Work Text
Chapter one, in which is General Hux not having fun, but gets off on homicide anyway.
----------------------------------
“There is no point in indulging in wishful thinking with the illusions of any kind of optimism: today we find ourselves at the end of a cycle. Already for centuries, at first insensibly, then with the momentum of a landslide, multiple processes have destroyed every normal and legitimate human order in the West and falsified every higher conception of living, acting, knowing, and fighting. And the momentum of this fall, its velocity, its giddiness, has been called ‘progress’. The final consequences of this entire process has been such as to cause some people at least to wake up.
It is well known where and under what symbols the forces for a possible resistance tried to organise.”
- Julius Evola, A Handbook for Right-Wing Youth, Point I.
----------------------------------
General Hux had had kriffin enough. He slept two hours per day. Three, if it was a very good day and he hadn't had one of those since the Starkiller Base exploded. It was fucking poetry, his home, his career, his magnum opus torn into pieces, gloriously, like a hymen of a Twi'lek girl upon reaching twelve, all blown up and bloody, becoming stardust once again.This war with rebels was taking too long. It should have been over before it started in the first place, but what can be done when the majority of the galaxy’s population remains undereducated.The fault was in New Republic’s policy from the start, it was an exemplary case of how liberalism always turns into radicalism. One would expect that they would learn from history, but no, this is how it went when the government was incomplete and without order. His cause at least had some plans for the future, some goals.It was 3:51, he hated looking at the clock and seeing some insane odd numbers. And there always were odd numbers. His shift had ended 4 hours ago and he still had eight hours to the next one. He knew he ought to sleep, but he couldn’t. He lit his cigarette. He shouldn’t be smoking inside the ship, with the exception of the hangar bay, he wrote that regulation, but screw it, these were his personal chambers.He was exhausted, nervous, on the verge of a breakdown and the only thing which kept him going was his determination - who was he kidding, it was his regular dose of magnesium shots. He felt like a fucking death sticks addicted Coruscant bitch.
He was aging a fucking decade per year, he knew that. His reflection in the mirror gradually started resembling his father. He always thought Brendol’s wax-like skin was a result of his drinking habit. He was either wrong or Brendol managed to soak booze into his genes and made the secondary symptoms of alcoholism heritable. It wouldn’t be that surprising if the fucker wanted to haunt him from beyond the fucking grave Armitage didn’t care to visit.Furthermore, they were lost in the middle of nowhere, and he had to figure out their next move. Well, they weren't exactly lost, he knew how they got here and he knew how to get out, but he had no idea where exactly they were. That was kind of the reason why this part of Outer Rim was called Unknown Territories. Their situation was miserable.He suspected that the High Command sent him here as a punishment. That, and to get rid of Kylo Ren. They were outrightly deceiving him, after years of his loyal service to the Order, they’ve rejected him with disdain and decided to dispose of him. The battleship they got as good as confirmed it. The Harbinger was a Resurgent-class Star Destroyer, however, it was one of the earlier products and it had already proved to be highly unreliable. The fact this wreck was still working was a miracle.Maybe they expected their new Supreme Leader to destroy it anyway.The man was insufferable.He had to write today’s report. Ren had pissed him off so much.
Visual reconnaissance confirmed Resistance forces in the area. Due to underprepared equipment and the lack of sufficient data, it was evaluated that we woudn't be able to effectively secure tactical control-
They saw a Resistance ship, quite far away, but it was obviously them. He had no idea what could they be looking for in this part of the galaxy, there was literally nothing but empty, dead space between the stars and one lost First Order battleship, send to this place to be forgotten.
And then Kylo kriffin Ren walked onto the main bridge like it was his ship in the first place and said just “Fire.”
Hux decided to give the man a chance by ignoring him, giving him only the most disgusted look he could muster. Of course, Ren didn’t get it.
“I said, fire,” he repeated arrogantly, “You want to get them down, don't you?”
“We can't just fire! They are too far, we are not stabilized and this is the Unknown Region, we have no idea what environment is around us! It would take hours of measuring to-”
“If we fire now, we can get them.” The supercilious bastard didn’t even wink. Hux was on the edge of firing, but not at the Resistance ship.
“Tell me, Ren, have you ever ever shot from a blaster at least?” He bared his teeth in a parody of a smile, “Do you know what it takes to take a shot?“
“You just have to wait for the right moment and pull the trigger. And now it's the right moment.” It was incredible how dull the man could be.
“That's not the aiming mechanics,” he hissed at Ren, “How do you know it is the right moment?”
“I feel it.”
“You feel it!” It took all Hux’s self restraint not to jump at Kylo’s neck. “Astounding! Listen, Supreme Leader, we cannot just fire because you feel it. There could be other forces in that space, gravity fields, random outbursts of electricity, gamma rays, anything . That's why we use this thing, you know. It's called mathematics . If we fire now, the best possible outcome is that we miss.”
“It will go straight through.”
“It WON'T go straight through!” He stared into the man’s eyes. If he choked him again, touched him before his crew, he would make sure that it was the last thing this sorcerer would do.
An officer reported that the Resistance ship was preparing for a jump into hyperspace. Hux dismissed him. Ren looked at him like he was the one who should be offended.
“This is why you haven't managed to take the Resistance yet, even though you have a billion credits worth of arsenal at your disposal.” With that he turned away and walked from the bridge, probably to harass some poor console or a low-ranked officer, smaller than him.
Hux wanted that man to be gone. Gone from his ship, gone from his life, gone from his kriffin Galaxy. He tipped the cigarette into the empty tea mug. A cleaning droid will deal with it. The clock was showing 4:03. Hux growled in annoyance.He hoped the leadership council would depose Kylo from his new self-appointed position but either they believed in his dark power heritage bullshit, or they just didn’t want to deal with his tantrums. Doubtlessly, it was more of the latter, Darth Vader never had a real executive military power to speak of, and they didn’t even hesitate before they hung the man round Hux’s neck again and send them into this forsaken shithole of the galaxy to get rid of them both.If he was born a woman with intense maternal instincts, biological clock screaming at him and mild retardation, he would have got used to his position of being a Sith babysitter by now. But he wasn’t. So he didn’t.
Snoke tried something similar, with his blessing he was supposed to get this overgrown teenager off, which, Snoke probably assumed, would make him at least temporarily useful. As if he didn’t know that sex is one of the vices men of Empire are not supposed to submit to. The former Supreme Leader claimed it was a purely technical matter, akin to firearm maintenance, no need to prolong it, and Hux assumed he was probably assigned for the job because Snoke in his bigotry believed that Hux himself would benefit from getting his barrel greased. Old fucking dickhead.The first time they fucked, he hadn't allowed Kylo to take him to bed. He had about ten minutes before he had to be back on the bridge and hoped they will get over it as quickly as possible. It became a good habit after that. With the former Supreme Leader’s blessing, Ren had him against the wall of his office, his each thrust making Hux involuntarily bang his head against it. That prick probably only fucked sexdroids up till now. No wonder Snoke’s approved it, the negative and dissipation aspects of the intercouse always predominated. Banging mighty Skywalker felt lot like his first sexual experiences. There was a sweaty man rutting against him, thrusts too hard to be anything but painful and he could think only of how much he didn't want to physically be there, although at this age he had learned to separate sex from pleasure already.He hated it.He hated fucking men.He didn’t know what he kept doing it.
I swear this sacred oath that I shall render unconditional obedience-
Wake up.
Wake up!
Hux, wake up.
“WAKE UP!”Lights were on. Red lights.They were under attack.He had to have fallen asleep on his desk when he was writing the report. That made it easier, he was still in his uniform. He basically ran to the main bridge.“General. I was just wondering if I should go get you personally,” Ren sounded inappropriately pleased, “It seems like these Resistance fighters we saw before reported our location.”There was at least fifty fighters. He saw and at least seven Y-wings and twelve T-70 X-wings. He didn’t recognize them. It had to be a new unit. The Resistance’s late policy of promoting suicide attacks obviously inspired a new wave of support from the Republic.The terrorist scum was fucking incredible. Acts of extreme resistance to an authority and protest against rationality and order always found self-confirmation. Freedom and justice. The fundamental justification of anarchy, the regressive phenomenon resulting only in suicide attacks and back stabbing.“Why aren’t our TIE fighters on them already?” A young blond officer approached him. “Sir! They besieged us. They are too- too close to our battlecruiser, we can-can-not attack them with our TIE fighters without risking damaging the Star Destroyer.”He just woke up. He did not do anything in your life to deserve this. Well, that was a lie, but he still didn’t like it.“We wanted to take-take them down with turrets, but they keep flyin-” The blond officer kept talking. Or more like cluttering, it was a miracle this guy survived the barracks. If he had to sleep in the room with someone with a speech impediment this annoying, he would end his suffering with a pillow.
He hissed at the young man, “Is there any senior navy officer on duty now?”
“I-I am the senior officer, sir.” He didn’t know how, but this was definitely Kylo Ren’s fault. His suspicion just deepened when the man appeared, saving the young navy officer from an unavoidable annihilation.“I hope that I didn't disrupt your beauty sleep.” Hux wanted to kill this man for digging in his head. He was going to kill this man, it was just a matter of time.He squeezed his eyes shut and grit his teeth. “The fact you had to wake me up to deal with few Rebel fighters speaks about absolute incompetence of the whole bridge.” He turned to the officer, “I want TIE Fighters out! NOW! ”“A peculiar situation you found yourself in.” Kylo remarked, “I advise you to keep an eye on the attack.” He wanted to punch the man. He seemed so unaffected by the situation it was like he didn’t even realize that he’s on the ship too. And maybe he didn’t, one never knew with him.
They weren’t taking down their cannons, the “senior” officer was right, they were aiming at the aft. Hux was close to blasting out of his fucking boots right where he stood “They want to blow up our engines.”They knew the shield around reactors was weaker. Fucking scavengers. Outright cowards, ready to strike where the enemy was the weakest. They would destroy their engines and leave them here to die.
