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It had been almost four days since General Hux had entered what the Finalizer’s chief medical officer could only call a vegetative state. He wasn’t unconscious, as his brain was still responding to stimuli, and his pupils would react whenever a bright light shone in his eyes. Hux could still breathe, and occasionally his body would violently flinch when Kylo tried poking his arm. The chief medical officer said that he was just asleep. She had the brain scans to back her up and all. For whatever unknown reason, Hux just… wouldn’t wake up. It was infuriating to Kylo. He had been found passed out in his quarters after missing his shift on the bridge, with a fever of over 104. Hux hadn't missed a shift in his entire tenure as general, or even before his promotion during his time as a lower officer. After several failed attempts to contact the general through all official channels, Lieutenant Mitaka was eventually sent directly to the general’s quarters to try to find him. Kylo had been able to sense the lieutenant’s distress from almost halfway across the Star Destroyer. That in itself wasn't too odd – the meek man had always had a problem with broadcasting his emotions to the extreme. What was odd was the intensity of the concern and fear Mitaka had been feeling. Mitaka had thought Hux to be dead, at first, before he touched the man and felt the terrifying heat radiating from him. At the time, it had been quite amusing to the force user. Hux, dead of an illness, refused the glory all morons in power craved - an honorable death. Kylo had almost been disappointed when the general’s state had been revealed to him.Three days had passed since that moment, and Kylo had not left Hux’s side since he was given orders to try to guarantee the general’s recovery by his master. ‘It would not do to have a valuable tool like the general waste away before we can reap all of the benefits of the man’s intellect’ Snoke had said. It had felt ominous, and as much as Kylo Ren loathed General Hux, he was a little concerned for the future of his co-commander.The medical officer had done her best. Kylo had stood watch over the general for the last day, and had seen the doctor run every test she could think of several times over. The human personnel of the Finalizer were starting to get truly concerned, and morale was beginning to decline. If this issue did not resolve itself soon, there could be a real problem for the First Order.Other than that their ‘best’ general was apparently all but dead. Three days later, Kylo was running out of ideas. He had done his best to get the crew of the Finalizer back on their normal track of work, but it had been for naught. Even the stormtroopers, brainwashed idiots, seemed to be slacking in everyday tasks. Kylo was unsure of how much longer he could hold back the crew from disaster, and the medical officers in charge of Hux’s care were no better. Hux had been given a feeding tube to keep him from succumbing to starvation the day he was admitted to the medical bay. His body was still capable of breathing and circulating anything put into it, but according to the chief medical officer, it was almost like Hux was stuck in his mind. He was trapped in a never-ending sleep cycle, unable to awaken due to some unknown influence. If Kylo didn’t know his co-commander was completely force-null, he’d suspect some internal force-related issue. But he did know Hux, and he knew the void that existed within the general where the force was concerned. Unless… No. That wasn’t possible. It wasn’t impossible that Hux’s state was some form of force interference. Just incredibly unlikely. Force interference didn’t have to mean that Hux had some hidden force ability - for all Kylo knew, this was another test from his master. Something about putting aside his prejudice to fix a problem standing in the way of the First Order’s path. Yes. That was it. “General…” he started, “if you can hear me in there, I need you to wake up. I don’t know what-” Kylo shook his head, the furrow between his brows growing, “ I don’t know what to do. ” If anyone conscious had been in the room, they would have said that it looked like it had physically pained Kylo to say that out loud. “If this is some kind of test, I don’t know what the answer is. This isn’t fair, how do I fix a problem I don’t know the cause of? I’m not some– some medical genius.” “ Hux. This isn’t funny. I-” The general’s sleeping body shivered, and Kylo could tell that it wasn’t the waking he hoped it to be but instead a symptom of the fever ravaging Hux. “I can’t do this all on my own. The officers are growing suspicious and barely listen to me. It has been days of this, and I need you to wake up . Please. Please just wake up.” The general and Kylo may not be close, or even friendly, but even he could begrudgingly admit that the ship was nearing true dysfunction after a week of Hux’s unconsciousness. As hard as Kylo had tried to keep the ship functioning, he had to admit to himself that General Hux was the oil greasing the wheels of the Finalizer. There were too many people under his command and even more paperwork that he had no idea how to even start. Kylo hadn’t felt any kind of concern over the general’s state at first. Hux had been pushing himself harder than usual, and the general’s weakness had been a chance to prove himself to his Master. But as the days crawled on and the responsibilities piled up, Kylo was finding