Hux remained nearby, seating himself on one of those uncomfortable hospital chairs as the doctors worked. The general had to make sure that he made it through and that Ren didn't give any more grief to the people that were trying to help. He could work interference if it came down to it, even though Hux just hoped that he wouldn't be a pain. Thankfully, Ren was being mostly cooperative, even though he refused all painkillers and sedatives. Which. Fine. If he wanted to be fully aware of everything that was happening, Hux wasn't going to force him either unless it became a real problem.
Hux was leaning back in his chair by the time the doctors were finished, with Ren finally bandaged up and no longer in any clear present danger. Well, danger from his wounds. They were still stuck in a new world with its own set of rules with people from the Resistance and Han Solo and Luke Skywalker running around. Oh, and no First Order. He had one word that accurately described this place:
Hell.
But he decided to actually give him an answer. "Verens. City on a floating island called Empatheias." He was completely serious here, despite how ridiculous all of this was. Ugh, none of this made logical sense and Hux detested not understanding what was going on. The lack of control was just aggravating to deal with.
"You're in the local medcenter." He added with his posture still the epitome of calm despite his sour thoughts.
Ren gingerly laid a hand over his eyes, careful not to disturb the bandages that crossed over the bridge of his nose. So it hadn't been a bizarre dream after all. He'd already begun to suspect it, given the way his senses were dulled. Without the Force he felt... trapped, almost.
He tried to recall the specific details of what happened before he lost consciousness.
"What happened with Skywalker."
The man's bleeding heart probably drove him to stupidly help his nephew to the hospital along with Hux, but now Ren couldn't sense him at all, which meant he was probably elsewhere. It was frustrating, but he didn't have the energy to get truly angry about it at the moment. More than just his senses were dulled at the moment.
"After he assisted me in carrying you here, he left. My guess? To do more good deeds and help the average man." Definitely some mockery in his voice.
Hux was pretty sure that Ren wasn't going to take that news particularly well, but he was ready to defend his actions if it came to it. They weren't going to kill Luke Skywalker right now, to do so would be completely reckless. Perhaps Ren didn't see it, but they needed to be patient. Think about everything and look at this from a strategic point of view.
Oh, he wanted nothing more than to kill Skywalker and especially Poe Dameron. That pilot was largely responsible for everything that went wrong, including FN-2187's escape and Starkiller Base's destruction. Just the thought of Dameron was enough to cause a sudden crack in the wall next to Hux, despite his outer calm appearance. But as with Luke, the general knew that they couldn't exactly go after him right now.
The man's mouth twisted into a displeased frown before he spoke through clenched teeth, his hand still over his eyes. So he was right. He'd been humiliated by barely grazing his enemy, collapsing, and being carried by the man whose death was Ren's end goal.
"Why didn't you listen to me."
His growing anger made his heart pound, and the room grew warmer for it. It seemed he might have the energy to get mad after all.
Hux's first instinct was to tell Ren that he didn't have to listen to him. He wasn't a stormtrooper that he could just boss around. They were nearly equals under Snoke and he didn't take orders from the volatile knight. Miraculously, Hux managed to not say any of this and went for a more logic retort.
"As I said during our encounter, that Luke Skywalker wasn't of the correct age that he should've been. Even considering that he's the actual Skywalker, we cannot kill someone in broad daylight when we have no information about our current situation and how we got here. The First Order is not here and further complications will only impede our progress in figuring a solution to return back to our galaxy."
Hux managed to say all this with his blank cool, the air around him becoming steady as the crack he caused earlier started to repair itself.
"I don't care what age he was, I know it was him—I recognized his presence," Ren replied in an aggravated tone, then after a moment, he added mournfully: "We could have ended the Jedi."
Some of the shadows became darker near the Force user, making his dark hair look that much darker. Though his mind was still muddled, he couldn't argue against a few of the general's points. Some of the heat faded.
"We must be far from our galaxy," he said, intending to give Hux information the man may not have been certain of before. "Very far."
This, at least, he knew from the way he could not feel the Force. In a way, even that was jarring, though—while not many had ventured out of their own galaxy and into others, he... could not imagine a place where the Force wasn't present. And yet here he was, feeling cut off from the sense he'd had nearly his entire life.
Hux still had his doubts about that Luke that they met, but he could admit that Ren usually could sense things well with the Force. He knew that it was FN-2187 that betrayed them before Hux even checked the registry. Therefore, he was willing to concede that was the real Luke Skywalker and not a clone. It was just... time travel.
