#solah

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You'd been on the Finalizer for no more than two weeks after Kylo Ren sensed your force presence on a planet he was on a mission on. He immediately reported you to Supreme Leader Snoke, not without challenging you in a duel which ended in a draw first. You planned it all, of course.

Your Master finally deemed you ready to begin your mission, after years of training, this was just the beginning of your rise. While Snoke was surprisingly accepting of your presence, Ren was the opposite. He never actually confronted you but he didn't spare you of any of his furious glances when you came across him on the ship. The officers were exactly how your Master described them, a mixture of misplaced ambitions and careerism. It was a good thing, of course, it was the most power-hungry ones made the most loyal followers.

They were nothing more than pawns on your chessboard, until one of them caught your eye.

You met Hux for the first time during an officers meeting and the first thing you felt was the unease your presence cause him. Although he wasn’t afraid of you, he didn’t seem thrilled to have another force user on his ship. You made a point of making it clear that you weren’t a Knight of Ren, you didn't wear an helmet and wore garments that resembled more the ones of a senator than a warrior, you also avoided to flaunt your powers when it was unnecessary.

Despite your attempt to talk to the General when you first arrived, he seemed determined to avoid you as much as possible. You guessed he wasn’t really keen on force sensitives but you imagined he would’ve been more interested in obtaining your favour, maybe you’d have to have to make it clearer to him where your loyalty lies.

“Maybe if the Knight’s of Ren latest mission was at least as useful as it was wasteful, the Order wouldn’t...”

The General abruptly stopped talking when Kylo Ren stood up menacingly, you could sense fear slightly creeping up on Hux as he held the Knight’s dark gaze, probably waiting for his attack. Much to Hux’ surprise, Ren didn’t act. 

“Don’t do it, Ren” you whispered into the other force-sensitive’s mind.

He turned to your direction but didn’t say anything, neither with his voice nor his mind. After a few seconds you felt a phantom presence tightening around your neck, though not enough to hurt you.

“It’s not worth it” you added, and he felt the same slight grip tighten around his own neck, a subtle reminder of your matching powers.

None of the officers knew what was happening but they froze in their places as your gaze remained locked with Ren's. It was only when Hux turned to your direction and you gave him a slight smile, that Kylo sat back down.

The rest of the meeting ran smoothly, with Ren not speaking a word and the officers often seeking your approval for their proposals. General Hux still avoided looking at you but in the force you felt he was less tense.

When the meeting ended you greeted him with a polite nod and started walking towards your quarters. After a couple seconds you noticed he was following you, walking behind you at a slower than usual pace.

"Master y/n" he said at one point, you turn around to face him.

"Need something, General?"

"I don't wish to inquire further on what happened during that meeting..."

You frowned, noticing he was hesitant to finish the sentence.

"But thank you... for earlier, I mean" he blurted out as a deep red flush began to appear under the collar of his uniform.

"You should pay more attention to where your... potential allies' loyalties lie" you answered.

He looked at you for a couple of seconds, as of trying to come up with an answer, but before he could you spoke again.

"Good evening, General Hux" you said with a smirk on your face as you turned your back on him.

This could be fun, you though.

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Soon after that meeting you had to leave the Finalizer for a few weeks, your Master called you to the Unknown Regions. He said everything was going smoothly with the First Order and, even though the Knights of Ren weren't exactly thrilled to have a sith countering their previously unmatched power, you had the support of older officers who saw you as someone closer to the Empire and showrd you in more than one occasion that they'd rather support you than the ill-tempered Master of the Kinghts.

After a few days of training and strategical meetings your Master decided to send you back to the Finalizer. When you arrived not many questions were asked, no officer understood your sith shenanigans anyway. During your first few days back on the Finalizer you didn't see Hux at all, not even on the bridge.

One night you were going back to your quarters after training in one of the force-sensitive's training rooms and you saw Hux approaching the room, he walked slowly and seemed to be slightly slumping against the wall.

"General Hux"

He mustn't have noticed you before because when you called his name he seemed a kind of startled.

"Is there something I can help you with, General?" you asked taking a few steps in his direction.