himself missing Hux’s uniformity and order - something he never thought he’d say. It was day eight, and still, no one knew what had caused the general to suddenly fall ill. He had a raging fever, but no other symptoms a doctor or med droid could find to explain any of it. Kylo had finally admitted to himself that the general’s illness could be due to a mental blockage, but fixing that would require extreme precision, which wasn’t something Kylo was very good at. He was known as the Supreme Leader’s attack dog for a reason. He was volatile, reckless, and the opposite of what would be required to delve into another person’s mind without causing extreme irreparable damage. Kylo had been hesitant to even consider using the force to fix Hux’s mind, as his abilities seemed to not work on the general. Yes, he could move his body and choke him, but Hux seemed to have near impenetrable mental shields, to standards Kylo had never seen before. This would be a test with great potential. Was this why Snoke wanted Kylo to try to fix the general? To see if he could become the precision tool needed to complete this fine-tuned task? Well, fine. Kylo would do it, and he would take all the time he needed to ensure Hux’s safety and his own. When entering the mind of an unknown, one had to proceed with caution. In the case of General Hux, Kylo felt the need to go forward with even more caution than usual. He knew penetrating the general’s mental barriers would be a challenge. Kylo sat in the chair next to Hux’s sickbed and tried to relax. Whatever followed, he would have to be prepared to deal with any repercussions. For a man so set in his ways, Hux could be full of surprises. The force user closed his eyes, reaching out to the shielded general with his mind. He was shocked to feel no barrier but instead to feel almost a whirlpool of chaos. If he didn’t know that Hux was just about as force-sensitive as a ysalamiri, he would have thought he was feeling someone with force-sensitivity. It was odd. Kylo Ren had spent far too long trying to invade Hux’s brain to not know. There had been a wall in the general’s brain the last time he had tried. But… that had been while Hux was awake and present in his own body. Kylo let himself brush against the swirling mass of chaos in Hux’s mind and was almost overwhelmed by the potential brimming in the sleeping man. So this was what the general’s mind truly felt like. Kylo felt amazed, knowing how perfectly Hux presented himself in his daily life. Maybe there was some secret hidden in the general’s brain. This, Kylo thought, he could work with — finally, something. Slowly, he reworked his way through the ripple that had been his first attempt at breaking through to Hux’s mind. As he made his way into the chaos of Hux’s subconscious, Kylo felt his mind finally be pulled into the eye of the storm.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Kylo let himself sink into the mysterious darkness, and then slowly light began to seep into his vision, overwhelming him. He slowly opened his eyes to see a kitchen full of people. There was a woman in a pale blue dress with hair to her shoulders - it was a familiar shade of ginger. Was this woman a relative of Hux’s? To Kylo’s knowledge, the woman known to the First Order as Commandant Hux’s wife was Maratelle - Kylo had seen an image of Maratelle years ago during his initial stalking research on the man he would be working with. He had heard rumors about Hux being illegitimate but had brushed them off as just that - rumors. Why would the general’s parentage matter so long as he was a capable leader and strategist? Kylo may have been born to a politician, but he would never claim to understand the intricacies of political scheming. The woman turned slightly, revealing a young boy with a shock of hair the same ginger as the woman. The boy was sitting on the countertop next to the woman, and couldn’t be any older than three. Kylo took a step towards the pair, and his eyes widened as the small boy turned his head towards him. He had none of the familiar sternness Hux usually showed, but the energy around the boy meant that he was still identifiable as the general. Young Hux and Kylo made eye contact, and Kylo panicked and tried to force whatever was going on in Hux’s mind to reset. It wasn’t working, and Kylo could feel his panic worsening. He didn’t know why, though. The woman leaned towards young Hux with a concerned look on her face. “Tish? What’s wrong, sweetheart?” Her eyebrows furrowed in a way that was all too similar to the look Kylo saw on the general’s face every day. “There’s a man, mum! In the kitchen!” There was no way Hux was able to see Kylo, right? This was just a memory. “No, there’s not, silly, don’t you worry your little head about that. Let’s keep having our lesson while I finish this baking, okay?”