Apparently a thing that could happen here, no matter how ridiculous it sounded. Well, the theory of time travel was out there, but never achieved through science before. But considering he and Ren were suddenly teleported to this world and emotions did have an influence on the environment, Hux had to swallow some of his more doubtful concerns about various things.
So much for good old logic and reasoning. It was aggravating.
"He's still here, Ren. The opportunity to kill him isn't gone forever, we just need to choose the right time for it."
Because killing him would definitely put the First Order in a better position. Snoke might even look past his failure at Starkiller Base if he not only brought Ren back, but if Luke was killed. Definitely wouldn't hurt. Still, they needed to find a way back to their galaxy before anything like that could happen.
"We are far from our galaxy. I've been collecting information since our arrival here. I'm planning on testing what intel I gather, but so far I can confirm that emotions do affect the environment around us."
As much as Ren felt the longer they waited, the more prepared Skywalker would be, he had to admit he wouldn't be able to do much in his current state. With a quiet noise in the back of his throat, he pulled his hand off his eyes to look at the general. Though he initially intended to ask what sorts of information Hux had gathered, he was distracted by the mark on his face.
"What happened to you."
It was more accusatory a remark than one of any concern.
...Seriously, Ren? You were going to ask about that?
Hux raised a hand to the bruise that was forming on his face, unable to hide his scowl as he thought about Han Solo and their admittedly embarrassing encounter. Next time, he wouldn't be caught off guard by the man. He really didn't want to talk about it with Ren, but letting him know that a young Han was here outweighed his anger.
"Had a run in with Han Solo. A young one, similar to how Skywalker is here." He didn't need to divulge any more details than that. It was straight to the point and gave the information Ren needed the most.
When the general explained the situation—specifically, when he mentioned Han Solo—Kylo Ren's eyes went wide with a stunned look. Han Solo, and young Han Solo, no less, had punched Hux in the face.
His lips twitched for a brief second, wide eyes still staring. Not a moment after that, he brought the back of his palm against his mouth and turned his face away, letting out a breath that turned into a single quiet squeak of laughter.
As much as he tried to hold it back, even biting his lips, he couldn't stop the high-pitched string of chuckles that followed. His hand mostly blocked the stupid grin on his face, but it couldn't hide the way his eyes crinkled.
Hux immediately frowned at his reaction, real irritation and embarrassment flushing his face for a moment as he watched the normally joyless man chuckle at his misfortune. How dare he...! He didn't see the humor in this at all and Hux had no idea why Ren was laughing at the image of Han Solo punching him. He was just another foolish person from the Resistance. The Rebels. Same difference.
"There's nothing to laugh about!" Ignore the sudden cold surrounding him.
His laughter continued even as Hux attempted to admonish him for it.
"I'm dead," he finally said, a near-hysterical tone to his voice as he continued to chuckle weakly between speaking to himself. "That's the only way this makes sense. A man I killed not six hours ago punched General Hux in the face, and we're all in some bizarre afterlife."
Much of his irritation dissipated at the comment, becoming confusion instead as he watched Ren speak in an almost maniac tone. Did he finally lose it? Why would he think they were dead just because a young Han Solo was here? Well, it was obvious now that an older Han died on Starkiller base, but this reaction still seemed out of the blue. Ugh, Hux normally wouldn't care what was going on in his head, but he sorta needed him to be sane if they were going to work together to get off this forsaken planet.
"Luke Skywalker isn't dead in our time. You're not dead. Neither am I. Don't jump to ridiculous conclusions just because Han Solo is here."
His expression lost any hint of humor almost immediately, something like an empty gloom in his features. His voice was similarly devoid of feeling when he spoke, and his eyes still focused on the wall rather than Hux. His shadows darkened again, making him look even paler than he already was.
"You don't know that. How do you suggest I survived a planet's collapse when I could hardly get to my feet, let alone get to a ship to leave it."
There was an air of contempt in his voice, clearly implying that the rescue wasn't his idea but he still went through with it because of orders. Although, Hux could admit that the First Order needed all of its power and allies at this time, especially since Starkiller Base was destroyed. Rescuing Ren was probably a good move strategically, but that didn't mean Hux had to like it.
The only other positive thing about rescuing Ren was the fact that Snoke may not kill him when he returned with the Knight by his side.
The expression on his face didn't appear change, but there was a slight twitch to his lips and his eyelids fluttered for a moment. A few moments later, he let out a soft, "Oh."