He kriffin hated Harbinger. This ship was a vengeance of the High Command. A punishment for his failures. An utter garbage. Admittedly, it was his own fault, he wasted too much of their budget.
He had to fix this, or someone will assume the got his position just because Snoke liked him. His father always claimed Armitage was no good to the Order. At least these rebels had no bombers with them, small mercies.“It’s unfortunate we weren’t prepared for a possibility of the ambush,” Kylo continued, “Odd, even, since the warfare we lead is based on irregular conflicts. Have you ever heard of guerrilla strategy, General?“This offspring of sand worms was trying him.
His hands formed into fists.
“Are you doubting the curriculum of Imperial Academy?” he hissed at Ren.
“Have I ever questioned any educational system?” Hux would swear he saw a distant spark of amusement in the man’s black eyes. Brave, considering the General’s body was currently powered exclusively by hatred and spite, definitely surpassing Ren’s own level of union with the Dark Force.
“Good,” he said, “I’d hate to suspect you of disloyalty to the Empire.”
The man raised his eyebrows, “General, that almost sounded like a threat.”
“Did it, Supreme Leader? I’m very sorry about that.” He made a point to not sound sorry at all. “I just wonder if this is good time to question whether I know what guerrilla warfare is.”
Kylo wasn’t going to back off. “Knowing what guerrilla warfare is is easy. Fighting against it, that's hard.”
“Really?! Then what would you do, Supreme Leader ?” He didn’t think he ever hated any man as much as he hated this unfortunate product of a conception without lights on. Every second spent in Ren’s company assured him that there will be a coup, and it will be very soon.“General,” Kylo led him to the front window of the bridge, “You know what they are. Partisans. Some of them are runaway Republic Navy but most of them have no military training or any sense of discipline.” He could feel Kylo’s breath on his neck. This was a highly inappropriate thing to do on the main bridge. Even though the crew already learned to look elsewhere when their new Supreme Leader was around.
“You mean they don’t keep formations.”
“Among other things. My point is, they volunteered because they wanted to. For the cause.” Kylo stood behind him, solid and tall, “They are all individuals. They think of themselves as heroes and martyrs.”He was right, these men joined without basing their decisions on anything but emotional factors. They were in the most hopeless condition a human being can find themselves in; slavery where one does not know he is a slave and is proud of his condition, calling it “freedom.” They were profoundly illogical and undisciplined.“Neither do they follow orders.”It almost felt like Kylo was touching him. He knew what he was doing, damn, he was the one who taught him that by accident. Kylo fucking Ren was easing him up. He was still sleepy and slightly disoriented, it made him malleable. He just didn’t think Kylo would be able to pick up on it, the man was everything but a strategist, or good manipulator. He usually just punched things into obedience, Hux included.
He recalled the day they fucked for the first time. It was still during Snoke’s reign but not under his command. He heard one of Kylo’s tantrums and that infuriated him, he couldn’t afford to pay for a new control board every three days.
He went to confront the man, yelling at him something about taking his rage and sticking it somewhere else, his mother’s rear, for example.
Kylo turned to him and that was it. He knew the day would come, he was sure he’d get impaled on the man’s saber, or choked to death with his magic bullshit. They were face to face.
Something in him wanted to plead for his life, his hands, clenched in fists, were shaking. “Not the console- Stop destroying our equipment.“
Ren growled at him. “Do not stand in path of my anger.”
“Or what?” he hissed. Kylo raised his hand to strike the console again.
“Not the console!” He caught his hand. He didn’t know why he did that, it had to be adrenaline, or maybe he simply had a death wish.
Even Kylo seemed to be confused by it. He looked at Hux like he had just punched him. He could have as well. He was a dead man. He would step back, if fear hadn’t pinned him to the ground.
I shall exercise every power in service-
He wished he could be sure it was to prevent unnecessary casualties. But in reality he just wanted to show Ren he’s not in charge on this ship.
He could take it. Kylo couldn’t kill him, he was too valuable. At least he hoped so.
Kylo grabbed his arm, crushing but not breaking and then just, stood like that. It took a whole minute of the man staring at him, muscles so tense they were shaking, when the realization hit him. He can't hurt me. He didn't know if it was because it was him, or Ren didn't want to hurt people in general, a ridiculous thought, but he wouldn't harm him. Maybe he was hitting these things so he wouldn’t hit officers.
The man pulled him towards himself, crushing him against his body.
“You insufferable-”, Kylo went for his neck, as canines do. “I should kill you. I should have done it months ago.”
Hux’s body was still frozen, but not with fear. It was the absurdity of the situation what straddled him. He felt Kylo’s rigged breathing against his own calmly raising chest. Suddenly he knew what is this going to be like.
He pulled his arms around Kylo’s shoulders and let the man to lift him up on the console. He didn't have to do anything, just to keep still, the idiot did all the work himself. He didn't even try to strip him down, he just humped his thigh like a dog. If it wasn’t his weirdest sexual experience it was definitely in the top ten. Hux only breathed, deep and calm. It had the intended impact, Kylo’s breathing synchronized with his own and at the end the man’s chest was raising against his own almost regularly. Ren unzipped his pants and pulled himself out. It took him just s few strokes to finish himself on Hux’s thighs.
Hux was left alone in a dark room on the half-destroyed console with a ruined uniform and a painful boner. He laughed. He laughed so hard when he realized fucking Kylo Ren won’t send him to the infirmary. Actually, it was like discussing weather, pulling weeds or executing these Rebel fuckers. Safe and impossibly mundane, strangely relaxing. Nevertheless, it had its uses. After all, the man wasn’t the brightest star in the sky.
This situation - him, caught in a small place, Kylo standing so close behind him - felt very similar. He wondered if there was still a reason to keep him alive, with Snoke dead and the leash he held Ren on gone. He definitely wasn’t untouchable anymore, Kylo made his point seconds after his self-coronation. Ironically, he found it strangely invigorating to be talked to like that. He liked the heat of Ren’s body. He wondered what the man wanted to achieve here.Kylo Ren talked. “If we separate them, they have no chance in a direct attack.”
He almost laughed at that. “I know that. But tell me how are you going to achieve it?”
“There's always that one hero who everyone follows, right?”
He wanted to bait them.The hero, a fighter with admirable courage. Daring and overly annoying. He looked at the direction Kylo’s stare followed. One A-wing was moving faster than the others, purposefully sliding out of the safe trail, baiting their turrets. So full of arrogance and irritatingly confident. The rebel doctrine encourages spontaneous and uncontrolled actions.
He turned his comm on. “I want to keep that blue A-wing away from Harbinger ! Lead him away from the Harbinger but don’t shoot him down!”
A TIE fighter, previously chasing the blue A-wing, maneuvered back. It looked like it malfunctioned. A second TIE fighter came to support him with covering fire, leading him to safety outside the battle. Easy targets.“They won't bite it.” Hux watched the scene from the bridge window.
“They are only people,” shrugged Ren. “Do not underestimate their stupidity.”They did bite it.The A-wing went for them immediately. When TIE fighters stopped chasing other Resistance fighters and went for the Resistance hero, few Rebel ships tore away from their formation and followed the struggle. Of course they would make a decision based on emotions rather than on logic. Heroism, humanitarianism, martyrdom. The rebellion provided a space for a man’s ambitions and recklessness, giving him the opportunity to prove himself as something else than just a completely arrogant idiot. That was the spiritual value of their war. And what heroes they were. They blew up First Order’s ships, their bases, thousands of troopers along with still underage officers in training and civilian staff.Only about fifteen fighters followed their main target. Others went against all basis of strategy, anyone with basic knowledge of military history would know better. Hux found it almost painful to watch.
The curtain of fighters separated as rebel fighters left, revealing a Resistance cruiser, hid out of Harbinger’s range.
He called the young officer. “I want the Elite fighters to join the battle in two minutes. Every ship we have will be out of the hangar. First, lead the rest of fighters away from the main reactor. Then surround these scums. Do not let them escape.”Ren spoke over his shoulder. “We are almost done, aren’t we?” His voice was low. Obviously trying to sound uninterested. But Hux spent enough time around this manchild to recognize excitement when he heard it. “What do you mean, Supreme Leader?”
“I’m just thinking about opportunities. Do you know how this ends?” Ren’s voice send shivers from his ear right to his spine.
“We will crush them like the lowly animate beings they are,” he growled back at the man, two could play this game. He shouldn’t feel comfortable around the man, but he did. Maybe it was the battle around them, Hux understood violence. He grew up in it.
“You said you had classes on fighting rebellions,” Ren’s words were barely comprehensible as he kept his voice lowered into depths of infinite space, “Tell me, what’s their main tactics in open combat situation.”
“Their tactic is to hit and run.”
“Exactly. They will jump into the hyperspace the moment they start losing.” He hated it when Kylo was speaking like this, right behind him. Something about it made him light-headed.
“Then they will come back,” Hux finished Kylo’s thought. “Is this why they left their cruiser’s range?” Now, when Elites joined the fight, the battle moved above the Star Destroyer and the space between two battleships was clear.It was MC80 Star Cruiser, old but powerful, but he didn’t recognize the exact model.Ren shrugged, “Possibly. They fight because they lost their planets and families,” his voice was uncharastically flat, it still had those stimulating tunes, which made Hux feel the distinct shivering sensation. “Then the Resistance became their family. That thing right there is their home.”
They didn’t want to risk damaging it, even when it meant that they won’t have cover fire. All rebellions are always weak on resources.
Kylo’s hand appeared next to his face, pointing at the Resistance cruiser. “Most of them won’t run if we take down that cruiser.”
“With what?”
