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Chapter Text

General Hux stood with his hands clasped behind his back.

The bridge hummed with its usual quite chatter. Through the viewport of the Finalizer loomed the planet Batuu. Green and blue with occasional swaths of light brown, it was lightly inhabited.

Weeks ago, a few First Order agents had tracked resistance spies to its surface. Rather, they had been told that resistance personnel were hiding on the planet below, curtesy of an anonymous source that general Hux refused to name. Much to the general’s chagrin, the rats had wriggled their way out of a trap.

Hux suppressed a grimace. The resistance never would have had a chance to flee if Lori had been the one on the ground.

He wasn’t only annoyed by the intelligence mishap. The Starkiller project was behind schedule, and Kylo Ren had insisted that they take Batuu by force. Hux didn’t like the idea of launching the First Order’s campaign against the New Republic without the super weapon, but Ren had gone over his head to Snoke. No more than an hour after their conversation, the order for an invasion had been given.

Two dozen TIEs screamed out of their hangar. Bound for the planet’s surface, the flight was led by Ren in his TIE-silencer.

Anything the planet below could muster shouldn’t be a challenge for the Finalizer and her complement. Hux told himself to be calm, that it could be months before the New Republic even noticed that the First Order had taken a planet at the far edge of the outer rim.

The TIEs entered atmosphere and grew too far to see.

Tense silence settled over the bridge. The voice to brake it was one that Hux didn’t expect to hear at a time like this.

“General Hux,” Lori’s voice came from the doorway, “there is a message for you.”

Armitage glanced at the major. She had never come to the bridge to speak to him. A year later and no one besides her former roommates had any hint as to their relationship. If she were coming here, then it must be important.

Keeping the annoyed clip to his words that the rest of the bridge crew would expect from him, the general spoke back.

“I’ll take it in my office. You’re dismissed.”

Lori got the message and quickly walked off to the general’s office. Hux forced himself to take his time in leaving the bridge. In part because the other officers would think it odd if he ran off after this mystery communique, and also because he was waiting for the shoe to drop with Ren’s mission to the planet’s surface.

When he finally did leave, the walk to his office was a short one.

The former bounty hunter was leaning against Hux’s desk when he walked in. He saw something strange on her features, but he couldn’t quite place what it could be. The tension she held in her shoulders set him on guard, and he didn’t know why.

“What is it?” Hux asked her without stepping further into the room.

Lori looked back at Hux. He was wearing his long coat.

“I’m not really sure how to tell you this.”

She didn’t like being at a loss for words. She didn’t like not having a clever plan for the rest of the conversation, or at least an idea of what she wanted to get out of an exchange. There was news, important and life altering, that she couldn’t not tell Hux.

She’d been holding on to the information for only a few days, but she hadn’t found the right time to tell him. As it was, she only just worked up the nerve and had made herself go to the bridge before she lost it again.

“I’m not sure how to tell you,” Lori echoed herself, “so I’m just going to say it. Armie, I’m pregnant.”

For a long while Hux didn’t move.

“What?” With the word came a thousand thoughts. The general wasn’t sure what to do with any of them, so they leaked out as wild rambling, “but we used… I- What? Are you sure? I mean… Lori what do- what do we do?”

While that was close enough to the reaction she had been expecting, Lori was still left without a plan.

“I don’t know. And, yep, I’m pretty sure. It’s been two months since-“

“You’ve known for two months?” he didn’t shout. He was surprised enough to not be paying attention to how loudly he was speaking, but Hux had also forgotten to breath in over the last few moments and was left quiet because of it.

She looked at him with raised eyebrows that told him he should know better than to think she had avoided the topic for that long, “I found out a couple days ago. But there’s this thing, where once every month…”

“Ok.” He heard the admonishing edge to Lori’s words, “ok, I understand. I just… what do we do?”

A man with a vision for the entire galaxy, Hux didn’t have any clue how life for him would look on a personal level. Finding someone he enjoyed coming home to had been something out of a dream, but the thought of having a child to care for might be a nightmare. He hadn’t a clue how to be a father.

He had killed his own and the possibility of history repeating itself wasn’t lost on him.

Woman with a plan for every occasion, Lori had never even considered caring for another. Discovering a surly general hidden way in the unknown regions that had somehow managed to eke out a place in her heart had been a miracle, the idea of making room for yet another person seemed an impossible task. She hadn’t a clue how to be a mother.

She had killed one of her own parents and the possibility of history repeating itself wasn’t lost on her.

“I have no idea,” she answered the man, “If I had to pick two people in the whole galaxy that would make the least qualified parents, they might be us.”

As much as he hated thinking of himself as inept, Hux had to admit that Lori was right. Neither of them had any business raising a child, and both of them knew it.

Moving for the first time since the conversation began, Hux took a step to towards Lori.

Looking the woman in the eye and coming close, he took a deep breath.

“Do you want…” he wasn’t sure of the words he was saying, “Are we going to keep it?”

The whole of the conversation seemed to take place in a fog. Lori had been wondering much the same. She hadn’t a clue what she was going to say, she wasn’t even sure of what she wanted the answer to be.

Having one person to care for -and to potentially lose- had taken her places she didn’t think she was capable of going. The thought of gaining a second held its own allure, but also brought a slew of terrors and worry that she had seen others fall to far too easily.

“I think we-“

Lori’s words were cut off by a sudden violent jolt to the side. Scrambling to put a hand to the desk, she toppled to the side instead. She landed against Hux, who took a step back to steady himself. Just barely staying upright, there was a tiny beat of time before sirens started blaring.

The Finalizer was under attack.

“Go,” Lori told Hux, happy to find a distraction from their earlier conversation.

Hux wasn’t sure he wanted to walk away. Before he convinced himself not to, he took step to the hall.

Red emergency lighting bathed to corridor. Heavy foot falls echoed off the steel walls, Hux took them as a warning and made for the bridge. His trip back was shorter than his walk to the office had been.

Skittering to a halt on the bridge, he was greeted to a sky swarming with fighters. They had breached atmosphere and were only a few kilometers away from the planet’s surface.

“Damage report!” he yelled at whoever would listen.

“Direct hit to our third thruster, sir!” someone shouted.

Crew members flitted back and forth between screens, reading out alerts and scrambling more squadrons of TIEs as they went.

Hux knew that they wouldn’t be able to make a quick escape from the planets gravity well with a disabled engine, but a slow retreat was better than none at all.

“Leave the atmosphere. Put a moon between Batuu and the Finalizer, then recall our TIEs.”

“But sir, Kylo Ren ordered us-“

“Into an obvious trap.” A motley collection of galactic republic era fighters careened past the bridge, three TIEs following closely behind, “Move!”

The Finalizer groaned with a sudden shift in movement. Far below, an A-wing fighter banked a hard left, narrowly avoiding an open hangar bay. Half way into the turn, it let loose a salvo of blaster fire.

Heavy bolts ignited fuel stores and tore docked TIEs to shrapnel. The Finalizer rattled and groaned, another heavy shake thundering through the bridge. The offending fighter was gone before flaming debris dropped into the sky.

The narrow A-wing only made it two kilometers away before it was blasted out of the sky. Kylo Rens dagger like TIE-silencer cut through the other fighters flaming remains before screaming into the sky.

“Twenty seven casualties in bay-three. Six TIEs down, enemy loss unknown.” Reports came in while the bridge put itself back together.

Despite the heavy hit, the Finalizer continued its ascent to the stars. When it turned skyward, Hux saw a sight through the main view port that had his innards grow heavy with worry.

A Sphyrna-class corvette came dropping down from the stars. Its broad hammer head mere moments away from slamming into the Finalizers hull. At this steep of an angle, and with one of the main engines disabled, there was no way they’d be able to correct course in time to stop the ship from violently crashing into the planet’s surface.

Distant black dots swarmed around the corvette, none of their blasters able to pierce its no-doubt upgraded shield.

“All turbo lasers, fire on that sphyrna!” The general barked orders to his crew.

“But, general. Kylo Ren is in the line of-“

Hux didn’t give a solitary damn what ill-fortune might befall his co-commander. If that corvette made contact with the Finalizer, they were going to die. That alone was all the motivation the general needed, but now that he had his lover and their potential child onboard, he nearly screamed his orders.

“I said fire!”

A second’s delay that could have lasted a life time fell between his order and its being carried out. Finally, a green beam form the forward laser shot out from the Finalizer. In a second it was joined by one, and then two, other beams.

They crashed against the hammer head of the Sphyrna. At first dissipating as hissing sparks against the corvettes shields, the lasers slowly overpowered the generator. Blinking in and out, the ghostly blue shield sputtered to nothing. Sustained laser fire washed over durasteele, its yellow paint job blinking away in an instant. The metal below turned red hot, and then white.

Less than ten kilometers away, the first chunk of the Sphyrna fell from its place and crashed against the Finalizer’s starboard side.

“Hull breach in med bay six!” a lieutenant called out.

“Engage air-lock doors! Anyone there is already dead.” They didn’t have the time to slow their escape and launch a rescue effort for anyone who wasn’t.

A TIE wove in below the burning attack ship, three others falling in behind. The triangular formation fired into the corvettes underbelly, leaving smaller debris to come down as rain that would fizzle to nothing against the start destroyers struggling shielding.

Hammerhead gone and escape pods turned to slag, the Sphyrna continued its descent. Just a moment before it passed the point of no return, a trubolaser caught its fuel supply and turned ship and crew into burning refuse to fall to the planet’s surface below.

Occasional bits of wreckage clattered against the Finalizer, but none of the remains were enough to pierce the hull again.

“Continue to orbit. Disable all incoming transmissions.”

Hux wasn’t about to let Ren demand the ships return to the planet’s surface. His poor planning had nearly gotten them all killed, and Hux was going to let the mad man know it the instant he stepped foot back on the Finalizer.

There was no back talk this time. Instead the crew was happy to let the star destroyer limp back into space while the TIEs cleaned up the waning opposition on the planet below.

They had expected some resistance, but a full fledge dog fight in the skies over Batuu hadn’t been in the generals plans for today. Several things had been a surprise, in fact, and he only knew how to handle one of them.

“Once we leave atmosphere, set the forward cannon loose on that settlement. Make them an example to the rest of the planet that resistance will not be tolerated.”

His order acknowledged, the general left the bridge once again. If Snoke and Ren had bothered to be patient, then he could have simply blown the whole planet out of the sky instead of resigning himself to a single settlement.

Grumbling about one mishap, Hux took his time walking to his office.

He wasn’t sure he would call this other predicament a mistake. If anything, he had noticed that his worries went passed his own wellbeing. Normally he started there and stopped at Lori, but this time a hypothetical third person had crossed his mind.

Stepping into the office, he wasn’t sure if he would say anything about it.

Lori sat on the ground, tucked into a corner where she was least likely to be thrown around or knocked into by moving furniture.

“I take it we’re out of the hot zone?” she asked the general as he entered.

A simple nod was the first thing he gave in reply. Upon seeing it, Lori took her time to stand.

“No thanks to Kylo Ren. I know I threaten his life at least once a week, but I mean it this time.”

She knew he didn’t. Not for lack of wanting, but because it would cause more trouble with Snoke than it was worth.

Still, Lori was willing to play along, “Just tell me when and where. I’d be happy to help arrange an accident for him.”

As rattled as they were, Hux smirked.

He didn’t keep the expression long. They had more pressing matters to talk about than murdering a coworker.

“Lori…” he began.

“We’re keeping it.” She talked over the little silence Hux left at the end of her name.

She looked up at him with her arms loosely crossed in front of her. During the attack on the ship, she had worried about her own wellbeing first with Hux on the bridge being a close second, but a hypothetical third person had crossed her mind.

Taking a step closer to the major, Hux wasn’t about to challenge her.

“I hope you realize we have no idea what we’re doing.” He said as he came to stand near her.

“I hate to break it to you, but whenever I say I have a plan, it usually means I’m making it up as I go,” she looked at him with a knowing glint in her eye.

The general wrapped his arms around Lori, still appreciating the gesture a year later as much as he had the very first time, “I’ve never been able to tell.”

She returned the hug, “You’re a terrible liar, Armie.”

“Only to you.”

The both of them would have liked to stay in Hux’s little office, but there were other matters that vied for their attention. Ren and the remaining TIEs would be returning soon. The supply division would be busy taking stock of the damage in hangar bay three.

After far too short a time, the couple took a step back from each other.

“You better get back to the bridge. Ren’ll probably be just as pissed at you as you are at him.”

A shadow passed over the general features, “Perhaps, but I didn’t bring the Finalizer into an obvious trap.”

Lori knew better to goad Hux on when it came to ranting about Ren. If she did, they would never leave the office.

“I’m sure you’ll give him a piece of your mind. Meet me back at your place?”

“Of course. There is a chance I’ll be back late.”

“I’ll wait up. We got a lot to talk about.”

With a nod, Hux stepped back to make for the door. Lori stopped him with a light hand on his shoulder.

“One more thing,” she leaned over to give the general a small kiss on the cheek, “for good luck. Don’t get stabbed by Ren.”

She didn’t need to remind him that that was a possibility, but he appreciated the gesture all the same. This time stepping out of the room uninterrupted, the general left for the bridge. Lori waited half a minute so that Hux would be far enough away that no one could guess they were coming from the same place.

When she was done counting, she left for the hangar bay.

Chapter Text

Lori’s day had been long.

It was made even longer by the fact that she had been waiting up for hours, and Hux still hadn’t returned to his suite.

The chrono read 0200. She paced, tempted to brew a pot of caf. Thinking better of it, she sat on the couch and looked out the window instead. Batuu loomed in the distance, a heavy black cloud blotting the otherwise blue and green planet.

She didn’t let the rebellious settlement’s fate pick at her. In the year she had been living aboard, she hadn’t seen the Finalizer be used to its fullest extent, but she knew that it had more firepower than an imperial-star destroyer. Just one of the older ships would have been enough to wipe a settlement off a planet, she wasn’t surprised that the Finalizer lived up to its legacy.

Watching dark smoke being carried along on the planet’s wind currents wasn’t nearly enough of a distraction for the former bounty hunter.

It was one thing to look after herself and to worry after Hux at the same time, but adding a third person was another thing entirely. Less than a full day after she said they were keeping it, and she was already having doubts.

Lori knew better than to let herself sink into a well of self-loathing. She’d spent her younger years there, and she wasn’t about to go back for a visit.

Get it together. You made your decision, and you aren’t going to talk yourself out of it now.

Dozens of conflicting emotions ate at Lori. It didn’t matter what she did or didn’t think she deserved. It was about what she had, and what she couldn’t let herself lose. Lori had never considered that a family might be something that made the list, and now that she was confronted with the possibility she didn’t know what to do.

In attempt to ignore the swirling thoughts, she checked the time again.

0202.

Damn it.

Lori stood from the couch, hoping that pacing would pass the time more quickly despite knowing that it wouldn’t.

Luckily, she didn't have much time to let her mood sink more before the front door slid open.

General Hux stepped into the room. A few moments before, he had carried himself with his chin up and shoulders squared, but now that he was in the privacy of his own suite the weight of a long day nearly drug him to the floor as he went.

Lori was quick to step up the stairs and come to the entry level landing.

“Good to see that you’re still in one piece,” she nearly dove straight into the more pressing topic, but seeing Armitage even more beleaguered than usual served as a distraction.

“Hardly.” He answered back while walking to the little kitchen.

Foregoing the refrigerator, Hux reached up to the liquor cabinet. Only after he set a bottle on the counter did he take a second look at Lori, think better of it, and then put the bottle back in the cabinet.

“It certainly has been a day, hasn’t it?” he asked without expecting an answer.

“Sure has,” Lori gave one general enough to be meaningless, “Anything interesting happen after Ren got back?”

Hux had a few things he would like to complain about. The would-be dark lord had almost gotten physical when Hux confronted him. They had received a transmission from Snoke, who Hux thought was woefully out of touch with the realities of conquering a planet. Some of the Batuu natives were still putting up a resistance. Apparently the planet had been on the brink of a civil war and now half of the citizens were trying to ally with the First Oder in order to crush the other half.

All of the worries of the day seemed small in comparison with the reality that greeted Hux when he got home.

He knew how to handle the stresses of essentially running the First Order, but every time he had tried to make a decision in the last twelve hours he found himself wondering twice as hard over the long-term consequences.

“Nothing worth spending time on,” he answered before turning to pull food out of the refrigerator. “What about you?”

The hangar bay had been a mess, but it wasn’t on Lori’s mind at the moment.

“Besides the obvious, not much.” She took a seat at the bar, ready for a long conversation.

Hux put two meals into the reheater, “About that, you’re right. We should keep them.”

Hearing ‘them’ in place of ‘it’ caught Lori’s attention. Just that tiny change in how they talked about the situation brought it a little closer to reality, Lori wasn’t sure what to do with the shift. Hux felt the difference too. Careful to keep his thoughts elsewhere when dealing with Ren through the day, he found himself obsessing over the idea when the other commander was away.

He wasn’t suited to be a father, and he knew it. But he wasn’t suited to be someone’s partner either, and life had only gotten better after Lori.

“You think so?” She looked up at the red haired man, a little trickle of relief washing over her.

Still second guessing himself, Armitage misread the shift in Lori’s features, “You do still want to… I’m not trying to force you to-“

He was cut off by the beeping of the reheater.

The general internally winced at how much he tripped over his words. He hated not being in control of the situation, and the fact that he couldn’t even settle on the right words to say picked at him even more.

Lori picked up where he left off, “No, you’re right. I do want to keep them. I just… this is a weird conversation.”

Hux hadn’t moved for the food, “I was thinking the same.”

“You know what, we’ve got time. We don’t have to talk details now. It’ll be a few months before… How about we just eat dinner?”

More than happy to have a ticket out of the conversation, Hux was quick to pull the trays out of the reheater and set them on the bar.

Painfully aware that they wouldn’t be able to stall the conversation forever, both were content to let it lie for the time being. Despite the silence, it still preoccupied each of their thoughts.

Lori took some solace in that fact that Armitage at least thought he wanted the same as her. The more she thought about it the more real it became, and by the time she was done with her meal she found herself wondering about happy little hypotheticals that she was afraid to say out loud, for fear that doing so might keep them from happening.

Hux felt a little weight lift from his shoulders after hearing that Lori was sure in her decision. Spending the entire day making world altering judgements, he found himself thinking about life on the small scale. Still world altering on a personal level, he mused over a hundred little scenarios. Scared to linger on hopeful thoughts for long, he looked for something else to do after his meal was finished.

He had set dinner out, so it was Lori’s turn to put it away. Hux almost offered to do it instead, before second guessing himself; he didn’t want to turn into an overprotective mess so quickly. He hadn’t even the chance to say anything before Lori cleared the table.

Looking to old habits for some sort of comfort, they went to the living room and settled onto the sofa. Some of the time they stayed in Lori’s, while there were still a few nights they spend apart. When they did end their day together, they usually spent a few minutes before bed reading news or skimming the holonet.

Hux reached for the data pad and went to their usual sites. Neither of them read the pages or gave much thought to the headlines.

Leaning against Hux from her place next to him, Lori couldn’t shake the weight of their earlier conversation, “is it too early to be thinking about names?”

Hux considered the situation again. Not sure what to say, he set the data pad down and put an arm around Lori’s shoulder.

“I don’t know?” he asked more than said. Only a short while earlier he had been coming around to the idea, but each new moment seemed stranger than the last, “I suppose it’s not. Do you have something in mind?”

“Not at all,” Lori moved her head to look up at Armitage, “Do you?”

“No. Should we start… We should start a list,” Still annoyed that he couldn’t get his mind or his words under control, he added on what they were both thinking, “We have no idea what we’re doing.”

Lori couldn’t disagree, but she thought that laughing was better than the hint of dread that had been hanging over her all day.

Just barely keeping a nervous chuckle under control she said, “Well, you’ve got a list of things not to do. I’ve got a list of things not to do. Between those two, I figure we can’t screw up too bad.”

“Those are famous last words if I’ve ever heard any.” Hux appreciated the little attempt at lightening the mood, but it fell just a little flat.

“Maybe, but then again, maybe not,” she laid her head back against the general’s shoulder, “But you’re right. We should start a list of names. Now there’s a sentence I never thought I’d say.”

“There is a certain surrealness to the situation, isn’t there?” Hux leaned his head against Lori’s.

Lori laid an arm across her stomach, “You can say that again.”

Hux considered the circumstance before speaking again, “Lori?”

“Yes?”

One year into the relationship, and he was still slow to form a compliment, “Of all the people, I’m glad you’re the one next to me.”

She heard how difficult and clumsy the words were, but she knew what he meant.

“You’re too kind,” her words had a knowing sound to them.

He smiled a little at the deadpan humor, “I’ve been called many things, but never that.”

“Well, first time for everything.”

“Yes,” Hux thought of their future, “I suppose there is.”

Chapter Text

A handful of days had passed since Lori broke the news to Hux. It had taken a while, and more than a little double thinking, but the reality of a child had settled over the two of them. While it wasn’t in either of their personalities to be outwardly excited, there was a little hint of fresh energy in each of them.

The other officers assumed that Hux had taken some special satisfaction in conquering Batuu, and Kylo Ren was still none the wiser about the general’s secret relationship. The new vigor that the general carried with him didn’t leave the crew in any better of a position, his tolerance for failure decreased just as much as his demand for results increased.

The bridge crew in particular had bared the brunt of the general’s even more hair-trigger temper. Lieutenant Quin Grier had been stationed on the bridge as a propulsions officer for over a year now, and for most of that time she had been privy to a carefully hidden piece of information concerning the commander.

Quin couldn’t help but wonder how her old roommate was faring. Every once in a while Lori would meet up with Vanya and her to chat, but it had been a while and Lori had turned down an invitation to go out just the other day. In fact, they hadn’t gone out for drinks since Vanya’s promotion to captain nearly three months ago.

Once the lieutenant’s shift was over, she quickly made the journey home. When she arrived she was nearly jumped by an over-enthusiastic roommate.

Letting out a yelp of surprise, she only just made out what Vanya was saying.

“What took you so lo- oh. Hi Quin.” The captain changed her tone the moment she saw who had stepped through the door.

“Hi Vanya,” the lieutenant offered back, “who were you expecting, besides me or Sydney?”

The captain gave a slight roll of the eyes, like it should be obvious, “Lori, of course.”

“But she said she wasn’t going out,” Quin stepped towards the little kitchen.

“We’re not. I only managed to talk her into a visit.”

The light-haired lieutenant fished around for left overs in the refrigerator. She still wasn’t sure how to talk to her old friend about the general, but she was curious to know if Lori had any insight about Hux’s increased neuroticism.

She didn’t have to wait long before the door slid open again.

“Look who finally decided to show up,” Vanya quickly commented as Lori stepped into the suite.

The major had a slight look of amusement to her. She missed the conversation that her old roommates had made common place. For as much trouble as they caused her, now that she could control when, where, and how often she had to deal with them, Lori had started considering Vanya and Quin to be good friends.

Of course, they still didn’t know her true origins, and she was still careful to keep her genuine wild space accent tucked under her fake one from the outer rim.

“I’ve been busy, give me a break.” Lori told Vanya before crossing the room to take a seat at the bar.

With Quin taking up the other chair, Vanya was left to lean against the counter top.

The captain was quick to reply to Lori, “If Ren and Hux get their way we’re about to get a lot busier. There’s been talk of calling in a dreadnaught to keep an eye on Batuu. Do you have any idea how much of a head ache it’s going to be to deal with the meat heads they station on those things?”

“Can’t be much worse than the stubborn assholes we keep on the Finalizer. I put an order in for a new squadron of TIEs to replace the ones we lost, and the budget guys denied it because they thought I was too vague on the reason for my request.”

“Wow. Do they want a play by play recap?” Vanya was always happy to goad someone on when it came to complaining about bureaucrats.

Quin would have joined in, but she decided tucking into her left overs would be a better use of her time. She did want to ask what exactly was driving the general to be an even bigger pain than usual, but she didn’t want to be rude in how she did it.

Lori would have been content to keep talking, but something in Quin’s lunch didn’t smell right.

“Hey, Quin. How long was that sitting in the refrigerator?”

“Just since yesterday. Why?”

“Oh,” Lori hadn’t expected that, “Don’t take this the wrong way, but it smells kind of off.”

Quin gave a shrug, “Tastes fine to me.”

Vanya snickered a little.

“I see how it is,” Vanya poked at Lori, the fact that she was joking was obvious by the playful tone on her words, “you move out to your fancy private suite and suddenly you decide that your old roommates are stinking up the place like a bunch of wampas.”

Lori though about it, only to realize that she’d been more aware of the weird scents coming from mess halls and left overs for the past week. Looking for something to distract from a hint about her current state, Lori latched onto Vanya’s joke.

“I’m surprised Sydney’s been letting you live like this. I can see one whole dirty cup in the sink.”

“We’re so wild we’re going to leave it there while she passive aggressively cleans around it for the next two weeks.” Vanya jabbed back

Lori gave a mock gasp, “Animals!”

The three of them had a little chuckle before Vanya went on.

“Speaking of stubborn assholes, how’s our favorite general doing? Quin says he’s been even worse than usual.”

The lieutenant choked on the food in her mouth and struggled to swallow, “Vanya.”

Lori let the captain’s comment go. This wasn’t the first time she referred to Hux with an insult. More often than not she even got creative with her derisive nick names. The major had decided long ago that it was better to feed her former roommates small details at her leisure than it was to keep everything from them. That way she could at least control which direction they wondered in, and the little trickle of information would discourage them from going elsewhere to look for details.

She would also love to have someone to talk to about the situation, but she was still debating what would be tipping her hand a little too far.

Quin was still recovering from nearly choking, but listened intently for an answer. She had been trying to figure out how to ask and, despite being tactless, Vanya was good at getting to the point.

“He’s dealing with a lot right now,” Lori settled on a safe and boring answer.

It fooled Quin, who was quick to assume that she was talking about the mishap on Batuu. Vanya had always been the more difficult of the two, and true to form she kept pushing to topic.

“When is he not? But really, what’s up? Is everything okay between you two?”

As intrusive as the captain was, she did genuinely care about her friend’s wellbeing. Lori knew she would have to tell them eventually. She and Armitage hadn’t talked about the details yet, but it was only a matter of time before she would need to leave the Finalizer. A mysterious disappearance would only have Vanya and Quin making wild guesses, and Hux would definitely be at the top of their list of suspects.

Even if Lori somehow stayed on the ship, there would be an infant aboard. Families weren’t a foreign concept, with so many of the First Order being born into their roles, but the captain and lieutenant would know exactly who the father was in Lori’s case.

“We’re doing fine.”

 “Of course you are,” Vanya had already decided that Lori was hiding something.

Quin felt the tension in the air and was desperately looking for a way to break it, “Of course they are! Hey Lori, I know you said you didn’t want to go out, but let’s go out. It’ll be fun.”

“I’d love to, but not tonight.” Lori politely declined.

“Why not?” Vanya pressed the new topic, “we don’t have any plans and you told me you had some free time.”

“I’m just not feeling it. You two can head out if you want, but I’m calling it a night.”

Quin didn’t want to run Lori out of the room, it had been such a long time since they had talked, “It was just a suggestion. We can just stay in, I’ll put on a pot of caf. They got a new blend in the commissary, it has notes of vanilla.”

Lori eyed Vanya, but replied to Quin, “Sounds great.”

The lieutenant was quick to stand and scurry past the captain who stood at the edge of the bar. Just as Quin poured the grinds into the brewing machine, Lori also stood from her seat. She muttered a quick comment about going to the bathroom before stepping out of the living room.

Quin clicked the on button to the machine just as the door shut behind Lori.

“She’s acting weird,” Vanya was quick to comment.

“Is she?” Quin genuinely hadn’t noticed, and she was half sure that Vanya was being even more intrusive than usual.

“C’mon Grier, when has she ever turned down a chance to go out drinking?”

“Well…” Quin though about it and couldn’t come up with an example.

“Because she’s said no twice, and she’s being super tight lipped about what’s eating Hux.”

“It could be personal?” The lieutenant offered.

“Of course it is,” Vanya thought about it, “I think I know what it is.”

“We could just leave it alone.”

“Now when have I ever done that?” the captain joked back while being completely serious, “Hear me out on this one. If she says no to a second cup of caf-“

The door that Lori had left through opened just as suddenly.

