, making Hux flinch at the loudness of. “I don’t want to lead. You just s-s-said it. A slicer doesn't do authority or gambles. Ya didn’t catch my hints?”
Taking a moment to collect himself, Hux stood upright and looked down at DJ, fighting back the urge to cringe at the sight. He fought the urge to place his hands neatly behind his back, not wanting to be falling into a habitual properness that came with the new uniform. But despite his air of order, his words were anything but. “What the fuck do you mean you don’t want to lead? Give me one good reason why you’re here then? Why you’re wasting my time with this idiocy! Do you think running the First Order is easy? Did you? How much of a child are you?”
Everyone had said that DJ was an expert at reading character, but apparently they had been wrong. The man stood stunned, unable to reply properly without sputtering more useless nonsense and fake laughs of embarrassment. “Are… are you sure that you’re even General Hux?” he cautiously ventured, scratching at his wrists with his nails. “I never heard you shout at a person like that be-buh-before- only at a camera.”
Hux lost his patience in that instant and snatched DJ’s coat collar into his fist, lifting him as high as he could off the floor, getting the other man to at least go on the starts of his tiptoes. “Why are you here?!” he demanded, unable to control his anger.
“Okay, okay, big guy! It’s simple, really. You see, they came to m-m-me, yeah? They remembered that we made a deal that time, and thought I’d have a connection with you. It made me a choice. Not a good one, but good for a start.”
Hux narrowed his eyes in suspicion. “No officer with half a brain would even think for a moment that I’d keep in contact with you.”
“But you’re here now, and that’s what muh-matters to them. Thought I’d have a decent shot on your home planet. I know you couldn’t be dead, not a thinker like y-y-you.”
“… What do you think happened to me then?” Hux ventured cautiously, letting go of DJ with a disgusted shove.”
“The Resistance tried to hide you, but it’s not hard to find rumours. Plus, why would the First Order risk their great General in that big f-fight?”
I’m not as important as you remember me being , Hux regrettably thought to himself. He looked DJ straight into the eyes, a sort of invisible tug of war happening between them. “So now you want me to take over, don’t you?”
“Buh-buh-bingo, sunshine! They need real leadership. As it is, I’m more of a figurehead that they push around when no one’sa look-looking.”
Oh wouldn't I like to push you around. This spying shit is awful . “Then I suggest you get your act together and listen to what I say.”
“And what say you?”
“The Resistance will find this place easily enough. It’s best to move to another location. I heard rumours of First Order presence on Corellia. Go there. Regroup. Stop hiding away in little factions, and show me whatever you consider your control room.”
Hux stepped back to let DJ breathe, feeling constricted himself. It’d been a while since he had to assume a leadership bravado, yet he did it flawlessly. Mentally going over what preparations he’d have to do to make everything seem legit, he let his mind wander as he waited for DJ’s response. The slicer seemed doe-eyed at the moment. Firearms and ammunition stock, count and divide surviving members, bring at least some things to protocol, instill an impromptu training regime until they leave. Kriff, I haven’t done this much work in months. Not to complain, that is.
Perhaps it would be best to simply look around? Collecting information is more important than my image. Hux brought a hand up to his face, wishing that he had a pair of gloves on. His uniform felt incomplete without them. No. I should ring DJ for more information. No kriffing way is he telling the whole truth. He bit back the urge to shake his head in annoyance, looking back at DJ, only then realizing that he’d been staring off at the walls. The words he was going to speak were cut off- forcefully so- sending him spiraling back onto his ass, a drip of red hitting the floor.
Hux smothered his nose with his hand, using the other to push himself back up with the aid of the stability of the wall; him not being the most stable in that moment. He glared pure venom at DJ, seeing that the other man’s fist was still stopped at the end of its arc, a proud grin on his face. Pulling his hand away to see it stained crimson with his slick blood, Hux felt the familiar fire of fury rise up in his chest. Anybody who made him bleed deserved tenfold of a punishment back. He discreetly eyed his discarded clothes from before, knowing that his knife was still sitting in the shirt's sleeve. DJ snapped his fingers, getting Hux’s disgusted attention.
“How dare you,” Hux spat, his shoulders stiff and ready to lunge, his nosebleed forgotten.
“Wanted to do that the first time I m-m-met you. So uptight and distrustful,” DJ laughed, standing back up straight as he wiped his hand on his coat. “Not wrong about feeling that though. I give off that look .”
“Do you not want my help? I thought you were just begging for it.”
“Oh no, I still want it, truly. It’s just that you don’t wanna give it. Not really.” Hux faltered for the shortest of moments at the accusation, but that was more than enough for DJ to see that he was right. He stepped back and tilted his head. “You’re actually one of those do-gooders? For re-real? Did I really peg you that wrong?”
Hux pushed back his natural urge to be defensive. He wasn’t in control of the situation when he needed to be. Offensive was the right play. “People can change,” he stated, “but I don’t expect you to know that, being a shameless flip flopper. Loyalty has no meaning to you.”
“You callin me a flip flopper? You went from being that cold bitch that killed a whole solar system to… whatever this is. Look, I don’t give a shit about any of this, but if you go telling your new Resistance friends ‘bout me? Go s-sn-snitch? Then I’m not sure that maintenance worker and her trooper friend would let me go off easil-ly.”
“So your logical sense of thinking is to attack me?”
“You really think everyone here worships you like the stormtroopers do? That everyone was just dying to see their dead boss again?” DJ challenged, dropping his voice and scratching his scruffy beard. “They hear that you’re really just here spying and even they’ll turn on ya. Best thing for you right now is to do what I s-s-say, and leave it all to me.”
Hux narrowed his eyes, visions of a thousand ways to mutilate the man in front of running through his mind. How dare- I’m still bleeding for karking hell! This bloody slicing con-artist scum ! he internally raged, wanting nothing more than to return an equal blow. But he was rational, and he wasn’t an idiot.
DJ was correct. Of kriffing course he was. Hux had no option but to listen to him and curse himself for being the idiot that decided this was all a good idea. You can still get information while under his thumb , he reminded himself futilely. Wiping off the blood still resting above his mouth, Hux cast DJ an unreadable glance, nodding ever so slightly. DJ nodded deeply back, yanking Hux closer to him.
“Good choice, General,” he joked. “Wow, imagine me. General Hu-Hux, all to myself.”
And Hux felt his heart sink as another punch collided with his stomach, knocking him gracelessly to his knees. Ben, get your sorry ass over here now.