“With us, obviously.”It took him while to proceed that sentence, the intimacy of having Ren almost pressed against his back lulled him into negligence. He almost jumped out of the man’s reach.“Ren, this is insane. They are too far away and moving. We don’t have kyber focusing crystals, our cannons can’t aim to such range.”
“We are not going to aim on them. We are going to bomb them from above.”
“WHAT?” The low-grade euphoria from listening Kylo’s voice was gone immediately.
“I believe you are familiar with the kinetic orbital strike?” He said that like he was simply telling him what they are going to have for diner.
Hux almost yelled at him. “And it’s called orbital for a reason! That’s the MC80 star cruiser, not a planet!”
“If we go full speed we can get them before their fighters realize what is happening,” Kylo said.
Hux shaked his head, “This is Resurgent, it is not maneuverable at full speed!”
“It doesn’t matter. We need only to get approximately above them.” This was so typical for him, planning strikes “approximately.” This man couldn’t be their leader, he went straight against their principles. Anarchism and recklessness inherited from his rebel parents had to be still in his blood. Like them, he always had to go against what was normal and rational.
“It would be suicide!” he snapped. “Even if we got above them without crashing into anything, they would take us down immediately!”Kylo looked into his eyes, expression hard. “There is a planet about one third of light year under us. A heavy one. Notice how they float slightly down, they got into its residual gravity field. Assuming the orbit is geosynchronous with altitude three megalights, it should be sufficient to get eighty kilometers above them-”
“EIGHTY KILOMETERS?!” Hux was having none of this bullshit.
“I admit it’s ambitious-”
“IT IS INSANE! This is treason!”Kylo pointed to from the window. “From that range they can’t aim at us and we can afford to make the standard deviation 8° and still strike them! Twelve if we get slightly above their right wing.”
“You want to use the gravity field of the planet as the missile guidance,” said Hux in realization.“Good to know we understand each other.” Still, that couldn’t work.
“We would have to break through that energy field, we don’t have a bombsight for the orbital bombing and even if we did, what then? The dispersion of laser beams would be too big and we’d have no way to correct their ballistic trajectory.”“Unless we would add our own forward momentum to accelerate the speed of the missiles.” He couldn't be serious.
“You are nuts,” he spat.
“It will work,” Ren insisted.
“You will kill us all.”
“It. Will. Work.”Hux fought an urge to tear his own hair out. Even though he didn't want to admit it, there was reason to the madness. The Resistance already knew they can blast their engines and they knew their location. If he let fighters escape, they would come back with more fighters and they would try to either blow them up or worse, disable their engines. Something was telling Hux that even if he were to make contact with The First Order, no cruiser would come to help them, nor would he get authorization to cancel this irrelevant mission. Harbinger was alone and the Resistance knew it. They wanted to exhaust them, and now they had a chance.Armitage Hux never let any bastard in his life to drain him.Ren’s idea wasn’t that crazy, with the gravity field under the target, the parody on an orbital strike was theoretically possible. Even if laser beams started losing thermal energy, the kinetic energy would accelerate them, balancing the loss. Theoretically.He shook his head, “The risk is too great.”
The man was losing his temper once again. “I’m your Supreme Leader. And you will obey to my command.”
Hux clenched this teeth. The memory of being almost suffocated was still fresh. “I have obligations to my men.” An obligation to keep them alive, they were no use to the First Order dead.
Better dead than imprisoned.Kylo growled, “General, you are getting second chances all the time and what for? When was the last time something you carefully planned worked out? You should take the risk, when given the opportunity, and for the Force, trust in my judgment at least once.”Second chances. Hux knew exactly how would it go if they got imprisoned by this Rebel scum. It wouldn’t be him who would get the second chance, no, General Hux would go straight to the biased court-martial just to be publicly humiliated before being put down like a stray dog. Kylo Ren, on the other hand, would probably get treatment suitable for the only child of Leia Organa. They would look at his misshapen stupid face and teary black eyes and decide that he actually didn’t have anything to do with Hosnian Cataclysm, Jedi wipeout, that Jakku fiasco and numerous tiny genocides Hux didn’t bother to keep the track on. That sand bitch would undoubtedly speak for him too.The man was gesticulating out of the window again. “Look at them. They are fighting in cans! How many reinforcements or replacements do they have. If we take down that cruiser how do you think they’ll replace it? We can grind them down. And we will, am I clear?”
Yeah, they had cans and he had a battleship full of kriffing children instead of officers, because they managed to lose a half of the First Order’s navy in two fucking months. He couldn’t risk another loses. “We will leave our TIE fighters without any cover.”
“They don't need it.” They didn't. Now, with the second wave of fighters, Resistance was outnumbered and efficiently surrounded.
He sized the man up.
“If we blast this, we are dead.” They should definitely have this conversation in their chambers. This was terrible for morale.
“We won't die.”He hoped the man didn’t just have suicidal tendencies because his scavenger girlfriend broke up with him. Hopefully, suicide is something Siths can do alone, without a whole fucking Resurgent-class Star Destroyer following them to the afterlife.
“Surely you are not doing this just to prove that you deserve the Supreme Leader rank.”
“You say that one more time and I’ll wipe the floor with your face harder than Snoke ever did.”
Hux snorted. “Snoke at least trusted my command.”
Ren’s voice lowered, probably in hope of keeping the crew out of this, like Hux could ever maintain the respect of his men with this idiot onboard.
“Snoke held you on the edge of a breakdown to keep you obedient. We can't afford another loss. I need your absolute loyalty.”So this was it all about. He wanted to gain a respect in haste. He came to the military base and didn’t care for anything and anyone for months and then, after he got a military rank to speak of, he suddenly tried to buy his position. Not so easy when you can’t go and tell uncle Snoke, the bad general is mean, is it? He was no leader. He was primitive, violent and uncontrolled. His command wasn’t going to last.
Hux sneered at him. “Loyalty and respect has to be earned .”
“Then let me to give you your victory. Let’s take that cruiser down,” Ren insisted.
The man just kept offering him choices like Hux could go straight against his superior’s direct command. He wondered if it was cowardness or if Kylo was testing his obedience.
This whole thing seemed like it wasn’t just about compromising the Resistance, Kylo was compromising Hux specifically. The choice was his and yet wasn’t. If he refused again, that would be the second time he doubted the Supreme Leader’s decision this day. If he backed off he could go straight with the coup and things weren’t ready for that. Yet.“Supreme Leader… I really hope you know what you are doing.”“I do.”Judging by the look Kylo gave him and the fact he hadn’t choked him yet, he already knew what his decision will be. After all, if their failed it would be Kylo’s own fault. Maybe then would everyone see that he’s unfit to rule. If they survived, of course.
“You don’t have a chance to single handedly take down a MC80 every day,” Ren said, voice low and right behind his ear. And then in his head. Obey.
Oh, he knew how to obey.
I shall render unconditional obedience and shall, whensoever I am asked, be prepared, as a loyal servant-
He was thirteen when it happened for the first time. It was his father's friend. Not as drunk as Brendol, but still alcoholic. If Armitage didn't submit, he would take him anyway. He decided to make the most of it.
‘Sir- Please, Sir- I don't know what do you mean-’
He did know, he wasn't a kriffing idiot and he grew up in fucking barracks. He just figured out the guy will like some more theatricity about it. It wasn’t anything to be ashamed off. Farkled Jedi did it back then, and everyone tolerated it. Jedi took kids out of their homes and taught them everything they could. Everything . They were well known for their inclination to pretty young boys, there was a reason why they still called young boy whores ‘padawans’ at Coruscant. He even saw some whores with that abhorrent hairdo, insects of the society, up to whatever what made money. To these days, barack shower talks were full of Jedi’s impetuous desires. Maybe just to prove the recruits that what’s happening around them, is not anything to be concerned with. No one ever cared for children's sobs. It was ironic since the Empire had restrictions towards sexual relationships between cadets. The idea was that sexual freedom was only another act of revolt which had to be erased for youths to gain some self-control. Ironically, this rule didn't seem to apply on superior officers.
He went to his knees because he had to. But he didn’t mind that much. There was a power in desire, welcomed or not.
Sometimes he wondered if Snoke fucked Ren. Little Ben Organa-Solo, the lovechild of Republic’s greatest heroes. That had to be a great prize. So much better than the underweight ginger boy of the drunken commandant. At least he didn’t have to call anyone ‘Master.’
Men always wanted something. Power, control, money, the underage son of their superior.
He wanted to spit into Ren’s stupid face.“If we survive it, we better get a fucking Dreadnought. Dive from 100 kilometers. We can do this.”Then he turned to crew which was politely pretending they didn't hear anything as their General and their Supreme Leader fought like rabid bitches over a piece of carcass. “Turn on all engines! Even Gemon-8s, all of them! We will go full speed! And I want lieutenant Mitaka on the bridge immediately!”
“Sir, lieutenant Mitaka has just finished his second shift.”
“Then drag him here in his sleepwear, I don’t care ! I need him NOW !”Then he kicked on his comm. “To all TIE fighters. This is general Hux. Our Star Destroyer will take down that Rebel cruiser. We won't cover you. You are on your own. During your training you have memorized dozens of formations. Practiced various elaborate techniques. You know what to do. Resistance fighters are lesser in number, training and technology. The fact they didn't run yet is an offence to the First Order. I want them all dead. And whoever takes down that blue A-wing will get a paid week off.”He was shouting at the end of the speech. He didn't know if it made the aimed impression, however, the group of five TIE fighters which formed a hunting pack and went after the blue A-hero told him that at least something made his men eager to battle.They dragged lieutenant Mitaka to him. He didn't wear a night shirt but he also thought that no one will notice if he doesn't put on all prescribed layers. He was only in his boots, pants, jacket and the hat.
His problem. He was going to sweat like a pig before a butcher in few minutes.“I need you to calculate a curve of the ballistic trajectory. The center of arc will be the main bridge of that MC80 cruiser. The target is its reactor. It’s caught in a residual gravity field of a planet under us.”