“Okay, mum… But there really is a man.” Young Hux had that same eyebrow furrow as his mother, even this young. That was almost adorable if it wasn’t kriffing Hux of all people. Hux’s mother chuckled fondly. “If you say so, Tish. Now, your grandfather was a great man…” The woman’s voice faded to nothing as the scene around Hux and Kylo changed. By the time his dizziness was gone from the whirling room, Hux was slightly older - five at the oldest - and there was a small metal ball floating in the air. Wait. Floating? After a quick look around the room, Kylo confirmed it was just him and Hux in the room. There was no way Hux was actually force-sensitive though. That had just been a theory he’d bounced around for shits and giggles, how could Kylo have never known? Hux was utterly alone and was using the force. His supposedly force-null co-commander was actually force-sensitive. Kriff. Kylo felt himself get rejected from Hux’s mind moments after he had this realization. He had to get back in. He had to. And there was no way he could let Supreme Leader Snoke find out about this - this treachery? Deceit? From who was thought to be his most loyal general. The Supreme Leader would react horribly. Might even take drastic measures against him for this supposed slight. Kylo didn't think he could live with himself if the information he disclosed to Snoke led to Hux's death, as much as the relationship between him and his co-commander was tense and icy. He was curious, he could admit it, and he didn’t feel he could lead the Finalizer with anyone but the general. He would take the time to properly investigate, and make sure Hux woke up - or else Hux would die. That was inevitable, he supposed. Not solving this would lead to Hux's death. Failure was not an option. For now, he would do his best to dive back into his previous activity. He didn't feel tired from his failure, just even more passionate than he did in the first place. Diving back into Hux's mind took Kylo longer than he thought - it appeared that his earlier shock had managed to provoke Hux's mental shields slightly back into place. A good sign, Kylo guessed. It meant that Hux was conscious enough to notice an intrusion. As he readjusted to Hux's mindscape, a scene similar to the one from earlier appeared. Hux looked about the same age, with a group of objects floating in front of him. Kylo slowly walked towards the young Hux, and as his foot made contact with the wood flooring (wood? How wealthy was Hux's father before they fled Arkanis?) a loud creak shuddered through the room. The noise was enough to catch Hux's attention and startle him away from his activity. The boy spun around to find the source of the sound. Young Hux seemed to glance over Kylo at first, like he wasn't quite sure he was there, before settling on Kylo’s bulky figure. There didn't seem to be an ounce of recognition in the young Hux's (what was his co-commander's first name? Surely someone had to have told him it at some point, during his briefing when he was first stationed on the Finalizer, he felt like a fool,) eyes, which stung Kylo's pride slightly. Young Hux tilted his head and looked Kylo straight in the eyes. “Who are you? Did grandfather send you, as another… lesson?” The boy held his eye contact with a clear defiance that Kylo recognized from the grown Hux. Lessons? Grandfather?? It made no sense, but surely a force user as experienced as Kylo would be able to weasel it out of a mere child. "Who would… your grandfather be?" "Well," said the ginger, "now I know you're obviously not one of them. They all know exactly who he is, and would never bother asking such a dull question. You must be someone who died, though you do not have the tint they tend to have... But surely you aren't a real person. There's no way someone could get inside Father's home and to my room alive. That's impossible, his defenses are too great." "How are you sure about that? I am older than you, and while you seem to be capable of force use, I guarantee I am stronger than you. In all aspects." He felt so stupid arguing with this... This child! Quite literally! Although this boy seemed to be capable of intelligence comparable to his adult self. “...How do you know I’m capable of force use? I haven’t told anyone. And you haven’t seen me do it. Have you? If you’re a ghost, maybe you have. You lot tend to be far too sneaky. I dislike it.” The boy was rambling, a habit the child would one day either outgrow or violently suppress. Kylo’s money was on the latter, knowing the general’s habits and behaviors. “Hold on, I haven’t met a new ghost in over a year. Who are you? Why are you here?” As the boy grew more suspicious, Kylo felt the same pressure on his chest he felt initially when Hux kicked him out of his mind earlier. “No no no, Hux, don’t do this, please, you need to come back, I can’t keep doing this, you’ll get hu-” And with that last desperate plea, Kylo was booted from the room he had been sharing with young Hux. Kriff . This was proving to be so much more challenging than he’d initially expected. So much harder. How could Hux keep his mind shielded even in this weakened state? Was there some unknown precedent to Hux’s supposed force capabilities that Kylo had never noticed? Some mystery connection to the force in the Hux lineage? No, that was impossible. Kylo had looked into the Hux family. Brendol Hux, and his father before him, had been notorious for speaking up against ever bringing force users back into the fold, after the fall of the Emperor. That meant that Hux had to get his connections from his mother’s side. The mystery woman from the first memory Kylo had entered. She was his biggest obstacle, so far. It wouldn’t prove easy to find information on some random kitchen maid from Arkanis. This required more digging. Kylo had to find out who that woman was, and how she was connected to the seemingly endless mystery the general was turning out to be.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
It had taken Kylo an extra day that he didn’t have to spare to search through all of the official documents that existed about General Hux.
