Rey could barely sleep, stressed by the anticipation of hearing from him. She was afraid he might find her first, and at such a crucial moment freaking Poe all the way out was not something that could be afforded. There was too much going on that he just wouldn't understand... and she couldn't even begin to explain it to him. She knew he was doing the best he could to be responsible and fill the void left by General Organa, but damnit if he didn't pick the most inopportune time to be up her backside.
It was about 0500 when Kylo's anger woke her, flaring like a hot coal that had caught a draft. She rushed down the hallway and back to the closet, not caring if she woke Poe or not. When she appeared Kylo's eyes snapped open; the sharpness had returned to his gaze.
Rey put her hands on her hips matter of factly, "You have nowhere to go now, Ben Solo. Will you finally come with me?"
He wet his lips and swallowed before replying, as if he was thinking it over. "Yes." His voice was hoarse and a little unsteady, but there was no mistaking the resentment in his tone.
"Go to the same clearing you met me at on Balamin. The um, the Resistance isn't there, but I'll be there." It wasn't a lie as much as it was a half-truth, which made it easier to tell. In his state it slipped past him.
"I'm still weak. Open the door and kill the guards outside. I'll likely die, but I'll try to find you." His only chance of escape was getting to his ship as quickly as he could. In poor planning the cells were incredibly close to the hangar, one of the things that eased Rey's escape the first time he found her.
"Stars Ben, I won't kill them, but I'll try to knock them out." She opened the door and the guards jumped with surprise, fumbling for their blasters. She held her hands out and shouted "Sleep!" as if the words would help guide the force. They stood for a split second before crumpling to the ground. The clatter of armor on metal brought two guards from the security station down the hall. Rey dipped back into the cell, unnoticed.
Mechanical pops echoed in the tiny room as Kylo forced all the restraints open. His hand went instinctively to his saber, but of course it wasn't there. He wanted to hunt it down there was no time and he was in no shape for a fight. Getting to the hangar in of itself was going to be difficult enough. Knowing Ichara he was sure she'd already had it mounted like a trophy.
His joints ached and fatigue clung to his bones- the sedation was a far cry from actual rest and he was exhausted. With a sigh he nodded to Rey, "I'll see you on Balamin."
"Ben... be careful." She faded out, leaving him on his own. Kylo should have felt gratitude, gratefulness, anything in that moment other than indignation and resentment. It was common knowledge that the General hated him and coveted the position of Supreme Leader, but he never thought the man had the spine for it; it seemed his treacherous apprentice was just the backbone Hux needed. He felt like a failure for not seeing it sooner, and could hear the echoes of Snoke's criticisms when he realized Rey saved his life.
The doors to the utility closet opened just as she came back to- Rey was busted.
"Unbelievable. Un-freaking believable, Rey."
"Shut up, Poe, I did it! You want to set a trap for the Supreme Leader of the First Order? Because I just did!"
Poe put three fingers on each side of his temple, as if he were attempting to physically reboot his brain. "Oh my god Rey, what? Just... I don't follow."
"They turned on Kylo Ren- the apprentice and Hux. He's got nowhere to go except to me."
He grabbed her shoulders "Rey what the hell are you talking about?! Tell me you didn't do anything stupid!"
"Look Poe, it's happening. You can either help me or I'll do it alone. I have a plan and we need the Falcon. If you want to be babysit me that means you have to come along."
He closed his eyes, shaking his head with a sigh. "Lets go catch ourselves an evil jerk then I guess."
-
The officers from the security station reached the cell and found a pile of troopers out cold on the floor.
"No... that's impossible..." They looked at each other in despair as the one nearest the pad reluctantly opened the door. As they feared, Kylo was there waiting for them. He sent the pair flying past the station and into the wall between the two lifts, rendered unconscious on impact. The remaining officer ducked down and tucked herself as far as she could go under the station, closing her eyes and trying her best to be invisible.