“Are we bombing a cruiser without a bombsight, sir?” The officer’s pig eyes looked like that day Hux send him to deliver bad news to Kylo. Again.
Hux gave him dead stare. “Yes.”
The officer seemed to get it. “What is the wave density?” “We don’t know. High subset.” Some part of him was enjoying it. He hoped Kylo was following the lieutenant’s reactions to understand how thoroughly fucked this parody of a plan would get them.
“Which drag function?”
“We will use our turbolasers.”
“The initial velocity?”
“The high peak power pulse plus our own speed. Approximately 80 MGL.”
Mitaka blinked. “Are we dive bombing using the Star Destroyer, sir?” Now, the officer looked even more distressed than usually, but carried on. Hux couldn't blame him. If he had thought the task was possible, he would have done it himself.
"Yes. The approach angle should be 45 degrees.”
“I suggest we go between 60 and 70 degrees.” interfered Ren.
“Forty. Five. Degrees. This is not a kriffing shuttle and we don’t have dive breaks.”
The lieutenant was trying to keep his head low. “Any signs of any atmosphere? Gas outbursts?”
“None.”
“The slant range?”
“80 kilometers.”
“Eighty kilometers?” Now Mitaka gulped. Ren’s lips visibly curled for a second. Hux got a feeling that the young officer will maybe start crying. He almost pitied him. A boy, barely out of his teens, in jacket too big for him and no socks.
“Eighty kilometers.” he assured him.
Mitaka nodded. “I presume the target is moving.”
“Once we start bombing it with ion cannons it’ll presumably accelerate to 50 MGLT. Maybe 60.”Outside the wolf pack had managed to blast the blue A-wing into pieces. Ren was right, it really was someone important. When he went down, other Resistance fighters immediately broke their formation, probably trying to avenge their hero.
Good. They would be taken down one by one.
Elites were already on them.
He left Mitaka to his equation. They had to move now.
“You are too hard on that lieutenant.” Ren whispered. “One would almost think you have a favorite.”
Hux ignored him.“Are the engines ready?” An officer behind the control desk stood up. “Yes, sir.”
“Set the course 100 kilometres above that cruiser. We need to cut the clear line.”
“Already done, sir.”
“Great. Then let's go! Full power! Set the engine control to the maximum MGLT! Now!”The Harbinger accelerated. Everyone on the bridge were struck back by force of it. For an over thirty-year-old model, the engines were still extremely powerful. Even Ren staggered. Hux hoped the idiot was praying to his Force, he himself would certainly do it.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Chapter two, in which is Lieutenant Mitaka a good boy and General Hux gets surprisingly sentimental.
----------------------------------
There was a reason no one in their right mind drove Resurgent-class Star Destroyers to the full speed. The whole ship was trembling, the joints of the metal body were cracking so much it sounded like the battlecruiser was screaming. Great, now even the ship is yelling, thought Hux, proving that he can’t even die without being cynical about it. The vessel had, however, every reason to scream. Its crew wasn’t doing the same only because they ever too frightened to do even that, since the whole mass of the battlecruiser became absolutely uncontrollable. The Harbinger was vibrating like it wasn’t a battleship, but a huge obscene toy of some Zeltron’s bitch.
They left their battle of fighters far behind them. Hux felt that his body was weightless. Some officers didn’t estimate the situation correctly were thrown on consoles. Hux really hoped no one will sneeze or this ship would probably fall apart. Maybe he should have defied Ren after all, it was only a matter of time before Ren started to executing them all anyway.
Someone was calling him. “I SAID, GENERAL,” a junior ginger officer screamed from the console, “I’M NOT CERTAIN THAT WE CAN RELY ON THE SPEEDOMETER! THE SHIP IS OLD!”
Hux looked at Ren. He was staring back with an uncertain expression. Standing right in the front window. Dying knowing that Kylo Ren died before him, Hux could accept that for sure.
Unfortunately, as much he hoped to see the man blasted into outer space, he had a duty towards his crew. His absolutely inexperienced crew, which obviously had to be guided by hand since they were almost above the cruiser now and the engines were still at full speed. Stars, he really had to do everything on his own today.
“Throttle back to idle! Keep the supportive engines down. We will glide the rest of the way.”
As the ship stopped accelerating, the noise reduced significantly. They floated easily above the Resistance’s star cruiser.
Hux felt like he reborn again, which maybe wasn’t a good thing, since his birth what considered a mistake by the majority of the galaxy’s population. Even Ren looked shaken, which pleased the general tremendously. He couldn’t resist but to dig a little.
“This whole idea is going to drain our resources. We've already lost one third of our fuel.”
Kylo didn’t even look at him. “If we finish this the Council surely reconsiders importance of our- mission.” Exile. Hux knew, the man meant exile.
“This could have been avoided if you just talked to the High Command, like a civilized person, instead of switching between outbursts and keeping absolutely silent for the whole meeting.”
“I never understood the point of saying something without saying anything. Or lying.”
“Providing the correct answer doesn’t always mean to provide the true one. That’s acting politically.”
“I’m not in favor of sloganeering.”Hux snorted. “Unfortunately, your position may require it. Should someone in the council, perish the thought, realize that you weren’t elected properly.”
“They didn't raise any objections. Besides, I was under impression, you support an idea of a strong leadership.“
“I do, but I also believe the executive power shouldn’t be monopolized by a single person, who wasn’t carefully selected. We wouldn’t want to end up with totalitarianism.”
Ren raised an eyebrow, “That sounds dangerously democratical, General.”
“Democracy is only a problem if you give the choice to uneducated commoners who doesn’t understand politics,” he replied. “Our elective system in high ranks prevents unregulated exercise of political power.”
“And look where it got us. Into the Unknown Territories.“
“As I said, it wouldn’t happen if you at least tried to pretend, you intent to negotiate with the command.”
“Lies are proof of weak character and a weak character tends to hide itself behind terrible deeds.”
Not for the first time that day Hux found himself wondering what Kylo’s point was. He concluded that the man felt sorry for there Resistance fighters, even though the attack was his idea.
“We are obliged to do what’s best for our goals.”
Kylo looked at him with a strange expression, but before he said anything, they were interrupted.
“SIR! I have it!” He saw Mitaka running to him, surprisingly cheerful for someone who just survived a near death experience. “The trajectory, I’ve counted the range! We can calibrate the cannon!”
“Show me.” He didn't believe it. Even though he’s already agreed to follow Ren’s insane plan, he didn't believe it was possible. But Mitaka’s equation seemed to be correct.
“I had to change the speed to 115.” the young officer pointed to the list.
“Otherwise, we won't be able to keep up with the target in case it accelerates.”
Hux had to agree. He liked this boy. He reminded him his Academy year. Ambitious, bright and looking much softer than he really was. Barracks were a death pit. This kid fought there and not only he survived. He won.
This young man had a great future before him, if he somehow managed to stay alive during Hux’s and Ren’s diarchy. It should be Kylo’s own rule, obviously, but see how did it come out.Of course, there was differences essential between Hux and the junior officer. Lieutenant Mitaka was pretty and soft, with that hopeful sparkle in his eyes, which gave away that he probably still believed in righteousness and all these limitations and proscriptions, when it came to killing people. He had friends in high places and between other officers. Both these characteristics were serious disadvantage for the military career, the kid couldn’t make it further than to the Captain rank if he still wasn’t up to a plain, dishonorable murder in his twenties.Hux never played with others. Never had a childhood to be spoken of. He didn't have friends of family to find comfort of safety with. He couldn't sleep in barracks without having one eye open. He couldn't come home without being in the mercy of his father’s mood swings. It made him paranoid, afraid, angry, lonely, cruel but also independent, flexible and prepared for everything. A perfect commandant.
He was born to be a commander as his father. Not a captain, not a fellow soldier, a leader getting his hands dirty with his subordinates as Phasma did. He was nothing but an authority. A man above others.
Still, he felt certain sentiment toward this officer.
“We will have to go straight to minimize vibrations or the laser beam won’t be stabilized. Tell me, lieutenant, what do you think about ion bombing from 100 kilometers?”
“With all respect, General, it is very daring. However, if the residual anomaly is so high it influences a star cruiser as big as MC80, the kinesthetic energy our missiles will gain will be so big, we don't even need explosive warheads to break their shield.”
Oh, he could eat him.“Thank you, lieutenant. That will be all.”
In Ren’s words, this was more “ambitious” than anything he’s ever done. And he killed his father. Or Phasma did, but there was a moral in it. If your father beats you because you are weak and thin, find a woman bigger and stronger than him.He turned to the crew.“
Fire from the lasers. 50 beams. Aim to the right side of the main bridge. Frequency 2 shots per second. Keep the aim probing energy.”From this distance the waiting fr results seemed endless.After a whole minute a ginger officer who looked disturbingly underage yelled back. For a second Hux wondered when did his crew started to consist mainly of children, but he had to remind himself that a statistical measure of the life expectancy under his command descended rapidly in last months. Thanks R'iia's squirting titballs, he had a practice with turning kindergartens into extermination teams.“Sir, the aiming accuracy is 44%.”
That was forty-four percent more than Hux expected. Damn, it was almost standard, from this distance achieving it seemed impossible.
“Dissolution?”
“Between 75 and 80 percent. However, 12% of missiles didn't reach the target.” That would explain the aiming accuracy. This was hopeless. He gave Kylo meaningful look. The black-haired idiot just shrugged.
“Ions are not probing lasers.“ Hux wanted to bite the man’s huge nose off.“Prepare ion cannons for bombing. The center of arc, the main bridge. Target, deflector shield generator. Plus 200 meters from center of arc.”
He couldn’t see the parts of the cruiser from this distance. He could just hope some blast will hit the target.“Two good hits should be sufficient,” Ren offered and Hux wanted him dead.