Eventually, an odd personnel file popped up, dated to 3 ABY, signed off on by one ‘BH’. Hux’s father had made a personnel file on his four year old son, and it looked like it had been regularly updated for at least a decade. Knowing the general, it really wasn’t that strange. What made it stand out was the harsh censoring and password protection Hux had done to it.
There were the standard things visible – blood type, father’s name, date of birth – but there were clear attempts at redaction. Things like Hux’s mother’s name, and certain missing childhood events. With how detail-oriented Hux was, it was unlikely these missing facts were anything but purposeful.
After quite a bit of searching through years of documents about Hux’s childhood, a clue finally popped up. An old gossip article about one Maratelle C and her engagement to a Brendol H. Within a year of their marriage announcement, rumors appeared about Brendol’s infidelity. Within three years, whispers started about a little red-haired boy being seen around the Hux residence on Arkanis.
The underlying theme of Brendol’s affairs was that he liked to sleep with women he had power over – usually those who worked for him and were easy to manipulate. Kylo might not be quite the genius Hux was known to be, but he could connect the dots.
Chattering women talking about a redheaded boy within a handful of years of rumors about an affair or four? The women stationed around the Hux family had been sure Maratelle was infertile – there was little hope that the child was hers.
Finally, the stars aligned for Kylo. A woman with no documented who worked in the kitchen mysteriously disappeared from sight for a year, and came back with a son. It made sense that she would work somewhere like the kitchen – easy to hide from plain view, not powerful enough in society to make a fuss if something suspicious happened.
There was another note from BH dated to 5 ABY about the mother of his only child – she had been slightly force-sensitive – and someone had done their best, again, to put it behind a password around the time of the commandant’s death.
There were no other notes mentioning the Force in the file, but this was a good starting point.
Kylo made sure to send his personal datapad a copy of the document, just so Hux couldn’t talk his way out of any questions once he woke up.
After finally leaving Hux’s scarily tidy quarters, Kylo made his way back to his much more lived in rooms and got comfortable. If he learned anything from his time with the Jedi, it was that meditation could be useful once in a while.
Today, meditating was proving too hard. Instead, Kylo’s mind kept wandering back to thinking of the general’s secret past. Armitage Hux – kriff, it was weird calling Hux by his first name – was born to a relatively unremarkable Force-sensitive woman on Arkanis. He was most likely in his current state from hiding away his abilities for years.
Hux had received some training from his birth mother, but not much. The basics of telekinesis, maybe some emotional detection. There was no way he had learned anything more advanced at such a young age, and Arkanis had been abandoned by the Imperials around 4 ABY. There was a slim chance his birth mother had been taken along when the Hux men had fled, but that chance was reduced to just about nothing when Kylo remembered that even Maratelle Hux herself hadn't been removed from Arkanis with the Imperial fleet.
Kylo’s most pressing question at the moment was figuring out how Hux had hidden his abilities so thoroughly for someone who hadn't been trained outside of his early childhood.