"I.. No, nothing" he tried to straighten his back, something must've been wrong with him because he only slumped further into the wall.

"You're hurt" as you walked in his direction he took a shy step back.

"You should go to medbay, you're clearly hurt" you repeated, stopping in your steps as you felt his slight distress in the force.

"You're not my superior, you can't order me to."

"I'm not," you smirked "maybe I'm just worried."

Even in the dim light of the corridor you saw his face becoming a deep shade of red for just a feaction of second before contracting into his usual frown.

"I don't go to medbay"

You took another step to examine his face more closely, a drop of blood sat on his bottom lip.

"I have a med droid in my quarters" you offered.

"And why should you be worried about me?" he scoffed.

You took another step in his direction and, when he didn't shy away again, you brought your hand to his chin, wiping away the drop of blood.

"I can read minds, General, I know who hurt you. I think perhaps you could use my help, and I yours"

Your fingers lingered on his chin for a few more seconds before you released him, smirking at the even more furious blush on his face.

"Lead the way, then"

Your quarters were probably similar to his, a privilege you attributed to the slight fear you instilled in the Finalizer's officer tasked to prepare the ship for your arrival.

"You can sit on the sofa" you said as you called the medical droid.

In your youth you tended to injure yourself often during training and your Master gifted the droid to you for your sixteenth birthday, a rare display of something that almost felt like affection. The General obliged and the little white droid quickly approached him.

"He's a little old, you have to tell him exactly where it hurts"

The droid beeped in you direction in an offended manner and you smiled.

"I suppose we could start with my face"

You nodded and invited the droid to go ahead.

"I know it was Ren, I felt it, but I didn't want to invade your mind too much so if you want to tell me more..."

He didn't let you finish the sentence.

"No, I don't see it necessary to further this humiliation" he sneered, avoiding your gaze.

After a moment of silence you lowered yourself before him, your face at the same level as his as the droid applied bacta to one of the bruised.

"I have no intention of hurting you, General"

He didn't say anything, just looked away, one again avoiding your gaze. You attempted to squeeze his arm a little in reassurance but his face instantly contracted in pain.

"You should let the droid take a look at it, take your shirt off" you said as you rose to your feet.

As he didn't comply, you figured he may want some more privacy.

"I'll be in my office, you can come in as soon as the droid is done with you"

He didn't answer as you walked to your narrow office. He was an odd man, you though, so sure of himself in front of the whole Order yet in his mind he seemed... fragile almost scared. You were hungry for knowledge, on his past, his ambitions, him; but lurking into his mind would scare him away and he was perhaps the most valuable asset you could aquire to rebuild the Empire.

After some time you heard a knock on your door.

"Come in, General"

He slowly walked into the room and sat on the chair opposite to yours on the other side of the table. A small smile crossed your face.

"Better?"

"Yes"

You stood up to get a bottle of Corellian rum from a drawer and offered him a glass.

"So, this worrying about me thing?" he asked, taking a sip of rum.

"What about it?" you smirked.

"I take it's transactional, what do you need from me?"

"Right now I just need you to be in good shape and lead the Order to his victory, General"

"I still fail to grasp why a supposedly powerful sith lord like yourself would be interested in my well-being, you force sensitives always seem too absorbed in whatever you see in the force to care about us mortals"

A breathy laugh escaped your lips.

"It's Ren you're talking about"

He nodded slowly. "I don't know many other sith"

"Ren's not a sith, those Knights of his are something much more vile"

"Well, I'm glad, but this still doesn't answer my question"

You smiled as you poured both him and yourself another glass of rum.

"I told you, you're a valuable man, and a capable General" you moved to stand in front of him and brush your fingers on his cheek. "Besides, I found you interesting"

It took him a couple seconds to meet your gaze and when he did his eyes seemed darker than usual. Your fingers kept lightly stroking his cheek, enough to feel the heat rising on his face. He was the first to break eye contact as you retracted your fingers.

"I... I should go" he whispered, more to himself than to you.

You nodded and led him to your quarters' door. You opened the door and smiled at him one last time. As he started making his way through the corridor you called him again.

"General Hux, one last thing"

"What"

"If someone hurts you again, call to me through the force, I'll hear you"

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