His mind wasn't quite in the right state to connection the dots just yet—to come to the idea that Snoke had ordered said rescue and recognize how much Hux would rather leave him to die. So for the moment he simply allowed the hope of survival to warm him. Under the bed a few miniature white flowers began to break their way through the tile, a phenomenon that could have easily been missed.
He never heard Ren say anything in a soft manner before. It was always loud, usually with a tone of superiority that Hux hated with a passion. This wasn't even including the fact he was talking to Ren without his helmet on, which was a rare scenario in itself. Almost strange to hear him without that voice modulator distorting his words. Hm.
Luckily for Ren, he didn't notice the white flowers that bloomed under his bed. He would never live that down if Hux saw that.
"In case you don't remember, I found you in the snow and had you transported to a shuttle before the planet exploded." Hux eventually said, continuing on as if he didn't note the unusual reaction. It was for the sake of both of their sanity.
"I don't remember," he admitted in the same quiet voice. "I don't even recall hearing a shuttle approaching."
He'd thought that was it for him. Even if the girl had spared him for whatever strange reason, the Resistance was going to take his life anyway, via the planet's collapse. That was the conclusion he'd come to, before now. But perhaps he'd fallen unconscious when Hux came to retrieve him? It made enough sense to him—about as much as anything about this situation could make sense.
He knew that Ren was awake when he rescued him, but perhaps the memory was foggy to him. He was bleeding rather badly and he did just lose a fight against the Resistance. It would make sense. Well, as long as Ren knew now that he was going to live, it didn't matter.
"What exactly happened to you?" Hux was curious. Ren was strong, even if he was an arrogant pain in the ass. It was surprising to see him lying on the snow, all beaten up from a battle he lost. The question was who bested him and how.
Ren put a hand over his eyes again, not wanting to look at Hux as he admitted his failures. The fact that he was doing it at all was a sign of the drugs and exhaustion from losing so much blood.
"After I killed Han Solo," he said, his voice slightly louder but his tone no less sober, "I was shot. I saw the traitor and the girl and followed them to stop them from escaping. We fought."
He took a breath, trying to ignore the dull throb in his side. He at least managed to keep any emotions from rising to the surface as he spoke.
"They had a lightsaber. I took out FN-2187, but the girl got the better of me. She's already... so strong with the Force..."
FN-2187 and the girl with the Force powers. So, they were also responsible for the destruction of his base. He wasn't surprised, but it didn't stop the hatred he felt toward the two of them for destroying something that he spent years working on. Not to mention, all the troopers that lost their lives--
The only good thing was that he managed to destroy the senate and the Republic's fleet before they lost their greatest weapon. It was a major loss, but the Resistance was hit hard as well. Still, really thinking about Starkiller's destruction brought up emotions that he didn't want to deal with in front of Ren.
Hux ignored the cracks appearing on the floor and just continued to watch Ren with an impassive expression. "You killed the traitor?"
The knight wasn't paying much attention to anything but Hux's inquiries at the moment—it was just easier to let his brain filter out anything else for the moment. His exhaustion was becoming more evident with the slightly delayed answer and the gradually decreasing amount of energy he was putting into his words.
"I don't know. Possibly. I slashed him along the spine."
Ren was confident he'd at least be disabled for a time. It might not have meant much in the long run, but if they retaliated quickly, they could finish the conflict before the Resistance got anything more out of the former stormtrooper.
He could very well be alive, then. FN-2187 was like a cockroach that would only be squashed if Hux saw it himself or if he personally offed the traitor himself. Still, that injury would at least knock him out for a while. They just needed to keep pressing against the Resistance before FN-2187 leaked any more information to them.
The traitor's intel was probably a major factor contributing to the destruction of Starkiller Base. Therefore, it was his responsibility. Unfortunately, he couldn't do much about it right now while he was stuck in this planet.
"Rest." Hux eventually said, noticing how Ren sounded tired and almost weak with his last few sentences.
"We still need to discuss the situation," was Ren's response, though it was clear enough that he wasn't arguing as much as was his usual tendency. It was mostly only a habit, a part of the unwavering front he'd maintained in the Order for the past several years. Acquiescing so easily to orders from anyone other than Snoke wasn't something the mast of the Knights of Ren should be known for, he thought.
He wasn't going to argue he needed rest, however. He was just going to be a tiny bit stubborn about it.
"The situation isn't going to change during the few hours of your sleep." Hux was well-aware of the fact that they needed to discuss many things still, but even he could recognize that Ren needed to rest. His injuries from Starkiller Base haven't gotten the chance to really heal for one thing. This was probably the first time since his defeat that he was able to recover.