The total lack of presence that surrounded Hux’s unconscious mind terrified Kylo. Never before had he encountered someone who felt like the cold void of space. It was… Enthralling. Enchanting, even. Fascinating.
The other mystery Kylo needed to solve was the identity of Hux’s maternal grandfather. The only clues Kylo had so far were that Hux got his particular shade of hair from him, and that he was more than likely also Force-sensitive.
The general’s power, once Kylo got past the enormous void around Hux's mind, was like a chaotic whirlpool. This was where the fun part started for Kylo, even if it was probably dangerous.
The thought briefly crossed Kylo's mind that, just maybe, Hux had amazing potential. It wasn't likely that the stubborn general would ever accept a serious offer of training though. Still, any advance in the relationship between the two co-commanders would be amazing after the years of hostility that have been building between them.
—
Kylo made his way back to Hux’s bedside the next morning. He settled into the chair that had become a medbay staple after the long hours Kylo had spent there.
It took close to an hour of meditation to find a gap to enter the general’s strong mental shields, but Kylo managed to worm his way back in.
What Kylo saw almost made him leave, even after all of that effort.
A somewhat older Hux, probably around twelve or so, was backed into the corner of a starship dormitory by a group of four larger boys. Kylo had done his fair share of atrocities, but watching a child get beaten up when he knew the adult man felt too… Personal.
One of the larger boys moved forward, and instead of the usual reaction one would expect from a child – crying, trying to run, any acknowledgment that something bad was going to happen – Hux looked angry, furious even, and then all of a sudden it was like a dam broke.
Hux leapt onto the older boy who had moved to attack, and watching such a small child rip into such a large target was like watching a feral Lolth cat attack. The older boys all screamed, and a spray of red appeared on Hux’s face. The child released his hold on his attacker's face, and the older boy immediately curled into a protective ball. The injured boy’s hands held his face tightly over the gash splitting open his cheek, forehead, and lip. How had Hux managed that?
Kriff, he had been hiding a vibroblade. it has probably been slid up a shirt sleeve. If the attacker didn't get medical attention soon, it would scar nastily.
Kylo was sure this child had either defected from the First Order or died before Kylo had been introduced to the Order’s officer ranks, because he had never seen an officer with a scar quite like that.
Knowing how the early Imperial remnants had treated their children, it was most likely the boy had never sought medical attention due to shame.
Judging by the way Hux was almost growling at the three remaining boys around him and how they were slowly backing up, a point had been made. Hux’s metaphorical hackles were still raised (Kylo could almost see the sheer rage radiating off of the boy) but his hands were starting to shake – probably a result of the adrenaline rush he was experiencing.
One of the uninjured boys had also noticed this, and took it for a sign of weakness. That was his first mistake. His second mistake was making the rash decision to go after Hux.
Hux didn't even bother laying hands on his attacker this time, he just flung out a hand and the boy simply… Stopped. He wasn't quite floating, but he didn't seem to be capable of movement.
The Hux mystery continued to develop. Hux hadn't been hiding his abilities while he was growing up in exile with the early Order, so why was he now? Who had been training him in how to use his abilities? Did Snoke know?
Kylo watched on as the last two attackers fled, and the small boy finally noticed the intruder in his memory. The scene quickly disappeared.
More of the same from the other night, then.
—
The void that took over the last memory was quickly replaced by another version of Hux. He looked like he was maybe sixteen, and he was lanky and dressed in a uniform. Not the vague cadets uniform Kylo was expecting though – instead it was the light chest armor and fitted trousers of a sniper.
How many more loops would the general throw him through? Only a week ago, Kylo had assumed Hux had taken an easy ship assignment straight from the Academy – now he was seeing a young soldier who was combat ready and seemingly competent in some form of combat.
“Hux. Look at me,” Kylo eventually ground out. There was no activity worth watching, so why not take advantage to try and break through to Hux?
The boy – because that’s what the general was here, still nothing but a boy put into a man’s position – was sitting quietly on a shuttle bench, cleaning the barrel of a slugthrower rifle thoroughly. The contrast between the snarling, vicious child, and this peacefully quiet teenager was stark, and Kylo was grateful that he didn't have to get through to the half-feral creature that apparently lurked under the skin of the general.
