#forceordered

It’s meant to be a quick stop, a simple pause to refuel between isolated outposts whose criminal overlords could not enforce their rule in the disarray of the galactic comms outage. But as she waits for the tank to fill, a ripple in the Force attracts her attention. Everything else about this stranger indicates they’re just another unimportant smuggler. Yet something about the way the Force flows through them sparks recognition—not defined by the dark, but undeniably touched by it. Traces linger of an aura that they recognize from their brief meeting with Aiya Ren.

“My, my. What a peculiar place to find a Knight of Ren.”  A guess, perhaps, but Third is confident that it’s a good one.

wary eyes take in the stormtrooper, glancing up & down. the smart thing to do would be to run or kill him, she knows, & it would be so easy to do it. she doubts that he’s here for her, but she should still be cautious --- she doesn’t want any part of any imperial remnant, & she’s tired of being hunted down. she’s always had a ... soft spot for troopers, though, for lack of a better phrase. they’re good soldiers, too often overlooked. they’re good people. she doesn’t turn away from him.

Hux’s bootsteps echo down the metallic corridors of a remote Imperial base. His subordinates will hear him approach, as they should. When he rounds the corner, the guards stationed outside Amidala’s holding cell stand at attention, their backs rigid. Of course, that might have something to do with the screams coming from within. Aiya Ren’s handiwork. He will be occupied for a while longer, if his previous sessions are any indication, which makes this an ideal opportunity to conduct some covert reconnaissance.

“You two,” Hux says, crooking a finger. “With me.” He inclines his head at the two troopers stationed on either side of the door, pausing only long enough for their replacements to fill their spots before he sets a brisk pace down the hall. He doesn’t look back to see if they match his strides.  (They had better.)  Once he comes to a room that’s out of earshot from Amidala’s anguished background noise, he leads the two stormtroopers inside. Hux locks the door; only his personal access code can override it.

“FN-2187.” Hux inclines his head at one of the troopers. “Remove your helmet. You are to demonstrate the results of your training with Lord Ren.”

Which made it all the more humiliating to be waylaid by this complication. Hux was familiar enough with mind-altering drugs to recognize that he had been dosed with one; he’d read the reports on how they affected troop performance. Ones that caused these symptoms -- light-headedness, giddiness, the gradual onset of an odd (but not unpleasant) tingling sensation -- had merited a hearty “DENIED” from the General. He had a sneaking suspicion about which of these nerf-herders was to blame for his current state, but retribution would have to wait. His reinforcements drew near and he had to brief them before he was too far gone to do it properly. As his most infamous trooper approached, Hux’s chest swelled with relief. Not just relief, joy -- FN-2187, back again, wasn’t it nice how that worked out, there was  n o  need to  worry  about   o h   k r i f f,,,  he was already losing it. Hux spoke quickly.

“FN-2187. Good. You’re here. This mission is of the utmost importance. I had hoped to complete it myself, but I fear I have become... compromised.” Hux inhaled a deep breath. His chest was so light! Had his lungs always felt this big? (Focus, Armitage!!) “You have two objectives. One: gather as much intelligence as possible on the New Republic without arousing suspicion. Two -- and this is crucial, soldier -- under no circumstances are you to consume anything on the dessert menu.”

( from finn , to mara )

( from finn )

Hux lifted his chin and stared down at the greatest and—for nearly three decades—only failure of the stormtrooper program. A traitor twice over. He should have killed FN-2187 the moment they came through the rift. Pure hubris had told Hux that this was an opportunity to correct the errors of the past. (Which others would he fail to change?)

How long had it been since he'd been back on base? How long until his body would stop feeling like he had just gotten a lightsaber slashed throughout it and started to feel normal again? He mentally shakes his head, no. Now wasn't the time to think of such things and his boots weren't on the flooring of the base. Instead, he was on a planet. Another mission. Another request to take care of. Another battle to e fought. Another set of information logs to be found. He wants a day off. He wants to quit but his heart is too far into it to give up now. Del places a smile upon his face as he happens upon the young soul in front of him. "Excuse me." He starts, keeping his tone even, his gaze on the other. One thing about Del is, he's always on guard. He's always making sure that no matter what he does, he's got one eye peeled out for danger. "I'm looking for a business. The owner and I have something to discuss and I was wondering if you'd be able to help me find that?"