Pleased to find that the scent of caf hadn’t turned into something stomach churning, Lori immediately wished she didn’t need to watch her caffeine intake.

Vanya tried to play off the end of her last sentence, “The caf smells great.”

Quin thought her roommate was being ridiculous, but played along simply because it would cause the least amount of trouble. Going about her business, Quin gathered three mugs.

Annoyed be the lack of caf and the look that Vanya had been giving her since she walked back into the room, Lori spoke to Quin “Just set me up with half a mug.”

Vanya gave a pointed look to the blonde woman before glancing back at Lori. The major caught it, and was tempted to let it slide.

Tempted, but not convinced.

“Do you have something to say, Vanya?”

The captain was still only half sure she was right, but she couldn’t keep her thoughts to herself anymore, “Give it to me straight, Lori. Are you pregnant?”

Quin set the caf pot down mid pour, “Vanya!”

“Come again?” Lori wasn’t sure what had given her away.

“You heard me. You’ve said no to drinks twice, you and the general are both acting weird, and now you’re turning down a cup of caf. You’re the reason we got an eleven cup pot.”

Part of being a talented liar was knowing when to tell the truth.

“Fine, you figured it out,” Lori cut her losses and tried to figure out how she could twist the conversation back to how she wanted it.

While Vanya had a smug sense of satisfaction, it was Quin’s turn to be surprised

“Wait, what?”

“I’m pregnant, Quin,” Lori spoke quickly, saying the words out loud brought both joy and fear with them. Looking away from Quin, Lori spoke to Vanya next, “Look, this doesn’t leave the room ok?”

“Yeah, no shit it doesn’t,” Vanya went on, “Have you told Hux?”

“Of course.”

Quin was still slow to come around to the idea, “Wait a second, does that mean the general is the…”

The captain looked to her roommate, “You’re breaking my heart Quin. Who else could it possibly be?”

Before the conversation went too far down another rabbit whole, Lori pulled it back to where she wanted it.

“Well, now you know, so there. Also, if I just disappear from the Finalizer one day, everything’s fine, I’m just on maternity leave.”

“Do you know when?” Quin still had that unshakable innocence about her

“Well… no. It’s all been pretty sudden” Lori felt herself being guarded, would be lying to herself if she wasn’t at least a little happy to have someone to talk to.

Now that she wasn’t playing at detective, Vanya was ready to go back to joking, “Well, if they end up as a little girl will you name them after me? Maybe?”

“Hah, you wish,” Lori reached for the cup of caf that Quin had given up pouring half way.

“Don’t tell me you’re going to be running around with a Hux Junior,” Vanya responded with bemusement

Lori scoffed, “One, he has a first name. Two, neither of us are really the ‘junior’ type.”

“Right, so no Armie junior,” Vanya wasn’t about to let the major forget that she knew about the pet name Lori had given to the general.

Quin thought the conversation was drifting a little too far away from the lightheartedness that the topic deserved, “Name or not, this is wonderful! I’m so happy for you.”

Both of the other two women knew that Quin wasn’t capable of sarcasm at a time like this, and her genuine cheerfulness made it difficult to be on guard. Really, everything about the conversation had done something to lighten Lori’s mood. The fleeting bits of joy in the situation we’re only just becoming familiar to the major. She was eager to hold onto them for a little longer.

Lori looked to the few friends she had. A sideways smile crept across her features, and she meant it when she told them both, “Thank you.”

Chapter Text

Hux was careful not to rush as he left the bridge. It had been nearly two weeks since Lori told him the news. He had been driving the crew especially hard, only for Lori to let him know that they were beginning to think something was amiss.

He hadn't meant to be particularly demanding, but now he couldn't help but see a dozen little flaws in his crew that he had overlooked before. He had always been intent on conquering the galaxy, and he knew that a well disciplined and extremely efficient First Order would be the force to do it. He held even more firmly to that belief now that he was concerned with leaving something behind for the next generation.

The general passed a blonde lieutenant that he distantly recognized as being Lori's former roommate. She had given him a wide berth for as long as he had known her and now was no exception. Thinking nothing of it, he continued on his way home.

It was empty when he arrived. He wasn't too surprised. Lori worked farther away, and he usually made it back first.

He bided his time by sitting at the bar and skimming the messages on his data pad.

A fresh deluge of memos about Starkiller was waiting for him. The project's original completion date was only a month away. After a series of delays it was expected to be operational in eight months.

Armitage took a deep breath. Eight months from now might be significant for more than one reason.

After responding to the more pressing messages, Hux checked the time.

Lori was later than usual. A few paranoid thoughts picked at the general. Looking intently at the door, he tried not to focus on them for long. He told himself that nothing could have possibly happened to her on the walk between her office and his suite.

Still, intrusive thoughts about hidden resistance cells or wildly unlikely accidents hung at the edge of his mind.

Checking the time again, Hux admonished himself for being so foolish.

A full hour had passed. Trying, and failing, not to slide into a panic Armitage stood from the stool and stepped to the door.

Sliding the door open, the general was about to hastily step down the hall. The only thing to stop him was coming face to face with Lori in the door way.

Stopping short, he immediately felt silly for getting so worried.

Lori looked at him with a question on her features. Knowing better than to say anything in the hall, Hux moved to the side. Taking that as her cue, Lori stepped into the entry level and waited for the door to close behind her before saying anything.

When it finally did slide shut, she was gentle with her words.

"Is there something going on? You look worried."

"Everything is fine." The general was still berating himself for being so ready to work himself into a panic.

The quickness of his reply left Lori unconvinced. A slight tilt of her head let the general know it too. Before she got into the conversation, she crossed the room to take a seat at the bar.

"How about you try that again?"

Knowing that he'd been caught, Hux took a seat next to Lori. He considered what to tell her. Acutely aware that she would catch him in another lie, he still didn't want to admit how upset he had been.

"You were running late. I was only a little concerned," He gave an understated explanation.

Lori heard how much he was downplaying his words. Over the last few days she had noticed him being more attentive than usual. Some of the time he nearly stepped into being over protective, only to catch himself and ease off a little.

"I took a while in the bathroom," She offered a little explanation for no other reason than the simple fact that it would put Armitage's mind at ease.

He looked at her with an entirely new set of worries, "for an hour?"

"Walking takes time too, it was only half an hour."

"For half an hour?"

Anyone else wouldn't believe that general Hux was capable of the concern for anyone but himself, but Lori saw it all over his features.

"Morning sickness is no joke. It's also got a terrible name because it lasts all damn day."

"Do… Do you need to see a medical droid?" he hadn't let himself think of complications, especially this early on.

Lori thought the concern in the general's question was more endearing than annoying, for now.

"I'm fine, Armie." She shifted in her seat, "Actually, I am kind of hungry."

Overly aware of his actions, the general tried not to rush to the kitchen. He didn't do a very good job of it, and Lori watched him from her place at the bar. He dug around the refrigerator for a set of meals.

"You said the Hitaka fish smelled weird last night, we still have Eopie brisket."

Lori thought about it, "no, that doesn't sound good either."

"Roasted Hubba gourd?" He looked in a third box.

"Hmmm... no."

Hux was running out of options, "Lamta?"

She considered it before asking, "Do we still have that jar of Sullustan jam?"

The general pulled the last box out of the refrigerator, "You can't be about to put that jam on Lamta."

Without missing a beat, Lori looked Armitage in the eye while she spoke, "Don't judge me."

Doing his best not to imagine what kind of flavor that would make, he put the box in the reheater before going off in search of the jam. The search took just long enough for Lori's dinner to be warmed. While she did her worst to the Lamta, Hux put his own meal in the reheater.

The couple ate in silence. Hux wondered if he should offer to clean up, or if Lori would rebuff him with a reminder that she was more than capable on her own.

Inwardly admonishing himself for being so anxious, he offered to clean up.

Lori answered in a huff, "I got it."

"Just checking," He heard a small edge of annoyance and didn't push the matter further.

With the remains of their meal put away, the couple settled into their nightly routine. Leaving the kitchen, they went onto the couch. Hux picked up a data pad from the side table, while Lori cuddled against his shoulder.

Opening the data pad and scrolling through the news did nothing for Hux's nerves. On a normal night they would rant and rave about whatever course of action the New Republic was taking. This time Hux found himself quickly scrolling past any grim news.

First he skipped a financial report titled 'Galactic Stock Market at All Time Low'.

Then he scrolled past an article about a plague in the expansion region.

After that he avoided a feature piece that talked of the assassination of a high profile politician in the core worlds.

He was tempted to open an investigative piece that concerned Batuu, but the idea of confronting the galaxy's knowledge of the First Order picked at any sense of security he might have.

Shortly after that, he ran out of titles to scroll through

"You could just go to a different site, you know." Lori spoke through a yawn.

"We're you asleep?" Hux didn't even try to hide the fact that he was avoiding the dismal news on the datas pad.

Catching the change in topic, Lori decided to simply answer Armitage's question instead, "I've been dozing off a bit."

Armitage was quick to abandon the data pad, "Would you like to go to bed early tonight?"

Lori was shaking off the last of her nap, but still felt a little fatigue clinging to her, "I'm not made of glass. I can stay up."

Hux considered asking her if she was sure, but then thought better of it. Taking what she said at face value, he turned the screen back on and went to a different corner of the holonet.

After a few minutes of looking for something suitably mindless, the general settled on a talk show that he didn't recognize the name of. Half way through the episode that he wasn't even watching, a snore came from his left. Pausing the video, he looked to the side to find a sleeping Lori.

For a moment he considered leaving her be. Alone in the quiet, he tried not to let himself listen to the few pestering doubts that hung in the back of his mind. Pushing the dark things away he focused on the little good he had found in his life.

Hux didn't think that he would ever find a moment's peace, let alone a moment's happiness. Looking at his lover, on his couch, carrying his child brought a swell of emotion that he wasn't sure how to handle.

Not ready to confront himself, he put a hand against Lori's shoulder and gently nudged her awake.

She blinked herself away from sleeping and stretched in place. Knowing exactly what he was going to say, she looked over at Armitage.

"Bed?" he asked.

"Fine." She was tired, but still hated to admit it.

Leaving the living room didn't take long. Changing into pajamas and getting ready for bed was also little more than a fleeting moment.

Lori had noticed a few changes, sickness and fatigue the biggest among them. Armitage had been watching her extra closely the last few days, tonight notwithstanding. Settling into bed, she called him on it.

"No, you don't see a baby bump yet."

Worries of the day still not going away, he did smile a little at the comment.

"I was just checking."

Before Lori replied, Hux clicked the light off and settled into bed next to her.

"Speaking of bumps…" Neither wanted to focus on the details, but both of them knew it was better to figure them out now, when they still had time, "At some point I'm going to have to leave the ship."

"I know. I don't like it, but I know," Hux held her just a little tighter, "Lori?"

She heard something vulnerable on her name, "What is it?"

The weight of Hux's worries ground his thoughts to a halt. He meant to keep his fears to himself, but he couldn't keep them from Lori. No matter how hard he tried, she would get it out of him one way or another and he knew it.

In the dark he didn't have anything to distract him from himself. Hux wasn't sure how to articulate the thoughts in his head. So many of them crisscrossed on top of each other, he wasn't even sure which one would make its way out first. Hoping that Lori could make some sense out of his babbling, he went with the first thought in his head.

"I don't want my child to be a bastard."

What Armitage meant was that he didn't want to have to hide having a son or daughter from the rest of the galaxy. He didn't want to deny their existence to anyone who asked.

He didn't want his child to be like him.

The man still wore the scars of the past. He knew that his simple existence had been a cause for shame since before he was born, and the very idea of falling into the same role as his father filled Hux with a heavy dread. He had been a mistake, a product of a crime, and regarded as a failure since the very beginning. Against his best efforts, Armitage found the shadows of the past picking away him, reminding him of all the little fears that he had never truly freed himself from.

"Armie," Lori twisted around to face the general. It was dark, and neither could see the others expression, but Lori had heard some of the generals fears on his words, "they'll know. From the day they're born, they'll know that they have two parents who care. Ok?"

He leaned forward and kissed his lover on the forehead, "thank you."

There was a shiver to his words.

Lori heard it, "what else is on your mind?"

Armitage assumed that someday the truth would come out, but it would have to be after the galaxy was brought under control. For the first time in a long time there was a creeping doubt in the back of his mind that victory might not be as sure as he hoped.

A creeping doubt, and a growing fear that some terrible fate might befall the few people he loved. Some people in the galaxy could be just as terrible as him. Worse even, if they were so inclined. The possibility that one of them might threaten his family if its existence was common knowledge ate at him.

Hux knew Lori was the one person he could trust with his next words, but he still found himself hesitating. Knowing that she wouldn't ridicule him for what he wanted to be ridiculous thoughts, he scarcely managed to say them aloud.

"I'm scared." He only just kept himself from choking on his words, "Lori, if something happens to you –to either of you- I don't know what I'll do."

She brought her hand up to rest on Armitage's cheek. Lori held on to her own set of fears, some of them distinct from the general's worries, others largely the same.

"It's okay to be afraid. I want to say that everything'll be fine, but we don't know that. We'll figure it out though, we always do."

For as brave as her words were, she couldn't help but imagine turning into just a big a monster as her father had been. She found a thousand chances to fail before she had even begun. People had always been easy, assuming she got the chance to know them first.

But dealing with a child?

Lori worried that she would mess them up before they even had the chance to be themselves.

"We'll figure it out," she echoed in attempt to convince herself.

Hux put his hand over Lori's.

She had always been the one to lean into whatever difficult thought he had rolling through his head. He knew he didn't have to say his fears aloud for her to understand, and the fact that she hadn't tried to tell him not to worry only reminded him of the bond they shared.

"You're right," he told her through the dark, "We can do this."

Chapter Text

One full month after making their decision, Lori and Hux had another thing to choose.

Hux wasn't convinced that any planet was sufficiently safe for Lori, but he was equally sure that a warship on the brink of battle was also a terrible idea. Lori didn't want to leave the Finalizer, as the rogue star destroyer had been the first place she had called home, but she knew that an obvious pregnancy would lead to obvious questions. If news of who the father was got out, then her job as a double agent would be impossible.

Painfully aware of the passage of time, the two of them sat at the kitchen counter, peering over a map of the galaxy.

"Bakura?" Lori pointed at grid square G-16: right at the divide between the outer rim and wild space.

Hux considered it, and then shook his head, "They're a medicine importing planet."

Lori huffed, they had been looking for a good planet for her to disappear to every night for the past week. They had narrowed their options down to those on the west edge of the galaxy, near the unknown regions that the First Order called home. There was no telling what the future may hold, and both agreed that it would be best to stay near First Order territory.

Batuu had crossed both their minds, but it was still too unstable to be a real option.

"Selvaris, perhaps?" Hux turned his eye to grid I-9, the northwestern edge of the core worlds.

"Isn't that a jungle planet?"

"Yes, but the population is over twelve billion, so the infrastructure should be quite robust."

"So what I'm hearing is a bunch of people, and a bunch of bugs. Pass."

Putting a hand up to rub at his temple, Hux peered more intently at the screen, as if that would do something to make a better option appear. Lori had had enough for the night, and reached over to click the machine off.

When the map blinked away, the general opened his mouth to protest. Looking up, he found Lori wearing an expression that dared him to try and turn it back on.

Still actively trying not to worry too much, he thought better of it.

"Fine," He said while standing from the stool, "but we're going to have to pick something, soon."

No one else had noticed yet, but Lori had moved up a pants size and it wouldn't be long before she needed to move up another. She had been making a point to sit and stand little more slouched than usual these past few day, just on the off chance any one was watching her.

Hux stepped around the counter and into the kitchen to fetch a glass of water. He poured one for Lori as well.

Lori was the first to start on a new topic, "Got any more names for the list?"

In the few quite moments he had during his day, Hux had spent some of them in search for a name. A few crossed his mind but, like most things, he found that none of them met his standards.

Very few things ever satisfied the general, but when he found the galaxy lacking he often turned to Lori for advice. Now was no exception.

"How about Larkin?" He asked

"That's not bad," She took another moment to think about it, "Wait a second, isn't that just Tarkin but with an L?"

Hux hadn't meant to name his hypothetical son after an imperial grand moff, but now that it had been pointed out to him, he found that he liked the idea.

"Perhaps."

"We'll put it on the maybe list," she said before taking a sip of water, "How about Ardis?"

"Sounds like an older name."

"Ok, Armitage." Lori didn't quite roll hear eyes, but Hux heard the sarcasm on her words.

"I never said I didn't like, I just thought it was old," he set his own glass of water down, "I'm not sure about the first letter A, though."

Lori laughed a little, "Well if the boy gets an L name, the girl gets an A."

"When did that become a rule?" He was glad to hear the conversation drift to a softer tone.

"Since right now. Now that I think of it that leaves Ali, and Avery, and Adelaide, and…"

"Ardis is quite nice," Hux stopped her, "I do hope you realize that besides Larkin that leaves, Leon, Lazarus, and Luis."

"Now that you put it like that… at last I can call him Lark."

Hux leaned into the light hearted conversation, "If you're already considering nicknames, I'm not sure how you'll manage to shorten Ardis."

"Too easy, it's Addie. Obviously."

"Whatever you say, Lor."

She gave an over exaggerated wince, "See, that doesn't work as well."

"Ri doesn't work either, does it?"

"I'm already only working on four letters, that's short enough," Lori shifted on the stool a little, trying –and failing– to find a comfortable position.

Hux was quick to notice. Despite worrying that he was being overprotective he made a suggestion, "Would you like to move to the couch? The stools are awfully hard."

Lori huffed. Leaving the kitchen for a softer seat was a fine idea by her, but the obvious stress on Armitage's words were starting to rankle at her.

"Sure," she went along with the suggestion, for now.

When she stood she was hit with a quick dizziness spell. Armitage saw her sway slightly, and was quick to step to her side. Lori put an arm against the counter, while Hux rested a hand against her back.

"I'm fine," Lori said, blinking the lightheadedness away, "just a bit of a head rush."

Are you sure? Were the first words that sprung to Hux's lips, but managed to keep himself from asking them aloud.

"Alright," he said instead, "should we just call it a night instead? We could just go to sleep if you're feeling ill."

That was the suggestion that went just a little too far for Lori's taste.

"There's a couch, and there's a dining table. Pick one."

Hux heard the edge to her words, "the couch sounds lovely."

He was painfully aware of the short set of stairs that sat between them and their destination, but he didn't say anything for them.

Lori considered the steps as well, though the dizziness had passed. She had never thought of herself as a proud person, but knowing that the tiniest of things would beginning to look daunting left her protesting the very idea of asking for help.

Each of the two were very aware of each other as they walked to the living room below. Avoiding any incidents, they came to rest on the couch.

The little bit of absurdity in the situation wasn't lost on Lori, "if anyone else could see the two of us now, I'm pretty sure they'd think they were seeing things."

"I'd hope so. It's hard work, keeping up that harsh exterior."

"You wear it so well," Lori leaned against Hux.

He was content to wrap an arm around her shoulder, "Flattery will get you nowhere, Lori."

"It's gotten me this far, hasn't it?"

The general leaned down to kiss his lover on the forehead, "I could certainly name a few reasons I keep you around, the compliments are only one of them."

Lori was about to come back with a smart comment, but a chime came from her data pad. The thing sat on the coffee table, it's blinking light nothing more than an annoying distraction. Meaning to ignore it, she opened her mouth to speak, only to be cut off by a second alert. This one came from Hux's data pad, which still sat on the kitchen counter.

Just as the two of them were wondering at the coincidence, a third chime sounded. This time both of the pads beeped simultaneously.

More than a little confused, Lori reached for her pad.

A few rebel cells ago, she had managed to find a way to receive Resistance communications. It had taken some finagling on Hux's part, but her data pad was capable of opening the messages without tripping the First Order's fire wall and alerting the FOSB. Reading over Lori's shoulder, Hux could read the message just as well as she could.

'They got a lead on San Tekka. Scatter. Burn all records.'

Hux was quick with a comment, "What's the other alert?"

Suspicions already hanging over her, Lori was quick to open the news bulletin that came with the second chime. A general message sent out to all officers aboard the Finalizer, it read:

'Be advised that sector B-3 of Batuu is under full lock down. All travel permission is suspended until further notice.'

Quickly putting two and two together, Hux left the couch for his own data pad.

Reaching it, he found a message from the FOSB:

'Resistance intel concerning the spy Lor San Tekka collected from Batuu, sector B-3. No surviving resistance members remain, locals are not cooperating.'

"What's the news on your end?" Lori called from the sofa, taking notes on her own data pad.

"We killed our lead on San Tekka," he answered back.

He saw Lori nod her head to the side, "Maybe we got one of them, but a Whiphid named Binpa is still down there."

The general was quick to relay the information to the FOSB. He didn't expect them to catch the man, so he sent a follow up message to the bridge:

'Blockade any and all ships leaving the planet. Absolutely no one is to leave for any reason. Destroy or capture any violators with no warning.'

"Noted," he called back down before taking a step back towards the stairs, "anything else?"

"No. After Binpa got named a bunch of people sent reminders about not using real names, then silence."

Hux rolled his eyes, "Typical rebels, they can't even remember the most basic of their own rules.

His complaint was a small effort to distract from other worries. Besides the personal pressures, there was a renewed effort in the search for Luke Skywalker. Supreme Leader Snoke had made it clear that he wanted the former jedi found and then destroyed. Before the First Order invaded Batuu, they had received word that an adventurer named Lor San Tekka had part of a map that would lead to the former Jedi's hiding place.

In the general's mind the First Order should only be concerned with stopping the resistance from finding Luke Skywalker, not with going out of their way to eliminate him. The old man had fled on his own accord, and Hux didn't see the point in involving him with the First Orders conquest of the galaxy. Force users were a perpetual thorn in the general's side at any rate, and the resources it was taking to search for one that wasn't even a problem could be better spent elsewhere.

Lori had heard a few sharp comments about the search for San Tekka. She agreed that there was no reason to pull an old Jedi into the struggle when he had already exiled himself. As far as Lori was concerned, she was looking for the adventurer and his map simply so that it wouldn't fall into the hands of the New Republic. With any luck, she might even be able to find the map and then give it to Hux himself. That way he could do whatever he saw fit with it. Whether that meant turning the map over to the rest of the First Order, or having it conveniently disappearing she didn't care either way.

There were bigger things on her mind, but the thought of giving the map to Armitage as a surprise present did bring a smile to her lips.

"As long as it keeps them easy to manipulate, they can break their own rules all they want." Keeping her plans to herself, Lori leaned into ranting about the resistance instead.

The general sat back in his place on the couch, "Easy for you. I'm not sure why we even keep the FOSB around."

"They make for good attack dogs. Point them in the right direction, and they can usually get things done." Lori curled against Hux once again.

Hux set his data pad on the side table, "Usually, but only after being spoon fed information."

A warm thought came to Lori, absurd enough that she couldn't help but share it, "Maybe in twenty years or so, Addie or Lark could whip them into shape."

The comment brought a small smug smile to the general, but he was still ready to complain about the FOSB, "twenty years seems a long way off. I'm sure a ten year old could run our intelligence service better then Director Orlok."

"Maybe our ten year old could, but I say we let them be a kid for a bit. A fifteen year old though, they could cause some trouble."

"If they're half as clever as you, I'm sure they'll fix more problems than they make."

Lori chuckled, "Those're some high hopes. Besides, clever doesn't mean much. But if they were to pick up some of your work ethic..."

"Didn't you just say you wanted them to have time to be a kid?" He wrapped an arm around Lori.

"You ever heard of the phrase, 'work hard, party hard'?" She leaned into his hold.

Hux grinned a little before coming back with a gently sarcastic comment.

The banter stretched on for a long while, and with each passing comment the pair found a little more joy in the hypotheticals and a little less fear in the future

Chapter Text

Lori adjusted the loose fit of her oversized uniform before leaving her office and beginning the walk home. In an attempt to keep the most obvious clue of her condition hidden from the other workers in her office, she had started wearing her belt more loosely and had gotten a tunic one size larger than her last one. The bagginess of her cloths attracted some attention, but she had deflected those questions by saying that there had been a mistake at the dry cleaners and that she would be getting it fixed soon

In reality, this was going to be Lori's last shift on the Finalizer.

She and Hux had worked out the finer details of their plan. She would leave for Sartinaynian either tomorrow or the next day. Formerly in imperial space, the planet was known as Bastion in most of the files that mentioned it. Temperate, though slightly arid, it had served as a weapons depot and research hot spot for experimental technology.

After the fall of the empire, an imperial remnant had stayed on the planet. They never allied with the First Order. In fact, the two factions never spoke at all. Hux was of the mind that that the imperial lineage of the planet would only be a benefit. He couldn't find any mention of pirates in the area nor of rebel activity, so he assumed that the imperial remnant on Bastion had done away with them. Also to the generals liking was the remoteness of the place. It had been little more than a footnote in his records, and he doubted that the New Republic had bothered to so much as send a cursory inspection to the place.

Lori agreed that the backwater status of the planet was a boon, but for entirely different reasons than the general. In spite of the absence of First Order records showing rebel activity in the area, Lori found it hard to believe that there was no resistance presence on the planet. Rebels were a problem as old as time and as looming as the void of space, and the former bounty hunter didn't think she was capable of believing the galaxy would ever be rid of them.

Despite that, she kept her suspicions to herself. Lori didn't intend to keep the father's identity secret forever, she and Hux had both agreed to that. Once that bit of information went public, she knew there wasn't a chance she would be able to manipulate her way into a rebel cell. Not without doing something extreme, at the very least.

Deep in thought, Lori adjusted the loose fit of her oversized uniform once again. She may be leaving the Finalizer, but Lori didn't intend to leave the job behind. Not yet.

Lor San Tekka and his map to Luke Skywalker were still at large in the galaxy. As long as the adventurer or his treasure were left at large, it was only a matter of time before someone found them. Only a matter of time before someone drug Luke Skywalker back into the galaxy. General Hux had made it abundantly clear that the return of the Jedi would spell disaster for the First Order, and Lori agreed completely.

Lori agreed completely, so she intended to find San Tekka first. Being put on a no-name planet with nothing more than the hope of finding a lead was a familiar start for the former bounty hunter. It had been a long time since she had to start from scratch, and she would have been lying to herself if she said didn't find a thrill in the challenge.

Besides finding a planet, they had also been planning Lori's disappearance. The First Order had always been quick to confiscate any ships that ventured too far into the unknown regions. The blockade of Batuu only increased the number of civilian ships stowed away in the hanger. Using her access as a supply officer, Lori had removed one of the ships from any of the supply lists it appeared on.

Reassuring herself that no would even notice if one of the ships went missing, Lori finally made it to the suite.

The door slid open with its familiar whoosh. When it did, Lori caught a quick movement that was Hux jumping slightly at the commotion. She gave him a small nod as she entered, aware that he had been getting more paranoid and high strung as the days went on.

"How was your day?" he asked first.

"Uneventful. Everyone's still none-the-wiser," She tried to put one of Armitage's fears to rest.

He appreciated the news, and tried to sit a little straighter for it.

She crossed the room to sit at the stool besides the general. For a long while they stayed silent and simply enjoyed each other's company.

Hux was the first to break the silence.

"Fancy an early dinner tonight?"

Now that the morning sickness had faded, Lori's appetite had come back with a vengeance. Happy and not surprised that Hux remembered, she was glad to take him up on the offer.

"Do we still have that Sullustan jam?" She asked with a little grin.

"Yes, but unfortunately we're out of completely inappropriate things to put it on," Hux was quick to step into their evening routine.

Lori watched him, aware that tonight would be their last night together for a long time, "That's a shame."

Armitage heard some of the meaning tucked away on Lori's words, "Yes, yes it is."

.***.***.***.***.

Hangar bay three was empty.

The TIE stations were bare, and a few were still little more than piles of slag. Lori had put in a request for replacement parts a month ago, but the budgeting office was still dragging its feet. With the bay out of commission for actual use, it had become a storage area for the confiscated ships. The mid-sized transport that Lori had removed from the supply records sat at the far edge of the floor.

Silent and acutely aware that prying eyes could be found anywhere on the Finalizer, Lori and Hux were quick to slip onto the ship.

The inside was in slight disarray. Hux saw it as little more than a dump and dangerously close to a death trap. Lori saw a perfectly functional ship with a deceptively run down exterior.

"You're sure this will hold together at light speed?" he sat a duffle bag on the floor of the ship. A little bit of dust was kicked up in its wake.