Heavy footfalls echoed down the hallway and past the station. She heard the lift doors open and close, and after a moment of silence only then did she rise to the controls, typing up a quick message to Phasma even though she was likely asleep. She sent one to Hux as well but ran to the other lift to wake him in person. Given the secretive nature of the imprisonment she was unsure of what would be considered right or wrong protocol in this situation
-
"No... NO!" Mara jumped awake to see Phasma up and yelling profanity she'd never heard before as she rushed to get her armor on. She had security alerts set to their own special tone specifically for instances like this. The piercing screech of the TIE fire alarm snatched her from the depths of sleep, and she barely even had to read the message to know what happened.
"Phas what is it?"
"Kylo is loose. You stay here and don't move until I come back. It's not safe. "
"I can go to-"
"Mara...Stay. Here." The tone of her voice was firm, and slightly worried.
"Be safe, Phas, and please just kill that little shit this time."
"I fully intend on it."
-
Hux woke to incessant beeping at his door. His heart was pounding before his feet hit the floor; somehow he already knew what the visit was about. He pulled on sleep pants and an undershirt to answer the door, doing the best he could to smooth his disheveled hair into some semblance of decency.
"Sir I don't know how, but Kylo got out of his restraints and he got on a lift. I don't know where he went, I came directly to you. He thinks he killed all the guards, he doesn't know I was there. I-I didn't know what to do."
The words woke Ichara from her sleep as if she'd been dumped straight from the warm bed to the frigid tundras of Hoth. The icy terror dazed her, moving without thinking as she got dressed. Her mind screamed inside her head while limbs moved on their own accord; her subconscious knowing it was time to act.
She heard Hux cursing and getting dressed as quick as he could, snatching a clean uniform out of his closet.
In her poorly timed attempt at letting everything go the night prior, she'd left her weapons in her quarters "Fuck, my sabers aren't here... you know what? It doesn't matter."
"Ichara wait, we need-"
"I'm done waiting, Hux!" she yelled, a bit more shrill than intended, and took off barefoot into the halls. She punched the lift button and closed her eyes, searching for him.
Where are you going?
Kylo could feel the brush of her reaching out for him like icy finger tips down his spine, and hurried even faster towards the hangar, doing his best not to wobble or look concerned. It seemed that Hux had done a half decent job of keeping his imprisonment a secret and other than a few strange looks no one said anything as he climbed into his Silencer. He knew the ship inside and out, and with a few quick keystrokes was able to deactivate the tracker installed while the engines started. Unsure of how much longer he could stay coherent, he punched in the settings for Balamin on the nav system. Ideally he'd give it more time to warm up but he could feel her fury ripple across the force as she entered the hangar. Every step she took thrummed through his mind like the tic of a countdown clock. He activated the thrusters, eyes focused on the edge of the runway.
Ichara sprinted into the hangar, fingers clawed like talons, heels dug in as she tried to pull the ship back. Hux entered the hangar a little behind her, hair still mussed from sleep, looking wild as he barked orders at troopers. She drew on every ounce of rage in her heart; the corner of his ship dipped, and for a second she thought it would work. Kylo was afraid it would too and punched it, tearing free from her grasp. Leaving the hangar at such high speeds was dangerous, but he didn't have any choice.
She dropped to her knees in helpless disbelief as she watched the Silencer shoot out into the stars. The horrifying reality of the situation started to take hold and she fell forward, palms flat on the cold hangar floor. Every breath was deeper and quicker, almost hyperventilating as the panic set in. Fury, frustration, and fear fought within her for dominance, each emotion overwhelming in its individual intensity.
Containing it wasn't possible.
She was consumed, and in her mind the hangar disappeared as she slipped into the darkness. It was like resting at the bottom of a cold, black ocean. All that existed in that moment was the desire for destruction, to make something, anything suffer as she did. An inhuman scream tore through her throat, as if the pain she felt was being physically ripped from the core of her being. Hux stopped midstride as he walked towards her; a visible darkness spreading out around her like a fog. Ghosts of herself seemed to vibrate around her hunched form as the air buzzed with electricity, the small hairs on the back of his neck standing on end at the sensation.
