Chapter Text
Hux was a fine general, one of the best that the First Order has come to know. He was ruthless, cold, calculating, strategic, authoritative, everything one can expect from a man of his position. If something went wrong, he would not panic, but find a quick solution to fix it. If someone was showing signs of insubordination, you could be absolutely sure that Hux would extract any necessary punishment.
He also wasn't one to ignore the voices of others. Many leaders have fallen because they wouldn't listen to their fellow comrades, deafened by their own pride. But if someone came to Hux with concerns or doubts about any operation that the Order was to carry out, he took every single word into consideration. There was no room for mistakes.
Looking at him from afar, it would be unbelievable to think that someone would be stupid enough to strip him of his title. Then again, if he were completely trustworthy, he wouldn't exactly be in the predicament he was in now.
The day had started off normal enough. Hux woke up early in his quarters on the Finalizer, changed into his uniform, had a quick but filling breakfast, and headed to the bridge to take charge. Everyone was doing their duties, with Hux checking every person behind their monitor to make sure of it. Currently they were working on the construction of a new death weapon, more powerful than the Death Star. He had to make sure everything was going smoothly. Then, Hux heard footsteps rush over to him, and he turned his gaze away from a screen to see who it was.
It was Lieutenant Mitaka, looking rather nervous. "Sir, the Supreme Leader has requested a meeting with you," he said.
This wasn't out of the ordinary. However, despite Mitaka's usual jittery manner, he looked worse than usual. Perhaps Snoke was in a sour mood, and took it out on the poor Lieutenant. That was one of the many things Hux had grown to disdain about Snoke. He used fear to lead, rather than even
try
to legitimately gain the support of others. And the old withered thing would barely show his face to any of those he was in command of. It was cowardly.
More often than not, Hux found himself wondering what would happen if he overthrew Snoke. He was a much better leader, anyway, and everything he did was for the sake of the galaxy. Snoke was selfish, probably only did all of this for himself. Sometimes Hux would even wonder how he would he would take over. It started off vague at first, but over time it only became more articulate. Perhaps the time may come where Hux might actually be able to go through with his plans.
For the meantime, though, Hux knew that he had to display all loyalty nice and obvious for everyone to see. He couldn't have Snoke become suspicious.
He nodded curtly to Mitaka and turned on his heel, heading over to the meeting room where Snoke's massive hologram was set to appear. The closer he got, however, the more tense he felt. Something was wrong. The atmosphere, it...it was more distraught than usual. Was Snoke truly in as awful a mood as Hux predicted?
When he arrived, Snoke was already projected. His facial features were small, a weak mouth and beady eyes, but it was clear that he was...smiling? That was odd. Hux could have sworn he had sensed some negative vibes. Not that he could be sure of that, of course, he wasn't Force-sensitive like the Supreme Leader. Hell, Hux barely knew what Force wielders were capable of.
"General," Snoke greeted, his voice slurred and guttural.
"You've requested to see me. Has something happened?" Hux inquired.
"Something
has
been happening, yes," Snoke said, leaning in his throne. "Tell me, general. What do you know of a Force wielder’s ability?”
Hux's face remained impassive, but his mind became muddled. He knew very little. Snoke was the only Force-sensitive person he personally knew, and most archives of both the Jedi and the Sith were unreachable to him. From what he's seen by the display of the Knights of Ren, they had some sort of grip on telekinesis. Move objects with their minds, or choke and torture others with a mere thought. But that was the limit of his knowledge.
"I'm afraid I don't know much, my lord," he answered.
Snoke hummed thoughtfully. "That does make sense. If you knew more, I'm sure you would have been more gu arded."
"My lord?"
"Here's a piece of vital information for you.” Snoke's voice began to grow darker. “We can read minds.”
Hux felt his heart skip a beat. That was vital. Surely it was vital enough for his own life. He didn't dare speak, and it didn't seem like Snoke was going to give him the chance to anyway.
“I've seen your plans,” he said. “I know you wish to usurp me. I've let it go on for this long because I was hoping you would grow out of this hopeless fantasy. You are such a valuable asset to the First Order, after all. But it seems no such thing will be happening soon.”