"It'll do better than the Dolos ever did," Lori said just before stepping into the cockpit, "It's even got a working autopilot."

The general was of the opinion that an autopilot system was still the bare minimum.

Lori had read over the ship's intake report. She knew nothing was going to meet Armitage's standards, but the Tolera was fine by her. While Hux cast his own critical eye over the transport, Lori took a look over the control panel to make sure that her records matched the reality of the ship.

Satisfied, she powered on the nav computer and programed a set of coordinates into it. The plan was for her to leave the ship and jump to lightspeed before anyone noticed. Before she left the hangar, Hux would go to the bridge and do what he could to stall a reaction. Between the preset coordinates, him running interference, and Lori's own quick thinking, they were sure that she would be long gone before anyone reacted.

Hux returned to the cockpit to stand beside Lori. With the ship supplied and their plans seconds away from being set into motion, reality came crashing over the couple.

"Lori?" Hux tried and failed not to hold onto old fears.

She turned to face him, trying not to mirror the tiny tremor on Hux's words with her own nervous movement.

"Yes?"

He wrapped an arm around her, "Please, be careful."

"Since when have I ever gotten myself into trouble?" She said as she stepped forward and into the hug.

The little attempt at humor didn't do a thing to calm the general, "I've never been the one to beg…"

"And I won't make you," Lori spoke, her head tucked against the general's neck, "I'll be careful."

They stood in each other arms for too short of a moment. When they had let a little space between them, it was only so that Lori could lean up to give Armitage a long kiss.

Knowing it would be the last one for a long time, neither of them were ready to let it end.

The quickly passing seconds forcing their hand, they stepped away from each other. Hux wanted to rush away from the little ship and be done with it, but also dreaded turning his back on the woman he'd come to love. Lori couldn't stand to watch him go. After their year together, she found that she had forgotten how to be alone. Now that reality was settling in, she felt it twisting at her, eating away at the well trained mask that she wore to keep the galaxy at bay.

Hux took a slow step that left him standing in the doorway to the cockpit.

"I love you, Lori." He searched for any opportunity to hold on to the moment for just a second longer.

"I love you too, Armie." She tried to ignore a sting at the edge of her eyes. Before a flood of tears got the better of her, she spoke again, "Now get out of here. We stall for any longer, and someone on the bridge'll notice you went missing."

Heavy with the knowledge that she was right, Armitage gave a solemn nod before forcing himself to walk off the ship and out of the hangar bay. Lori watched him through the cockpit viewport. Just before he turned the corner and disappeared down the hall, Hux gave the Tolera a final glance over his shoulder. Lori raised a hand to give a small final wave, Armitage acknowledge it with a tiny nod of his head.

With nothing more, he was gone.

Lori slumped down in the pilot's seat. She hadn't even left, and the distance between her and the life she'd come to know seemed so impossibly vast. Aware of the draining seconds, she glanced at the chrono.

She would wait ten minutes before powering the ship on and slipping away. Hux should have plenty of time to get into position before then.

Settling in for the wait, Lori laid a hand over her stomach. She would make one jump away from the Finalizer to an empty chunk of space. The First Order had been developing light speed tracking technology, top secret to the rest of the galaxy, and still partially theoretical besides. Lori felt foolish for it, but distantly feared that the new tech might be used to track the Tolera. Only after she was sure that no one was watching would she begin her journey to Bastion.

The backwater planet was far to the galactic north, and it would be weeks away, even at light speed. Lori glanced at the duffle bag, it held more than enough rations and a several sets of cloths. She had told Hux not to over pack, but planning for every possible contingency had been his way of coping, so she let him shove who knows how many things into the bag.

A warm bead rolled down Lori's cheek.

She already missed him.

Chastising herself for being so emotional, Lori checked the chrono.

It was time.

.***.***.***.***.

General Hux stepped onto the bridge to find that Kylo Ren wasn't there, despite it being the middle of the other commander's shift. If Hux weren't focused on more pressing matters, he would have made a harsh comment about the absent force user.

Glancing at the time, Hux found that five minutes had already passed since he left the hangar bay. He gazed at the stars through the viewport, burning another minute in the process. Knowing that he needed to distract the crew, and needing to distract well as himself, Hux called out to the bridge.

"Navigation, set course for Bakura."

A ripple of commotion went through the room. Training standards were such that a resurgent-class star destroyer could go from stand still to light speed ready in six minutes. Hux had drilled the crew of the Finalizer to get that down to four minutes.

Knowing that the scramble would leave them distracted, Hux continued to give orders that would only slow their progress.

"Propulsions," He turned to look to down at the officers, "give me the power output for reactor three."

A captain scrambled to pull up the right control screen. They assumed that the general was asking because reactor three had been damaged in the skies over Batuu. In reality, Hux was asking because he knew that the engine read outs were on a different system than those that propulsion would have pulled up in preparation for a jump, and that switching between the two would be another thirty seconds wasted.

"Engine three at 55 percent, sir."

That was a legitimate problem. Hux picked at it, stalling even more.

"Have the operator engage the auxiliary fuel supply."

"Yes, sir."

Retrieving the spare fuel supply would mean a commotion in the lower decks, conveniently distracting the weapons department and making it wildly unlikely the tail gunners would be at their stations.

Issuing several more annoying orders, Hux managed to drag out the light speed preparations for an extra ten minutes.

Lieutenant Quin Grier sat at her station and had been diligently working away, though even she started suspecting something was amiss. Aware of half the general's secret, she resigned herself to asking Lori if something especially troublesome was eating at the commander.

When the Finalizer did finally make the jump, general Hux grew silent for a moment.

Left to look out the viewport and find nothing but the familiar streaks of blue-white light that singled hyperspace, the general tried not to think of anything for too long. When he found that his thoughts kept going back to Lori, he spoke his crew once again.

Being petty and cruel had always been his distraction from pain, and now the general fell back to old habits. He had been doing his best to slow and distract the crew, and by anyone else's standards, they had managed very well.

But Hux was in the mood to be upset, and he was going to let the bridge crew know it.

Chapter Text

The Tolera slipped away from the Finalizer without incident. Left in the middle of deep space, Lori considered her options. She could take the short route north by threading the edge of the unknown regions and the mid rim, or she could take the long way around using established hyperspace lanes. Both would get her to Bastion in about the same amount of time, but each would carry their own dangers.

The established lanes should keep her safe from pirates, but being stopped by New Republic forces was a possibility, and having a First Order uniform on the ship would be difficult to talk around. Going the back way would all but guarantee a run in with outlaws, especially in an unarmed and seemingly vulnerable transport. Another pitfall might be the First Order. She was part of their team, but she had no official reason to be roaming around in a strange ship.

Aware that she wouldn't be able to use plotting a course as a distraction for long, Lori left the cockpit to change into one of her more non-descript outfits. Unzipping the pack, she was greeted with the scent of the general's cologne. Pausing at the smell she tried not to let the home sickness set in so quickly.

Hit with a twist of loneliness, and then a wave of frustration over the fact that she couldn't keep the sorrow at bay, Lori wiped away a wayward tear for the second time.

"Keep it together, Lori." She spoke to herself in attempt to make the ship seem a little less empty.

It didn't work.

Meaning to keep the little reminder of home for as long as possible, Lori left the rest of the cloths in the pack and zipped it shut.

After changing into the new cloths, Lori returned to the cockpit. She didn't find any distractions in the empty void of space, and she knew that she wouldn't find any while peering over star charts either. Forcing herself to ignore the things she had left behind was a life long skill for the former bounty hunter, and finding that she had lost the ability to do so grated at her.

So many things picked at Lori, and the only one that she found she had the energy to confront was which rout she would take on her way north.

In this ship, the journey would take nearly three weeks in either direction. The threats were distinct, but roughly equal. As far as Lori could tell, the only real difference that mattered to her was that the autopilot system would be able to navigate the established hyperspace lanes through the populated sections of the galaxy.

Without taking the solace she wanted in the decision, Lori readied the ship for another jump. This time she set course for Houche. From there she would be able to connect to larger hyperspace lanes as nothing more than a faceless transport, with nameless captain, going on a pointless shipping run.

The route would run her past Coruscant, and down the Correlian run. Old legends of racketeering trade federations and overbearing systems picked at her.

Pushing the worries away and hoping that the Tolera was up for such a long journey, Lori programed her route into the nav computer.

The ship rattled and slipped into hyperspace. When Lori looked out the cockpit window, she was left with nothing but the hypnotic blue-white steaks of hyperspace to distract her from herself.

Lori found that the lights weren't distracting at all.

.***.***.***.***.

Hux stood on the bridge of the Finalizer. Six hours since Lori had fled the ship, and the general was still trying desperately to ignore reality. More than once he had snapped at a crew member and taken to yelling at or belittling them for some inconsequential offence. When the shift ended and the next crew came in, none of the officers on the bridge took the time to warn their replacements about Hux's foul mood.

The next shift came and went. Six hours more on the bridge, and Hux showed no signs of calming down. He never took to nervously pacing back and forth, and his uncanny stillness left the bridge crew to flinch slightly whenever he did move to a different position.

Only after the second shift ended did Hux left his place on the bridge.

Despite the day being over, the general didn't consider going to his suite.

Instead, he quickly made for his office. There, at least, he wouldn't be surrounded by constant reminders that Lori was gone.

A few other personnel wondered the halls, most of them going home after leaving their stations for the day. People never did make a habit of talking to Hux when they passed him in the hall. The look on the general's face was especially dour today, and no one wanted to be the poor soul who found out why.

Alone with his thoughts, Hux stepped into his office.

Looking for a distraction, he powered-on the computer and fell into his chair with a huff. His inbox overflowed with messages, requests, and reports. He halfheartedly skimmed through them, hoping for a message from Lori.

Instead he only found reports heavy with bad news. Starkilller was continuing to fall even further behind schedule, and the trail on Lor San Tekka had gone cold, again.

A series of storm troopers had defected from different units, seemingly without knowledge of each other. Ren had ruined his TIE-silencer, and expected a replacement. Hux even found a message from Supreme Leader Snoke.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, the general took a break from his desk. A small liquor cabinet sat in the corner of his office, it had gone largely undisturbed for the past year. Falling back to old habits, Hux pulled a bottle of Sullustan gin from its place. He poured half a cup of liquor into a glass, but paused before putting the bottle away.

Giving into himself, he took the bottle and glass back to his desk.

One sip of the stinging liquor reminded him how much he missed the balanced cocktails that Lori used to mix together.

Shaking the thought away, he swallowed another mouthful of the clear liquid and went back to his messages. He had given himself half a day to mope, and now he was ready to pour over his work in effort to keep his mind away from his situation.

Getting to work, he read through report after report, typing out harsh replies as he went. Starkiller needed additional doonium, Hux authorized the invasion of two different systems in search of the ore.

The FOSB had captured a traitor aboard the Majesty. Hux ordered that they transfer the prisoner to the Finalizer, he wanted a turn at interrogating them.

Signing the death warrants for traitorous storm troopers didn't weigh on his conscious for a second, nor did ordering a new round of conscriptions in the mid rim.

A class of officer cadets was set to tour a resurgent-class destroyer. Most other commanding officers had politely declined for their ships to be the destination. General Hux requested that they come to the Finalizer. Not only because they needed to see the prime of the First Order's fleet, but also because he wanted to test the would-be officers. Anyone who didn't meet his standards would be summarily removed from the program.

On and on the general went, each message he sent being a little meaner in spirit than the last. The night dragged on and the amount of gin in his bottle dropped lower with each passing hour. A third full shift had come and gone and the general was still furiously typing away at any message that had the misfortune of landing in his inbox.

Every alert he saw, every report he read, only told Hux that the First Order wasn't up to his standards. That there were a thousand little flaws in his system, and that any one of them could see the whole thing come crashing down.

He issued orders and corrected data files with a fervor that would have frightened anyone else, should they see it in person.

Fourth shift started, this time yesterday he was just waking up. Picking up the gin and making to refill his glass, Hux found that the bottle had gone empty. Cursing at his luck, he went back to his work. When he found that the liquor had gone to his head, and that the words he wrote were little more than irrational gibberish, Hux slumped back in his chair.

In that quiet moment, he knew that Lori would tell him to go home and take a break. To go to sleep and eat something.

In that quiet moment, he knew he couldn't go home. Pouring himself into work was the only thing that kept him from having to confront his new found loneliness, and he wasn't sure he would be able to pick up the pieces that revelation left behind.

Demanding himself to get up and get back to work, Hux tried to sit up in his chair, to read the document on his computer. But the liquor and the time and his own paranoid thoughts were catching up. Without the wherewithal to even curse at himself, Hux continued his way forward until he found himself slumped over his desk.

He couldn't go home. There was work to do. There was a galaxy to bring out of anarchy.

He couldn't go home, because it wasn't home without her.

Chapter Text

The Tolera slipped out of hyperspace. From the cockpit, Lori looked down to Bastion's orange-brown surface. A few lights dotted the night time side of the planet, and even from here she could see a few telltale hints that the planet had a defense system.

The journey had taken the better part of a month. Lori had mostly been left undisturbed, the New Republic systems she traveled through being more concerned with planet side matters than they were with a little transport that kept to the hyperspace lanes.

A day after she left Dorin, however, the Tolera had been hailed by a group of TIEs. They hadn't belong to the First Order, who had been upgrading their ships, these TIEs were leftovers from the imperial era.

It had been touch and go, apparently the space between Dorin and Entralla had been claimed by a group calling themselves the Pentastar Alignment.

Shortly after the unexpected run-in with a second imperial remnant, Lori began listening for unsecured communications. As far as she could tell, the Pentastar Alignment was just short of a corporate dictatorship, founded by a former Grand Moff. The Alignment was at odds with the imperial remnant on Bastion, who were headed by a man named Jagged Fel. A few communications referred to Fel as Emperor Fel, while others just called him Jag. Lori hadn't been able to tell if the nicknames were derisive or genuine.

From the snippets of chatter she'd heard, the only thing that the factions seemed to share was their tense relationship with the New Republic.

Settling into orbit around Bastion, Lori hailed the planet in search of an open landing pad. After far too long of a wait, her communications where acknowledged.

"Bastion to unknown transport, state your purpose."

Lori had had plenty of time to decide which personality she would have to wear to yield the best results. She spoke back with a mid-rim accent, "This is Lori Gallus, captain of the Tolera. Requesting permission to land on the planet's surface."

There was a slight pause. If Lori had to guess, the person below was checking whatever records they had in search of a reason to deny her request. Lori had been busy at work scrubbing any mention of the Tolera from any record she had access to, but there were so many unknowns about the planet below, she found herself tapping her foot against the floor as a nervous tick.

The moment stretched on, and if Lori were less experienced in lying as she was, she would have signaled the planet again.

Her patience eventually won out, and she waited until the received a curt permission to land.

"Tolera, proceed to the Ravelin landing zone, landing pad four. Transmitting coordinates now."

Only a moment later her nav computer lit up with instructions. Engaging the autopilot, Lori let the ship take itself to the planet's surface.

Sitting back in the pilot's seat, Lori picked up her data pad. She double checked that her personal notes on the Fel Empire and the Pentastar Alignment were so deeply hidden that even she would have trouble finding them. When she was satisfied with that, she left the data pad in plain sight, her reason being that no one would put an undue amount of scrutiny on the thing if there was no hint that she had been trying to hide it.

As the Tolera descended through a layer of clouds, Lori found a fortified city. Walls complete with well-armed battlements surrounded the urban area. A long stretch of cleared land sat between the base of the walls and the wilds beyond them. The town itself was mostly heavy stone with dura-steel reinforcements.

Despite the oppressive architecture and gray buildings, the line between former imperial factories and newly built dwellings was clear. Some roads were narrow and well-worn by the treads of a heavy machinery, while others were broad and flanked by obviously imported trees. A few buildings had tall spires, and each could have passed for a palace or seat of government. Lori was half sure that this was an intentional way to confuse attackers. Giving the spires a second glance, she found blaster turrets hidden away in their design.

While Lori would have liked to take a longer look at the city, the Tolera was fast approaching the landing zone.

Just before her ship touched down, Lori made a few final adjustments to her cloths. Hoping that her plan was a good one, she stood tall. The slight bump in her stomach obvious from below the shirt she wore.

Lori watched two uniformed men approach the ship. She had no intention of being difficult. As far as anyone was concerned, she was a refugee fleeing the instability of the New Republic, in search of a stable planet to raise her family.

Without waiting to be ordered, Lori lowered the loading ramp. Ready to greet the men, and to begin her act, she moved to stand at the top of the ramp.

Their uniforms were similar to those the First Order used. She wasn't too surprised, with both of them presumably basing their designs off the Galactic Empire of old. The Fels used imperial style rank placards instead of the arm bands she had learned. Lori didn't know exactly where they stood rank wise, but the small number of squares told her that they couldn't be too high in the chain of command.

Sergeant Klieg and Private Mors hadn't been expecting a visitor. They especially hadn't been expecting a lone pregnant woman flying a scrap heap. Mors wasn't sure what to do, so he let Klieg take the lead. Klieg knew that the private wasn't going to be much help at all, and loathed the fact that he had been stuck with the incompetent man in the first place.

"May we come in, miss?" Klieg knew that there was protocol for inspecting un-identified ships.

He also knew that protocol took forever, was impossible to remember in its entirety, and boring besides.

"Of course," Lori called down from the ship, considering the exact way she was going to play her hand around the two newcomers.

She was already emotionally raw from being alone and so far from home, and Lori knew that she wouldn't be able to keep her expressions as carefully controlled as she usually did. Luckily, she saw that the two men were already taken off guard by the situation. She didn't like to stoop to crying to get her way, but it was a tool at her disposal like any other. In this case, it looked like it might be a more effective tool than usual.

Klieg took point and entered the ship, Mors following close behind.

"Are you alone?" the sergeant asked Lori.

"Yes, sir."

Despite her words, Klieg nodded to Mors, who walked further into the ship. Lori saw that they were armed, but didn't let the realization pick at her too much.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

Lori had been rehearsing her answer to that particular question for days now, and when she gave her response it was flawless.

"I… I was hoping to move here." She didn't have to bite her tongue to let a swell of tears come to her eyes, "The New Republic isn't safe, and I…We just thought our family would be safer here."

The man caught her talking in plurals, just as Lori hopes he would, "I thought you said you were alone?"

"I-" Lori shook with a sharp inhale, "My husband-"

She was cut off by private Mors.

"Hey sarge, I found a bunch of men's cloths…" he drifted off when he realized he was walking into a conversation where their mystery visitor was on the cusp of sobbing all over the sergeant.

Two weeks into her journey, Lori finally worked up the nerve to dig through the rest of the bag. In it was a series of costumes and different cloths, some of which were men's. She had nearly cried when she found one of Armitage's undershirts that she had taken to using as pajamas.

Feeling how ready the two soldiers were to end the conversation, Lori leaned into the private's discovery, "My husband didn't… he's…"

"That's enough of that." Klieg hastily spoke up, "You don't have to say it."

She didn't like suggesting that Hux was dead, even if she never had to say it out loud. As uncomfortable as it was, the implication was twofold. First, it made her very easy to sympathize with. People were already slow to be suspicious of a lone pregnant woman, and coming up with a tragic back story made people even less likely to cast a critical eye over her. Second, saying that the father was dead made people much slower to ask for details. Less detail now, meant less lies to forget later.

"Miss..." the first man Lori had been speaking to went on.

She hadn't realized that she was crying as hard as she was.

"It's Gallus." She gave him her real name.

"Miss Gallus," He continued on, "My name is Sergeant Cable Klieg, and that's Private Perry Mors. We uh… we don't handle who moves here, but we can show you to the office that does. Ok?"

From the tone on his words, Lori could tell that they didn't get many visitors here, and even fewer people trying to move in.

"I would like that." she kept her words small and wounded, and a little fearful of the future. It wasn't all an act.

Klieg had never been in this situation. Unfortunately for Private Mors, the sergeant wasn't keen on staying in the situation either.

"Ok, why don't you follow private Mors over there?"

The private gave a panicked shake of the head to his superior, but quickly pretended that nothing was amiss when Lori turned to face him.

"Sure…" he muttered, "I'd be happy to show you around."

"Thank you." Lori pushed the words out between shaky breaths. On a normal day she would have been able to control her tears, but these were a mix of genuine and faked emotions and she found herself weepy in spite of her best efforts.

Mors gestured down the ramp, leaving Lori to step to the planet's surface without the chance to comment. If she had glanced over her shoulder, she would have seen the private glare nervously at the sergeant, who only shrugged in reply.

"Just follow me, ma'am." Mors said as he came to stand besides Lori.

She didn't protest as she followed the man into the city.

.***.***.***.***.

General Hux hadn't been back to his suite in over three weeks.

Not that anyone could tell, he was still the same stickler for appearances as he had always been. He had been bathing during off hours in the showers attached to the gym, and he'd been taking his uniform directly from the cleaners whenever he needed a change of clothes.

After one very self-destructive week, he finally began keeping his office to the same standards it had been before Lori's disappearance. No one ever visited him there, and he only spoke to bark orders on the bridge, or when he was forced into a meeting with Snoke and Kylo Ren.

The two force users had sensed a massive shift in the general's mind, though neither said anything for it. Really, neither of the force users cared enough to spare a second thought for the red haired commander.

Thoroughly distracted from thoughts of Snoke or Ren, Hux was hunched over his desk typing away a series of orders.

After nearly a month of tireless working, he had managed to get the timeline for Starkiller a little closer to being back on track. While he was approving a proposal to use Alusteel sheeting on the thermal regulators, a message with no listed sender appeared in his inbox.

Lori had sent a few messages on her travels, though they weren't as nearly frequent as Hux would have liked. Communications were nigh impossible while traveling at light speed, unless one had a dedicated long-range communications array.

Quickly forgoing his official duties, Hux opened Lori's message.

The general wasn't even a little bit surprised that the body was blank but that there were a series of attachments. There was no guarantee that these messages were secure, but individual files could be locked behind a password. That way, even if the message was intercepted, any rebels or spies would be kept at bay.

Lori had no way of telling him what the password was, but they knew each other well enough to leave him with a small number of guesses.

'ARDIS' he typed their would-be daughter's name.

The computer chimed as it began to download Lori's message.

Opening the file, he was happy to find something that was more than vague half speak and allusions.

"Landed on Bastion yesterday. Everything's going as smooth as can be expected, I even got an apartment set up. Haven't been to a doctor yet, but that's next on the to do list. I know it's still early and I'm probably imagining things, but I swear I can feel them moving around in there.

"Bastion's pretty solidly put together, if a little paranoid. I can't blame them, I ran into some interesting characters on my way in. Everything's fine, I'm fine, but there's a lot more factions out here than we realized. The Fel Empire (I know, I rolled my eyes at the name too) seems okay, they might be worth allying with. There's the Pentastar Alignment also, they're not worth our time and their leader's on his death bed anyway (a man by the name of Grand Moff Kaine).

"Wish you could be here, Armie. I know you can't get away from work right now, but it's lonely. I'll keep you posted on what the doctor says, if I'm lucky I might even get a due date. I'm still not sure what exactly they look at to figure that out, but I'm no doctor, so what do I know."

He read and reread the words. He wanted nothing more than to be by her side as well, and it took everything he had not to schedule leave right there and then. While he battled his desires, the general also tried not to let himself panic.

She mentioned a run in with other groups, and the fact that she said not to worry only made him worry more. Checking the rest of the file, he found her notes on the other factions, their leaders, their strengths, weaknesses, command structure, and several other bits of information that was news to the First Order.

A lump sat in the general's throat, Lori shouldn't be putting herself in danger for a few shreds of information. He was about to type out a response that said as much before he stopped himself.

She's more than capable, he thought, and you should be thanking her.

Taking a deep breath, he typed a letter in reply:

"Let me know everything the doctor says, and please, please, be careful. I'll add your information to our files, but don't go out of the way for more for my sake.

"Life has been largely the same here. Our trail on San Tekka has gone cold. Again! Snoke has grown even more adamant that we find Skywalker, and I can't imagine why. Some progress has been made on my projects. Not enough, mind you, but some.

"I miss you too, greatly so. Give me a date, and I'll be there no matter the cost."

He had no intention of mentioning that he had been skipping meals and avoiding their home. Hux reasoned that telling her would only upset her, and the thought of doing that upset him.

The general put his own message in a file and locked it. He set the password as LARKIN, knowing that Lori would be quick to figure it out.

Loath as he was to do it, Hux sent the message and went back to work.

Chapter Text

General Hux sat at his desk. A status report was available for Starkiller base, its new completion date was set for four months from today.

He was half way through an intake report when a new message came through. Despite being as busy as he was, he stopped his work and felt the edges of his lips twist into a smile when he saw that it had no sender listed. Quickly forgetting the report, he opened the new message. He had to make a few guesses at the password, they had already run through the other possible names.

He'd been eagerly awaiting this one. Lori had a doctor's appointment scheduled for today. While Hux was impatient for any news, he couldn't help but be anxious that something might be wrong. Drumming his hand against the desk, Hux waited for the file to open. While the computer took its time he imagined all sorts of horrifying news, of complications, of illness or injury that he could do nothing about.

When the file finally opened, its words brought a sudden relief:

"Just got back from the appointment. The doctor said everything looks fine. He could even tell the gender. I wish I could tell you in person, I'm sure the look on your face would be priceless. Hell, I'm pretty sure I could imagine it if I tried hard enough.

"It's a girl! Ardis is still the name at the top of my list for her, but nothing's set in stone yet.

"She should be due four months from now, I'll keep you updated as the date gets closer. I've got another appointment scheduled for next month. Nothing is out of the ordinary, that's just how these things work. I'll let you know how that one goes too.

"Maybe it's the hormones, but I'm going stir crazy. I was walking through a shop the other day and I came across a red ceramic mug. I've taken to talking to my mug like it's a person.

"I know that you can't be, but I wish you were here just so I'd have someone to talk to. I'd even introduce you to Mugsy, he's quite the chatter box.

"Joking aside, I hope my news finds you well. I know you won't take my advice, but please get some rest and stop skipping meals. I might not be around to see that you're walling yourself up in your office, but I know you well enough to be pretty sure that you are.

"Also, I know you told me not to go out of my way in looking for information, but I picked up on a few things around town. The Fels are looking for allies, and there's talk of war with the Pentastar alignment. I'd wager that if we came to the Fels rescue, we'd be able to absorb them into the First Order without much trouble. If I'm not mistaken, the First Order should have more than enough fire power to take on the Pentastar alignment.

"Just food for thought. I didn't mean to get too much into business, I'm just looking for anything to fill my time with. Again, I'll let you know when I get an exact due date.

"Love, L."

A daughter named Ardis. Hux never thought he would be in a position where he was left to consider raising a little girl.

He imagined a younger version of Lori. Still harder on himself than was reasonable, the general couldn't imagine leaving someone with his features.

How long did it take a child to learn how to walk?

Hux wondered when they would go from crawling, to teetering along, to wandering along behind him or Lori. Of course, in his short day dream they were all aboard a star destroyer, he wasn't sure he could see himself living anywhere else. He knew from personal experience that a ship in the void of space was dreadfully boring for a child, but he was sure that he and Lori could make the cold place into a home. Besides, in five or so years, the First Order very well might have a secure planet to call its capital.

Indulging himself, Hux imagined a perfect little family on a perfect little planet in a perfect galaxy.

Far removed from the chaotic mess that was the New Republic, Hux saw a bright future where rebellion was a threat of the past. In his vision of the galaxy there was no resistance, or debate, or insurgents, or revolution, or any other perils to endanger the status quo. His galaxy would be a safe place, and he would be damned if anything were to keep his vision from reality.

Slowly drawing himself away from a dreamy future, Armitage looked back to the one light spot in his present. Lori's message needed a reply, he wasn't sure he could put words to the thoughts in his head. Wishing more than ever that his lover was back by his side, he typed out a reply he would have liked to say to her face:

"I haven't the words, and I wish that you were here so I didn't have to try to find them over text.

"Ardis is a lovely name, and I see no reason to choose another (though I still maintain that it sounds old).

"I'll be there in four months' time, no matter the cost. I know I'm tempting fate even writing it, but there's not a single thing that would have me miss the day. I know you're perfectly fine, and capable besides, but tell me everything the doctor says.