Besides, his exhaustion was obvious and Hux wouldn't put it past him to fall asleep during their conversation. He rather not have that happen. The general wanted him to be fully alert when they talked about all this.
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lostapprentice) wrote2035-01-06 02:37 am
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Hux was leaning back in his chair by the time the doctors were finished, with Ren finally bandaged up and no longer in any clear present danger. Well, danger from his wounds. They were still stuck in a new world with its own set of rules with people from the Resistance and Han Solo and Luke Skywalker running around. Oh, and no First Order. He had one word that accurately described this place:
Hell.
But he decided to actually give him an answer. "Verens. City on a floating island called Empatheias." He was completely serious here, despite how ridiculous all of this was. Ugh, none of this made logical sense and Hux detested not understanding what was going on. The lack of control was just aggravating to deal with.
"You're in the local medcenter." He added with his posture still the epitome of calm despite his sour thoughts.
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He tried to recall the specific details of what happened before he lost consciousness.
"What happened with Skywalker."
The man's bleeding heart probably drove him to stupidly help his nephew to the hospital along with Hux, but now Ren couldn't sense him at all, which meant he was probably elsewhere. It was frustrating, but he didn't have the energy to get truly angry about it at the moment. More than just his senses were dulled at the moment.
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Hux was pretty sure that Ren wasn't going to take that news particularly well, but he was ready to defend his actions if it came to it. They weren't going to kill Luke Skywalker right now, to do so would be completely reckless. Perhaps Ren didn't see it, but they needed to be patient. Think about everything and look at this from a strategic point of view.
Oh, he wanted nothing more than to kill Skywalker and especially Poe Dameron. That pilot was largely responsible for everything that went wrong, including FN-2187's escape and Starkiller Base's destruction. Just the thought of Dameron was enough to cause a sudden crack in the wall next to Hux, despite his outer calm appearance. But as with Luke, the general knew that they couldn't exactly go after him right now.
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"Why didn't you listen to me."
His growing anger made his heart pound, and the room grew warmer for it. It seemed he might have the energy to get mad after all.
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"As I said during our encounter, that Luke Skywalker wasn't of the correct age that he should've been. Even considering that he's the actual Skywalker, we cannot kill someone in broad daylight when we have no information about our current situation and how we got here. The First Order is not here and further complications will only impede our progress in figuring a solution to return back to our galaxy."
Hux managed to say all this with his blank cool, the air around him becoming steady as the crack he caused earlier started to repair itself.
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Some of the shadows became darker near the Force user, making his dark hair look that much darker. Though his mind was still muddled, he couldn't argue against a few of the general's points. Some of the heat faded.
"We must be far from our galaxy," he said, intending to give Hux information the man may not have been certain of before. "Very far."
This, at least, he knew from the way he could not feel the Force. In a way, even that was jarring, though—while not many had ventured out of their own galaxy and into others, he... could not imagine a place where the Force wasn't present. And yet here he was, feeling cut off from the sense he'd had nearly his entire life.
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Apparently a thing that could happen here, no matter how ridiculous it sounded. Well, the theory of time travel was out there, but never achieved through science before. But considering he and Ren were suddenly teleported to this world and emotions did have an influence on the environment, Hux had to swallow some of his more doubtful concerns about various things.
So much for good old logic and reasoning. It was aggravating.
"He's still here, Ren. The opportunity to kill him isn't gone forever, we just need to choose the right time for it."
Because killing him would definitely put the First Order in a better position. Snoke might even look past his failure at Starkiller Base if he not only brought Ren back, but if Luke was killed. Definitely wouldn't hurt. Still, they needed to find a way back to their galaxy before anything like that could happen.
"We are far from our galaxy. I've been collecting information since our arrival here. I'm planning on testing what intel I gather, but so far I can confirm that emotions do affect the environment around us."
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"What happened to you."
It was more accusatory a remark than one of any concern.
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Hux raised a hand to the bruise that was forming on his face, unable to hide his scowl as he thought about Han Solo and their admittedly embarrassing encounter. Next time, he wouldn't be caught off guard by the man. He really didn't want to talk about it with Ren, but letting him know that a young Han was here outweighed his anger.
"Had a run in with Han Solo. A young one, similar to how Skywalker is here." He didn't need to divulge any more details than that. It was straight to the point and gave the information Ren needed the most.
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His lips twitched for a brief second, wide eyes still staring. Not a moment after that, he brought the back of his palm against his mouth and turned his face away, letting out a breath that turned into a single quiet squeak of laughter.