“Ion cannons aren’t made for maneuvering targets.”
“I thought challenges excite you.”
Hux sneered, “Yes, as you can see I’m completely enthralled by this insanity.”
Before Ren could prove himself to be even more foolish, the ginger officer approached them. “Shall we fire, sir-s?”He briefly considered to throw the matter on Ren, just to force him to take a responsibility for this desolate action but that would be too cowardly even for him.
“Yes, make sure you’ve aimed properly and fire at will.” Giving a free hand to his officers was very was uncharacteristic for him, but everything about this was non-standard. He couldn’t have the luxury of keeping his character right now.He partially pitied these kids, they were there for very similar reasons as him. They came from families which cared for their existence just because they wanted power and respect and hoped their son’s military rank is going to get it. They were allured by the legacy of the old Empire, by its legends and officers, men of wealth, power and righteousness, not realizing that under the attractive surface level of these shreds, was nothing from its former glory. Academies were full of men like Brendol Hux, senior officers which became disposable and unwanted on commanding bridges and were dumped into schools under pretext that “The Empire needed children” and ended up either in depression induced hedonism or suicide.This moral decay didn’t apply only to the Academia, of course. Armitage could make a list of men who were serving to the Empire and definitely weren’t decent. A list of their names, visage and he could probably also draw an accurate diagram of their cocks by memory. This was the fate all these boys from good families had to accept if they wanted to get somewhere in their life.
He was getting lost in sentimental thought as he and Ren watched the spectacle of bombing from the main window. The blue blasts went through the space and disappeared in the dark, only some of them visibly exploded in tiny light eruptions on the cruiser. Hopefully this reckless action would take them closer to their goal, the future with a moral order. Hux would erase the current manner amnesia, the supremacy of consumerism and other biologically conditioned interests, which had nothing to do with severe and clear adherence of the idea of the Empire.“General, their shield is down!”
What was the probability? Zero or even less? He looked at his Supreme Leader and found him giving him a defiant stare of a child who just proved to be right.
He couldn’t stand this arse, this manchild, who was constantly trying to elevate himself above him. Not only he hasn’t ever studied any real military strategy and had a minimal experience with leadership, he was even younger than him.Hux yelled to his officers, “Slow under 70 MGL. Keep engines on. Let them to outrun us. We will need more space for maneuvering.”
He hoped these scums under them are afraid. They should be, they should realize by now that they have been playing with fire, that their leaders could show them only lies, weakness, and shame. Fighting for freedom, what did they wanted to be free of? Free of authority? Of supervision? Free to make their own shitty egoist choices and create yet another obscurant state system which will descend into chaos immediately? Their defiance was an affront. He was going to show the whole Resistance real power of the Order. After this, there will be no doubts about his importance in the command, he will be back as the repristinated symbol of unshaken authority. Their doom was his next step to his reign at the center of new hierarchical structures.“Change of the target. Calibrate main ventral turbolasers according to lieutenant Mitaka’s instructions. Target, minus 400 meters above the from center of arc. Range 80 kilometres. Speed 115 MGL.”They were going to do some fucking acrobatics.“Turn off the frontal gyroscope.” And and hold onto something.The ship inverted into the dive.
It want’s natural for a ship this big to fly anything but vertically, even a relatively mild angle of the tilt made Hux feel anxious. The Resistance cruiser was now visible from front windows.
“Keep the dive angle to 45°.”
The control showed 100 MLG at the distance 90 km from the target.
Ren’s idea about the booming wasn't as thoughtlessness as he wanted it to be. MC80a didn't usually have cannons on their upside, except of their prow. The ship wasn't originally a war cruiser.
There was only a little the crew of the MC80 could do when attacked from above. A little, like the laser beam which was rising from the main cannon and aiming directly to them. Not a blast. But a constant ray, crawling closer to them every second.“We are still far out their effective range. What are they doing?”
“They are trying to dazzle us.” offered the young officer from the aim control.
The red beam was still rising, its column diameter was too thin to effectively cover their vision.
He looked at Ren and found him fully expressionless. There wasn't any answer in his eyes. Nothing at all, only his stupid boyish face dotted with marks, dammit, if it was Hux’s face, he would get rid off of them immediately, but the man just couldn't care to do anything properly, impetuous, incompetent fool. The red light shivered in Kylo’s pupils and the realization stroke Hux more than his father ever did.
“These bastards are boosting their frontal cannon. They want to cut us in the half.”
He looked at his crew. One of the young officers, looking obviously distressed, climbed the console to look down from the window. Hux would deal with that later. Now he had to keep his ship from getting cut in half. Another one.Ren didn't seem to help him either, in fact, he looked like he will probably climb the window too. Damned Force-users, always driven by their instincts and ultimately failing, when they had to make decisions based on critical thinking. The worst idea anyone ever had, was to put them into position of power. They lacked any grasp on reality or basic education, dealing only with mystical bullshits. The last Emperor, for how glorious his reign of constant technological regression may seem, was so bad in math he decided to build The Death Star twice.
Kylo’s nose basically touched the glass of the bridge window. “That can't work, it will overrun the blaster capacity. Even if boosted, their canons can handle no more than 90 seconds of constant fire even with instant dewing of the beam from target to target.“His mother had the same ship, Hux realized. Little Ben, right here, is probably fulfilling his wet dreams.
“How does it work with their ideas, killing minors?” Hux asked.
“Let's say if you are considering using them as a shield it wouldn't work.” Ironically, Ren’s voice was disapproving. “Someone on that ship must be absolutely insane.”It made Hux snort.
“Said the man who just made Resurgent-class Star Destroyer fly 140 MGL.”
Under different circumstances, he would take his time to enjoy Ren’s expression, but now he had to save the man’s poor damned existence once again. Well, thanks the fucking black hole between one’s imperial fuckers legs, he was at the same kind of cruiser once. It was the recreational version, but weren't many ways to put cannons on what was meant to be a brothel ship.“Change of the target. Elevation: 300 meters under the arc. Range without change. Speed without change.” Hut fuckers. Anarchists. Murderers of children. He was going to roast these Rebel scums with their own batteries. There would be no doubt who defeated them. Everyone on the bridge would know whose command brought them to the victory and it wasn't Kylo’s.
The rebels managed to point their laser ray straight to the Harbinger. They had only about one minute, then it would reach them.
You better be watching, Kylo Ren.
He just hoped the trajectory of the blast will be similar enough to the one Mitaka counted. “Sir, our speed is increasing up to 120 MGL!”
Less than a minute.
The gravity pull got stronger. They couldn’t go faster nor pull the engines backwards or the ship would lose its balance.
Oh, he knew Kylo Ren would drag them all to Hell with lightspeed once. Now, it didn’t even seem like a metaphor anymore.
“Continue down and prepare to fire!”
“Sir, their laser reached 70 kilometers!“
He wanted to laugh. They had to pull the Star Destroyer up. 30 seconds ago. They had only their engines, not atmospheric lift to help them. Hux wondered if this is the moment he should tell Kylo that he always despised him and that he hated most of their sexual encounters.
“Twenty beams. Get ready-”
“Hold the fire.” The said idiot, the immense darkdickhead, the Jedi scum of boy-fucker, didn’t have enough. They were twenty seconds from their fundamental death and he still had to interfere his command.
“What?”“Wait a moment.” He sounded calm. Ridiculously calm for someone, who could only hope the laser will blast them into oblivion, because if not, everything Hux have prepared for him, was so much worse than being burned to death.
“Ren, we can’t wait the cannon is loaded and it will-”
“It will make it,” he said, looking contemplative.The Force shit, again. The fucking sorcery which had nothing to do with the reality of normal, normal fucking people. Nothing to do with the hugeass fucking laser being ten kilometers under them, trying to cut them in half. Did he think he has right to endanger their lives? What for, his magical dark fucking force? Did he think he had it hard when his parents left him? Well, surprise you cocksucker, some people had their father behind them their whole childhood and only things it brought them were scars, bruises, nightmares and the urge to be bent over.“Sir-” The young captain didn’t even lift his eyes from the window which showed nothing but the dazzling red light. Not like it would help him, according to his voice, he was at the edge of crying.
“Ren-” He stood right before the man, fists clenched and shaking with anger. Everyone in their right mind would retreat. General Hux was not to be fucked with.
Kylo Ren didn’t back off. Moreover, he hissed in the General’s face. “Hold it. We are not there yet.”
They all looked stupid and scared in the red light of the laser. Kylo looked like he always did.
Trust in my judgment.
I surrender my life for this oath.
He promised to follow the Supreme Leader, whoever it was. That’s what was Brendol talking about, wasn’t it? Do not make a universal claim that you cannot uphold.
Because you will look like a fool when you're proven wrong.
He would go with it. He would submit once again in his life, like Kylo really was an authority to be obeyed, but if he was wrong, if there was a single flaw in his judgment, he would destroy this man completely.
The general barked command with his fangs visible.“Hold the fire!”80 kilometers.
If they died, he was going to tie the man down, cover him with honey and worms and feed him to death-sticks addicted porgs.
The young officer was standing on the console, hands on window glass.“Ren, I swear-”The red ray was right before them.
75.Ren’s eyes were closed when he whispered the command. “Fire now.”“FIRE!”He didn’t wait for confirmation that his command was heard and executed. He wanted to live to see another day.“GET THE SHIP UP!”He will blast, Hux thought, we will blast because he fucked up. He fucked up so overwhelmingly by obeying this magnificent mistake of humanoid, this delusional mentally retarded subhuman. They were dead and fucking Force was shitting stars in laugher.
The Harbinger jumped a little as it went into perpendicular lift and that was it. Nothing else happened.The cruiser under them bursted in a great cloud of fire.
“YES!”Hux felt like he was going to burst too. He exhaled and realized that at some moment he stopped breathing.
Everyone on the bridge seemed to be in the same state.Kylo proved that not only frustration causes his violent outburst as he punched a chair he was previously sitting at.