"Starkiller should be done shortly after Ardis arrives. It won't be long after that, that the New Republic becomes a thing of the past. Think of it, a galaxy finally safe and under control. The two of you could come back and live in the open. There would still be spies, of course, but the threats of war would be gone. I'm sure we could manage if only those were out of the way.

"Concerning the Pentastar Alignment and the Fels: Please be careful. I'll see what we can do. It shouldn't be hard to convince Snoke that it's in our best interests to expand our holdings in the galactic north, but I'm not sure how receptive he'll be for a diplomatic mission. If I manage well enough, I might even have a mission to Bastion that coincides with Ardis' due date.

"I miss you greatly, but we'll be together soon. Please take care of yourself.

"Love, A."

After saving the file behind a password, Hux's hand lingered over the send button for a moment. He debated whether or not his thoughts of a diplomatic mission were wishful thinking, then he debated if talk of business was too dour for what should be a light and jovial message. Distantly worrying that their tender moments would always be clouded by dire situations, Hux wondered if he should retype the message.

Deciding that he was overthinking things, he hit send before he thought better of it.

The moment passed, and as much as Armitage would have liked to dream of a life he had never known, he had work to do. Turning back to business, he closed the message from Lori. He had a family to protect.

And that meant he had a galaxy to conquer.

.***.***.***.***.

Lori settled onto her couch with a mug of herbal tea. She lived on the second floor, and the short walk up the stair was becoming more cumbersome with each passing day. Her apartment was small, but it did its job well enough.

A single bedroom stood behind her, it had a small window that opened to a narrow street. Stepping out of the bedroom would leave her standing in the kitchen, which was only separated from the living room by a counter with no bar stools. The living room had two distinct areas. One held a couch and a plush chair, below them was a rug. The other half of the room had a modest table with two chairs that served as a dining area.

She had found the place pre-furnished, it was clearly meant for a couple.

Lori tried not to let the subtle reminders that she was missing someone pick at her. Before she had too long to let her mood sour, her data pad chimed with a message. She had just sent Armitage an update, but she wasn't too surprised that he was quick to respond.

"Well Mugsy, let's see what Armie's got to say." She spoke to her mug just to make the room feel a little less lonely.

She had to make a few guesses at the password, but she managed eventually.

She couldn't help but grin at the opening sentence. Even when Hux had time to think of something to say, he was still at a loss for words. He had always been the one to take the direct route in their conversations, and seeing him not sure what to say betrayed its own bit of vulnerability.

Reading his words left her with a few fleeting thoughts. Four months and she'd see him again. Form his letter, Armitage certainly believed that they would be together permanently not long after that. Lori was slow to hope that might be true. She wanted to believe in Hux's words as fervently as he did, but she was still convinced that the galaxy was an unruly mess. Lori hoped that the First Order could rein in some of the madness, but she didn't think it would be as quick and painless as Hux did.

Still, she took some comfort from his words.

She was in the midst of typing out a quick reply when a second message chimed. Wondering if Hux had forgotten to mention something, she clicked over to the new message. The sender was a garbled collection of letter and numbers, instead of the blank space that appeared for Hux's letters.

Curious and half expecting nonsense spam, Lori opened the message:

"Lori! It's Dak. Long story, but I need your help on a job. I know, I kind of hung you out to dry on the last one, but this is big! Message me back."

That certainly raised an eyebrow. Lori hadn't spoken to, or otherwise contacted Dak in over a year. In fact, the last time they had talked was when he took credits from the First Order using Lori's name. If it weren't for her weaselly friend, then Lori never would have taken that first job from Hux, and none of this would have happened.

Dak didn't know it, but Lori owed him.

She might not owe him enough to take him up on whatever crazy job had in mind, but she did think she should at least hear him out.

Lori typed out a quick reply to Dak: "Damn straight you hung me out to dry last time. What's your new job? It better be good if you expect my help a second time."

Dak had always been the one to exaggerate, and she was sure that he would leave her alone after a response like that unless his job really was that important.

Not sparing another moment on her old acquaintance, Lori went back to her second message to Hux.

Chapter Text

Only a month away from her due date, Lori was drafting another message to Hux. Life had mostly been quite on Bastion, though she had overheard rumors in the market place. If the local merchants were to be believed, then Emperor Fel was in talks with another Imperial Remnant. No one had a name for this mysterious other group, but Lori had one guess.

Her message mostly consisted of advice on what the Fels were looking for in an ally. As per Hux's request, she hadn't necessarily gone out of her way to collect the information. She certainly hadn't done anything dangerous, at any rate.

Besides feeding the general useful information about the hermit empire, Lori had also been looking into Dak's job. After she sent her response, he had been tight on details. When she had asked about the pay, he had gone quiet. She thought that that would be the end of the exchange, but the sudden chiming of a new message contradicted her.

She opened and skimmed it, before doing a double take and reading more closely.

"The pay can be whatever you want, but I need your help. I dunno where you've run off to, but I'm right near Gabredor. There's a bunch of Imps out here and they're hot on my heels."

Lori doubted that Dak, of all people, had stumbled onto something important. Still, Gabredor was less than a thousand parsecs away, at the edge of Pentastar territory. If he did have something that the Pentastar Alignment was after, then it was likely that the Fel Empire would want it too. Whatever it was might turn into a valuable bargaining chip for the First Order.

Besides, if Dak's problem turned out to be something trivial, then she doubted that he would take her up on her offer and the whole matter could be put to rest.

She typed a short reply, "If my help's that valuable, you can find me on Bastion."

With that sent, Lori changed tabs to continue her message to Hux. She didn't get very far before the data pad pinged with Dak's answer.

"Deal. I'll come to you."

The quickness of the reply didn't sit right with Lori, for a moment she considered mentioning it to Armitage. The thought didn't last for long. He had other things to worry about, and she was more than capable of dealing with Dak.

.***.***.***.***.

Snoke's ghostly blue hologram filled the dim room almost as much as his echoing voice.

"I trust the Fels have learned they will not survive without the consent of the First Order."

General Hux stood next to Kylo Ren. The knight hadn't spoken to anyone from the Fel empire, and was against the idea entirely. Hux was sure that Ren opposed speaking with the other remnant simply because he was in favor of it.

"They won't survive at all. They are weak and we will crush them."

Ren's helmet gave his words a garbled and distorted sound. The general didn't try to hide how much it annoyed him.

Hux completely disregarded the force users comment before making his own, "Their representative is slated for a visit to the Finalizer next week. One look at our fleet will leave them with no doubt that we are their superior."

Even from lightyears away Snoke could sense the mutual loathing between the two commanders; he drew an endless amount of entertainment from it. "And the superior force cannot allow a weak one to grow in its shadow. Tell me your plan for the so-called Fel empire."

The general hated it when he had to quickly come up with something that would prove his case as much as it did destroy Kylo Ren's. While Hux was carefully choosing his words, Ren hastily spoke.

"We turn their capital planet into dust and tell the survivors to join or die."

Snoke dipped his head in consideration before looking down at the general. The supreme leader felt a curious anger roll of off Hux. Every time Snoke's apprentice spoke it got a rise out of the other man, but that particular comment inspired a more concentrated, more wrathful, response.

"Open warfare with the Fels would be a waste of resources," Hux began, comment pointed at Ren, "our intelligence services have reported that the Fels are on the verge of war with another, less well armed group. Aiding the Fels in a war would allow us to quietly absorb the survivors into the First Order, while also claiming the territory won from the Pentastar Alignment."

"To avoid a fight, you plan on getting into a fight."

The general held onto an angry retort that he would have let loose on anyone else, instead saying, "No. That would be foolish. I propose we send a minimal number of resources as aid. When both sides are near collapse from fighting, we walk in and claim both of their territories with little to no resistance. Your plan would have us fighting both factions at full strength."

Snoke saw merit in the general's plan, but he saw a chance to test his empire in battle through Ren's idea. Always willing to keep the two men at odds with each other, he gave advice that would force them to fight the other for their plan.

"Speak with this representative," Snoke began, "they will know that the Fel Empire must bend at the knee before the First Order. Should they be defiant, then wipe the whole of their so-called empire from the galaxy."

Battling against overlapping layers of annoyance, Hux struggled to keep his face blank. He hated it when Snoke's orders gave no real answer and left him to fight tooth and nail against Ren's terrible ideas without any real authority to do so.

Biting his tongue, the general simply acknowledged the supreme leaders orders, "Understood, supreme leader."

Kylo Ren and Snoke both felt the disdain under the general's words. Ren had once pointed out to Snoke that Hux was willing to kill him in order to take over his place as supreme leader. Snoke had almost laughed the observation off, telling Ren that Hux wanted to kill a lot of people and that he didn't take it personally. The way the force twisted around Hux at the moment, Ren was tempted to remind Snoke of the general's murderous desires.

But he didn't.

"Understood," Ren also begrudgingly accepted the supreme leaders command.

With nothing more than that, the two commanders were dismissed. Leaving the room, neither said a word. Both were too busy plotting and scheming exactly how they would be ruining the others plans.

.***.***.***.***.

Just two days after Lori's exchange with Dak, there was a knock at her door. She set down a mug of herbal tea that she had just finished brewing. A second, more frantic knock rattled the door.

She hadn't been expecting Dak to get there so quickly, but she couldn't imagine that anyone else might be visiting. Suspicions prickling at her, Lori left the kitchen. When she neared the front door, she spared a glance to the camera feed.

It was near sunset, and her camera wasn't great to begin with. Two people stood outside, hoods drawn so that she couldn't see their faces.

One of them was the right height, but Dak hadn't mentioned bringing friends.

Before she unlocked the door, she shouted through it.

"Who are you, and what do you want?" she held on to her fake mid rim accent.

The shorter of the two figures shuffled slightly. The taller one stared down at him. Before either of them came up with an answer, something hard and round pressed against Lori's back.

"Move, and things will get ugly," A man said from behind her.

It had been a long time since someone had held a blaster against her back. A split second after the man made his threat, a voice called from outside.

"It's me, Lori. Let us in!"

That was definitely Dak's voice. Lori wasn't one to escalate the situation, but he had a hell of a lot of explaining to do.

"Open the door." The man in her home spoke again, pressing the blaster harder against her back to emphasize the demand.

She bit down a bitter comment and did as he said.

Dak jumped slightly at the movement, only to be pushed forward by the second hooded man behind him. Lori's old friend stumbled inside, only coming to a stop half way into the living room and well behind Lori. The second hooded man followed after Dak, leaving Lori to stare at the shut door once again.

Lori had stepped to the side to avoid the two newcomers. The armed man followed her movements, though he wasn't holding the blaster as firmly against her back anymore. Tempted as she was, Lori didn't turn around to see Dak throw down his hood and begin speaking.

"Hey Lori, long time no see. Sorry about the…you…I mean, you're…" his words trickled to a stop as he saw the state of his old friend.

"Pregnant?" dropping the fake mid rim accent, she gave Dak the word he was looking for, "Well hell, Dak. I hadn't noticed. Thanks for letting me know."

"Is there anyone else in the house?" the taller hooded figure was quick to speak.

The man with the blaster answered before Lori, "No, it's all clear."

Not willing to gamble with her life, Lori was still left looking at the closed door. If she had turned around, she would have seen the taller figure drop his hood and gesture for the second man to holster the weapon.

"Sorry about the rushed entrance, miss." The apparent ring leader spoke with a rough voice, "the blasters gone, we're not going to hurt you."

Lori turned to face the motley crew before she decided how angry she was going to be. Dak stood in the living room, his boots tramping mud onto the carpet, he looked slightly more wiry and much older than the last time she had seen him.

Now directly in front of Lori was a man near her age, blaster pistol tucked into a holster on his hip. He had gray eyes, dark hair, and a broad enough build to make her think he was the brawns of the operation.

Behind him and next to Dak was an older man, hood drawn down as a bundle of cloth on his shoulders. Hair a dusty brown that had gone gray at the temples, he held himself with a forced ease that seemed common among soldiers pretending that they were anything but.

"Hey Dak," she eyed the new comers, but spoke to the familiar face, "you didn't say you were bringing friends with you."

He still hadn't recovered from his initial question, "I didn't, but you didn't tell me you were… I don't- when did you start seeing… you are with someone, right?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

The armed company Dak brought with him was the biggest concern at the moment, but Lori wasn't keen on talking about her recent activates either.

Unfortunately, Dak had never been good at leaving well enough alone. None of the others were going to change the topic either. If Dak's contact was planning on starting a family in imperial space, it was only natural to assume that she had imperial sympathies. Even worse was the possibility that her imperial lover would be home any minute.

"But-" Expression quickly going serious, Dak came around to the same concerns, "Lori, who's the father?"

She was quick to slip into her established story, "He's… He's gone."

"What do you mean?" Dak continued on.

"I mean," Lori looked at him with the best wounded look she could muster, "He's dead, shot down while we were out on a job."

Even though it was a lie, Lori still hated saying it out loud. But it was the best way to make her guests drop the topic.

The news hit Dak hard, "Hell Lori, I'm sorry. Is there anything-"

"I don't want to talk about it." She cut him off, satisfied that that would be the end of it, "Now what the hell is so important that you had to come track me down?"

Still weary of the woman and her story, the older man was quick to speak.

"We're on the run, fleeing from Pentastar forces, we only need to hide out here until we can safely leave."

It would have been a believable story, if Lori were an idiot.

"So you ran north, into more imperial space? I'm not buying it. Also, try getting your story straight. Dak said he had a job for me and I've never been in the hiding people business."

"What business have you been in, then?" the younger blaster wielding man spoke next.

Lori was still bitter that he had drawn a blaster on her, whether he ever intended to fire it or not, "I don't think you know how this works. You're in my house, begging for my help."

He hadn't been expecting her to talk back so readily, "Yeah we are in your house, so you're going to do what we say."

More than happy to call his bluff now, Lori glared at him while she spoke, "I take one step out that door, or start screaming for a second, and the city guards'll be all over this place. Between the four of us there's one person they're going to believe, and it ain't going to be you."

"Cool it Lex, we're not here to pick fights." The older man stepped in before things got worse, "Sorry Miss Gallus, our mission is sensitive and Dak said you might be able to help us."

Lori glanced at her old contact, who was quick to look to the floor, "Ya'll have got to be real desperate if you're looking to Dak for help."

"You could say that," The older man eyed Dak as well, "Now, understand that what we say stays secret."

Lori crossed her arms over her stomach and let a far off-look of disdain cloud her features, "I ain't got any love for the empire, if that's what you're worried about."

He gave her a long look but eventually went on, "Understood. We've recovered some very sensitive information about an ally of the New Republic. Dak says you're very good at finding people, and we need your help."

"We?" she wanted to know exactly who this man was working with.

"Where are my manners? My name is Andrephan Stormcaller. Dak's an old friend of yours, and you already met Lex. We're part of the Red Moons mercenary group."

A few things picked at Lori, "Part of? Do I need to worry about more people barging into my house?"

"You're a sharp one," Andrephan smirked, "we've got a few friends hiding out in the woods. We'd be much obliged if all of us could stay the night."

She was tempted to say no. Not only because her apartment was tiny, but also because of the obvious danger involved in letting a band of rebels stay in her house. The benefit, of course, being that having everyone in her home would give her plenty of opportunities to win their trust, and to pull more information out of them. Besides, if anything did go wrong and the city guard stormed the house, she could always play the part of the terrified hostage. It wasn't like the would-be imperials were going to take New Republic mercenaries at their word.

"Fine, as long as your people can get here without attracting attention. Also, what did you mean when you said sensitive information?"

"Lex, go fetch the others," Andrephan began by speaking to his companion.

Lori watched Anderphans guard go up as he began talking to her once again.

"We're looking for a man who's is our lead for another man, who's our lead for another man. I won't bore you with the details, but Dak says you're good at finding people."

"I might be. Having a name is usually step number one though," The conversation was looking like it would run long so she sat on the couch. Her feet were beginning to ache.

"Grakkus the Hutt."

Lori didn't recognize the name, "is the lead for your lead? Or is that your final target?"

"I'm not at liberty to name our ultimate objective," Andrephan gave a curt reply.

Lori had already been suspicious about her visitors before that comment. Now she was tempted to ask if the name Lor San Tekka meant anything to them, but she was cautious about tipping her hand too far.

"That's too bad. I might have been able to help you find him, instead of running around looking for hints about hints." She said instead.

"Ma'am, if you could find our final target, someone would have scooped you up before you had the chance to flee this far into nowhere."

They had no idea.

"Whatever you say, Andre. Dak," she looked over to the wiry bounty hunter, "do me a favor and grab my tea."

He was quick to do as she asked.

"So what's the New Republic want with a Hutt?" she continued on as Dak handed her the mug.

"Andre already said, he's our lead to an even bigger target."

Lori settled into the couch cushions, looking every inch the tired bounty hunter she pretended to be, "Anything else? I can't just pull out a star map and point to the system he's hiding in, I need information."

Andrephan invited himself to sit at the little table by the window. Lori decided not to take it as too big of an offense.

"Grakkus collects things, information, rare objects, and people if the fancy strikes him. All we know is that he isn't in Hutt space, and that he has a lead on our next target."

Lori could work with that but she still wasn't about to give Stormcaller much hope.

"I'll see what I can do," she winced a little and took a long drink from her mug.

The baby was kicking.

Chapter Text

Six.

Six mercenaries had moved into Lori's little apartment. She had been right to assume that Anderphan was the leader. Lex was definitely the dumb muscle. Dak had joined on as a navigator and underworld contact. The other three milled around her living room at that very moment.

Brixie Ergo was the field medic for the group. Shoulder length blond hair and barely past twenty, she was a med student from Pentastar territory. When she saw the chance to flee with the rest of the Red Moons mercenaries she was quick to take it.

Hugo Cutter served as the group's demolition expert. Much older than anyone else in the group, he had cotton white hair that stuck out in random directions. Lori hadn't talked to him much, but if Brixie was to be believed then the old man should be in a psych ward for trauma.

Ivey was their hacker and so-called procurements expert. Lori was pretty sure she was just a thief who was good with computers. About the same age as Lori, Ivey had long black hair and kept a small blaster strapped to her thigh. Over the past week Lori had been careful not to leave her data pad alone around the woman.

None of the mercenaries had any clue about Lori's past, and she had done a fine job of deflecting any questions, but she knew that any slight misstep might spell disaster.

A disaster for her, or one for them.

Lori was sitting on the couch. Ivey sat on the other end, with Anderphan having pulled a chair over so that they all sat around the coffee table.

"I haven't heard anything from Sully," Ivey spoke while checking her comm.

"That makes one week" Anderphan held a grim edge to his words.

Being their own group, the Red Moons had their own policies that Lori was fast to figure out. Members were supposed to send out a communication once a week. It didn't have to be long, it didn't even have to be a real message. If no one heard anything in that time, it was assumed that the would-be sender was captured or in hiding. Two weeks of silence, and it was assumed they were dead. Lori had been keeping track of who sent what, and when they sent it. If she had counted correctly, there were only three other mercenaries besides the ones in her house.

"It does," Ivey was slow to shut the comm down, hoping for a message to pop up at any second. When none did, she was left to look back to the holo-map on the table.

Lori had been careful in her fishing for information. Taking advantage of the silence, she spoke, "Any word back from the new guy?"

Some pilot named Temmin Wexley had joined less than a month ago.

"He linked up with a new group, Black Squadron. Don't know if we're going to hear from him again." Ivey answered back.

"More mercs?" Lori hadn't heard that name before.

Anderphan shook his head, "Resistance. One of Temmin's old buddies joined up with 'em and called in all the pilots he knew."

"And we just let him slip off with new folk like that?" Lori was still trying to get a feel for how territorial the other groups were. She knew that if one department in the First Order poached personnel from another, they would hold a petty grudge against each other for as long as the two groups existed.

"You got to go where you got to go," Anderphan replied simply, "besides, he's still fighting the good fight. We didn't have much need for a pilot out here, maybe he'll do better with Poe and his people."

Also unlike the First Order, the mercenaries were far quicker to trust new comers. Making a mental note to start a file on the Black Squadron and their leader Poe, she went on talking like nothing was amiss, "Are they looking for Grakkus too? Might be worthwhile to have a chat with them if they are."

"Grakkus, or the map." Ivey answered.

This wasn't the first time one of the mercs had mentioned something beyond Grakkus.

"I said it once, and I'll say it again. We should skip the Hutt and just go straight for your map." Lori knew that suggesting a change in plans would rile the group up. She had seen it happen more than once, and every time the mercenaries were left to argue she picked up a little more useful information.

Even though Lex still didn't like Lori, he did agree with what she had said.

Inviting himself to their chat, Lex called out from the kitchen, where he had been tending to a pot of soup, "We spend any more time on this rock, and I'm tempted to join up with Black Squadron too."

"You and what ship?" Hugo asked from his seat at the little dining table.

The demolitions man had been playing a game of cards with Dak, but the conversation around the room piqued his interests more.

"Not now guys." Anderphan was quick to cut them off, "Sorry Miss Gallus, but Grakkus is the only lead we have on that map."

"You seem real sure of that." She poked at his point.

He noticed, and let out a tired sigh, "Look. Grakkus was the last man to see our map keeper alive. Rumor has it he even tried to buy it off him. If we want that map, the Hutt is our best bet."

"And that it's still accurate." Lori tacked on to the end.

Dak chimed in, "It's got to be."

Lex scoffed from the kitchen.

Dak didn't noticed before going on, "We can't go freaking out yet. Let's just all trust that Lor knows what they're doing on this one."

Lori saw the smallest twitch of Anderphan's features. Lex muttered under his breath that they should be out there doing something instead of just sitting here.

Anderphan made a quick comment before Lori got the chance, "You're right Dak. Between all of us, with Lori's help, I'm sure we'll figure it out."

Dak had never called Lori by a nick name, and she doubted that Lor would be the one he went with. The fact that Anderphan had said something to hide the comment piqued Lori's attention even more. Lori already had her suspicions that Grakkus was a lead for Lor San Tekka, who was a lead for Luke Skywalker. Now that Dak had made that small misstep she was left with no doubts.

She pretended not to notice the slip.

The conversation went on, Lori was careful not to show any change in her features at all. Just below the surface, she was thinking of what to put into her next message to Hux.

.***.***.***.***.

Hux hadn't slept in days.

He hadn't meant to, at least. There had been a few fleeting moments where he had passed out over his desk, only to awake a few hours later and return to furiously typing away.

Less than an hour stood between now and his meeting with the representative form the Fel Empire. Though he had read it a hundred times, Hux skimmed over the latest report he had received from Lori.

The update on the search for Lor San Tekka rankled at the general. He hadn't a clue as to how she had learned that a hutt named Grakkus knew where the man was. He also wasn't sure where she heard news of a Resistance cell named Black Squadron that was searching for the man.

That update took second priority to those about the Fel Empire and the Pentastar Alignment. It seemed that the Alignment had been amassing imperial ships, to the point that they might even pose a threat to the New Republic. Hux wasn't at all concerned for the other states safety, but he couldn't allow some other power to exist that might be able to challenge the First Order.

The Fels themselves wouldn't stand a chance if the Alignment decided to invade.

Despite being grateful for the information, Hux nearly typed out a long response telling Lori that she needn't be working or concerning herself with rebel plots at the moment. Nearly a paragraph into said message, a knock came from his office door. Leaving the half-finished reply alone, the general powered the computer down and stood from his desk. During the short walk to the door, he straightened his coat. There were no wrinkles in the near black fabric to begin with, and the little pieces of lint that Hux picked at were purely imaginary.

Opening the door, he was greeted by a lieutenant.

"General Hux. We've received a transmission from a diplomatic envoy from the Fel Empire. They're to land in hanger bay eleven in twenty minutes." The young man spoke quickly, more than ready to leave.

"Understood. You're dismissed." Hux would have taken a moment to pick at the obviously flustered lieutenant, but he had his mind on other thoughts at the moment.

In the little amount of time that it took for the general to lock his office door, the lieutenant had disappeared. Left alone on his walk to the hanger bay, Hux considered which points of information he could exploit. He worried over the idiotic comments that Ren was bound to make. He took a little moment to think of the fate that might befall his soon to be family if he failed to talk the Fels into an alliance.

The journey ran out before the worries, and Hux was left to take his thoughts elsewhere while stepping into the hanger bay.

Kylo Ren was nowhere to be seen, the general wasn't even a little bit surprised that the other commander would be late to such an important meeting. A small greeting party had gathered, as Hux had ordered the day before. It was useful to have an attendant or two following along as much as it was a quiet projection of power.

As a nervous tick, he checked the time. Scarcely a second after he did, an unfamiliar ship drifted into view. Aligning itself to the hanger bay it came in for a smooth landing.

Right on time, unlike Ren.

Hux stood with an unimpressed look about him, hands firmly clasped behind his back. There wasn't much of a delay between the ship's touching down and the loading ramp lowering with a hiss.

Standing at the top of it was a woman in a uniform reminiscent of the First Orders, but clearly different. The cut of the shoulders was more angular, the tunic slightly shorter, and the belt much lower. What was more, she wore an imperial style rank placard, as opposed to the arm bands that the First Order used. The general kept a careful eye on her. Dark hair and very short in stature, she didn't strike him as the accomplished diplomat.

Of course, he knew better then to dismiss someone off looks alone. If he had learned anything in his year with Lori, it was that appearances could be fatally deceiving.

"My name is Jaina Sol," she said while walking down her ships loading ramp, "representative from the Fel Empire."

"Yes, we were expecting you," Hux stood with his shoulders squared and with his back to the entourage of troopers and officers, "My name is General Armitage Hux. I will be representing the entirety of the First Order during your visit."

Hux had never been good at playing politics, and try as he might he still came off as presumptive and arrogant.

The officers standing at his back knew that the general had more than enough authority to speak on behalf of the rest of the Order, that anything he said was as good as law unless Kylo Ren or Supreme Leader himself gave a contradiction.

Jaina, however, was under the impression that a general would still answer to a system that answered to another system, that eventually answered to the Emperor alone. Wishing that her files about the First Order had been more complete, Jaina resigned herself to playing along. For now.

"Lovely to make your acquaintance, General Hux," she spoke with a nonchalance and a small glance around the hangar bay.

Hux was quick to notice it, and even quicker to point out that he had, "We're in a very typical hanger bay. Home to several TIE squadrons, as you can see."

She heard an arrogance on the general's words. It was nothing new to the representative.

"A variation on the original design, if I'm not mistaken." She retorted back with just enough insight to show the military man that she knew what she was talking about, but not so much that it was a clear challenge to him. In her experience there was nothing more fragile that a young commanders ego.

"You're not. They've been thoroughly upgraded."

The general noted that the newcomer wouldn't be completely clueless. He even gave what could be the slightest hint of a compliment. He wasn't well versed in politics, but he had more than enough practice in dealing with difficult conversation partners to decide that the representative wouldn't be much of a challenge at all. Not if she was going to be as clumsy with her observations as this short conversation suggested.

"Fascinating. Perhaps our research and development teams could collaborate on new ship designs."

"I would have to evaluate your people's technology before I agreed to such a thing, but the First Order might benefit from such an arrangement."

The representative would have had to be very new at her job to not notice how careful the general was being with his words. She was struck with the impression that the general was far more used to issuing orders to underlings than he was to impressing foreign dignitaries.

Hux also heard how stilted he sounded. It would be child's play to talk around the representative, or to goad her into acting brashly, but being personally likable never had been his specialty

But, like always, he had a plan.

Hux gestured towards the hallway, "Enough talk of the hanger bay, there's more interesting places on the ship."

Playing along, Representative Sol turned around to walk out of the hanger, "Like?"

In the brief moment that Jaina had her back to the general, Hux tapped his comm to send a pre-written message to the bridge.

"Several places. No need to worry, you will see all of it."

"Lucky me."

Hux let the small sarcastic comment go. He knew he would never win the Fels over through diplomatic means, but he was more than sure that a dramatic military gesture would leave them begging the First Order for help.

Chapter Text

Lori found reaching down and pulling on her boots to be a struggle. Leaning to the side to move around her bulging stomach did nothing to help, but that didn't stop her from trying.

"Are you sure you don't want to just stay home? I'll be fine on my own," Brixie stood next to the couch, ready to leave for the market place.

"Just give me a minute," Lori managed to grab hold of one of the boot straps.

The young medic had offered to help before, but Lori had declined in that overly polite way that wasn't polite at all.