The boy looked Kylo right in the eyes.
“You again? I thought you were finally gone. I'll have to try harder. Grandfather won't be pleased to see you poking around where you don't belong,” the boy almost looked bored. It felt like he was looking into Kylo's soul, but it was just the intensity of Hux’s gaze – something that remained the same all these years later.
Kylo stalked even closer to Hux – it was easy enough in such a small space to loom over the boy in an attempt to intimidate him. Kylo may not have been willing to put fear into the heart of a four year old Hux, but this snotty little upstart was the perfect age to be an absolute menace to.
“You keep mentioning this grandfather of yours, Hux. Why do you care so much about the thoughts of an old man? He's not here to protect you from me right now, so why does he matter?” Kylo leaned even closer, crouched slightly to put their faces within breathing space.
“
Kriff
, you really know nothing about it here. I would have hoped you had done some reconnaissance before breaking and entering, but no, that would be too much to ask of you. He's always around, you moron. Watching. Lurking,” that wasn't the voice of the snotty teen in front of Kylo anymore. And it was coming from behind him.
Looking up over his shoulder, Kylo saw an all too familiar face. A glaring, angry General Hux. That feral glint in his eye was peeking through slightly. This was the general at his most dangerous. It shouldn't have scared a powerful force user like Kylo, but it did. Just a bit.
Kylo stood so quickly he almost collided with the general, and the walls of the shuttle shook when Hux backed up to make room.
“You really are dense, Kylo Ren. I’m not telling you anything else about my grandfather. If you figure it out on your own, oh well, but you won't hear it from me. The Supreme Leader
must
see something in you, some hidden potential… There's no way you're as incompetent as you're acting,” Hux raised an eyebrow, “now tell me, Ren.
Why
are you here?”
"You… You fell into a coma almost a week ago, Hux. No one knows why, and the Supreme Leader has been discussing the possibility of replacing you. I spent long enough getting used to your bullshit, I don't want to have to do it all over again with some political upstart twice your age. You need to wake up and take your post back. I’m loath to admit it, but I can’t run this ship without you. Thinking about getting used to some other uptight bastard makes my head hurt," Kylo wasn't one to plead for anything, but he felt close to it.
Admitting he needed Hux left a bitter taste in his mouth, but he would do whatever was needed to end this. He didn't necessarily care about the general as a person, but as a co-commander Kylo could finally admit he was both capable and reliable.
Hux's eyebrow raised even more, "it almost sounds like you care, Ren. Don't tell me you're going soft after a couple of days running the
Finalizer
by yourself."
"I was wrong about you, general. I have questions, and no answers, and you cannot die until I learn what you're hiding from me."
"Is that an
order
I hear, Ren?” Hux was finally showing some emotion past detached sarcasm, but still there was nothing strong enough to cause the break to the real world Kylo was hoping for. "We are of equal rank, you cannot give me orders. It would be easier to let me die at this rate, seeing as I don't know how to get out of this absolute hellscape I'm trapped in. I've been reliving all of my least favorite memories for, if you're correct, days. I can't imagine my body or mind will be pleased with me when I wake back up,” Hux’s eyes narrowed and his scowl deepened.
"Screw your body, Hux! I know you well enough, you're too karking stubborn to just die in bed in a medbay like this. Come back to your body, if you want to die so badly I'll do it myself if I have to,” Kylo was practically seething at this point, his arms shaking and his hands clenched so tightly to keep from flailing that it felt like his nails would pierce flesh.
Hux's eyes had widened in anger, and his tone was much harsher. "If I knew how, Ren, I wouldn't still be here, would I?! Did you even think abo—"
"Wake up! It's not that hard! Picture your mind reconnecting to your body, and wake up!" Kylo screamed the last part of that so loud it felt like his voice had fully disconnected from his body.
All of a sudden, Kylo was back in the medbay.
“
Fuck!
” Kylo shouted, and the rage he felt was enough for the alusteel walls to shake slightly.
That had probably been his last chance to talk to the comatose man. Just when he’d started making leeway. Kylo stood quickly, the chair scraping against the metal floor, and stormed out of the medbay. He needed to destroy something – preferably something of the general’s. Anything to get this anger out of his system.