The young officer who previously climbed the console, was now literally jumping around Mitaka, who was being crushed by other young cadets.
The only senior commander behind the control desk looked like he was having a heart attack and one blonde officer was obviously going to vomit.
He almost had to fight tears in his eyes. The released adrenaline made him irrationally happy and then satisfaction. And power. Power so intoxicating he felt it flowing through his blood and taking over him completely. But there were still duties to be attended to.He turned to the nearest officer.
“Captain, give me a report.”
“Out of twenty three beams, two did hit the target. The Resistance’s star cruiser was destroyed beyond repair. We didn’t see any escape pods.”He couldn’t believe this. “Damage?”
“Their laser beam burned our ventral hull, but the damage is not serious, the shield was working.”“How about our fighters?” “Some Resistance fighters tried to reach us when we started bombing. Our TIE fighters took them down. Only two Resistance Y-wings jumped into hyperspace after the MC80 exploded, others were destroyed. Unfortunately, the distance between Harbinger and our fighters did not allow to take any prisoners.”“Loses?” “Two TIE fighters heavily damaged, seven lightly. No deaths, only injuries.“ He didn’t remember the last time he has heard news this good.
Damn you to hell, Kylo Ren.
“Good. Thank you, Captain. Now, have that officer clean all windows and control panels on this bridge with his toothbrush. Then he can take three days off.”
He decided he will write an official report in the morning.After all, he was off duty. When he entered his chambers, he wasn't surprised to find Kylo there. Damn, he would get offended if he didn't. The man too, seemed to be in cheerful state. “That was a nice work with the target change.”
Hux sneered, “Did you come to compliment on my command?”
“I was thinking more about rewarding your mathematics skills, but then I realized that I should rather visit that dark-eyed officer for that.”He raised his eyebrows. “I don't know what is more concerning. That you still remember the name of that poor kid after choking him twice or that you wanted to reward me.”
“I choked him?” The dork sounded confused. Hux made a mental note to check Kylo’s med records for any serious concussions which could cause memory lapses. They could be useful.
“Twice.”
“Interesting. I should stop then, the lack of the oxygen can damage a brain and in his case it would be unfortunate.” Kylo twisted a strand of Hux’s hair between his fingers.Hux gave him another sly smile, full of teeth. “I was actually thinking about paying him a visit myself.”
Kylo smirked. “General, I’m shocked. You would fraternize with your subordinate? I thought you were a professional.”
“I don’t know, Supreme Leader. Would you fraternize with your subordinate?”
Kylo’s expression got sadder. “Sometimes I wish you really were subordinate to me.”He claimed general’s mouth with surprising desperation and started unbuttoning Hux’s uniform, hands urgent but gentle. That stunned the general a little. They usually didn't kiss nor strip down, such matters seemed highly irrelevant at the time, all of their previous encounters were either in haste or too brutal for it and Hux liked it that way.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Chapter three, in which is Kylo Ren considering committing war crimes and General Hux gets an offer he can't refuse. (He refuses.)
----------------------------------
Considering everything what happened that day, it wasn't really surprising that Kylo wanted him completely nude, Hux concluded. After Snoke’s gone and no one around to reward this manchild, it was only a matter of time before he started peeling layers of the general like he was his prize for a good job. Maybe this was how he was thinking about it. He took a world, now he will take Hux. Regardless of the fact that the general did the most of the job.
As confirmation Kylo whispered against his lips. “I wanted to take you over the main bridge’s window so much.”
Hux thought he wanted to take the man’s head.“I’ve always suspected you enjoy watching me yelling at people.” He pulled Ren and lead him to the bed. This evening deserved some celebration, preferably the one on a comfortable surface.
“Maybe I do,” said Ren.
“You should visit interrogations sometimes then,” Hux brought the man’s hand to his mouth and pulled off his gloves with his teeth, making sure he bit down hard enough for it to hurt.
Kylo raised up an eyebrow. “Ah, that’s almost deviant, general.”
“Not up to your taste, Supreme Leader?”
“Hmm. I never said that.”
The man looked at him, searching for something. Hux didn't know if he was reading his mind or not.“How do you want it?”
This too was new. No one ever asked General Hux. He was not a man to be asked, he commanded. And so did Kylo Ren. “You are asking me?”
Ren was taking off his own coat. “Isn't that what you want? To be in charge?”
Oh, so they were going into these places.“I didn’t know this was about politics.”
“Everything you do is about politics,” snorted Ren.
Hux wasn’t going to misstep.“I just thought terms of this arrangement were cleared already-”
Kylo’s interrupted him, “I know how you like it, but I want you to tell me specifically what do you want to do now.” He started taking off Hux’s boots and met his eyes from below. “I can pull it out of your mind.” From this perspective his stare looked just sinister. Hux shivered, "Stars, you are the creepiest fuck I've had."
That seemed to amuse Ren, "You had men thrice your age."
"That's saying something about you, not me. "
The man gave him a thoughtful look but thankfully didn’t say anything, instead he unbuckled Hux’s belt, stripping him off of the last protection he had except his socks and garters. He himself has almost all of his clothes on.Hux mentally snorted. Perhaps he would too believe that the one who stays dressed holds the power, if only he didn't get a better school in his youth.Years back he sometimes fantasized about standing completely naked young and slim before the Council, having all these overdressed pathetic old men on their knees, broken utterly after realizing that Armitage Hux won't be subjugated only by being stripped and bend over.
He let out a shallow sigh. Kylo’s hands caressed his legs and hips, impossibly tender and he even brings his mouth to Hux’s thigh, leaving there a wet trail before he captured his mouth once again.
Hux hated when people treated him gently. They usually wanted something. Something he was not willing to give them. Gentleness wasn’t commodity you could pay to General Hux.
He forced his waxy face to stay expressionless, which was harder than he wanted to admit. It was quite challenging not to acknowledge attentive touches because he didn't get slowly warmed up for ages and Stars, he didn't realize until now how much he needed it.At least Kylo’s hands were still calloused and rough against him, he didn't know if he could stand smooth fingertips on his body. It would feel like they were accusing him.
“Shouldn't you be spreading my legs by now, instead of wasting my time with unnecessary extra steps?” he demanded, reluctant to meet Kylo’s gaze.
The man didn't let himself to be interrupted, pressing his lips on Hux’s shoulder, “Is that what you want?”Hux hoped Kylo will come back to his brutish self, he didn't need to be reminded that he wasn't in the prescriptive shape lately. And by lately he meant at least a decade, an officer's job was mostly paperwork and no time for any physical exercise, which resulted in his sides going softer than he could allow if he didn't want to end up in his fifties looking like the melted Jabba looking fat pile of his father.
He usually didn't pay any attention to it, being covered by his well shaped uniform most of the time, moreover, he also considered himself pretty decent fuck, but now Kylo’s tender exploration, however well-meant, made him more uncomfortable than he wanted to admit.“Why should it matter to you, what I want, Supreme Leader?”He hoped Kylo has some sinister plan behind this and didn’t just want to be gentle with him, because if yes, then he was decades late for that.
Contrary to him, Ren was obviously enjoying himself, his erection was pressing into Hux’s thigh, pulling with need even through the layer if his pants. His lips were exploring Hux’s neck and chest, while his arms kept the General close. Love making. Stars, the man was soft. Too soft for leading the First Order. Luckily, years of sword handling were still imprinted into Ren’s touch, the awkward echo of inability to grope things gently, made the whole event bearable. The man looked so lulled by his own movements, without any sign of keeping track of the progress, Hux almost suspected, he’s pretending he’s with someone else. Someone with whom he can let his guard down like this. Definitely not General Hux.“I wish I could just dismiss you, your existence,” the man laughed silently against his body, “but I just saw you take down a cruiser only with a veteran ship and an absolutely inexperienced crew.”
“Good to know you realize that without my lead your plan would end up in a fiasco.” So the man was testing him at the expense of endangering lives of everyone on the battlecruiser. He wasn’t surprised, not really.
“I don’t know what to do with you,” Kylo muttered. When they both sit on the bed, they were the same high, actually Ren approached him from below and since the other man still had his clothes on, his physical supremacy stayed hidden. Somehow his turtleneck made him less imposing, but this was Ren. Hux couldn't let himself to be fooled.
“That’s very uncommon for you.“ Hux didn’t know what to conclude out of this situation.
“You are inconceivable, impervious-” Kylo whispered against his body. “You want me to rule you, I can feel it. But you can’t stop watching.”
Kylo lifted him up a little and his fingers found his entrance, not breaching him just yet. Hux exhaled silently. He didn’t notice that he stopped breathing in the absurdity of this situation, he was not a man to be manhandled like a rag doll, the only reason he allowed it was to see what Ren’s point is.Kylo’s black figure was curled on his naked body as the man softly abused Hux’s reddish areolae with the dedication of an infant. He gasped involuntarily as Ren’s voice resonated against his sternum, “Your obsession with power is intriguing. Even when you want to surrender, you are still looking for weakness, testing flaws, searching something to give you an opportunity and reason to attack.”
He didn't know if the Jedi fucker read his mind or not, one could never tell with force-sensitive sorcerers, but Hux guarded his thoughts properly. After all, nor Kylo or Snoke didn't seem to be aware of his real intentions.
He pouted theatrically, “Supreme Leader, if I didn’t know better I’d think you’re charmed.”
The man pulled off and looked at him thoroughly. “You’ve already accepted your place. You want to obey, Hux, you just have to admit it.”
Kylo curled his fingers, finally pushing in. Wet fingers, Hux loved that trick. There were a few seconds of silence when nothing moved, Ren’s eyes were mutely watching him under these long eyelashes and time seemed to stop. Hux was bored, he was going to hit his late thirties in a few months, his body stopped refusing the intrusion ages ago.“If you are trying to melt me, you'll have to try harder.” He would be glad if they just got over with it, but unfortunately, the man was obviously in a talkative mood.