Lori hadn't left the house in days. When Anderphan mentioned that they were running low on food, she jumped on the opportunity to go out for supplies. She had managed to pull more information from the mercenaries, mostly tidbits about Resistance leadership and structure, but nothing more about Grakkus or Lor San Tekka had come to light. At any rate, the constant presence of the rebels was starting to feel suffocating.

After a struggle, Lori pulled her boot into place, "See, I just needed a bit of time."

Brixie smiled a little before wrapping a scarf around her head as a loose hood. Lori had taken much longer than a minute.

"Do you have the list?" Lori asked as she pushed herself up from the couch.

"It's right here." Brixie patted a pocket.

Nodding, Lori made for the door with Brixie following close behind.

Bastion was home to several cities. It's capital, Ravelin, being the largest among them. Most of the buildings had a past as great foundries. After the fall of the Empire, massive machines fell out of demand, and the buildings were left to take on new roles. Most had been split up and divided, with each one serving as its own self-contained city block. Lori's modest apartment was one amongst many, and sat directly across a wide street from one of the old buildings.

The two women crossed the road, Brixie nervously glancing in as many directions as she could manage.

"That only makes you look suspicious."

"I just feel like we're being watched," The medic tugged at her scarf, trying to make it hide her features just a little more.

The street was empty, save for the occasional hovercraft that scurried by.

"We're not." Lori kept her voice soft, aware that the medic was quick to startle, "But if you keep fidgeting, someone might start."

Brixie huffed, knowing that Lori wasn't wrong, "I know… it just seems like no matter what I do, I can still feel the Alignment watching me. Growing up, there was a camera on every street corner. And in the living room."

"Well there's none of that here," Lori reassured her as they came to the door, "Besides, the Fels are probably more worried about watching the Alignments than they are watching us."

Brixie gave a small snicker at the comment, "Well, when you put it like that…"

"That's the spirit. Now what's on the list?"

The medic pulled a crumbled paper from her pocket, "Umm… Meiloorun fruit, nuna legs, blue milk, and… I think this is a spice of some sort."

Lori arched a brow at the list, "Just blue milk? Not from a specific creature?"

"No, it just says 'blue milk'."

The two women walked past a series of storefronts, eventually coming to the market place. A few people shuffled through the stalls, paying the newcomers no mind as they went about their business.

"Let me see that," Lori gestured for the list, Brixie was quick to hand it over. She had to squint to read through the awful handwriting, "Lex wrote this didn't he?"

Brixie simply shrugged.

An annoyed huff forced its way from Lori, "He's a good cook, so I'll tolerate him for now."

"He is sorry about…" Brixie paused, realizing that it wouldn't be wise to mention a brake-in and almost-shooting in the crowded market, "… about the other day."

"Then he can tell me that himself, until then I'll be keeping my distance."

With that, the conversation drifted to a lull. The trip around the market place went smoothly, aside from the occasional nervous twitches from the medic. Whenever they got too noticeable Lori would do or say something to distract the other woman. In part because she would draw attention to them both, but also because Lori did feel for Brixie. She knew what it was like to be on the run from a past that would never really fade away.

They had made their way through most of list, and were starting to loop back to the front of the market when Lori caught sight of a stall selling freshly baked Lamta. The sight shook loose a pleasant memory.

Lori couldn't help but smile at it.

This time, it was Brixie's turn to notice her companion's little movements.

"Hm? What is it?" She tried to follow Lori's line of sight, but didn't see anything important.

Shaking the little memory away, Lori replied, "Oh, nothing much. Nothing worth talking about, at any rate."

In the few days she had spent in Lori's house, Brixie found that there was only one thing that her host didn't want to talk about.

"Did something remind you of your husband?" The medic looked back to Lori.

Shopping bag heavy in one hand, Lori instinctively moved the other to settle over her stomach.

"What was he like?" Brixie went on.

Lori saw an opportunity on the question. She knew that she could tell the mercenary anything she wanted, anything that could help put her in a better position with the group. Not a single soul on the planet would be able to contradict her, and Lori already had a few convenient stories in mind.

But.

But she missed him. Even if she had to talk about Hux in terms too general to be identifying, she wanted to talk about the real him.

"Well," she began, "he was a perfectionist, and he never knew when to stop working. Quick with a sarcastic comment, and even quicker to get to the point, he always kept me on my toes. He was more stubborn than was good for him. Once that man got an idea in his head, there was no getting rid of it."

"Sounds… interesting."

"Sure, he wasn't perfect, but he was perfect for me," a little pang of emotion picked at Lori, but she kept it from her features, "He always had a plan too. A dream, actually. He constantly talked about making the galaxy a better place. After I told him we were expecting, well, you should have seen the look on his face. Poor thing ran himself ragged trying to prepare."

Brixie could appreciate anyone who wanted to make the galaxy a little kinder. Joining in with the Red Moons had been her way of trying. They were rough around the edges, any they could only do so much against the Alignment and the Fels, but they worked hard to give people a chance at being free. At being safe and happy.

To Brixie's ears, Lori's husband sounded like he would have fit right in.

"I'm sure he would have made a great father."

Insecurities clawed at Lori. She knew that they would help each other through everything that she and Hux came up against, but tiny, vicious doubts ate at her. The medic didn't know what she was talking about, Lori knew, but just hearing someone be optimistic help put some of her fears at ease.

"He sure would have," Lori meant it, but she wished that she didn't have to talk like Hux was dead. Moving on before she said too much, she changed the subject, "Well, that's the end of the list. Time to go home?"

Brixie adjusted her grip on the grocery bags, "Sure. When we do, you can to tell me more about him. If you want, I don't mean to pry."

Lori knew better than to show too much of herself to a stranger, but she also knew that a little bit of truth went a long way when it came to building trust.

Above all, she wanted something that made her feel closer to the best part of her life.

"Deal."

.***.***.***.***.

Representative Sol had counted no less than forty different patrols of Stormtroopers during her tour. The entourage of junior and senior officers that followed her and General Hux through the ship had been in constant flux, and Jaina was pretty sure it was just a way to show off how many personal were stationed on the ship.

Hours into the tour, they finally made it to the bridge. The general droned on about crew complement, and operating procedures, and command structure, and a hundred other things. Jaina didn't catch any of them, as she was distracted by the scene beyond the viewport.

Nearly thirty capital ships drifted in the space around the Finalizer. It took all the years of experience Jaina had not to react to the sight. She watched the ships, making rough assumptions about size and armament as she went.

General Hux saw that the representative was more focused on the armada outside than on anything he might be saying. He didn't take any offence. After all, he had been the one that had ordered Captain Canady and his taskforce to rendezvous with the Finalizer.

"Oh," the general pretended to nonchalantly notice the menacing fleet outside, "taking an interest in the other ships, are we?"

Jaina did a very good job of hiding a nervous gulp, even Hux nearly missed it.

"I just couldn't help but notice that all of those violate the disarmament treaties from the Galactic Civil War."

"They do. But we both know that the New Republic can't make me get rid of them," Hux followed the representative's line of sight to the largest ship in view, "You seem rather fixated on the dreadnought."

She gave the general a sidelong look, "That ship isn't outfitted for a naval battle. I know a planet bombardment array when I see one. What exactly is the First Order's end game?"

The fleet outside wasn't something that the representative could easily walk away from, and Hux knew it. Lori had been very detailed in her reports about the Fel Empire, and about the Pentastar Alignment. Both had a reduced capacity to manufacture their own machines, having limited territory and resources. The Fels had a stronger leadership and better tacticians, but the Alignment had one massive advantage.

An Executor-class dreadnaught. A hold over from the empire of old.

Named the Reaper and serving as the personal command ship of Grand Moff Kaine, the ship was the Alignments key to maintaining their territory and their position as a deadly rival to the Fel Empire.

"Having the ability to bombard a planet and actually doing it are two separating things, Representative Sol. Besides, it hasn't been lost on the First Order that several Executor -class Star Dreadnoughts have gone unaccounted for." Hux went on, careful to mention the infamous ship.

"So, you expect to take out an Executor?" she pressed on.

Years of practice found the generals face blank, but internally he was smugly congratulating himself on a job well done.

"We plan for all occasions. Something with a planetary scale defense system, requires a planetary scale bombardment array."

In the days of the empire, Hux knew, a typical Executor carried over a hundred TIE fighters, with the ability to hold thousands. Besides the fighter accompaniment, a single ship had two thousand turbo lasers, five hundred laser-cannons, two hundred and fifty heavy ion cannons, forty Q7 tractor beams, and several thousand other weapons systems.

Executor-class ships had always been difficult to manufacture, and even harder to crew. Nineteen kilometers long, and possessing thirteen reactors for a power output of over one hundred yottawatts , the amount of material alone would be difficult for any of the remaining authorities in the galaxy to come by. Never mind that a single Executor required over a quarter million crew members.

Hux knew that neither of the other imperial remnants had the ability to build such a thing. He doubted that the New Republic could manage it either, even if they weren't bound by their self-made treaties. No, the only power in the galaxy that would –or even could- build a new Executor was the First Order. Of course, they had never bothered trying to recreate the old design, as Hux had seen to it that their ships would outclass even the best of what the Empire had to offer.

When Jaina looked out the viewport she was left to come to a similar conclusion.

"It's very convenient that you've spent all of this time preparing a fleet that can challenge an Executor," She began, suspicion clear on her words, "I might know of one that needs to be… let's say, retired with extreme prejudice."

Making a mental note not to reveal that he knew any more sensitive information about the Fels and their problems, he went on.

"A worthy test for our dreadnoughts could prove valuable, but we would expect something in return."

Jaina didn't miss the fact that the general said dreadnoughts. Plural.

"I'm sure an agreement could be reached." She kept her voice level as she added, "I've seen enough to believe that a second meeting would be beneficial for us both."

The general dipped his head, pretending to consider his options.

"I would be interested in seeing what the Fel Empire has to offer."

The representative stepped away from the viewport, ready to make for her ship, "Until next time then, general. I'll be in touch."

Hux didn't move from his position, the meeting was over and he wasn't keen on letting the representative have the last word.

"I hope it will be soon, my dreadnaughts are desperate for something to do."

Chapter Text

Lori sat at the little dining table, gaze firmly set on her data pad. Anderphan and Ivey had gone out for supplies, while Lex and Dak had snuck out of town to make some repairs to the mercenary's ship. Hugo was asleep on the couch, with Brixie tucked into a makeshift pallet on the living room rug.

There wasn't anything especially damning on her data pad. The last message Lori had gotten from Hux was nearly a week ago. She knew better than to worry over what might turn out to be nothing, but the silence was grating at her.

It wouldn't be long now. Barely a week until the due date.

For the sake of having something to do, Lori shifted in her seat. The secret First Order officer wasn't to nervously check her data pad for messages, but also because she had a few leads on Grakkus the Hutt that she wasn't keen on sharing with the mercenaries.

Unsurprisingly, the Hutt had more than one bounty on his head. Lori had made a list of them, developed a timeline of the last locations that Grakkus had been spotted, and then put a file of his supposed contacts together. It had taken time, doubly so since she was hiding it all from her guests, but the data gave a clear route on the eastern edge of the mid rim.

If she followed the path that Grakkus's last known locations put him on, than it would lead him in the direction of Sy Myrth. That by itself didn't matter much, but Sy Myrth had been recently raided by independent police forces. More important was the fact that shipping manifestos to Sy Myrth included a collection of sculptures from an ancient and long forgotten society, just the kind of thing that Grakkus might collect.

It wasn't much of a leap, in Lori's mind, to think that Grakkus been on Sy Myrth to collect the sculptures, only to have gotten swept up in the raid. She couldn't get a prisoner list but that sector had been using the prison complex on Megalox since the times of the galactic republic.

All of the information was circumstantial, but Lori put a lot of faith in the idea that Grakkus was in prison on Megalox. It made sense. The prison was independent of the New Republic, and there weren't many resistance agents in the galactic east either. She doubted that either would be alerted of his arrest.

Lori checked over her notes once more, only finding herself more convinced of the Hutts location. She would have started drafting a report to send to Hux, but Brixie began to stir from her slumber.

The medic had been the only one of the group to have been pleasant for the entire stay. More than once the young woman had brought the others down from the brink of an argument that was about to boil over. Part of Lori wished that the rest of the mercenaries didn't have Brixie's calming nature keeping them level headed, but the rest of her did appreciate the little bit of calm in the chaos.

The medic stretched slightly as she woke up.

"Sore back?" Lori asked.

"Hm?" Brixie had to turn slightly before she was able to see the other woman, "Oh, a little. The floor isn't really that soft."

Lori had kept up a mostly friendly face around the others. For some of them, Lex especially, it was purely an act. For Brixie, and to a lesser extent Anderphan, she was being at least a little genuine.

"Hugo could take a turn on the floor next time," Lori offered while Brixie brushed the covers away and took her time to stand.

"I'm not going to chase him off the couch," She left her makeshift bed for the kitchen, "Besides, his arthritis is acting up."

"Whatever you say, doc." Lori flicked the data pad off and set it on the table before beginning her walk to the kitchen.

"Do you need something?" Brixie was quick to offer.

Lori waddled slightly when she walked, but still stubbornly refused to accept help when it was offered, "No I got it."

The young medic was silent while Lori set a kettle full of water on to boil. Lori felt a tension in the room, and almost said something for it. She hadn't the chance when Brixie spoke.

"Hey, Lori," Brixie began, gaze firmly locked on the ground to avoid looking the older woman in the eyes.

"What is it?" She asked from her place next to the kettle.

The young medic was quiet for a long moment. The pause gave Lori plenty of time to search for hints about what she might say. Brixie had been mild mannered, and Lori didn't think for a second that she was about to make an accusation.

But, Lori couldn't help but remember that Anderphan had been quietly talking with Ivey just the night before. Both had gone silent whenever Lori came near, as if trying to hide something. Despite their tightlippedness around Lori, they had let the young medic linger nearby for the whole conversation.

Lori found herself assuming that something about the leader and the thief's chat rubbed the medic the wrong way.

"I… We have to go." Brixie blurted before immediately looking up and trying to talk over herself, "I mean, the Red Moons. Not you. I mean, you can… But…"

"Slow down, say what's on your mind." Lori was quick to give the skittish woman a chance to think about what she was trying to say.

In reality, Lori wanted nothing more than to tell Brixie to get on with it, but she knew that a gentle touch was a powerful tool.

After taking a few breaths, Brixie began again, "We got a new lead on Grakkus. Ivey told Anderphan all about it last night, that's what they were talking about."

The kettle began to whistle. Lori took it off the heat and poured water into her mug while she listened for more.

"And… well. Obviously, we need to go follow up on the lead. But…"

"But I'll just slow ya'll down." Lori set the kettle back onto the cold section of the stove.

"No! That's not- Well… Ok, so maybe a little bit. But we can't just leave you out here."

Taking her time, Lori picked up her mug and waddled back to the dining table. The tiny effort left her tired and a little short on breath.

"Don't worry about me, I can handle myself," she laid a hand over her bulging stomach, "and a spare."

"Maybe, but… I don't know. I grew up in Pentastar territory and it wasn't fun. I don't think the Fels are going to be much better. Do you want to at least stick with us long enough to get back to the New Republic? Anderphan has old friends on Chandrilla, I'm sure they could help you."

"I'm sure." Lori bobbed the tea bag in her mug up and down, watching the green bleed out from it and mix into the rest of the mug, "Shame I didn't track that lead down first. Any clue on who did?"

Even now, the spy searched for secrets.

Brixie was none the wiser, "Oh, yeah. It was that new guy Temmin."

Lori wrinkled her brow, "Didn't he leave for Black Squadron?"

"He did, but he still sends in intell. The more heads the better."

"Fair enough. So, how long do I have till it's just me all on my lonesome?"

"Well, about that," Brixie paused, "We were going to leave tonight."

Lori stopped fidgeting with the tea bag. A fresh sense of guilt sat on the medic's voice, and Lori knew that a pointed stare would only shake more words loose from the younger woman. "So when were ya'll planning on telling me?"

Brixie nearly crumbled under Loris gaze.

"Anderphan wanted to talk to you, but Lex though it was a bad idea. And Dak didn't want to worry you. I'm telling you, because you should know, but Ivey asked me not to, and… I'm sorry."

Knowing full well that the medic could be guilted into anything she asked, Lori wasn't even a little bit concerned that her request would be pushing too far.

"Of course. I don't know why I expected anything else from Lex, and Dak has his heart in the right place, but he's never been bright. Do me a favor?"

"Sure, anything."

Lori took a sip of the too hot tea to help hide a satisfied smirk, "Let me know how you're doing? I'll worry about ya'll otherwise"

"Of course!" Brixie was quick to pick up the bait, "Do weekly check ins work?"

"They sure do. Let me know if you find anything useful, I'll still be happy to help chase down leads."

"Oh, you don't have to do that."

"I insist. Besides, you said it yourself, the more heads the better."

Lori watched the medic debate herself for just a moment.

"You're right," Brixie decided, "thank you."

Taking advantage of the medic's kindness was almost cheating to Lori.

"Any time," Lori took a second tentative sip of the steaming tea.

Looking down at the mug in her hands, Lori saw that her data pad blinked with a notification. As if nothing were out of the ordinary, Lori laid her arm over the light when she sat her mug back down.

A small pang of worry mixed with relief settled over her. She hoped that the message was from Hux, and she was eager to see what it might say.

.***.***.***.***.

General Hux had been approved to visit Bastion as a representative of the First Order not long after his meeting with Representative Sol, about a week ago.

The plan was for Hux to arrive on the far north planet in just two days' time. It was requested that he not bring the Finalizer into Fel territory. The general had pushed back slightly against the demand, but only because it would have been expected of him.

Despite Hux feeling a little exposed by not having his flagship nearby, the absence of the Finalizer did have its distinct advantages. For one, it indicated that the Fel Empire had already grown weary of the First Order's military might. Secondly, he would have to stay on the planet for the duration of his visit, allowing him to slip away on a regular basis to visit Lori. Adding to this the relatively small number of aids he was allowed to bring, he doubted that anyone would notice his short disappearances

The one downside was the fact that planet side living took away some of the control Hux had over the situation.

Pushing away the thousands of little doubts that plagued him, Hux stepped into his office. His shift on the bridge had been quiet, with the majority of the crew none the wiser about why they were bringing the Finalizer to the far north edge of First Order territory.

For a while Hux worked through the messages that seemed a permanent fixture of his inbox. It had taken a series of small miracles, but Starkiller base was less than a month from completion. Less than a month before he would have the means to crush the New Republic, to cow the fractured imperial factions, and to wipe away resistances and pirates and criminals and anyone else who would dare stand in his way.

He checked the calendar. Less than a week away from the due date, from having something else to lose, from seeing his lover once again, from becoming a father.

He took a steadying breath.

It had been nearly a week since his last message to Lori. Work had been so chaotic, that he hadn't the chance to write her. But now he closed the work messages and began typing away:

"I will arrive on planet in three days. The instant I have a free moment, I'll come to you. It's been torture being away from you, never mind dealing with Ren and his stupidity. The idiot has manage to destroy over twenty separate control panels since you've been gone, and the new supply officer hasn't replaced a single one!

"But never mind them. I'll be traveling with a small group, I'm afraid they requested that the Finalizer stay away from their precious capital. Your notes served their purpose, though I would caution you in whatever you've done to gather that information. I suspect that the Fel's are now aware that we have some sort of informant on the inside.

"Is there anything you would like for me to bring? There isn't much on the Finalizer that's meant for an infant or new mother, but whatever you need I can get. A jar of sullustan jam, maybe?

"I dare say you'll only be staying on Bastion for another two months. Maybe even less. We're so close, so close to bringing this damnable galaxy under control, I can almost see it.

"Send me your address when you get the chance. I'm not sure if I'll have the opportunity to send you another message before I drop by. Even if security is higher than I anticipate, I'll figure something out.

"I miss you. I'll see you soon. Two days, three at most. Wait for me, if you can.

"Love, A"

His hands hovered above the computer, wanting to write more. He hadn't the chance to write to Lori in nearly a week, and he felt like there was so much more he should say.

He wanted to let her know every detail of his plans with Starkiller base. He wanted to rant about every inane idea that Ren had uttered over the last few months. He wanted to hear her tell him how she had managed to ferret out so many of the Fel Empires secrets. He wanted to have someone to lean on when the weight of the future became too much, and he desperately wanted to be there for Lori to do the same.

He wanted so many impossible things.

He wanted the galaxy.

He wanted his family.

A sudden knock came from the door, drawing Hux's attention away from the computer.

"General Hux," a voice called from the other side, "your audience is requested by Supreme Leader Snoke."

The general was about to yell a response to make the messenger go away, but then thought better of it. Just before rising from his desk, Hux hit send on is letter to Lori.

Whoever was trusted with delivering any news to the general should know better than to yell it through a closed door, no matter how mundane the information may seem. Hux crossed the room with a harsh comment at the ready.

The general wanted many things.

Most of all, he wanted perfection.

Chapter Text

The Upsilon shuttle smoothly slid out of hyperspace.

General Hux sat in the passenger compartment, his small entourage for the Bastion mission there with him.

Captain Phasma sat in the seat opposite of the general. The Fels had requested that any large ships stay out of their territory, but Phasma had insisted that she come armed. Likewise, Hux wasn't willing to concede too much ground to the Fels, and had also demanded that his personal security keep their weapons.

Lieutenant Mitaka came along as the general's aid. Top of his class from the academy, the lieutenant hadn't seen much action, but he did have an eye for detail. Hux hoped to use the man's sharp memory to his advantage, so Mitaka had standing orders to do as much mingling as possible. Along with being a useful opportunity for gathering intelligence, leaving the lieutenant preoccupied would give Hux plenty of chances to slip away unnoticed.

"Cleared for landing, touch down at the Ravelin Landing Zone in fifteen minutes." The pilot's voice crackled over the intercom.

Phasma double checked her blaster. She had disassembled, cleaned, and then reassembled the thing no less than four times during their flight.

Hux doubted that they would see any trouble on the planet's surface. He had never been one to carry a side arm, and the constant fidgeting was starting to play on his nerves. Looking for a distraction, he turned to his data pad.

Half way through an update about Starkiller's status, a message with no sender came through.

Making sure that Phasma and Mitaka were distracted, Hux opened Lori's latest message:

"219B, at the corner of C and Nineteenth Street.

"I'm at the edge of the old industrial district. It's a bit of a walk from the palace, but you shouldn't have any trouble finding it. I hope you're here soon. I know I've said it before, but I'm going stir-crazy, and I've got a few stories to tell you besides.

"Ardis should be here any day now. If the amount of kicking is anything to go off of, she's more than ready to get out of there. I want to think that everything is going to be fine, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't worried.

"One more thing before you get here, I have an update on Grakkus. He should be in prison on Megalox. The Resistance doesn't know that, yet. And I'll know when they do. Either way, we need to move quickly on this one.

"I'll tell you more about it when you get here. I'm sure we'll have plenty to talk about. I get the first question though, you'll have to wait your turn.

"She's getting close, I can feel it.

"Love, L

"P.S. If you happen to find a jar of Sullustan jam, I'd appreciate it. They're selling freshly baked Lamta in the shops across the street."

If Hux weren't too busy wondering what Lori had been up to in order to find that information on Grakkus, he would have smiled slightly at the Lamta comment.

Knowing that he wouldn't have the presence of mind to do it later, he drafted a message to the FOSB. He didn't trust them with gathering intelligence all on their own, nor did the general think that they were at all capable of deciding their own directives, but they did make for fine attack dogs.

His order was short and purposefully light on details;

"Take Grakkus the Hutt into custody immediately and quietly. Have him transferred to the Finalizer.

"Last known location: Megalox prison. If he cannot be taken alive, do not hesitate to execute."

The general hit send without a second's regret over potentially condemning the Hutt to death. He preferred that he alone knew where to find the map, only so that he could have it quietly destroyed before the Resistance found it. Or before Ren or Snoke found it. Hux was loyal to the Supreme leader, of course, but only because that loyalty granted him some power now and the opportunity to gain more later.

He wasn't beyond thinking that both of the force users were dangerously blinded by their fanaticism.

Before Hux had the chance to attend to any other matters, the Upsilon touched down on it's landing pad. The other two officers in the compartment looked to General Hux to take the lead.

Tucking the data pad away, the general left his seat. Grabbing his officer's cap and brushing away a few non-existent wrinkles in his coat he paused before lowering the bay door.

Today would be a long one, but the general didn't mind.

He had something to look forward to.

.***.***.***.***.

Most of the day had come and gone by the time Lori finished the final chore on her list. She had sent Hux a message that morning, just after the mercenaries fled from Bastion. Shuffling under the weight of her belly, she waddled out of the kitchen and went to the living room.

Satisfied that the house wasn't a complete mess, Lori plopped down onto the couch.

Ready to relax for a moment, she reached for her mug, only to realize that she had left it on the kitchen counter. Huffing at the little annoyance, she decided that it wasn't that important after all.

Even though the mercenaries had left, Lori wasn't alone. The baby was kicking, harder today than the day before.

"You're going to be a handful, aren't you?" Lori said while running one hand over her stomach.

Ardis landed an extra hard kick, this time hitting Lori in the gut.

"I take that as a yes." She spoke through a wince.

For a moment, Lori considered leaning forward to switch on the holoprojector. But the room was bathed in red-gold light that signaled dusk on Bastion. It was the first quiet afternoon she'd had in a while, and Lori was content to bask in the warm glow of twilight.

Despite the occasional twinge of pain.

The sun didn't filter through the tall buildings and into her living room window for long. Just as the red light began to fade into a tired orange, a knock came from the door.

For a brief moment, Lori wondered if one of the mercenaries had forgotten something. She knew they hadn't. Even more, she knew that there was only one other person who would be dropping by unannounced.

Moving with a little surge of nervous energy, she left the couch. The walk across the living room was more of a waddle that ended with Lori light on breath as she checked the camera feed.

Armitage stood on the other side. He wore civilian clothes rather than his seemingly permanent uniform. Grey coat, and simple black pants, he wore a wide brimmed hat that hid his hair from view. He also carried a small sack in one hand, Lori wasn't sure she recognized it. The fading sunlight on his back left his face covered in heavy shadow.

Lips twisting into a wide smile, she unlocked and opened the door.

Lori had a hundred things she wanted to say, but she silently stepped to the side. Taking the cue, Hux stepped into the house without a word.

The door slid shut.

Hux wrapped his arms around Lori, pulling her into a tight hug.

Her arms threaded into their familiar position around his shoulders. She couldn't help but let out a breathy laugh. Hux was awkwardly bent, holding her as closely as possible while also trying not to press against her stomach.

"I missed you too." She spoke into his shoulder.

Hux wasn't sure what he wanted to say first. In his eyes, Lori was glowing. Figuratively, and literally in the evening sun. He had been so worried, so tightly wound at the chance that something might have happened to her in the time he was away, that the sudden burst of relief that came from their reunion left him unaware of what to do next.

He wanted to know everything she had done in their time apart. How she had been doing, what little things had happened with the baby. He wondered what the doctor had said, and what Lori had decided about their future. He wanted to learn where she had collected the rumors on that map, where she had gleaned information about the Fels and the Alignment. He wanted to hear everything she had to say.

They had things to discuss, and he had so much he wanted to tell her. Starkiller was weeks away from being operational. The time between now and when it may be safe to live in the open grew less each day. A dozen comments and a thousand plans for the future buzzed through the general mind, and he found that he couldn't settle on a single one.

He held her even tighter for a long moment before leaning back to look her in the eye, "How… How have you been?"

Lori heard how many other questions were buried beneath the one that Hux had chosen.

She had missed the little quirks in the way he spoke. Quick to talk on about his grand plans or unyielding ideology, but slow to speak of emotions and fears. The messages they traded had been a lifeline, but hearing the small pause in Armitage's voice felt far more real than imagining them through written words.

Many responses came to Lori's mind, from kind, to sarcastic, to most places in between.

"I thought I got the first question." She settled on being difficult.

Hux looked down, surprised for a moment before remembering her most recent letter. Quickly slipping into a comfortable and familiar back and forth he replied, "I never agreed to those terms."

"That's no fair."

"Since when have either of us played fair?"

Lori gave a halfcocked grin at Hux's comment, more than a few memories of their constant banter coming to mind, "Since never. But you're usually so good about not getting caught."

He had missed that look in her eyes. Leaning down, he gave Lori a tender kiss on the lips. She happily returned it, curling into his hold.