Lightning crackled out from her fists and snaked across the floor around her; the sounds of lights exploding and wires sparking intermingled with the howling that echoed through the hangar. Hux stepped backwards towards the door, horrified, and at a loss of what to do. The air was thick with darkness, magnifying every shadow and causing the remaining lights to dim.
Her head snapped to the side, glowing eyes burning into him.
He should have let you kill him. This is his fault.
No. It was the plan. Stop.
Control yourself.
I can't.
" Hux... get away from me." the voice that commanded him didn't sound entirely human.
He almost tripped as he ran from the hangar, waiting just inside the doors in the hallway where stormtroopers had escaped to cower. Phasma came storming down the hallway, blaster drawn.
"What the actual fuck, Hux?" She didn't think it was possible for him to look paler than he already was, but his face was white, brows knit in worry when he looked up at her.
"I don't know what's going to happen, but, if... if my life is in jeopardy... I want you to fire."
The crackling sound of electricity and the groaning sounds of twisted metal intermingled with wailing on the other side of the doors. He wondered if she truly had gone mad. This is my fault. I should have let her kill him.
"Is she fighting Ren?"
"No, he escaped, she's just... not taking it well."
"You think she'll attack you over this?"
Somehow hearing the words from someone else changed something. "What? No, no." Hux did his best to brush his hair back with his hands in an attempt to regain composure. "No, this is ridiculous. I'm not afraid of her, she'd never harm me. In fact, you lot stay here, I'm going to stop this nonsense."
"Sir, are you sure?"
"Absolutely."
The hangar was almost pitch black, save the few remaining lights that still functioned and the fires from TIE fighters that had been pulled from their stations. She was panting, legs folded beneath her, bolts of the force randomly shooting along the floor. He strode towards her, doing his best to look bold both for himself and the guards watching. Phasma slipped into the hangar behind him, stepping off to the side to stand in the shadows, ready should he need protection.
Hux took a deep breath and knelt down in front of her, reaching through the hair fallen in her face to lift her chin. Her irises were ringed in glowing crimson, looking all the bit of a creature possessed as they seemed to stare through him. He tucked a lock of hair behind her ear with his other hand, revealing a spiderweb of purple creeping up from her neck and crossing her cheek. She looked like a shattered porcelain doll.
"Ichara... dear... That's enough. We'll get him back."
She slowly raised a hand to his cheek; pinpricks of light flashed through her like she held a nebula just beneath her skin. He did his best not to flinch, staring into her determinedly. There was a prickle as her skin met his, and the flicker of arcs that jumped from her fingers flashed in the corner of his eye, but didn't touch him.
Please don't be let her be like him, she can't go this way, please don't go this way.
His unspoken words cut through the darkness, a silver hook in the black pulling her from the depths; the world around her slowly faded back into sight. She blinked rapidly, and the golden eyes he knew so well looked up at him sorrowfully.
"Hux... you know I'd never hurt you... I love you." she whispered.
"I-I know, I know that." He stuttered at the admission, unable to formulate a response with his nerves as frayed as they were.
He took her hand and gently pulled her to her feet. She fell into him and sighed deeply, letting everything fall away with the heavy exhale. He held her in a tight embrace, relieved that she hadn't been lost to whatever it was just happened. He could feel more so than hear a hiss as the darkness receded, and the lights that still functioned returned to their former brightness. Fury gave way to grief, and her shoulders shook as she cried into his chest. He rubbed circles on her back and rested his cheek on the top of her head. He wasn't entirely sure how to console someone, but remembered the motions were effective when his mother would go to calm him.
Hux paused to shout at the troopers that had formed a dumbfounded semi-circle, staring at him in amazement. "What the hell are you looking at? Pull up the tracker on that ship you incompetent cretins!" He returned to rubbing her back, whispering promises into her hair as he held her. "We'll find him, and when we do we'll blow him out of the sky. I promise you I'll make this right. We'll destroy him, beast, I promise."