As much as he tried to hold it back, even biting his lips, he couldn't stop the high-pitched string of chuckles that followed. His hand mostly blocked the stupid grin on his face, but it couldn't hide the way his eyes crinkled.
He'd officially lost it.
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How rude...!!
Hux immediately frowned at his reaction, real irritation and embarrassment flushing his face for a moment as he watched the normally joyless man chuckle at his misfortune. How dare he...! He didn't see the humor in this at all and Hux had no idea why Ren was laughing at the image of Han Solo punching him. He was just another foolish person from the Resistance. The Rebels. Same difference.
"There's nothing to laugh about!" Ignore the sudden cold surrounding him.
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"I'm dead," he finally said, a near-hysterical tone to his voice as he continued to chuckle weakly between speaking to himself. "That's the only way this makes sense. A man I killed not six hours ago punched General Hux in the face, and we're all in some bizarre afterlife."
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"Luke Skywalker isn't dead in our time. You're not dead. Neither am I. Don't jump to ridiculous conclusions just because Han Solo is here."
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"You don't know that. How do you suggest I survived a planet's collapse when I could hardly get to my feet, let alone get to a ship to leave it."
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There was an air of contempt in his voice, clearly implying that the rescue wasn't his idea but he still went through with it because of orders. Although, Hux could admit that the First Order needed all of its power and allies at this time, especially since Starkiller Base was destroyed. Rescuing Ren was probably a good move strategically, but that didn't mean Hux had to like it.
The only other positive thing about rescuing Ren was the fact that Snoke may not kill him when he returned with the Knight by his side.
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His mind wasn't quite in the right state to connection the dots just yet—to come to the idea that Snoke had ordered said rescue and recognize how much Hux would rather leave him to die. So for the moment he simply allowed the hope of survival to warm him. Under the bed a few miniature white flowers began to break their way through the tile, a phenomenon that could have easily been missed.
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He never heard Ren say anything in a soft manner before. It was always loud, usually with a tone of superiority that Hux hated with a passion. This wasn't even including the fact he was talking to Ren without his helmet on, which was a rare scenario in itself. Almost strange to hear him without that voice modulator distorting his words. Hm.
Luckily for Ren, he didn't notice the white flowers that bloomed under his bed. He would never live that down if Hux saw that.
"In case you don't remember, I found you in the snow and had you transported to a shuttle before the planet exploded." Hux eventually said, continuing on as if he didn't note the unusual reaction. It was for the sake of both of their sanity.
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He'd thought that was it for him. Even if the girl had spared him for whatever strange reason, the Resistance was going to take his life anyway, via the planet's collapse. That was the conclusion he'd come to, before now. But perhaps he'd fallen unconscious when Hux came to retrieve him? It made enough sense to him—about as much as anything about this situation could make sense.
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"What exactly happened to you?" Hux was curious. Ren was strong, even if he was an arrogant pain in the ass. It was surprising to see him lying on the snow, all beaten up from a battle he lost. The question was who bested him and how.
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"After I killed Han Solo," he said, his voice slightly louder but his tone no less sober, "I was shot. I saw the traitor and the girl and followed them to stop them from escaping. We fought."
He took a breath, trying to ignore the dull throb in his side. He at least managed to keep any emotions from rising to the surface as he spoke.
"They had a lightsaber. I took out FN-2187, but the girl got the better of me. She's already... so strong with the Force..."
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The only good thing was that he managed to destroy the senate and the Republic's fleet before they lost their greatest weapon. It was a major loss, but the Resistance was hit hard as well. Still, really thinking about Starkiller's destruction brought up emotions that he didn't want to deal with in front of Ren.
Hux ignored the cracks appearing on the floor and just continued to watch Ren with an impassive expression. "You killed the traitor?"
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"I don't know. Possibly. I slashed him along the spine."
Ren was confident he'd at least be disabled for a time. It might not have meant much in the long run, but if they retaliated quickly, they could finish the conflict before the Resistance got anything more out of the former stormtrooper.
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The traitor's intel was probably a major factor contributing to the destruction of Starkiller Base. Therefore, it was his responsibility. Unfortunately, he couldn't do much about it right now while he was stuck in this planet.
"Rest." Hux eventually said, noticing how Ren sounded tired and almost weak with his last few sentences.
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He wasn't going to argue he needed rest, however. He was just going to be a tiny bit stubborn about it.
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Besides, his exhaustion was obvious and Hux wouldn't put it past him to fall asleep during their conversation. He rather not have that happen. The general wanted him to be fully alert when they talked about all this.
"We will talk more later."
(no subject)