Only after they leaned back to breathe did Lori make the next comment, "Fine, you get the first question."

Hux knew that Lori was letting him get away with more than she usually would, and he almost said something for it. But, for as fun as the little quips were, there were things he wanted to discuss.

He looked down at her, "I've already asked my most pressing question, you're welcome to answer it"

Lori was playing nice, but she wasn't going to drop the game completely, "Before I do, make yourself at home, maybe stay for a while."

"Right," he hesitated in letting her go before stepping away.

Hux took his hat off before reaching down to pick up the bag he had brought with him. So caught up in the moment, neither of them had even noticed that he dropped it. After setting both of them down on the dining table, he was quick to run a hand through his hair. Lori gave a little chuckle at the motion. Even out of uniform, the man was a stickler for appearance. Of course, it didn't matter to Lori what his hair looked like, there was no one here that he needed to impress.

"You haven't changed a bit." She commented as she walked to the kitchen.

"That's more than I can say about you."

Lori picked up her mug, the tea within still warm enough to drink, "And whose fault is that?"

Hux found himself smirking, "That was a team effort."

"I suppose it was," She took a sip of her drink, "now that I think of it, you did change a little."

"And how is that?" he asked before finishing with his hair and joining Lori at the counter.

There were no stools, and he was left to lean against the bar while Lori stood on the opposite side.

"You've lost about twenty pounds. Don't tell me you were too busy and you forgot to eat." She knew that that was exactly what had happened. Her pointing it out only just fell short of her demanding that he not make it a habit.

Hux knew it too, "I wouldn't say that I forgot. Though, I wouldn't turn down a quiet evening meal."

"Well then, you're in luck. The fridge is full."

Armitage would have made a smart comment about slipping into their old routine, but the sight of Lori slightly grimacing immediately caught his attention.

"Are you alright?" He was quick to step around the bar.

Quickly setting the mug down, Lori leaned against the counter. Hux put a hand against her back and kept close to her side. She leaned into his touch, welcoming the support in spite of the damage it did to her pride.

"I'm fine," she answered through a slowly unclenching jaw, "Just cramps and kicks."

Looking up at Hux, she found him wide eyed and poorly hiding a fresh bead of panic.

"Right," His voice was hoarse, "I'll get dinner sorted."

Lori was in no condition to protest. Picking up the mug once again, she shuffled to the little kitchen table.

While Hux riffled through the refrigerator, Lori picked up the bag he had brought with him. Inside was a set of night clothes, their implication being that Hux had plans to stay the night. Finding them left a soft smile to tug at Lori.

Continuing her search through the bag revealed a rolled blanket. A light gray, the cloth was small, but very soft. Lori assumed that it was made of some sort of synthetic material.

The only thing remaining in the sack was a jar half filed with a near black jelly.

Setting two boxes of leftovers on the counter, Hux spoke from the kitchen, "I see you've found the jam."

"Sure did. Did you find the Lamta?"

Armitage tapped one of the boxes, "I can't say I'm surprised."

Lori gave an overly innocent shrug.

He turned to put the trays into the reheater before adding, "Did you take up cooking? The plates don't look like they were from a restaurant."

"About that," Lori looked for the best way to mention her recent guests, "I had some company for a while."

Hux leaned against the kitchen counter, "Oh?"

Trying to sugar coat the story, Lori went on, "Well, an old buddy of mine called in a favor. Long story short, I got into contact with a mercenary group. I might have let them stick around for a day or two while I got information off of them."

"You invited a band of rebels to live with you?!" Hux didn't even try to keep himself calm at the news, "Lori, do you have any idea how dangerous-"

He stopped mid-sentence when Lori doubled over, hand clenched into a fist on the table.

Thickening layers of panic spurring him on, Hux was quick to move to Lori's side once again.

"I-" Lori began, only to stop for a sharp inhale, "I'm fine. Ardis just hit something sensitive in there."

Even as Lori sat up, Hux wasn't any less on edge.

"Look," she went on, "They don't have any clue about us, and I managed to get a lead on the map out of them. One of them even agreed to send me weekly updates on their activities."

"You turned one of them to our side?" Despite the initial panic at the news, the general was interested in any advantage they might have over the Resistance. He almost felt bad, like he might be placing work above his family's wellbeing.

Lori shrugged, "Not quite. I made nice with their medic. Poor thing is too kind for her own good. I might have convinced her to keep me posted on what all they're doing. You know, since I'm so worried about them."

He couldn't help but grin, "Back to your dirty tricks, I see."

"Never got away from them in the first place."

Hux would have made a reply, but a beep from the reheater stopped him. Casting a quick glance at Lori, he worried that she might double over in pain the moment he stepped away. Pushing the ugly thought away, he went to the kitchen.

He spoke over his shoulder as he pulled their steaming dinners from the reheater, "At least the savages had a medic with them. Did you need her for anything?"

Lori heard the heavy sense of worry that hung under Hux's question, "No. Everything's been fine. Ardis has gotten pretty active these last couple of days, I don't think the kid ever sleeps."

"It sounds like I'll be in good company then." Hux brought dinner to the table.

"Oh no you don't. I'll give you a bed time if you're not careful." Lori didn't have to ask to know that Hux, in addition to skipping meals, had been staying up for days on end.

"Once you get back to the Finalizer, you're welcome to try," he went the defiant route.

"I don't have to do a thing. If you don't settle into a reasonable sleep schedule, I'll take that as you volunteering for all those late night diaper changes. I mean, no need to take turns if you're already up." Despite the playful tone, Hux knew she wasn't bluffing.

"That's hardly fair." He tried to diffuse the situation.

Lori heard it, but still had a point to prove, "It's not, but I won't hesitate to do it."

Hux ate through most of his meal, waiting for Lori to go on with something he could use to change the subject. When she didn't and they had almost finished their food, he finally gave in.

"Fine. I'll try to return to a normal sleep schedule, if it means I check on Ardis half of the time."

Knowing that she had won that round, Lori was about to make a quick comment. Before she did, however, a sharp and sudden pain came from her gut. Eyes clenching shut at the unexpected ache, Lori didn't see the fear race across Hux's features.

When she did open her eyes, she found the man standing by her side, hand half-way reaching out to her.

"Everything's ok." She said before he had the chance to voice is concern, "It's just cramps."

Pale as a sheet, Hux nodded slowly before he found the ability to say anything. "I can clean up. Would you like to go to bed? Or sit on the couch? I can fetch something for you, if you need."

Lori heard the poorly hidden fear. She had missed many things about Hux, but seeing him work himself into a panic wasn't one of them.

Still, she was tired from all the cleaning. "I can get myself to the sofa."

"Ok. Alright. I'll see to the dishes." He had so much else he wanted to say, but he knew perfectly well that now wasn't the time.

Armitage stepped back, barely keeping himself from offering a hand to help Lori stand. Only after she had come to a stop at the couch did Hux turn his back to clean up the kitchen.

Lori came to a rest on the worn cushions. For a moment, she considered leaning back and putting her feet up. A dull ache dogged her though, and she decided against moving all together. Instead she listened as Armitage cleaned silverware and threw out trash behind her.

For a brief moment, she could have pretended that life had always been like this. That she wasn't a spy and professional traitor, that he wasn't a general hell bent on galactic domination. In their little domestic exchange she could even imagine a quiet life where every day ended like this one.

But that life wasn't one she could have. She wasn't sure it was even one that she wanted. Dealing in secrets, hiding her true self, twisting people's thoughts and emotions to suit her needs. Lori found that she was talented in manipulation, and she had even grown to enjoy it.

Lori shifted slightly, listening to Armitage riffle through drawers trying to find where the silverware should be put away. She often told Hux to stop working so hard, to take a moment to himself. She meant it, her concern for him being one of the few genuine connections she had made.

Often times she told him to stop obsessing over work, but she knew she was guilty of the same thing. She wasn't sure she knew how to stop. And even if she did, she wasn't sure she could. Even now she had gone out of her way to imbed herself into a band of rebels. No one had forced her to help them. No one made her fool Brixie into sending updates.

Occasional clinks of metal on metal told Lori that Hux had found the silverware drawer.

Lori almost felt bad about the medic. The girl really was well meaning, but Lori had seen her as an easy target from the start.

She had seen that first band of rebels on the Finalizer as an easy target too. Hank, Wilt, even Mina. All of them had been fooled.

Orin and Mako on the Absolution.

Even Quin and Vanya didn't know Lori for who she really was.

Lori almost felt bad for what she had said to them. For the fake person that she had decided to be around them. But they weren't part of her life, and he was.

Finishing his duties in the kitchen, Armitage settled onto the couch next to Lori.

They were playing at being a quiet domestic couple, one face among the hundreds that Lori had worn. She enjoyed this one, to the point that she decided to make it a part of the real her.

One part among many.

She leaned into Hux's shoulder, finding it to be just as comfortable as she remembered. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder, finding her weight against him just as reassuring as it had been months ago.

Hux was about to ask for the clicker to the holoprojector, but a slight movement from Lori's stomach caught his attention.

"That does seem painful," he noted Ardis's obvious kicking.

"It's not so bad when she's facing outward," Lori said before adding, "You can feel, if you want."

Hux had never thought he would be in a situation like this. Overwhelmed, even after months of coming to terms with reality, he reached out to rub his hand over Lori's stomach.

Round and stretched tight, he felt the occasional kicks of their daughter within. Caught by a sudden swell of emotion, Hux found that he hadn't any words to do justice to the frenzied thoughts running through his head.

Frenzied thoughts about a future he wanted so badly. About a happy life. About the safety of Lori and Ardis. About the thousands of obstacles that stood in his way. About the shadows of the past that ate at him, that told him that he didn't deserve anything, not a single pleasant moment.

The pressure plagued him, pushed in from all directions and threatened to crush him.

Desperately wanting to be content in that quiet moment, with his lover and their whole future in his arms, Armitage didn't say a word.

Chapter Text

The bedroom was dark.

"Armie. Armie, wake up." Lori roughly shook him by the shoulder.

Hux was slow to wake from a deep sleep. The sudden voice coming from a perfectly black room disorientated him more than anything else.

"Hey! Get u-" Lori's words cut off in a sudden groan that quickly grew into a yell.

Suddenly awake at the sound, Hux twisted around in bed. Reaching out through the gloom, he found Lori propped up on an elbow and leaning over him.

Sitting up so that he could reach an arm around her, Armitage asked, "Lori, what is it? Are you-"

He abruptly stopped when his leg hit a wet spot on the bed.

Lori's reached out to grab Hux once again, her hand quickly tightening to a vice like grip before she tried and failed to stifle another shout.

"…the baby," Was all she managed to mutter out from under the pain.

Suspicions confirmed, Hux would have been quick to scurry out of the bed if he hadn't paused to carefully move out from under Lori first.

They had known that tonight may very well be the night, but the sudden shock of awaking to a scream left Hux in a panic. Stumbling from the bed, Hux scrambled to standing. Fumbling against the wall, he cursed while searching for the light switch.

"By the door!" Lori had half an idea of what he was doing, but her advice came late and through heavy breaths. The irregular bursts of white hot pain left her writhing on the bed.

After a second that felt like forever, the bright lights clicked on. Lori sat at the edge of the bed now, facing Hux and the door beyond him. She had little to no idea where she was planning to go, but she had the urge to move to anywhere other than where she was.

Taking a quick, stilling breath, Armitage fought down another wave of panic and found himself slipping into the same mindset he took on the bridge during a battle.

They had known that tonight may very well be the night, and Hux had always been an obsessive planner.

Quickly moving to Lori's side, he offered her an arm. She latched onto it, occasionally pausing to catch her breath.

Painstakingly slowly, they made their way through the kitchen and to the living room. Gently as he could, Hux sat Lori down at the dining table.

She clutched his hand just as he began to move away. Clenching her jaw against a fresh swell of pain, she tried to speak but it came out as a whine.

Armitage wanted nothing more than to stand by her side for however long she needed, but they couldn't stay there.

They had repacked the bag he brought with him. Inside was the blanket, a change of clothes for Lori, a set for Ardis as well, a collection of comfort items, and a series of documents – some legitimate, and some forged.

He had tossed his comm into it as well.

"We need to go, Lori. I'll get the bag, and I'll be right back. Then we need to go." He tried to soften his voice, to hide away that ever-present fear.

She knew he was right, but she had to struggle to let go of his hand. When she finally did she only managed a single word.

"Hurry," it came out as a small and tired plea.

Not needing to be told a second time, Hux was quick to snap to action.

It would be a long night.

.***.***.***.***.

The palace hallway was brightly lit.

Lieutenant Dopheld Mitaka quickly walked down the corridor, his echoing footsteps the only sound to disturb the late-night silence.

He had been busy at work, talking with a series of servants in the palace, getting a feel for the inner workings of the Fels, just as General Hux had ordered. The young lieutenant had even managed to unearth a secret that might prove invaluable for the general during tomorrow's meetings.

Pulse racing, Mitaka came to the door for the generals suite. Hoping that his information was indeed valuable enough to avoid a reprimand for waking the man up, he hurriedly knocked on the door.

In the wake of the noise, the midnight silence settled in the hall once more. Nervously tapping a foot and checking over his shoulders for anyone who may have followed him, the lieutenant considered knocking again.

When he didn't hear any shuffling from the general's room, he began to grow worried. When he heard a sudden clattering from the far end of the corridor, the junior officer nearly jumped out of his skin.

"Why are you here? It's the middle of the night." Captain Phasma came marching down the hall, somehow fully clad in her glistening armor despite the ungodly hour.

"Captain," Mitaka quickly snapped to attention at the approaching woman, "I have urgent information, the general must hear it."

She came to an abrupt halt a meter away from the man, "He will. And so will half of the palace if you continue making so much noise."

Self-conscious of the sound of his own voice, Mitaka went on more quietly, "My apologies, ma'am. I didn't wish to wake anyone, but time may be of the essence."

If she weren't wearing her helmet, the incredulous look on Phasma's face would have been impossible to miss. In her mind Mitaka was inexperienced to the point of being a liability, and he shouldn't be on a mission as important as this one. She doubted that the man had stumbled onto anything truly important, but she knew better than to push away even the most minor bit of useful information.

"Very well," she replied, "I will wait here with you."

The lieutenant simply nodded, breath caught by excitement and dread alike. Still fearful that he may have been followed, or that someone might be watching, he nervously looked up and down the corridor.

Phasma doubted anyone would come by to do him harm in the hall. Really, she was more interested in the show that would come from watching the general reprimanding the man for waking him.

.***.***.***.***.

The journey to the medcenter had both flown by and taken far too long.

Lori had quickly been shown to a back room, with Hux following closely behind. While Armitage talked to the occasional doctor, and what felt like scores of medical droids, Loir had changed into a hospital gown and laid back on a bed.

The contractions were getting closer, and lasting longer. Hux came to stand by her side the first moment he got the chance. Seeing his lover slicked over in sweat and twisting in agony tore at him. So used to commanding the situation, no matter how dire, he found that he simply couldn't cope with being helpless.

Lori looked up at him, short of breath and shaking, "Hold me."

He wasn't sure if it was a request or a demand, but it didn't matter. The edge of the bed was in the way, but Hux pulled a chair as close as he could bring it. Awkwardly leaning to the side, he tried to cradle Lori in one arm, while holding her hand with the other.

Lori leaned into his touch, writhing in pain and shaking from under a cold sweat. She took some solace in his presence, knowing that he would always be by her side even when no one else was. The small comfort didn't last long before another contraction shot through her. Stifling a shout, she shook and tightly gripped Armitage's hand.

He felt small, and useless, and he hated every second of it.

Droids and doctors wandered the halls. Going about their own business.

"Someone get her something for the pain!" he yelled at anyone who would listen.

"One moment, sir. There is a pack of symoxin en route." A medical droid gave a dispassionate answer.

Turning back to Lori, Hux would have relayed the information, but a fresh shout and tremor of agony raking her body stopped him.

Somewhere between the yelling, her hand clenched tightly around his. There came a deep pop and a swell of pain from his palm.

"Lori! Lori, breathe for a moment." He would have said something about the pain in his hand, but she took priority.

Finally, there came a movement from the hall. A doctor and accompanying droid stepped into the room. Unhurried and unworried at the scene, the two went about prepping the room.

Hux would have demanded an explanation as to why they hadn't gotten there earlier, but his attention shot back to Lori as she screamed again.

After what could have been a lifetime, the droid finally got around to administering an IV. The doctor at the end of the bed had pulled a curtain over, along with a small caddy of tools. Satisfied that he had everything needed for a smooth delivery, the doctor looked up at the expecting couple.

"First time?" he spoke with a cheer about him.

"Yes, now hurry up!" the general was in no mood for pleasantries.

Hearing the venom on Armitage's words, the doctor was quick to duck back behind the curtain and get to work.

"Alright miss, you're going to have to push."

.***.***.***.***.

Time had crawled by and General Hux hadn't come to the door. Mitaka knocked once again, feeling the weight of Phasma's glare on him as he did.

He shuffled nervously. For a moment he considered calling out, before remembering what had happened to the last lieutenant who had done so. Mitaka had just earned a slot on a real mission, and he didn't want to lose his officer commission so quickly.

Phasma also grew impatient. Less willing to show outward signs of anxiety, she didn't tap her foot or glance about like a scared animal. But, the captain knew the general's habits, and taking so long to come to the door wasn't like him.

Without a word to the lieutenant, she landed three heavy knocks on the door.

Mitaka stepped back at the sudden movement, with several comments springing to mind. He didn't say any of them aloud, as Phasma held up her hand signaling for silence.

The captain listened intently for any hint of movement from the other room. When she heard none, she pulled her polished blaster from her belt.

The lieutenant's eyes went wide. Suddenly at a loss for words, he didn't protest when Phasma gestured for him to stand far behind her and to the side of the door.

As the general's personal security, she had a code cylinder keyed to his suite.

She kept against the wall, one hand holding the cylinder with her blaster at the ready in the other.

The door slid open.

In a flurry of movement Phasma stepped into door frame, blaster up and ready to fire at whatever she might find.

The room beyond her was dim, illuminated only by a thin shaft of light from the hall. The visor on her helmet cycled through the ultraviolet and infrared light spectrums, revealing nothing more than an empty room.

Lowering the blaster, she stepped into the abandoned suite.

Hearing nothing from the hall, and seeing Phasma go in with her guard lowered, Mitaka peeked in from around the corner. Seeing the room empty, and seemingly untouched finally shook loose a question.

"What? Where has he gone?"

Phasma had the same question, and a series of suspicions. Turning around and not sparing a word, she pulled the lieutenant the rest of the way into the room before shutting and locking the door behind him.

Surprised by the sudden movement, Mitaka stumbled for a step or two before righting himself.

The captain didn't wait for the lieutenant to recover fully before speaking, "When was the last time you saw the general?"

"0700, ma'am. Just after his evening brief," He replied.

After his short reply, Phasma searched the room. She had checked for cameras and listening devices when they arrived, but she made a second sweep. She found his uniform and a spare in the closet, his officer's cap sat on the dresser. Notably missing was the general's comm. She pinged it using her own. When no telltale chime came from the room, she was left to assume that the general still had it with him, wherever he was.

"Search the room." She gave a clipped order to Mitaka. Hux mentioned that the man had an eye for detail, and not was a chance for her to put him to the test.

"Yes, ma'am."

She tried the general's comm once more, again receiving no response. The call hadn't failed outright, so that could only mean that the communicator was still on and functioning.

Mitaka opened and closed the dresser drawers, "I know the general doesn't sleep, but I thought he'd at least pretend and bring a set of pajamas."

The comment caught Phasma's attention.

There were no signs of a struggle. The door had been locked, and she had been making her rounds through the halls without once hearing or seeing something. The comm was gone. She doubted a kidnaper would have let him keep it. And if he had managed to hold onto it, any agent that wasn't an idiot would have destroyed it out of fear of a tracking device. Some of his cloths were also missing.

"Lieutenant."

Mitaka jumped to attention at Phasma's voice.

"What were the general's final orders before retiring for the night?"

He was quick to reply, "To come fetch him no earlier than 0900 in the morning, ma'am."

"Even though our first meeting is at 0915?"

"Yes, ma'am"

Phasma turned back to give the room another look. The general was missing. Slipped out from underneath even her nose without a trace. He'd arranged it so that he had fourteen hours of time unaccounted for, and he had taken a set of cloths with him.

She spared a glance back at Mitaka, only to find him with a look that said he had also been deep in thought.

"Captain?" he timidly asked.

"What?"

"General Hux hasn't run off on his own, has he?"

Phasma took some solace in the fact that the lieutenant had been just as quick to put the pieces together as she had.

"It seems he has."

"… Do we alert the palace guard?" Mitaka hadn't a clue what to do about the missing general.

"Absolutely not." Phasma thought less of the lieutenant for even asking.

"But, if he's still missing by the morning," he went on, "we would have a diplomatic crisis on our hands"

The captain holstered her blaster. "Diplomacy is overrated. If the general isn't in his suite when you come for him, then the Fels would be the obvious culprits."

Mitaka picked up on her meaning, "So we declare war over that? Weren't we here to negotiate peace?"

Phasma gave a sigh heavy enough to be heard through her helmet, "The First Order needs territory and resources. Whether they come through diplomacy or war is of little concern."

She wasn't wrong, Mitaka knew. General Hux had a reputation as a man willing to do anything to get results. Still, the idea that Hux had disappeared as part of a ploy to invent a reason to go to war seemed like a stretch. The First Order didn't need such an excuse, if they really wanted to attack the Fel Empire, then they would do so.

"Correct, ma'am. But, what of the general? We haven't a clue where he's gone, and he's left no hint as to when he'll be back."

On a personal level, the captain was unconcerned with Hux's fate. They had worked closely together in the past, but he had been a simple means to an ends. Professionally, she had to at least pretend to care. She was his head of security, after all, and it would look very bad on her if her charge went missing.

"There's no need to worry, lieutenant. I'll see to the general," she told him as she turned to leave the room.

"Are you sure-"

Phasma wasn't interested in Mitaka's reservations, "Report here at 0900 as instructed. When you find him missing, report to me and then play along."

"But-"

"Goodnight, Lieutenant Mitaka."

Before he had another chance to have an in, the door slid shut behind the armored trooper.

.***.***.***.***.

"You're almost there," Hux held onto Lori's hand, "remember to breathe."

There came a last gut-wrenching shout from Lori as her body shook. She strained and felt as if she were about to be torn in half.

And suddenly, it was over.

Relief washed over her, and a tiny cry came from the other side of the bed.

Wrapping the new born in an awaiting towel, the doctor was quick to hand her off to Lori, conspicuously giving Hux a wide berth as he did.

Once the new mother took the infant in her arms, the doctor was quick to leave the room.

"Come on M-G, let's give them some space" The doctor was pretty sure they didn't want the droid around either.

Alone in the room with no one but her family, Lori looked down at her newborn. Ardis was small, and soft, and so incredibly fragile. Carefully keeping the little girl's head propped up, Lori adjusted herself on the bed.

Rocking back and forth slightly, Lori cherished the child in her arms. Not once had she imagined that a family would be in her future, but now that it was she held on to it with every fiber of her being. Ardis twisted and cried, and though her eyes weren't open, Lori felt as if she were looking right at her.

Ardis was such a tiny thing that Hux almost didn't want to touch her, for fear that he might hurt her. Beside himself with a mess of emotion, he was sure he had never seen anything as beautiful or terrifying as Lori holding their daughter.

Fighting his nerves, Armitage reached over with a trembling hand.

The infant let out a fresh cry and blindly reached into the air, her tiny hands batting against Armitage's fingers. He would have pulled his hand away out of surprise, but Ardis had clung to his thumb as firmly as her little body would allow.

Near exhaustion, Lori couldn't help but laugh at the scene, "Looks like she's got you wrapped around her finger already."

Hux's voice caught in his throat. So consumed by the moment he hardly noticed a sting at the edge of his eyes. Tightly wound and accustomed to hiding every wayward feeling behind a harsh exterior, he tried to beat down the swell of emotion.

But, he decided, now was a time to be open. To love someone, to let himself be exposed, and to know that that room, at that moment, was a safe place for them all. He looked at Lori, and then back to their daughter, a thin and fragile tear slipping its way down the side of his face.

"Just like her mother, then."

Armitage was crying. Lori had seen him beaming with pride, content with a job well done. She had seen him afraid and alone. Angry. Loving. Worried. Confident. Focused. Obsessive even.

Lori watched him, her bright smile fading to something more subdued. She had seen him in under a thousand different lights, but she had never seen him cry.

She wasn't about to tell Armitage to stop, but the sight left her with her own set of tears. Warm things that spilled down her cheeks and dripped off her chin, they were a fine mixture of love, and hope, and a mania brought on from the night's ordeal.

It all became real. Laying there, heavy with fatigue, their daughter bundled in her arms while clinging to her father's hand. They were all there, together in a little moment that Lori feared would fade just as quickly as it came about.

Lori's stomach and chest shook with poorly concealed sobs.

Head snapping to the side, Hux's eyes went wide. "Lori, are you alright? Is everything ok? Lori?"

He was a fraction of a second away from running out into the hall in search of a doctor or droid when Lori stopped him with a word.

"Come here. Everything's fine."

One hand still held in place by Ardis, Hux reached his free arm around Lori.

The hospital room was cold, it reminded her of the Finalizer. Hux was warm to the touch, and Lori curled into his hold as much as she could manage. Occasionally shaking with a small sob or a fragile laugh, she couldn't imagine a moment better than this.

"Hey, Armie."

"Yes?" he was quick to answer, and short of breath.

"I love you."

A fresh bout of tears pricked at him, "I love you too."

Not to be left alone, Ardis kicked at her covers and blindly reached out with one arm, the other still steadfastly clinging to Hux's thumb.

Poorly choking back a tear, Armitage looked down at their infant daughter, "I love you too."

The scene left Lori to smile and laugh again, the small movements of her chest calming Ardis back down. Wordless, she leaned over as far as she could manage to plant a small kiss on Armitage's cheek.

It had been a long night. Warm and safe in Armitage's arms and holding onto the precious bundle that was their baby girl, a bone-deep fatigue seeped into Lori. She laid her head against his shoulder and let her eyes slide shut.

Surrounded by family, she drifted into a blissful sleep.

Chapter Text

The sun rose late on Bastion.

General Hux had stepped back into his suite barely ten minutes before the lieutenant was due to arrive. He had spent the night in a stiff hospital chair, awkwardly leaning over an equally stiff bed, and his back hadn't forgiven him for it.

The morning had been pleasant. After Lori had gotten a round of medication, they'd spent breakfast in the medcenter canteen. Shortly before he left for the day, he and Lori had seen Ardis to the nursery. Lori had told him that she had a few completely routine medical appointments, but he had still insisted that she keep him updated.

At the moment, he was quickly changing out of his civilian disguise, and back into his uniform. Years of practice made the change quick. Being back in his officer's garb even did something to help clear his mind.

Putting the old cloths back into the closet took only a moment. In the coat pocket was a small holodisk he had gotten at the medcenter. Indulging himself for a moment, he sat at the edge of the bed before activating the things to admire it.

Up popped a hologram of Lori holding Ardis. Their daughter was asleep in the image, her tiny face barely visible from beneath the blanket that Hux had brought as a gift.

The holodisk was a cheap little thing that cast both of them in a heavy blue tone. Occasional lines cut through the projection, adding a flicker of movement to the otherwise stationary hologram.

A knock came from the door, spurring Hux to quickly tuck the holodisk into an interior pocket.

Sure that none of the proof that his mid-night adventure was visible, the general opened the door.

On the other side stood lieutenant Mitaka. A sudden spike of surprise flashed across his features, causing him to sputter as he spoke, "G-general Hux?"

Hux heard how much of a question his name was. Before he got the chance comment about the apprehension, the lieutenant went on.

"I mean, good morning, sir. You requested I come to-" in the middle of poorly stammering through an explanation, he suddenly remembered his urgent news from the night before, "to… Actually, I have news. Information, collected last night."

More than a little annoyed at the lieutenant's lack of military bearing, the general was about to reprimand him on the spot. But, as exhausted as he was, he was in a good mood.

"It's quite sensitive," Mitaka went on, "Permission to enter, sir?"

Hux glanced at the chrono that hung on the wall. It was 0901, Mitaka had arrived exactly on time, so they could spare five minutes.

"You may," he said as he stepped to the side for Mitaka to enter.