"Sir, he's... uh... the tracker is disabled."
Of fucking course it is. He could feel her go rigid in his arms and he was afraid she'd have another episode. Instead she sighed again, pulled back and ran her fingers through her hair to brush it back from her face. The pattern in her cheek hadn't faded and the effect was unsettling.
"I've never been this angry before... I lost myself. I-I need to get dressed. I'm sorry for the mess, Hux. I just..." Her voice trailed off as she went to push past him, but he grabbed her arm before she could leave.
"Ichara-"
"Hux, I feel like I might be sick. I need to go."
"I'll be down below to see how he escaped. They will be punished for this."
She just nodded and pulled her arm free, unable to speak for the lump in her throat. She all but ran to leave the hangar, and stormtroopers plastered themselves to the walls to give her clearance. All she could focus on was the lift door; everything had to stop for a minute, and she needed to be alone. Once she reached her level she ran down the halls, bursting into her quarters and stumbling into the refresher, vomiting bile into the sink. She fell into the wall and slid down it, dry heaving so hard she thought she'd pull a muscle.
You knew it. You knew this would happen. He's going to take everything from you all over again... no. no no no.
Dry heaving evolved into choking sobs; leaving her a pathetic, scrunched up mess against the wall. There was no time for tears though. One by one she plucked a petal from the anxiety that had blossomed in her chest, growing more focused and more determined as each one fell away. With one final, shuddering gasp she pulled herself to her feet and splashed cold water over her face, looking up at the fractured thing staring back.
"You didn't come this far to fail now. Do your damn job." She slipped out of her clothes, shedding the costume of a 'normal person' she'd worn for the night and stepped into the shower, turning the cold setting all the way up. The water was near freezing, almost a slurry as it pelted her skin. She didn't step out until her face was as numb as she was.
-
Kylo faded in and out as he flew, the ping of his controls waking him to let him know he was nearing the planet. When he entered the atmosphere the suns' light almost blinded him as it peeked over the horizon. He landed clumsily in the large clearing, and sure enough the Falcon was waiting like she said it would be. He limped out to meet Rey, who was running over to him.
"I disabled the tracker, they couldn't follow my ship here." He put a hand to his head, the sudden motion making him dizzy.
Small but strong fingers grabbed his upper arm, "Come on, let's get you out of here. We need to go."
He balked when they reached the ramp, and he didn't know if it was the fear of old memories or the force telling him something was amiss. "You came alone, right?"
"I- I did yes, we need to go, I saved your life I think that should earn a least a little bit of trust." She planted a hand in his lower back to physically push him up but he whipped around and grabbed her wrist, glaring at her.
"You're lying. You're a horrible liar." he winced, the anger making his headache even worse.
"I, um, that's an incredibly rude thing to say..."
Her eyes darted over Kylo's shoulder, and he turned around to see Poe behind him.
"Hey bud, what's up?" In one swift motion his fist connected with Kylo's jaw and he fell lifeless onto Rey, knocked out on contact. Poe shook his hand "Gah, that hurt but it was so worth it."
"Poe, he's heavy!" Rey grunted. He grabbed Kylo's other shoulder and they both dragged him onto the Falcon, making the small hop back to the base.
Every available fighter lined the main landing platform, weapons drawn. Chewbacca came down the ramp with Kylo over his shoulder. He was the only creature on the base bigger than him and Poe said he wasn't lugging the 'monster man' again. The hall to the brig was clogged with fighters there to gawk as much as offer back up should the dark side creature come to life and rain down destruction.
"Rose, could you please bring me some water and some aspirin? I'll need a medkit too. I'm going to sit with him till he comes around, I have a feeling his face is going to be pretty sore when he wakes up."
Rose's expression was a mixture of horror and disgust, "Are you sure that's safe?"