“Do you know a tale of twelve maidens?” Yeah, not what he meant. Hux just groaned in annoyance instead of answering, but it was a rhetorical question anyway. Kylo’s long fingers, still deep inside him, were particularly playful today. It wasn't really pleasurable, even a distant feeling of some satisfaction hidden behind the raw sensation of being penetrated.“There was a man, a king, he got lost in space for a long time,” Kylo’s voice was strangely flat, “When he returned to his house he found out that in his absence there were attempts of a coup d'état. The nobility and the military were prepared to unseat the queen and she couldn't do anything, she was betrayed by her own servants.”
It took all Hux’s selfcontrol to look unaffected. Kylo wasn’t the most subtle storyteller.“The king killed all the leaders of the coup, of course, the military commanders and nobles, but the queen pleaded him not to kill all traitors, not her servants. Can you guess why?”
If the situation wasn’t one parasecond from getting lethal, Hux would laugh hysterically. Parallel were the primitive wishes of weak men. Clumsy, Ren, so clumsy. It just proved that Kylo had nothing. Hux guarded his thoughts and plans properly, he was sure of that. His body had its flaws, yes, but his mind was a masterpiece. He wasn't going to give Kylo anything.“They were too many and no one would be left to iron her clothes?”
Kylo’s free hand stopped supporting Hux’s body and went for his cock. The general fell back on his forearms. Incidentally, it allowed Ren’s fingers to go deeper. There were three of them already and they were moving with a precision of someone who perfectly knew his body. Hux grunged.The man looked at him, eyes dark. Hux was used to be the predator in the room, now he wasn't that sure about his position.
“She claimed that her servants were under her commands, that they were spying for her,” said the man above him. “They gave a little and brought back a lot. Some of maidens let themselves to be raped on her behalf.“
Hux gave him a flat stare. Some part of him still hoped this was simply Kylo’s fucked up way of asking for sexual exclusivity, but he already knew it wasn’t. He already knew, how did that story end. It was painfully obvious. No king would ever punish his queen directly. Hux already hated it. An irrational repulsion overcame him. There were implications in that tale, which were somehow worse than facing the fact Kylo may have known about his prepared coup.There was something primal about it. Fear locked so deep he couldn't grasp it. There should be some emotion, a thought, which made the situation so unbearable, but when he tried to grasp it, there was nothing. An empty space.“Cut it off, Ren,” he said, showing himself on the man’s fingers harder than he actually liked, just to make a point.
“If I do, General, will you do it? Will you finally submit to me?“
What did the kriffing man want when Hux had already obeyed him today? How much of his will, the man wanted to control?All of it, of course.“You said, I’ve already done it, haven’t I?” Kylo was still looking at him with that pleading expression Hux hated. How he wished the idiot kept his mask, having him running around the bridge like that was too terrible for morale. A terrible example for kids, really.“Don't fight,” the man said to him the first time they fucked after Snoke’s death. Don't fight. Like he actually believed that Hux complied him only because his master’s command. Like he actually believed that submission spares Hux pain. But he knew better, he grew up in the barracks and he knew for damn sure that pretending he is asleep won't make anyone go away, that he couldn't lay still enough for men to let him be. But if he could move quickly enough, he could put a blaster to their heads. (Or, in the scenario when they were worthy of it, some good ideas concerning rank rearrangements. Being desired was a great tactical advantage.) Kylo wasn’t getting it. He still hoped he could somehow claim Hux, to force him to do something, that was his idea of command, but Hux didn’t obey Snoke just because Snoke wanted it. They shared their goals. With Snoke gone, Hux no longer answered to no one, not in his chamber nor on the bridge. He wasn’t going to be nicer to Kylo, just because he happened to outrank him now. Hux would love to find a strong leader to follow, that was true, but this child definitely didn’t fulfill the requirements.He felt Kylo’s body pulse against his, felt him begging. The man couldn’t lie, not with his tongue, not with his body and certainly not with his mind. Not like Hux could.Kylo Ren had too many wishes, all of them written on his face. He wanted to rule, he wanted not to be alone, he wanted to destroy and conquer, but still have something to hold on. He wanted to have someone to trust, he wanted to fall in love, hoping love had the ability to save anything, but little did he know affection could only kill men like them. He was so obvious, Hux brain ached. Kylo Ren was weak and terrifyingly naive for a murderer he was. Snoke failed in that. When Hux shaped his men he made sure there was nothing Resistance could offer them. Maybe there was no hope for Kylo anymore, but there definitely was hope in him. Hux would laugh if he didn’t have a bad feeling that by obeying this fool, he was writing his own requiem.He spoke to Ren silently, but steadily, “Lay me down. No Jedi sorcery today. Only your hands. And take of your tunic.”
The man gasped, “As you wish.” And with that he reclaimed General’s mouth.
If Hux previously felt like being eaten up by Ren’s kisses, being submitted to man’s gaze was like being straight up devoured.He would like to say that he had his best years behind him, but space knows, Armitage Hux wasn’t pretty as a child nor as a teenager. He was always bonny and scrappy, too thin and too red, the only reason men cared to molest him was because it was their fetish and he learned how to play that card.
Kylo’s touches felt honest. They felt more honest when they were pushing him down on the floor, but still, maybe this idiot was the last man in the galaxy who really wanted him. He was foolish enough for that. Good, Hux would take any grasp of authority over Ren.He let himself to be wrestled down with a face in the mattress and an arm behind his back. Kylo’s grip was unforgiving. He moaned when Ren entered him without hesitation. As much as he couldn't stand the man, his body welcomed him. The man fucked him like there was no tomorrow to be seen. Like he could finally reach peace of mind between general's leg.
In moments like this he did consider submitting. He thought about giving himself, his body and mind, his loyalty and his men to his new Supreme Leader because somehow, in its brutal raw form, the illusion of their coupling seemed truthful. It felt good not to think for a while, to be just stripped of choices. But he was not going to be caged by a man who couldn’t give him anything in return. Kylo would fail him and he would have to plug out these sad dark eyes, tear the man open and burn him down.
He did give him today's victory, though.Kylo took him like he knew what Hux was thinking about. Gone was the former gentleness, blessed be the stars. Hux was pushed to the pillows by force of Kylo’s thrusts, the only thing keeping him from falling down and banging his head into the wall was Kylo’s grip.
The freedom of surrendering and letting the man just hold him down was intoxicating. He knew he shouldn't be doing it, giving in one's primal needs was so undisciplined. But he always knew he was a perverted disgrace, right, they told him too many times for him to ignore it. One man slapped him once, that was wrong, but it didn't make his dick go any softer.
Kylo ran his fingers through Hux’s hair and then pushed his head down.
He was so close, dammit.“You have to let go,” his voice was soft and breathless, yet demanding.
Hux whimpered into sheets. “What?”
“Your past. You keep pretending you had a choice in it. But you were pushed into this world. ” It was desperate call and almost tender. For a second Hux thought he will kill the fucker for even assuming that he knew something about his past, for the mere implication that-
“They were using you. Your father was wrong, it wasn’t your fault.”
His voice is deep. Deep and melancholic. If he could get up, Hux would tear the man’s head off, but Kylo kept him efficiently pinned to the bed. Stars, the man was strong.
“How dare you-“ Hux hissed.“We both know how is it like to be stripped of choices.” Kylo shuddered against his back, “They want to ensure us it was our fault, just because we were unable to fight it- I-hah-”
Hux tried to turn himself to look at the man behind him, but he was pushed back to the bed.So he wasn't allowed to look. He knew how is it like to not be able to stand the gaze of others. And his face wasn't as expressive as Kylo’s. He wanted to laugh at him, but not from amusement. So, little Ben, how many were there? Was it Skywalker, your uncle? Did that make you snap? Familiar fingers under your sleeping tunics when your mama was far away? He could almost relate to that. Or did Snoke really-
“He did. But not like you think,” Ren’s voice faltered. “He interrogated you, right? With his mind. So imagine that, but more.”A highly unpleasant experience then. Not exactly the kind he would compare to his own violation, but of course this whiny kid would get off on the idea of shared trauma. His desire for any connection was pathetic, it will be terrible when he realizes he will be always alone in his misery.“That's how the dark force taints you. I was-” Ren’s moves were getting sloppy. “I was sixteen. It was like thousands blunt needles poking you, like if there was a mass of- something, tearing you from inside and filling that space. I felt it everywhere and then I couldn't get rid of its remnants for weeks.”So this was what stripped the man of his innocence. No wonder he ended up so torn up he was still stitching himself. Maybe he fucked Hux out of the familiarity of the act, trying to find comfort in tearing Hux’s body apart. He should probably tell him the bad news, there was no salvation between anyone's legs. Especially not Armitage Hux’s. He almost pitied the poor fucker.“It’s the same with these maidens,” Ren said and Hux laughed breathlessly. “It wasn’t their fault, but it doesn't really matter.”
Hux mentally snorted. He could tell him he was right, he could affirm him that he had no way to change the past, that he was only a tool in hands of his betters, that Hux indeed was his spoil of victory, the prize which came with the his ultimate triumph over his fate.
Instead, he said, “Why should anyone care?” For them. For you. He meant it. He never asked to be anyone’s savior and he wasn’t bred to be a martyr.“I’m no Snoke,” Ren’s voice got hard behind him. Harder than Hux remembered. Darkness comes, darkness goes. “But I am the Supreme Leader. And you won’t consider disobeying me again.”
The general hid his thoughts, his mind was trained perfectly. He was sure he didn't give away any names or terms. He didn't think of them. He thought nothing at all and if he did, he has survived worse things than whatever Kylo had in stock for him.