The door behind them opened, making Hux jump, and he quickly turned around. It was one of the Knights of Ren, he recognized. He was masked, had on what looked to be typical mercenary attire, and was fully armed.
“General, I'd like for you to meet Naos Ren,” Snoke introduced casually. “He shall be in charge of your execution.”
Hux immediately paled, and his knees felt weak. “No…” he mumbled, before speaking up louder. “Supreme Leader, please! Give me a second chance to prove my loyalty to you! I'll improve the Starkiller, I'll destroy every single planet that you so desire--”
“I'm afraid that won't be happening. Your craving for power is overbearing.” Snoke then waved his hand dismissively. “Naos, take him away and have him executed as soon as possible. And make sure to have it broadcasted. All must witness what will happen if anyone dares to even think about rebelling against me.”
A strong grip suddenly held Hux's arms behind his back, and soon enough he was being lead out of the room.
This was all too much to process, especially with the fast rate everything was going. How had Hux been so careless? If only he had known, if he had done more research on the Force, then maybe he wouldn't be where he was now. He really would have been more guarded, instead of being so ignorant as to let his mind roam freely.
Naos took the long way through the Finalizer, making sure that everyone saw their General, walking with his hands forced behind him like a lowly criminal. The officers looked concerned, and maintenance seemed completely baffled. Of course Naos wasn't going to let him die without making him face such humiliation.
They were heading towards the stormtrooper training section now. Some of the troopers were working with new upgraded blasters, with Captain Phasma supervising them. When she saw Hux, though, she ignored the training and walked straight over to the two. “What is the meaning of this?” she demanded.
Hux couldn't help but feel a little relieved. He and Phasma had always been close. Not just on a professional level, but they could sometimes be seen as friends. They spent a lot of their downtime together, talking about strategic maneuvers along with the latest gossip among the crew. However, just like Hux, Phasma was willing to do anything to guarantee the success of the First Order, including eliminating any threats. If Hux was a threat, Phasma could easily push any personal feelings aside and kill him herself.
“It's all simple, Captain,” Naos spoke, his voice distorted with his mask’s modulator. “General Hux has been plotting treason. I'm to execute him.”
Although she wore her helmet, Hux could tell there was a look of disbelief on Phasma’s face. “Treason? What proof do you have to back this up?” she asked.
“The Supreme Leader has sensed it,” Naos answered simply.
Phasma scoffed. “That's hardly valid enough evidence that would withstand in any trial.” Let it never be said that Phasma didn't have the courage to stand up to a Knight of Ren.
Naos was about to counter, but a stormtrooper approached them hesitantly. “Uh, Captain?” he asked.
“What is it, FN-2003? Can't you see I'm in the middle of something?”
“Right, I understand,” FN-2003 said hurriedly. “It's just that, there's something wrong with my blaster. It's not...blasting…”
“What do you mean?” Phasma asked, growing more and more irritated. “These weapons are all brand new, yours can't be damaged so soon.”
“No, look…” FN-2003 started fiddling with the safety on his blaster. “Every time I try to mess with it, it doesn't do anything. Maybe the trigger malfunctioned--”
But apparently the trigger worked just fine now. As soon as FN-2003 pulled the it, a blast shot out of it and went straight at Naos. The knight was able to deflect it, but in order to do so, he needed his hands to channel the Force. And that meant he had to let go of Hux.
Hux didn't let another second go to waste. He ran as fast as he could, taking every twist and turn. Naos may have been powerful with the Force, but he didn't know the Finalizer like Hux did. He had known the Finalizer since the first days of its construction. He knew the best escape route without being traced, and he allowed himself to consider this a small victory.
The escape crafts were lined up in neat rows, ready for take off. Each had an eye scanner next to it, to which Hux hastily pressed against. His blue iris was immediately recognized, and the craft door slid open. Hux heard footsteps behind him, and he didn't hesitate to step in.
He caught a glimpse of the masked knight before the craft door closed, could feel the rage radiating off of him. But as soon as the door closed, the craft launched itself out at a speed Hux only hoped was fast enough.
Oh kriff, he was doomed.