"He won't hurt me, I know it. Besides, I've got my saber now and I've beat him twice before." she laughed "I think I'll be fine." The death of General Organa spurred Rey on to repair the broken saber she'd retrieved after the throne room fight. She was determined to never be caught off guard like that again. The hallway squabble with Ichara replayed over and over again in her head, thinking if she'd just had a lightsaber maybe things could have ended differently.
Kylo was unconscious, but the sting of her cleaning the wound on his shoulder brought him to. He sat up slowly, the shooting pain in his temple making it hard for his eyes to focus. Rey hopped up to retrieve a thermos of water, shoving it into his hand. "Here, take these."
"What, so you can drug me too? No thanks."
"Ben, stop. They're aspirin. They'll help with your headache."
He took them from her, dropped them to the floor and ground them under his heel. "Why should I believe a word you say? Liar ."
"I'm sorry about the Falcon, it was the only way to get you to where we are safely. We can't risk the First Order finding us."
"And my ship?"
Rey pictured Finn & Friends running through the woods with a bunch of flammable materials, and then dancing around a fire that was suspiciously TIE-Silencer shaped. Poe may or may not have carried BB-8 through the brush to use its lighter to do the honors.
"We... had to ditch it."
"You destroyed it."
"Well, I didn't but-"
"Say what you want about me, Rey, but I've never lied to you." He couldn't make her out clearly, but did his best to narrow his eyes at the figure he assumed was her.
"I've only lied about things for your protection, Ben. Your mother-"
"Don't you dare speak to me of MY mother, scavenger!" he spat. "You know nothing about her!" He was furious that she tricked him, and then had the audacity to quote his own mother to him as if she were a damn saint. He wished he'd just stayed put in the restraints and tried his luck back on the ship instead.
She recoiled from the sudden venom in his tone, "Well I spent a lot more time with her than you recently."
"You parents abandoned you. Don't pretend that you know how my own mother felt because you knew her for a fraction of a second, it's pathetic, and... Ah!" He grimaced and put both hands on the side of his head, stars pricked at the edge of his vision from the pain. "Just go, go away. You're only making everything worse." He laid back down on the cot to face the wall.
One of the guards chimed in "This guy is trash, come on." but even with Kylo's back turned, the soldier in question gasped for air, levitating in the air as if he was held by his throat.
"Stop! Ben, Leave him alone!" At Rey's insistence, the man was released. "Why are you being so horrible? I saved you!"
"I didn't ask you to."
She crossed her arms and huffed. "So what, I should have just left you to get killed by those... those animals?"
He didn't move to look at her, eyes shut tight as he tried to get a handle on the pain. "Did you ever stop to wonder if I deserved it?" His voice was a low, barely audible as he rumbled at the wall.
She stared at him with hurt in her eyes, "Ben... don't say things like that."
"Rey... Go. Away."
"Fine, but I'll be back. You can't sulk forever." She wasn't entirely sure that was true, though.
-
Hux found Ichara at the far edge of the hangar she'd destroyed earlier. The power of the forcefield generated a light breeze, and her robes billowed behind her as she gazed out into space. Her hood was up, hiding her maimed face from view.
"The footage is strangely blurred" he called out as he approached her, "But the troopers swear that a girl was with him. From their description it sounds like the Jakku girl, though I don't know how that would be possible. It doesn't make sense. The collar had been deactivated, allowing him to regain consciousness"
She said nothing, and he was growing uncomfortable with her silence until a hoarse voice finally muttered, "I'm going to split that desert bitch in two."
Hux frowned, every day seeming to have some terrible revelation of force abilities he didn't know existed. When this was over, he made a note to sit down with Ichara to find out the extent of said mysticism's reach. "So it was her then? Phasma thought they'd invented an elaborate lie."
"I'm going to find him, I think I know where he went." She fell to her knees, muttering as she focused on Kylo. She opened her eyes to see a form clad in black, curled up on a cot that was much too short for him. A very familiar cot in a very familiar cell.