Ren sighed, “Or you officers will bear consequences.”Something was ripped out of his chest, of his sex.He almost yelled at the man, “You wouldn't dare -”
Kylo’s grip on his arm tightened.“You said it's your obligation to keep them alive, “ he speaks through raspy moans as he keeps pounding into Hux, “Then do.”
An image was pushed into his mind. He was in the hallway, alone, surrounded by nothing but silence, obviously. Deads couldn’t scream.
There were various ways to hang someone, most of them wasn’t even that cruel. Hanging, when executed properly, meant a quick death, which was almost non painful, humane even. The measured drop was a civilized, scientific way to hang someone, calculated specifically to one’s needs, and had nothing to do with suffocation.
Of course, some brutes just preferred to make their points.
There were figures in officer uniforms hanging from the ceiling of the hallway. He walked through them, ten- Twelve, obviously. Twelve bodies, quite small, hanged through the whole way of the dark hall, separated in the empty space. They looked lost in the air around them, faces too young and too scared. They were pulled up by ropes, suffocated to death, one by one.
They were not the ones to blame.
The last boy, with a pale face coming out the shadow, was looking at him, his eyes frightened, sad and accusing. Maybe he followed orders, maybe he submitted, maybe he didn't do even that, but why would anyone care.
This time it will be your fault.
Hux laughed. He, himself, could have been between these kids for the metaphor to be complete. The sorrow stabbed him in his stomach as a blunt knife. He reached behind himself with his only free hand, looking balance and sufficiently burying himself in the sheets, but he managed to clinch his nails into Kylo’s side.The vision disappeared from his head, but Kylo still kept him pinned down and pounded into him mercilessly. Hux screamed in anger and desperation.“Be honest for once, Hux,” Kylo laughed. “Fight me.”
He tried. Damn, he tried, but although he was agile, Kylo was stronger. Hux’s arms were clever and skilled, but Kylo’s arms were masses of muscles. Hux was trained in the hand-to-hand combat, he spent his whole life learning how to escape. But Kylo, the brutal form of the man, have been born to conquer.He couldn’t get Ren of him, nor move. It was painful. He tasted blood in his mouth. Kylo lost control over his strength, he was too far gone in his ecstasy and Hux couldn't breath. There was no mercy in it, but that was good because Hux didn't care for mercy. In the end it was his own fault again.He whimpered, “You have nothing.”
He was not sure if anyone could hear him. Kylo above him growled.“I own you, Armitage.”With that Hux came. He was catching his breath longer than usually. He noted with satisfaction that Kylo’s side was bleeding. Hux had to manage to reopen his old wound with his nails. The scar after the blaster shot had to be still tender. After a few seconds of heavy breathing, before he could jump on the man and rip his face out, Kylo gestured at him, “Hey, come here.”“I just-” he tried to protest, sore and angry as he was, unable to narrow his wrists just yet and pissed overwhelmingly, but Kylo didn't mind. If he wanted to resist, he was out of luck. Without any warning Kylo pushed Hux face between his legs. Hux tried to resist, but it was completely useless.Well, at least the man had a basic decency not to keep fucking him into the unconsciousness. Still, considering where his dick has just been, Kylo couldn't count for anything more than a handjob.
Fortunately, he knew exactly how to shut the man up. He sank his teeth into Kylo's inner thigh and pushed a finger inside him, too dry and too quickly. The man almost squealed.Hux rolled his eyes. For someone who didn't let himself get fucked, he loved fingers in his arse too much. He took pity on him, spitting on his hand, before entering him again, two fingers this time.
Kylo was wet and messy, almost drooling, as soon as Hux started working one hand on his cock and second one in his hole. If he wanted to complain about lack of mouth on his dick, he forgot as soon as Hux's fingers pressed against his prostate.It didn't take long, he would mock the man for reaching the edge so quickly, but both of them had an exhausting day after all and Hux’s hands could put on a spectacular performance. If he wasn’t a military commandant he would be a stereotypical pianist with a bad taste for men or something like that. Kylo’s legs clenched around Hux as he reached the blissful release and came with a sharp inhale and mute scream all over Hux's face.After a minute of shock and silence, Hux looked at the man and found him watching, eyelashes wet and eyes dazzled. He wanted to dismiss him, to say something crude, but he didn’t fight when Kylo kissed him with honestly of a hormone-driven teenager. He wanted to scream, to pull these long hair and scratch the man’s face. But the damned fool licked- no, kissed the wet mess off his face in a parody of apology. Stars.The supreme leader should never apologize. Never. He didn’t have any reason.
Hux sighed.Kylo was still looking at him,
Hux considered throwing a pillow at him.
“Ugh, stop staring at me like that.“
“You are much more pretty when you are relaxed.”
Hux rolled his eyes, “You are prettier when you have hair in your face so I don't have to look at you.” He showed few Kylo’s hair into the fucker’s face, to prove his point.
The fool caught his hands and kissed them.“I like to watch you when you’re stripped of your uniform.”
The general made a face. “Is it some symbolism?”
“You look smaller.”
Unbelievable. Hux reached for his cigarettes.“You are so charming, it’s no wonder, women run away.”
Ren tilted his head.
“It’s not bad to be small. Especially when your strength lies somewhere else.” Yeah, Kylo Ren had a type. A tiny, screaming dipshit, preferably from some shithole like Jakku. He probably compensated for something. Actually, Hux mentally snorted, Kylo had a lot of things to compensate for.
He smoked, looking with a corner of his eye at Kylo spread on his bed. He gave the man small poke.Ren still wasn’t moving, except breathing heavily. Hux looked at him, disgusted to the core.
“Feeling especially suicidal today?”
Kylo let out a deep breath, “Let me stay.”
The general grunted, “I’m very high on adrenaline right now, but at the moment it passes I’ll try to strangle you in your sleep.”
There was a distant echo of a chuckle. “I wouldn’t expect anything less.”“Listen, Ren,” he said warningly, “Don't misinterpret my submission for meekness. If you think you can somehow put me on a leash and I won't bite you just because I’m bound down, you are mistaken.”
“I know there is no longer anything I can take from you by force. Personally, I like you defiant. You are healing, Hux. But by resisting me, you are fighting only yourself.”
He laughed humorlessly, rolling eyes, “Why don't you just put me out of my misery?”Kylo sighed, “Maybe you would deserve it, but you just keep proving to be too valuable to me.”
“So you admit you need me.”
“There are perks of having you in charge. I just have to reduce your aspirations.”
Maybe they both deserved to die.“I swear if you are only considering to touch my men, I’ll report to the council. You are putting our resources into danger.”
“It wouldn't be worse than the things you have already done to them,” said Kylo seriously, “We both know why you can't sleep. Your bed-chamber, or not, you still keep a knife under your pillow because you are afraid that someone will sneak behind your back, because you have given them every reason to do.”
Hux hissed at the man, “Then I don’t see a reason why do you think I should care for them.”
“Because every time you look at them, you see yourself.”He wanted to laugh it off because from projection to demanding virgin sacrifices, this whole thing was so pompous only Kylo Ren could try to deliver it with a stoic face. But then he realized how deep Kylo’s plan went.
“Did you arrange transitions of junior officers to Harbinger?” The man was impossible. Of course he would be pompous enough to demand virgin sacrifices for his ascent. There was always something with force users and this kind of archaic perversity.Kylo shrugged like nothing happened. “I have- Put some ideas into the minds of few admirals.”
“Are you messing with heads of our admirals?!”“I thought you would appreciate it. You are fond of promising youngs.”
Hux had pretty weird fucking pets in his live. They brought him various useless dead shits to his doorsteps and expected praise, there was something cute about that, he had to admit that, but until now he really hoped that the Supreme Leader is intellectually superior to a fucking cat.Kylo touched his hair, “They can be safer with you than with their previous commanders. It’s up to you.”
If rage was transformable into real energy, Hux could fuel a new Starkiller all by himself. But he also wasn’t a man driven by emotions. That was something Kylo Ren couldn’t ever understand.
“Greater men tried to threaten me.”
“There is no greater man in galaxy than me.”There was a limit of things the general could forgive; Kylo’s childish temper, shortcomings, youthful indiscretion and tremendous naivety, but he wouldn’t stand fatality and inevitability of failure, which would occur under his command. Hux should end this before they were all doomed.
“Don't make me regret the day I've pulled you out of the snow,” he hissed.The man inspected his face thoroughly.
“You look like hell, Hux. You don’t have Phasma to cover your back anymore. You have to fight for yourself, but you don't have to fight me.”
Hux shook his head, but Kylo didn't let himself to be interrupted, “We are here because they are against both of us.”
“I serve the Order.”
“I am the Order.”
“Then you make me contemplate the futility of it all.” However, he had to admit that postcoital negotiations were surprisingly thoughtful of Ren. It might have even worked with someone with a frail grasp on reality, which, unfortunately, Hux wasn't.“Hux, I can't afford to lose you and you want someone to take the authority over your well-being. I can do that. This can be beneficial to us both if you submit to me.”
“Don't swear what you can't uphold.”They sat in silence until Ren looked into his eyes again.
“At least if you let me sleep here, you’ll have nothing to fear, because the most dangerous thing on this ship will be already next to you.”
That worked both ways. He tipped his cigarette into closest mug. “I appreciate your concern, but I can’t promise you won’t wake up with a knife on your neck.”
“If you add a hand on my cock, it will be the best waking up I’ve ever had.”
“You can't keep leading us away from the discipline. Decisions based on your dick will bring us no good, Supreme Leader. ”
“You could use some liberation, General.”Forever the son of fucking republicans. Hux looked into hopeful, dark eyes and wondered how the darkness materialized could be so foolish.He moaned in annoyance and fell to the bed, his back turned to the man.
“I absolve you, Kylo Ren, but just for today. You may stay.”A strong hand wrapped around his waist. He didn't fight it, it would be useless. Hux knew when to pick his fights and Kylo’s downfall would come eventually and no progress could be accomplished without sacrifices.