Now shut off from the rest of the palace, Mitaka felt a sudden rush of relief settle over him. The return of the general put his fears of immediate war to rest, but he was left to bear the weight of the news he had learnt the night before.

When the lieutenant stalled, Hux felt the last bit of his goodwill trickle to a stop, "well?"

Spurring himself to push aside confusion and worry alike Mitaka said, "Sir, I did as you asked. The servants in the kitchen were quite forthcoming. Especially after-"

"Get to the point, lieutenant." For a variety of reasons, Hux wasn't concerned with hearing the details of a kitchen servant's life.

Hearing the ire on the general's words startled the younger man, "Force sensitives, Sir! A series of the senior leadership are force sensitives. Emperor Fel himself isn't, but his progeny are."

Hux stopped to think at the news.

The general was quick to look down on such sorcery, firmly believing that it was no match for a well administered machine. The fact that the Fels had access to such power, but still needed the First Orders technological superiority, only reaffirmed his belief.

Still, he knew that such so-called sensitives had a talent for reading people's minds. When he had first begun serving alongside Kylo Ren, Hux had dismissed such rumors are pure fantasy. However, as time went on and he had come to suffer first hand at the ability, he had quickly learned otherwise. Even more concerning was the fact that a sufficiently skilled sensitive could not only read but also twist another's thoughts.

He had no such special abilities, but the general had grown very familiar with what it felt like when some sensitive tried.

Taking the news into account, and noting to himself to be on guard for it Hux replied, "Well done, lieutenant."

Surprised by the stray compliment, Mitaka found himself lost at a loss for words. He didn't have a chance to find any, either, as a second knock came from the door.

Checking the time, and inwardly wondering who would be coming for him other than the lieutenant, Hux answered.

Phasma stood in the hall with her characteristic stiffness. She didn't move as she came face to face with Hux, instead giving a clipped greeting that betrayed nothing of her surprise.

"General Hux."

He hadn't been expecting her, "Captain. What do you want? Make it quick, I'm due for a meeting."

She was thankful that her helmet hid her curious peering into the room beyond.

"I heard a commotion, sir. But I see now that it was just the lieutenant."

Mitaka stood behind Hux, looking to Phasma and not bothering to hide his own confusion at the situation. The general didn't notice the lieutenant, nor did he pay much mind to Phasma's appearance.

"Yes, it was. Lieutenant?" He looked over his shoulder, just in time to see Mitaka fidgeting.

"Yes, sir?"

"Is there anything you would like to share with the captain?"

Hux was testing the man.

If the lieutenant decided to tell Phasma about the force-sensitives, it wouldn't be a complete loss. Unity among the First Order was imperative, but the general considered personal loyalty to be even more valuable. He didn't know Mitaka well, and he wanted to make sure that the man understood who was truly in charge of the situation.

Mitaka considered to the armor clad captain before looking back to the general and timidly answering, "No, sir."

The general lifted his chin slightly, "Good answer."

Mitaka didn't know it, but Phasma couldn't be trusted unless she had something to gain from the situation. Hux, on the other hand, was well aware of the fact, though he was satisfied that Phasma was indebted to him.

Phasma knew that Hux was playing a game with the lieutenant. She didn't pay the display any special attention before bringing up business.

"It's my duty to escort you to your meetings for the day. I will leave when ready."

The general glanced once again to the chrono on the wall. Although he hadn't held up much hope for a moments reprieve from his mission, he did inwardly sigh at the time.

"Very well," He gestured to the lieutenant before stepping out of the room.

Mitaka followed close behind, "Yes, sir. Your first meeting is in the eastern conference room, with Representative Sol. After that, we have a 1030 meeting with Admiral Gilad Pellaeon concerning military matters. He's to accompany us to our lunch time meeting with the Council of Moffs. And then…"

Hux let the lieutenant drone on, only half listening to his ever lengthening list of appointments. Mitaka wasn't reading off a datapad, instead having dedicated the days schedule to memory. The group had nearly completed their journey by the time the lieutenant was finished.

"And what time was that final meeting expected to end?" the general asked as they took the final turn to their destination.

"1900, sir." He answered without missing a beat.

That was much later than the general would have liked, but it wasn't much different that yesterday had been.

Phasma didn't miss that Hux seemed oddly focused on being done with the day. He was normally no stranger of working well into the night, and the captain could only conclude that he had plans to sneak out again.

She said nothing about her suspicions as the group came to stand face to face with Representative Sol.

"Good morning," she offered a handshake to Hux, and then to lieutenant Mitaka, "good to see that you didn't get lost. The palace can be a bit of a labyrinth."

The general was convinced that that was intentional. "It was nothing so complicated as to leave us confused."

Jaina heard the challenge in Hux's voice. She had been trying to be nice to her visitors, but the general's defiant tone only irritated her.

"Of course," She glanced to Phasma, "I see your security has come along. Understand that there are no weapons allowed in the conference room."

"The blaster stays with me." The captain was quick to speak.

"Then you can stay in the hall." Jaina wasn't about to give any ground.

Hux knew that today would be long, and he saw no value in making it difficult as well, "Very well. Captain, guard the door."

Satisfied that that would be the end of it, Hux stepped into the room closely followed by Mitaka. He wasn't looking forward to the meeting. The demands of a hard day's work had never been as daunting as they were now.

The weight of the holodisk in his pocket reminded him that the price of failure was far too high.

.***.***.***.***.

Lori's last appointment had finished half an hour ago. Immediately afterwards she had gone to retrieve Ardis from the nursery, and then the two of them went back to her room. She was set to leave later that day, with Armitage having promised to return to help her.

The bed was stiff, creaking slightly as she settled onto it.

Ardis twisted underneath the soft gray blanket she was wrapped in, clinging at it with a whine. Lori adjusted the cloth, pulling it closer around the infant.

"You're right, it's freezing in here," she told the baby, pulling the bed sheets up for herself.

With the two of them bundled into their blankets, Lori was left to reflect in the quiet moment.

The morning seemed so long ago.

It had come with a hush to it, the three of them huddled against each other on the hospital bed.

Her entire body seemed to be one big ache, with sharper pain throbbing in her hips. It only took a slight mention before Armitage was out the door and searching the halls for a droid or doctor. The task didn't take long, and Lori was left feeling mostly better after a round of medications.

After that, she and Armitage had taken Ardis to the nursery for a series of routine checks. While the baby was preoccupied, the couple had stayed together for a morning meal.

The canteen had been empty, save for a droid working at the counter.

Hux insisted that Lori rest at a table while he bought food. She was still sore from the night before, and just the walk there had been difficult.

The help had only reminded her that she would be on her own soon. She said nothing about the looming worry when Armitage returned with a couple of hot meals.

She wasn't the only one with a set of worries. Lori saw a fine bit of paranoia trace over Hux's features as he glanced around the room

"Unless that droid's secretly a palace informant, you've got nothing to worry about." Lori addressed the look on his face.

Knowing that she wasn't wrong, he sighed, his shoulders dropping as he did, "Yes, well, we both know that peering eyes can be found anywhere."

Lori took a sip of caf before speaking, having missed it after several months of relying on tea alone, "True enough, but I can see that there's something else on your mind."

He glanced around the cantina once again. Finding the droid busy at work organizing a shelf, he said, "Very well, you caught me. Phasma pinged my comm twice last night, in quick succession."

A thin sense of dread picked at Lori as she lowered the mug. "Is something wrong? Do you need to go?"

He tried to brush away Lori's alarm, "No, not that I know of. She didn't leave a message."

"But…" Lori pressed him to finish the obviously incomplete thought.

"But," he begrudgingly went on, "Progress on my main project has been… concerning. It's nearing completion well enough, but…"

Starkiller base. Lori knew that the star-system destroying weapon was nearing completion. Hux had mentioned it more than once over the past months. He had been nearly as excited about that as he was about Ardis. Lori couldn't imagine anything about completing the base would leave him in a dour mood.

"I hope I'm being paranoid…" he began.

"You, paranoid?"

"Very funny." He looked at her without an ounce of humor, "Nevertheless, I worry that my project might be taken out from under my control."

Lori watched him grapple with a few wayward fears. He wondered if they were too outlandish to say. But eventually, he found that they may be all too real.

"I wonder if it may be too effective. What if Snoke, or even Ren, grows heavy handed with the machine? It will be a brilliant tool, and I don't trust either of them to understand when it should or shouldn't be used."

He didn't trust either of them not to use it against any minor inconvenience, like that which Bastion may turn itself into if the Fels didn't fall in line.

Lori knew the scale of destruction that Starkiller would be capable of, she had heard Hux describe the thing a thousand times. She didn't fear that Snoke would fire the thing at any trivial target, but she didn't doubt for a second that Ren would.

Understanding Hux's fears, she did what little she could to reassure him, "If I need to find a different planet, I'll find a different planet. Just say the word."

He hoped that she wouldn't have to go that far. Not only because she had Ardis to look after, but also because he hated to admit that he might fail his mission.

"I'll have an answer for you tonight," a small movement that was an orderly entering the cantina caught his attention, "with any luck, I'll have worried over nothing."

"Isn't that the best case," Lori replied with a soft grin, "At any rate, just say the word. I'll listen."

Hux curled his hand around his own mug of caf, "Thank you."

Though only a few hours had passed, Lori's memory of the rest of the conversation was faded. None of the other news had been as dire as that about the Starkiller base.

A sudden cry from Ardis brought Lori away from the memory all together.

Jarred into the moment, Lori rocked her arms and tried to hum a half-forgotten tune at the child. When that didn't work, and Ardis' cries only grew louder, Lori changed tactics.

"I guess that means it's time for lunch."

Shifting her shirt, Lori and pulled the infant close. Ardis was quick to latch on and go silent.

Lori knew that Hux wouldn't hesitate to fire his weapon. As soon as Starkiller fired for the first time, war would follow. The struggle would be bloody, and it wouldn't be short. Despite not minding the terror it would unleash, she doubted that the galaxy would fall in line beneath the First Order.

Even if Starkiller turned Hosnian Prime into dust, the fires of rebellion would only burn hotter and brighter. They would smolder and plague the First Order like a choking dust. Persistent and impossible to destroy, the anger and hope and fear that fed a rebellion wouldn't be brushed away by a searing bolt of deadly force.

She wished that she would be in a place to do something about it. The thrill of the chase, the challenge of sliding into a group and pretending to be one of their own, had always held an allure that Lori couldn't explain.

She was a liar, simply put. And quite a good one at that.

But the weight of Ardis in her arms gave her a pause. What mattered to her now was keeping her fragile little family safe. She couldn't slide in and out of rebel cells anymore, but she could prove to be a deadly spymaster.

Ardis shuffled in her blankets, her small hands clinging to Lori.

Lori thought back to her datapad, sitting on the table back at home.

She wouldn't be appearing to any reels in person, but she was more than ready to watch them from afar, to track their movements and motives, and to stop them before even they knew what they were doing.

She knew those people. She knew their hopes and dreams as well as she knew her own.

And that meant she knew exactly how to break them.

.***.***.***.***.

Phasma stood at attention just outside of the conference room.

Barely a moment after the hall cleared, her gauntlet buzzed.

Her comm was wired into her armor, the vibration serving as a notification that she had received a transmission. With practiced movement, she tapped the side of her helmet, activating a screen in her visor for her to read the message.

It was short, and from Agent Terex, of the FOSB. The man had failed one too many times on his many missions, and had been placed under the direct supervision of Phasma as punishment. She didn't much care for what the man had to say, sure that any report from him would only concern another failure. The fact that he would be sending anything at all confused her, as she doubted that the FOSB would use him for anything other than wasting time and resources on a job that was doomed from the start.

Grumbling, Phasma read through the thing simply because it was something to do in the empty hall:

"Subject in custody. Pertinent information pertaining to Objective MTLS-2 has been collected."

She wasn't sure which subject Agent Terex might be referring to, but she could figure that out later. Objective MTLS-2 was the official name for the map to Luke Skywalker. How a disappointment like Terex has stumbled onto such valuable information was none of her concern.

Even if Terex had been the one to actually collect the information, she was his superior and she knew that she could take the credit.

Inwardly grinning at the wonders this information would do for her reputation, Phasma typed out an equally short reply:

"Transfer the subject and relay the information to the Finalizer. Mark, Attn. to Kylo Ren."

Hitting send with a smug sense of satisfaction, Phasma returned to attention as if nothing had happened.

Chapter Text

The day had dragged on for hours.

General Hux walked down a large hall, with Lieutenant Mitaka to his right and Admiral Pellaeon to his left. Phasma followed them like a shadow, the ever-present rattle of her armor being a constant reminder of her presence.

Admiral Pellaeon was an old man, with a bushy mustache and closely cropped hair that has gone gray long ago. Nearing eighty years old, he had served in every major war in the galaxy since the Clone Wars. Unlike most of the senior leaders of the First Order, Pellaeon didn't lord his long career over the other officials. In fact, General Hux only knew of the mans storied past from Lieutenant Mitaka, who had heard tales second hand from the palace workers.

Despite his age, Pellaeon waked at a fast pace, to the point that Hux found himself short on breath by the time they came to a stop.

"Look alive, general. You may have my attention, but the moffs take pride in never being impressed."

The general had found the admiral to be a pragmatic man. Distant enough at first to be respectable, one look at the crew and complement specifications for the First Order's fleet had Pellaeon seriously considering a military alliance.

Hux gave a simple acknowledgment of Pellaeon's warning, "Noted."

Shortly after he did, the group went through a tall set of double doors that lead to a formal dining hall. Half a dozen senior officials sat along a long table. Before them was spread a modest feast, most of the dishes still steaming for how hot they were.

More important to Hux, however, was the placement of the remaining seats. Not one of them were next to each other. Unless they asked someone to move, his group would be forced to spread out amongst the moffs.

Hux considered his options. Asking someone to move would be rude, and starting off with a bad impression would only put him at a disadvantage for the rest of the conversation. On the other hand, being away from Phasma or Mitaka would leave him surrounded by potential enemies.

Neither is the winning choice, Hux thought to himself.

Just as he did, one of the moffs at the far end of the table shifted slightly. Hux didn't miss the movement.

"Leutenant, Captain," he pretended not to notice the moff, "take a seat."

Only after they began to move did he follow. It wasn't the best option, but he could at least sit in some way that was somewhat strategic.

After everyone had taken their places, Mitaka sat opposite of Hux. Two seats to the general's right was Phasma. Pellaeon was opposite of the captain. The potentially force sensitive moff was left as far away from Hux as the general could manage.

Lunch began pleasantly enough, with everyone at the table making a short introduction. Hux didn't mind most of them, only bothering to pay special attention to Moffs Wolff, Modi, and Sygni.

Wolff was the most senior of the bunch, and head of domestic affairs. Modi would be the main decision maker for any alliances, as she headed foreign relations. Moff Sygni held no particularly important position as far as Hux's mission was concerned. Instead, Sygni was the man at the far end of the table that seemed to react to everything Hux said just a moment before he said it.

The meal went on for a short while, with most of those seated around the table slowly trying to draw information out of each other. More than once Sygni would mention a topic that Hux knew he hadn't brought up.

All remained civil for the first half hour. At that point, the conversation drew to a slight lull and Moff Signy saw his chance to poke at their guests, whom he had come to consider little more than invaders pretending to be diplomats.

"Do I bother you, general?" Moff Sygni asked, sure that he was about to drive the general into a corner that couldn't be talked out of.

Hux wasn't taken off guard. He'd been expecting the moffs to play dirty from the very beginning. Thanks to lieutenant Mitaka's news, he had even been expecting one or two of them to try reading his mind.

During his long meeting with Admiral Pellaeon, Hux had come up with a plan. He always considered Ren and Snoke to be fanatics, chasing some half-made idea about space magic. He could only assume that the force sensitives in the Fel Empre were the same, and that meant he had an easy way to manipulate them.

The table had gone silent, with everyone intently watching the tension rise between Hux and Sygni.

"Well?" the moff pressed on.

The general set his silverware down, "I just couldn't help but notice that you seem to know what I'll say before I say it."

The other man just barely managed to suppress a grin, "Accusing your hosts of spying is quite rude, General Hux."

"That would be rather uncouth." Hux drew the moment out on purpose.

"It is, and I expect an apology for it." Sygni could make the conversation just as slow and uncomfortable as Hux could, and he was adamant that the other man know it.

Hux gave Sygni a pointed look, "On the contraire, you're the one in a position to apologize."

"And why you I do that?"

Hux paused slightly before answering, his next comment at the tip of if tongue. The moment didn't last long before Sygni's eyes went wide.

Satisfied that his opponent knew that he had lost, Hux spoke, "I've spent enough time around Vader's heir to know what it looks like when someone is reading my mind."

Murmured words rippled around the table. A few of the officials leaned over to speak privately to each other. Beneath anyone's notice, Phasma moved a hand to rest over her blaster.

"Lies. You're lying." Sygni tried as much to convince himself as much as he did the rest of the table.

"I'm not," Hux spoke with a nonchalance, "Benjamin Solo prefers the name Kylo Ren these days, but he serves as my co-commander all the same."

The whispers from the Pellaeon and the other moffs grew in volume until a few of the voices had risen to just below shouting. Before anyone did anything too radical, Admiral Pellaeon looked to Hux.

"Into the hall with you. We're having a discussion."

The general didn't appreciate a thinly veiled order, but he knew that now wasn't the time to talk back. With a gesture, he had Lieutenant Mitaka and Captain Phasma following close behind.

The tall double doors swung shut with a heavy clap, leaving the First Order officers alone in the hall.

Hux hadn't expected a reaction that spectacular, but he decided that it was better to get to extreme a rise out of the Fels rather than have them under react. Lieutenant Mitaka hadn't been expecting anything of this sort, and he didn't hide his confusion well.

"Have you something to say, lieutenant?"

For a moment Mitaka considered staying silent. But, his curiosity eventually won out. "I… They all reacted quite strongly to your mention of Kylo Ren, sir."

Hux wasn't in the habit of bragging about is ideas, but that was mostly because he only had one person to brag to. Mitaka wasn't Lori, and Hux knew that he couldn't trust him fully, but he could at least explain his reasoning.

"As I suspected they would."

Mitaka held onto a questioning look. Just as he was about to look away, Hux went on.

"Force sensitives are fanatical, easily swayed by so called omens and signs, and they obsess over their past leaders. Invoking Vader's name would have caught their attention regardless of how it was mentioned."

The lieutenant started putting pieces together, "And Kylo Ren is his direct descendant…"

Hux hated Ren, but he did have his uses.

The general was pleased that his aid wasn't completely clueless, "That he is. The Fels also claim to be the legitimate heirs to the Empire. Time has claimed most of the senior leadership of the Empire, so Kylo Ren has the ability to be a power figure head."

Mitaka was about to comment, but Phasma spoke before he got the chance, "A figure head to unite under, or unite against."

The possibility of invoking a war wasn't lost on the general. It burdened him to do it, but he had to tell himself that it was an acceptable risk. "Imagine if Emperor Palatine were to spontaneously reappear in the Galaxy. The First Order would have to fall in line behind him, or risk fracture from the inside. Worst case scenario, the Fel's devolve into infighting. But we win control over Bastion either way."

Phasma had another critical comment at the ready, but it was Mitaka's turn to cut her off, "Brilliant plan, General!"

Hux wasn't blind, and he knew that Mitaka was attempting to get on his good side. But, he did like it when his underlings recognized his talent.

Chapter Text

After yet another bacta treatment, Lori was largely back in one piece. Most of the day had slipped by, and the sun only just peaked above the horizon.

The hospital halls had been a constant buzz of activity that Lori had mostly ignored in favor of resting or tending to Ardis. The infant had spent most of her day asleep, occasionally waking up to cry for food or attention.

At the moment Ardis was asleep, and Lori was left with a moment's peace. From her place siting on the edge of the bed, she glanced to the chrono on the wall.

2000. Armitage should have been back half an hour ago.

Lori's leg bounced up and down from impatience and worry both. Ardis twisted a little in her blankets, the restless motion almost enough to wake her. Catching herself, Lori took a calming breath and, in search of a distraction, thought over the things she had waiting back at home.

She had a permanent crib set up, and there were hover cribs for sale nearby. A tub of formula sat in the cabinets at the house, just in case. The bottles she had bought were clean and waiting.

Ardis stirred, reaching a hand up before uncoordinatedly trying to lay it back down.

Lori hummed while continuing down the mental list. Baby cloths, check. Blankets, check. Simple toys, check. Pacifiers, check.

Her data pad had been left behind, sitting on the table by the couch. It picked at Lori not to have some way to check on the outside world. Her private room didn't have a holoprojector in it, and the only one she had seen had been in a waiting room well in view of the other patients and hospital staff. She wasn't necessarily in hiding, but she had a mind to keep a low profile.

Biding her time, Lori looked down to the infant in her arms.

She was tiny, her little face still pudgy and more pink than anything else. Ardis hadn't a trace of hair on her head, and Lori couldn't help but wonder if it would be the same bright red as her father's or a muted brown like hers. A few fleeting moments had come and gone where the baby had opened her eyes, revealing a light blue that might fade to a darker hue or turn colors all together.

"You're a little mystery, aren't you?" Lori cooed to Ardis.

The infant twisted slightly.

Lori was about to make another comment, but a whoosh from the door caught her attention.

Hux stood on the threshold. Dressed in the same regular cloths he had with him the day before, he looked tired and even more worn than he had that morning.

"You're here," Even Lori heard the relief on her voice, "I was starting to get worried."

"It was a long day," Hux answered simply before stepping more fully into the room.

"Long and eventful, from the look of you."

He came to take a seat in the flimsy chair next to the bed, "Much more eventful that I thought it would be, at any rate."

Lori was about to ask over the details, but Hux's pause didn't last long.

He spoke before she did, "But that's a conversation best saved for somewhere private."

The room was technically private, but obviously not enough for whatever news Armitage had with him. Lori would have liked to know what was dogging Armitage at that moment, but she knew that he would tell her now if it was urgent.

Shifting her hold on Ardis while she stood, Lori gave a simple response, "Sounds like a perfect reason to get out of here."

Dipping his head in understanding, Armitage left his chair and reached for the bag they had brought, "Yes, let's."

.***.***.***.***.

Captain Phasma came to a halt in front of General Hux's suite.

The day had been long, with the Fels asking increasingly specific questions about the First Order and Kylo Rens place within it. More than once she had placed her hand over the hilt of her blaster, instincts telling her that fighting might break out at any moment. Each time she did, tensions would subside and she would drift back to her role as a silent guard.

No one had told her outright, but the general's comments left her to guess that many of the Fels had abilities comparable to Kylo Ren's. She had never bothered to learn what the knight was capable of outside of his fighting ability. Phasma was a warrior, and as far as she was concerned, anything that didn't pose a threat to her or her status wasn't her problem.

It was one of these potential problems that found her in front of Hux's door well after his last meeting for the day.

The sun had dropped below the horizon an hour ago, but she couldn't imagine that he would already be asleep. Phasma also doubted that he was in his room at all.

A single knock echoed against the door. When the sound faded away and no one had come to answer, she didn't delay in unlocking the door and stepping inside.

Empty, just as it had been the night before.

Going through the same search she had put the room through the other day, Phasma found nothing out of place. Uniforms in the closet, dresser empty of any spare clothes. She glared at the room, face hidden behind her unexpressive helmet.

Phasma had been wrong the other night. She still thought it would be a trivial matter to turn the Fel Empire to little more than dust, but apparently the general wasn't planning on inventing a reason for a hostile invasion.

She knew better than to think that the general might be conspiring with the Fels. If his fanatical support of the First Order had somehow been compromised, then his deep-seated hatred of force sensitives would at least keep him from turning to the Fels.

He couldn't be conspiring with rebels, for largely the same reasons. Phasma doubted that the man had any personal relations on the planet either. Try as she might, she couldn't name a single person that the general tolerated, let alone someone that he would risk ruining an entire operation just to see.

Though, he had been oddly insistent that they not invade or bombard Bastion.

Theories with no proof tugged at Phasma as she left the room. She wouldn't confront him about his late-night disappearances, not until she had a real reason to worry. But, she would be back early in the morning.

.***.***.***.***.

The sun sat well below the horizon by the time the family made it home from the medcenter. Ardis lay in a hovercrib, set to drift closely beside Lori. Armitage carried the bag they had brought with them. Upon entering the house, he began making quick work of putting things away.

Lori took a seat on the couch and quickly checked over her data pad which had been sitting nearby. When she found no messages waiting for her, she was hit by a wave of both relief and annoyance. As nice as it was to have nothing to distract her from Armitage and Ardis, Lori was itching for information.

Huffing slightly, she went on to other things. In the days before the mercenaries moved in, Lori had relied on take out from local restaurants for food. Clicking through her data pad, she placed an order from her favorite diner.

She had just gotten a notification that their food would be there in half an hour when Armitage came to sit next to her. He peered into the hovercrib, a tentative hand half reaching towards the baby.

Lori couldn't help but let a half-grin twist her lips. She knew that Armitage hated being at a loss for words, and he hated it even more when he wasn't sure of himself. Seeing him act the overly concerned father was so far from the persona he wore as a general, Lori was sure that no one in the galaxy besides her would believe it.

"Go on," she offered.

Armitage glanced at Lori, trying to think of a comment but finding nothing that captured the roiling thoughts in his head. As reassured as he could be, he turned back to the crib and carefully lifted the child from it.

She was warm to the touch. Overly aware of the incredibly fragile life in his arms, Armitage shifted so that he propped Ardis's head up. Not quite satisfied that he was holding her right, he moved a little more, still being careful not to bump her head. When he wasn't sure that was correct either, he slowly tried shifting his hold again.

"You were fine the first time, Armie." Lori told him gently.

Knowing that he would never really be satisfied, Hux stopped to simply let Ardis rest in his lap. He was still overly conscious of letting her head droop, but when he saw that she had opened her eyes to blink at him he felt a couple of his worries melt away.

"Hello," he spoke to the infant in his arms.

Ardis kicked and shuffled from beneath her blanket before closing her eyes once again.

Lori took the que and reached over to loosen the tightly wrapped bundle.

"Is it too hot in here?" Hux was quick to ask despite having already made up his mind.

Lori answered with an amused smile, "If she gets too uncomfortable, I'm sure she'll let us know."

Deciding that Lori was right, Hux resigned himself to holding Ardis in her loose blankets, occasionally bouncing his leg to rock her to sleep.

As lovely as the moment was, Lori couldn't shake their earlier conversation.

"I hate to ruin the moment," she began, "but how was work? Last time I checked you only ever looked that rough after spending an afternoon dealing with Ren."

"You don't know how appropriate that comparison is," he took another glance to Ardis before looking to Lori, "Long story short, I believe I've talked the Fel Empire into becoming a vassal state to the First Order."

Lori wasn't sure how he managed that, "That's good."

"But there's also the possibility of a civil war."

"Well, that's less good."

Hux hunched his shoulders in agreement before going on, "Although, the faction that's likely to win such a fight is pro-First Order."

Knowing that this would go on for a while, Lori scooted closer to Armitage, sitting up straight so that she could wrap an arm around his shoulders, "How about you just tell me everything."

"Very well. The Fels definitely need our help, they're hopeless against the Alignment without us. But there is a catch, a sizable minority of the high command has an affinity for the Force."

Lori was about to comment, but then caught herself.

"Yes, exactly like Kylo Ren," Hux knew what she had meant to say, "Or, almost exactly. Ren is an idiot who's far too easy to anger, but he has his uses. Force sensitives are little more than a cult, and they're all hopelessly desperate for a leader."

"You can't be thinking that Ren will win over hearts and minds." Lori had heard a lot of fringe ideas from the general, but they had always been somewhat grounded.

"Absolutely not. Not once they meet him at least, but his family name is quite powerful and we can exploit that."

Lori saw where this was going and she wasn't sure she liked it, "Now I have a sneaking suspicion the Fels aren't interested in a Solo, or an Organa."

"They aren't," he answered quickly before diverting his gaze back to Ardis, who was whining slightly.

Taking the hint, Lori lowered her voice, "That's what I figured. Are you sure it's a good idea to promise these people another Vader and then hand them Kylo Ren?"

Hux bounced his knee until the baby quieted back down, "I don't question their impossible logic, I'm just here to exploit it in our favor."

"Fair enough, I guess. So, this maybe civil war will be the Force users that want to join up under Ren, versus the people that want to keep the Fels independent?"