"Hiding like a coward I see. "
Hux knit his brows in confusion; her voice sounded strange- it echoed, both here and not.
Kylo almost fell out of the cot as he rolled over to see the source of the familiar voice. He couldn't see her face under the hood of her robe as she stood, darkening the cell over him.
"You're delaying the inevitable. I will find you, and finish what you started."
He lept to his feet, towering over her as he lunged forward, gritting his teeth to fight the dull ache in his head. "Do it. I'm not afraid of you."
She laughed "Then why did you run away?"
Ichara disappeared before he could say anything else. "I found him. They've returned to the base on Balamin. We need to go now ."
Hux wasn't entirely sure what he just witnessed, but leapt at the chance to do anything that could fix this situation.
"Balamin is a decent clip from the hyperlanes, the command shuttle will give us a more direct route."
"Do what you must, I need to prepare." She marched off without another word, going to retrieve his saber from her quarters.
It wasn't just that she wanted to best him again in combat- if he felt the saber's presence there was no way he'd abandon it.
"This should pry him from that scavenger's grasp." She depressed the activator and stared into the crackling blade, squeezing the hilt as if she could strangle him from across the galaxy.
Most of the trip was made in silence and it was eating away at Hux. A switch flipped in the hangar, and she was cold, aloof. She remained standing at the front of the ship staring out at the stars, much to the distress of the pilots. He wanted to make things right, and though she hadn't directly blamed him for the predicament they found themselves in, he felt like he knew that's what she was thinking. The nervous tension wasn't something he'd felt since Snoke was alive.
He cleared his throat, determined not to sound childish when he spoke. "I feel like you're angry with me."
There was a beat of quiet before she responded. "I'm not angry at you, Hux, I'm angry at the situation. You couldn't have foreseen her. I should have though. This is my fault." Initially she was absolutely livid with him, but Rey's intervention wasn't something his men could have been prepared for. In the rush of the moment the force bond had completely slipped from her mind.
"Ichara," he paused, reaching to pull her hood back. Her hand snapped up to grab his wrist.
"Don't."
He snatched his wrist free. "Don't be ridiculous." He took both hands lifted the heavy fabric back.
She stared at the ground as the light caught the purple scars across her face. "I- I tried to heal it. It won't go away."
"Look at me." he lifted her chin. "Your powers should already terrify our enemies. This mark on your face is just proof that you're to be feared."
A smile pricked the corners of her mouth. "You're a ridiculous man, Armitage Hux."
He furrowed his brow "It was a compliment, I-"
"Shh, I know." She put an arm around his waist and leant into him.
"So you knew him before the First Order, before Snoke. What was he like? I was always curious if some people are just born that insufferable."
"He was... kind. Quiet, but when he did speak he had a sense of humor that could get him into trouble. Even then he carried a sadness in his bones, though. I think he always knew what was coming. There was darkness in both of us; everyone felt it. It was like Luke was trying to beat it out of us, always training us harder than all the others but it still never being enough. It instilled a hunger for validation in Ben, and he hung on every scrap of praise that was given. That conditioning affects everyone differently though. It made him fight harder to please... it made me turn inwards, made me spiteful. I would only be good enough for myself, and I was fine with that. While I healed from his attack, what made the angriest was that he didn't take me... after all that... the understanding I thought that we had. I wonder now if he was afraid of me even then. He needed that praise from Snoke, and didn't want someone that might take that away. It broke my heart, to be honest."
Hux stood in silence, frowning, unsure of what to say.
"I need to meditate before we land. I have to be ready." She sighed and slipped away, his eyes following her as she went to sit in front of the ramp. So much had changed since she knelt before him on Canto Bight. In his strictly structured world she was a streak of wilderness, of unchecked passion he never expected to experience. He wouldn't change a thing.
Well, other than letting her kill Ren- he would have let her hack him to bits to avoid all this.