"With a third faction that is pro alliance, but against being absorbed," Hux added on.

Already thinking of ways to twist public opinion one way or the other, Lori said, "Alright, I can work with that."

"Lori…" Armitage spoke her name in warning.

Hearing the worry on Hux's words, she reassured him, "I won't do anything too far out of line. A few anonyms holonet posts here, planting a few rumors around the market there, simple stuff."

He wasn't convinced, "I would spend more time searching for a planet to flee too."

She didn't think it would go that far, but she understood what he meant, "I'll do that too."

Not entirely satisfied, but glad that she had at least acknowledged him, Hux was kept from pressing the issue when Ardis fidgeted again. This time she let out a small cry, and then a second larger cry. Armitage tried gently bouncing his leg, and when that didn't work, he took to slowly rocking back and forth

Ardis squirmed, little arms reaching into the air and then pulling back in towards her chest. All the while she whined and gave an occasional prolonged shriek.

Wincing against one of the sharp sounds Lori gestured for Armitage to lift the infant.

"Try picking her up." She fished for something that had worked earlier that day.

Armitage moved to cradle the infant in his arms rather than let her lay his lap. When that did nothing, he tried holding her against his shoulder.

"Hold her closer." Lori added when she could see Armitage worry over pressing against the infant too hard.

He did exactly that, keeping her head propped up with one hand while he supported her with the other. When that didn't calm the infant, he took to rocking back and forth. The movement didn't come naturally to him and he couldn't shake the sense that he might be doing something wrong.

Lori watched him fumble with his actions. She would have thought it endearing to see him try despite his obvious distress, but Ardis had begun screaming. The sound filled the room and made focusing on anything else an impossible task.

"I think she needs her mother," he didn't yell despite the now deafening cries of the infant.

More than ready to put a stop to the shrieking Lori turned so that she could lift Ardis from Armitage's shoulder, "I know, I know. It's time for dinner. Come here," she spoke to the infant in hopes that it would do something to quell the crying.

She held Ardis closely, quickly readjusting herself to care for the baby. Hux sat next to her, ready to lend a hand.

He hadn't the chance before a knock came from the door.

Lori had just gotten into position, "And, of course, there's out dinner."

"I've got it." Without being asked, Hux was on his way across the room.

.***.***.***.***.

Lieutenant Mitaka wondered down a narrow hall. He hadn't been told to stop speaking with the palace servants, and last night had secured valuable information. If he were lucky, tonight might prove just as fruitful.

Turning a blind corner he stopped short before running in head first into another person.

The woman coming the other way didn't notice in time, and walked headlong into the lieutenant.

Thoroughly surprised, the servant took a step back. "I'm sorry! I didn't see you. Are you lost?"

"Oh, no not at all… I was just taking a walk." Mitaka didn't recognize the woman, not that he expected to. There must have been a thousand workers in the building, and he had only spoken to a dozen the day before.

Likewise, the woman didn't recognize Mitaka either, though she was far less ready to dismiss a strange man wondering the back halls, "…are you sure? Pardon me, but I'm not sure I've seen you around here before."

"Where are my manners? My name is Dopheld Mitaka. Lieutenant Mitaka, actually. What did you say your name was?" The bit of surprise from the start of the encounter was starting to wash off. Mitaka wasn't the most persuasive man on the planet, but he found that he muttered and stuttered just enough for most people to assume he wouldn't be a threat.

"It's Mila," the servant answered back, taking a quick glance of Mitaka's uniform, "Pardon my asking, but my brother it a lieutenant, and I don't recognize your clothes."

"Right, I'm actually visiting from off-world."

"Oh!" a sudden realization washed over her features, "Was it you that was making a commotion in the dining hall? I'll have you know that the moffs are very upset."

Mitaka scratched at the back of his neck, not sure how much would be wise to say, "Er… I wouldn't say I caused anything. Really, it's all very boring. Just… oh… politics. You know how it is."

Mila had an earnest look about her that said -in no uncertain terms- that she did not, "No? Does the military play a part in politics? The moffs aren't military. And if you weren't causing the ruckus with the moffs, who was?"

Answering what he thought to be the least dangerous question, Mitaka said, "Oh, my boss made a point I'm not sure they liked very much. H-he can be a difficult man. But never mind that, I'm sure it will all work out for the better."

"You're boss? Who would that be? I've been cleaning the basement for the last week, so I've not heard much of what's going on in the main house."

The lieutenant knew what it was like to be stuck away in a boring job, not being privilege to any real information. "General Hux. Tall, bright red hair, he's hard to miss."

"General?" she repeated the word in a curious tone, "more military?"

He heard the worried edge to Mila's last question. Immediately feeling guilty for it, Mitaka said, "Yes, but rest assured we're only here to request an alliance. Bastion could be a valuable ally, and… well, friends are worth having. Yes?"

"They are, aren't they? Where did you say you were from? Off world, yes. But where exactly?"

Mitaka considered his options before he decided that there was no real harm in speaking, "The First Order. We're a little ways off, to the galactic west."

Mila seemed to be deep in thought before saying, "I'm not sure I've heard of the First Order. Are you followers of the Empire too?"

"Of course!" Years of being drilled to answer that particular question enthusiastically, left the lieutenant to speak more quickly and louder than he had meant to. Realizing that he had almost shouted left him red with embarrassment and stuttering an apology, "I-I mean... yes. Yes. After the Battle of Ja-Jakku the Fi-first Order f-formed and moved west."

The servant looked at him with some pity, but didn't interrupt. The gesture wasn't much but it helped put the lieutenant at ease.

He coughed to clear his throat and take a breath, "Once there, well, we just kept being the Empire. Under a different name and leader, of course. But we hold to the same ideas, namely that a strong military is the best way ensure safety."

"Hm… When you put it like that, I guess you do sound like the old empire."

"Yes, yes we do. How about the Fels? What is it like here, as you see it?" Reasonably sure that that would be the end of her asking about the First Order, Mitaka tried to turn the conversation around. He had started the night in search of more information on the Fels, and he fully intended to do his job.

Mila answered back, mostly with innocuous little details that were of no real substance. The conversation drifted on. Each time Mitaka tried to leave, Mila would suddenly have another seemingly innocent question. Sometimes about the lieutenant, sometimes about his short tempered boss, and sometimes about the First Order at large.

.***.***.***.***.

A shrill cry cut through the darkened bedroom.

Awakening with a jolt, the new parents quickly realized that it was nothing more than Ardis demanding a mid-night meal.

Lori didn't roll over, but she lulled her head to face Armitage through the gloom, "Armie, please. I got the last one."

The adrenaline that woke him quickly faded, leaving the man groggy, "I have work in the morning."

"But after you're gone, I'm going to have to get up every time." Lori offered, fatigue drenching each word.

He knew it was necessary, but he dreaded leaving again, "Fine, but you're getting up next time she cries."

"Deal." He could already hear her drifting back to sleep.

Tired as he was, Armitage sat up and left the bed. They had deactivated the hover crib before retiring, and he didn't intend on fumbling through the dark room in search of it. Instead, Hux went to the solid crib, carefully picked up the shrieking infant, and held her closely before slowly picking his way out of the bedroom.

Coming to the kitchen, he tried turning on the light by bumping his elbow on the control panel. It took a few attempts, but eventually the bright lights snapped on, and he was left blinking against the sudden glow.

Ardis' cries had gone on long enough to temporarily fade to a whimper. Armitage leaned back awkwardly so that she was still supported while he rummaged through a cabinet in search of the baby formula.

Not having a hand to pat against Ardis's back to calm her down, Armitage tried tiredly talking to the infant instead.

"Now, now. Just one moment, Ardis. Milk is on its way."

He found the tub and set it on the counter. After skimming the instructions he went off in search of a bottle.

"I know I'm taking too long, but you'll have to learn to be patient."

The slight rumble of Armitage's chest as he talked did something to calm the infant, but she still mewled for want of a bottle.

Realizing that his voice was doing something to keep the child under control, Hux looked for something to talk about. When he realized that he couldn't come up with anything reassuring to say, he simply took to reciting the instructions he'd just read on the formula tub.

"Garbrix baby formula is designed for human infants. Simply combine 60 milliliters of water with one scoop of Garbrix baby formula."

Armitage awkwardly worked to follow the instructions as he repeated them aloud. Ardis clenched a hand around a fistful of his shirt and then released it, but she had stopped screaming altogether.

"Place water and formula into bottle. Shake until combined. Heat mixture to just below body temperature. Test temperature by splashing drops of mixture onto wrist."

The last bit of the instructions were difficult to follow, since his second hand was preoccupied with propping Ardis up. But, Hux managed well enough, and by the time the bottle was ready Ardis was just about to start with a fresh bout of crying.

The baby took to the bottle without hesitation. Armitage was left to lean against the counter, struggling slightly to prop Ardis into an acceptable position while keeping hold of the bottle.

Despite the bright lights and the commotion, he stifled a yawn. A glance at the chrono found that it was well past midnight. In less than eight hours he would be back at the palace, talking what could be final terms for an alliance. Or he might be officially declaring the First Order's support of a rogue faction, plunging the planet into a civil war.

He very much hoped for the former.

Ardis squirmed in his arms, uncoordinated hands batting against the bottle in a failed attempt to cling to it. Armitage had never thought he would be crawling out of bed to attend to an infant. If anyone had gone so far as to tell him that he would enjoy such a thing, he would have called them a liar and a fool.

But, he looked down at his daughter and her half-finished bottle, and he knew that somethings were worth fighting for.

He knew some things were worth the whole galaxy.

Chapter Text

Ardis had just finished her morning meal by the time Armitage came to the table, two bowls of Anoat oats in hand. He had already brewed a pot of caf, and the steaming bowls came to a rest next to mugs that had only just stopped wafting vapor into the air.

Lori tucked Ardis back into the hovercrib, hoping that she would drift into a post meal nap. The sun had only just risen, there wasn't much time before Armitage would have to sneak back to the palace, and then leave the planet all together.

But for now, the couple was content to enjoy the morning.

Until one of them checked the morning news.

Hux skimmed over a news fed via a data pad. It was mostly mundane, weather reports, a fluff piece about local theatre, an opinion article about the Pentastar Alignment. What caught his eye was an investigative piece pulled from an anonymous source in the palace.

The title read: 'The Fall of Emperor Fel - A Coup!'

Incredulous at the title alone, Hux opened the article and began reading. His mood soured with each additional word, so much so that Lori could see it happening in real time.

"That can't be good," the observation left her to abandon the caf that she had hald way raised for a drink.

He was only half way through the article, but Hux had seen enough to know where it was going. Rather than take the time pick and choose what he would say, Hux simply read a particularly damning passage aloud.

"Foreign military officials have entered the inner most sanctum of the palace. Why are they here? To invade, of course! Our brave investigator spoke to one of these so-called diplomats, and he said that the 'First Order' was here to 'join forces' with us against the Alignment. But don't be fooled! The First Order has invaded peaceful planets before, and they will do it again. They are here to break us apart from the inside, our investigator has already found fissions in the high command, and a coup is sure to follow."

The writing sounded familiar to Lori, "Which paper published that?"

Hux looked to the top of the article, "The Bastion Sun."

Lori thought as much. With a weight lifting from her shoulders, she told Armitage, "I wouldn't worry too much. They're a tabloid paper, most people don't trust them as far as they could throw them."

"Perhaps, but that doesn't change the fact that they know who we are and roughly why we're here."

"True enough. Luckily the people here are diehard imperial loyalists. As long as we can convince them that the First Order is the legitimate heir to the Empire, they'll turn on the Fels all on their own."

Hux gave Lori a meaningful look while sparing a hand to slide the data pad away.

She caught his message, "I'll be quiet while I'm working on our propaganda. Trust me, I won't be going out and crawling through alleyways, or doing anything else too exciting."

"Be very careful." He had a dozen other comments in mind, but he knew that once Lori had her mind made up, there wasn't much he could do to change it. Besides, having competent help in swaying public opinion towards the First Order could prove invaluable.

Lori could see the honest concern on Armitage's features, and she decided that now wasn't the time for even a softly sarcastic reply. She meant it when she said, "I promise you I will be."

Hux knew that she had only ever been genuine with him, but he still had to force himself to drop the topic. The future loomed over them, and while he could table their discussion about spies and propaganda, he couldn't ignore the rest of the day's plans altogether.

"Lori," he wrapped a hand around his mug of caf, thinking carefully on each word before he said it, "I'm afraid my mission on Bastion is coming to an end. I thought it would take more than just a few days to make real progress, but it seems I was mistaken."

She knew he would have to leave eventually. She had been trying to ignore the fact that eventually would come sooner, rather than later.

"I understand," She looked him in the eye, already missing him, "Do me a favor?"

"Anything." He answered without hesitation.

"Get your war with the New Republic sorted out just as quickly as you did with your talks to Fels. It's about time we came home."

Hux knew that wars weren't won in an afternoon, and he knew that Lori did as well. The first shot hadn't truly been fired, not yet. Once it was, there wouldn't be a single corner of the galaxy that wouldn't be tenuous at best.

Familiar doubts and hopes swirled around Hux. He had long dreamed of a galaxy squarely under his thumb. That very dream had become a burning desire, and now it was a necessity.

"It is," he finally agreed, "I'll find somewhere to call home, permanently. The New Republic's days are numbered, and they're about to run out."

A dark promise sat beneath Hux's words. The sound of it brought Lori back to some of their first talks back on the Finalizer, when both of them had been so busy trying to unravel the other.

"Good," she settled on a single word. A year ago, she would have been so ready to poke at his ideas, to wonder how she might store that information and use it later. But now she was content to do her part in helping Armitage on the way to his dream, because it had become her dream as well.

They ate on for a moment, Hux having set the data pad aside in favor of breakfast. Lori occasionally rocked Ardis' crib, lulling the child back into a light sleep when she grew restless.

The morning sun slowly rose over Bastion, and with it came the weight of the day.

Armitage looked beyond Lori and Ardis to the brightening window, and then to the chrono on the wall, "I'm due at the palace in an hour."

Lori pushed aside an emptied bowl simply because it was something to do other than think about Armitage leaving, "How long does it take to get there?"

"Forty-five minutes. Forty, if I hurry."

"Sounds like you got fifteen to spend on a long goodbye then."

Armitage smirked from across the table, "I thought I just said I had closer to twenty."

Grabbing a handful of silverware, Lori stood from her seat, "You've got to spend a couple of those helping me clean up."

He followed suit, inwardly hoping for a time where this could be every morning. There were only two sets of dishes between them, and it only took a minute to unceremoniously throw it all into the dishwasher.

The quick flurry of movement that came with cleaning quickly drew to an end. Both Lori and Armitage wished that there were some other small task to focus on. Some other thing to work together over, to think about rather than their inevitable goodbye.

Lori offered Armitage the bag he had brought the other day. It was empty now, with the gray blanket firmly wrapped around Ardis, and the night cloths stowed away in the bedroom. They suggested a fragile promise that he might return with a need for them.

"No, you should keep it," he turned down the satchel, "Besides, it will difficult to explain if someone sees me sneaking back in."

She put it down with an amused huff before turning to straighten the opening of Armitage's grey coat. The holodisk he had gotten from the medcenter hung heavily in an interior pocket, "Because wondering around out of uniform will be so easy to talk around."

"One thing at a time," he clung to the distraction.

Unfortunately, the chrono ticked on, not sparing a moment for them. Lori was aware of it and would have said something for it, but was instead distracted by Ardis babbling in her crib.

Happy for something to distract from their imminent goodbye, Lori reached for the infant. Cradling Ardis, she turned back to face Armitage. He looked the two of them over and wondered how he might draw his mission on Bastion out for another day.

"Well," Lori began, a creeping sorrow hidden under a neutral expression, "I don't think she knows how to wave goodbye yet."

Armitage drew closer, bringing a hand up to caress Ardis' cheek, "I'll return before she even knows I'm gone."

Seeing Armitage so convinced of himself left Lori with a little bit of cheer to add to the moment, "Be careful with a promise like that, I'll hold you to it."

His gaze moved up to look Lori in the eye, "I wouldn't expect anything less."

She stepped closer to Armitage, not having an arm to spare for a hug. He understood, and wrapped his long arms around her, leaving just enough space between them for Ardis to lay undisturbed in Lori's embrace.

Keeping as close as she could manage, Lori lifted her head from the comfortable place she had found at the base of Armitage's neck, "I know you're usually the one warning me, but be careful. Please?"

He looked down to Lori, keeping his hold tight around her before answering, "I will be. You said it yourself, the people here are imperial loyalists. They will come to see the First Order as the true heir to the empire."

She wasn't just referring to the Fels, and they both knew it. Yes, there could be a civil war brewing on Bastion, but that might be nothing compared to the struggle about to break out between the New Republic and the First Order.

"I'm sure they will," she let him have that point, "But be extra careful back on the Finalizer."

Armitage would have been lying if he said he didn't fear that his flagship might come under fire. He would have to be even more delusional to think that war with the New Republic wouldn't bring him up against Ren more often.

"Absolutely." He agreed to her second request.

Lori heard a few doubts under his last word, but she let them be. It was nothing that she could talk away in a moment, and simply being there was the most she could offer.

Armitage checked the time to find that he had only a minute before he would have to rush away, clinging to the moment he stalled by saying, "You're asked two things of me, it's only fair that I get a promise from you."

Hearing the echo of their old back-and-forths was a small comfort, and Lori was more than ready to accept it, "And what would that be?"

"Stay safe. Both of you. I'll message you before leaving the planet with some indication of what's to come, but be ready to run."

She would have liked to given him a reason to let go of those worries, but they weren't completely unfounded, "Deal. But if I can't find anywhere good, don't be surprised when I show up on the Finalizer."

He appreciated the attempt at humor, but he hadn't the time to dwell on it, "Hopefully you'll be able to return soon enough. Once the New Republic is gone, there won't be a single power in the galaxy left to oppose the First Order."

"I look forward to it," she told him before leaning up to give him a final kiss on the cheek.

He came back with a long kiss on the lips. Stopping only because of the time he backed away and give a final goodbye to Ardis.

"Don't give your mother too much trouble." He still hadn't perfected an easy-going fatherly voice, and the hint of a general handing down an order lingered on his words.

But he was trying, and that's what left Lori with an amused curve of the lip.

She moved one of Ardis' arms slightly, as if she were the one responding, and gave a purposefully playful, "yes, sir."

He lingered at the door, "I love you, both of you."

Lori nearly asked him to stay, but she knew that he had to go, "We love you too. Now go on. You'll be back before she even knows you're gone."

With nothing that wouldn't drag the moment out, he simply nodded.

Donning his wide brimmed hat, Armitage looked one last look at his partner and their child before wordlessly stepping into the morning sun.

The door slid shut. Lori was left holding Ardis in her arms, fully aware of how long it might be until they saw Armitage again.

.***.***.***.***.

Lieutenant Mitaka nervously paced the palace hall in front of General Hux's suite. He was set to collect the general for their morning meetings, the first of which was only twenty minutes away. Mitaka had read through the morning news. Though mostly mindless, there had been one report that stood out to him.

The Fall of Emperor Fel, A Coup! He thought the title to himself, What malicious sycophant thought up that title?

Of the people he had spoken to, one must have penned that article. He had talked to no less than two dozen palace workers in his only two nights on planet, and the article had been written as if he'd spoken to the reporter directly.

Mitaka got to the end of the hall before turning back, a list of possible suspects rolling through his mind. Bruno the kitchen worker? Lukka the gardener? Mila the cleaner? Bridgette the mechanic?

As much as he wondered who could have been the secret reporter, he was certain of one thing: Until he was shown absolute proof that General Hux knew it was him who had given the Fels the idea that the First Order was here to invade, he would deny being involved.

Being so focused on his thoughts, Mitaka hardly noticed another person in the hall until they were nearly on top of each other.

Welcoming what might prove to be a distraction, the lieutenant was quick to speak, "Excuse me, sir. This is a private hall. We-"

His words came clattering to a halt when he finally got a good look at the other man in the hall.

General Hux was out of uniform, wearing subdued grays and a wide brimmed hat that hid his bright hair from view. Mitaka was sure he had never seen Hux dressed in anything besides a nearly-black flag officers uniform, even now he nearly didn't recognize the man.

Nevertheless, the lieutenant snapped to attention. The confusion on his face hidden as well as it could be, "Sir?"

Hux cursed his luck, and for a moment he wished he had told Mitaka that he would see himself to the first meeting for the day. "At ease, lieutenant. I was only taking a morning stroll."

A very long one from the looks of him, Mitaka thought, perhaps it's the missing uniform, but he carries himself differently.

"Of course, sir," Mitaka played along.

Hux suspected that the lieutenant didn't believe him, but he wasn't keen on drawing the conversation out and accidentally giving any clues as to where he could have been.

"Wait here," the general ordered before stepping into his suite.

Alone in the other room, Hux let out a heavy sigh. He would deal with whatever fall out arose from Mitaka seeing him sneak back in later. His main concern today was preventing Bastion from tearing itself apart in a bloody civil war.

Being mindful not to damage the holodisk, Hux set it on the bed before changing into his uniform. Years of practice made for a quick change. Pulling his tunic on, he made sure that the sleeves were pulled straight and covering the old scars from Brendol's cigars on his wrist.

The permanent reminder of the past left him even more fixated on the future. Pulling on and straightening his rank band, he thought over his tasks for the day. He only had two meetings, one with the council of moffs, and then another with Emperor Fel himself.

He was less interested in impressing the moffs. It was already clear that they were deeply entrenched in their ways, and Hux doubted that any of them would change their minds. His only real hope, Hux decided, was convincing Emperor Fel to fall in line behind the First Order. He didn't know how easy or difficult that task might prove, but he couldn't let himself give into worries and doubts now.

After putting the other clothes away, Hux slipped the holodisk into an interior pocket. As easy as it would be to leave and simply turn the planet to dust, the general had reasons to play at diplomacy.

He just hoped that these talks were something that could be won.

.***.***.***.***.

Lori sat at the table, leaning over her data pad and taking notes. Armitage had only been gone for a few hours, but she was already starting to feel the loneliness starting to creep back in. Pouring over the last few articles written by the Bastion Sun and watching any of their broadcasts she could find gave her something to do.

Their bottom line and most of their stances were plain as day after she took the time to look for them. She had even managed to put faces to names for most of the company's higher ups. The majority of them were already infamous public figures, and she decided that it wouldn't be too difficult to completely discredit them and their paper.

Just before Lori got the chance to type out yet another note about the Bastion Sun's editor and chief, Ardis began stirring in her hovercrib. She had been fed no more than half an hour ago, but Lori peered into the cradle regardless. Finding the infant uncoordinatedly wriggling around from beneath her gray blanket, Lori gently pulled the fabric loose.

"And here I was thinking you would be cold."

Ardis twisted slightly, her stubby arms flailing through the air and her hands clenching shut and then slowly opening.

Lori didn't speak infant, but there were only so many things Ardis could want. She had just eaten, moving the blanket had done nothing. Ruling those out, Lori left the table to find the toys she had bought.

During the short search, she double checked the emergency supplies she had packed into the bag Armitage had brought. She could be at the Tolera in twenty minutes, and off world in thirty. She had no intention of leaving just yet, but if she ever changed her mind the supplies in that bag would last Ardis and her for a week.

The check and search didn't last long before Lori returned to Ardis with a set of toys in hand. Dangling a brightly colored rings of plastic looked like it was going to do something, with Ardis batting at them. Or so Lori assumed. When it became clear that Ardis wasn't paying the rings any special attention and just so happened to be reaching up, Lori set the plastic to the side.

"Yeah, I guess you're still a bit young for that," She ran a gentle hand along the side of Ardis' face while she spoke.

The infant leaned into her touch, leaving Lori with one last idea of what to try.

Completely abandoning the data pad that sat on the dining table, Lori scooped the child up from the hovercrib. She'd taken to being held upright against a shoulder before, so Lori slowly shifted her to that position.

"Hold on now, miss squishy." Lori took a few steps to the couch.

The shift in position worked for a moment, but once again Ardis started gurgling and threatening to cry. Hoping it wouldn't come to that, Lori gently patted the infant on the back. It only took a couple of taps before a heavy burb shook Ardis as it came up.

Lori almost jumped at how loud the sound was. After the initial surprise, she found herself chuckling, "It's only a matter of time until you spit up on me, isn't it?"

This time Ardis curled more tightly against Lori, quieting down after the apparent problem had been fixed.

"I'll take that as a yes." She said before sitting on the couch

Leaning back so that she rested against the arm of the sofa, Lori shifted Ardis around slightly. The infant came to a rest laying on top of her stomach and chest. Content to relax with her daughter, Lori let her hand softly rest on the infant.

"Passing that much gas must have taken a lot out of you, huh?" She gently stroked Ardis, careful not to wake her now that it looked like she was settling into another nap.

The weight and the warmth of the infant was reassuring. The regular rhythm of Ardis' breathing was its own sound to behold, and Lori found herself matching it breath for breath.

Hope this beats being on the inside. Lori thought to herself before adding on, you'll probably miss the warmth once we get back to the Finalizer.

Back on the Finalizer. Lori lingered on the thought. The warship had been the closest thing to home she had ever known, it only seemed natural to assume that it would remain so.

War was brewing, on Bastion and in the galaxy at large. The fact that the First Order, and Armitage in particular, would be the one to throw the galaxy into chaos didn't bother Lori as much as she thought it should. It was the New Republic's own problem if it lost the war, nothing beyond her family's safety concerned her. Nearly two years ago she had told Armitage that his spy problem would quadruple if he started a war. If this business with the Bastion Sun was anything to go by, then she had been right.

Then again, Bastion was nothing more than a side show. The cold war between the First Order and the New Republic was about to go hot. As soon as Starkiller base was capable of firing, that would be the beginning of the end.

Ardis kicked in her sleep. The familiar sensation gave Lori a pause and a left a sad smile to tug at her.

Now wasn't the time to be starting a family. But, now that she had one, Lori wasn't about to let anything happen to it. War or peace, hell or high water, she'd figure it out. If not for her sake, then for the infant that lay on her stomach.

Chapter Text

Speaking with the moffs hadn't led to the same explosion of infighting as it had the first time, but the meeting hadn't been productive either. General Hux had found a few of the moffs desperately searching for a way to discredit his claims about Kylo Ren, while others instantly became more agreeable whenever he mentioned the other man.

Leaving the meeting, he tried to ignore the lingering resentment that they had all seemed more concerned with the force user who wasn't even there, than they had been about appeasing him.

Smoothing down the sleeves of his coat, Hux looked to Lieutenant Mitaka, "How long it is until my meeting with Emperor Fel?"

Mitaka had been nervously checking the time for quite a while, "Only ten minutes sir."

Unsurprisingly, the moffs had run long. The general cursed them a second time, he had hoped to spare a moment to send an update back to Lori.

"Very well," he said, just before gesturing for the lieutenant to show him the way.

Phasma wordlessly fell behind the two others as they began their way down the hall. It was oddly empty of servants, and the few that they did see spoke to each other in hushed tones. A tension sat in the air, and the further they went the more apparent it became.

They turned a corner, only to see a flurry of movement come from its other end.

Admiral Pellaeon hurried down the hall. Quickly coming to pass them by without so much as a glance.

Odd, Hux thought to himself, he had been so affable yesterday.

Lieutenant Mitaka seemed similarly taken aback.

When Hux noticed the change in the younger man's features, he asked, "Have you something to say, lieutenant?"

He paused for a moment, before answering, "Yes, sir. Admiral Pellaeon requested to speak with you, but now must not be a good time."

Depending on what Fel has to say, the admiral might not get another chance.

"Very well," the general said instead, "He can come find us later, if it's so important to him."

"Yes, sir." Mitaka gave a simple acknowledgement.

Hardly a moment later, they made a final turn down the main corridor of the palace. Tall and wide, it was made of brown stone and held up by the occasional ornately carved pillar. Hux was sure that some architect would be very impressed, but he was more concerned with the few guards that milled about.

Emperor Fel is either very confident, or very foolish. Hux thought as he counted no more than four palace guards in the main hall.

Sure that there must be more hiding in the wings, Hux peered around the room as the group came to stop just before a tall set of stone doors that lead to the throne room.

There were of the old style, held up on archaic hinges so that they had to be opened and closed by hand. When they were creaked open by two robed guards, they revealed a long, elliptical room.

At the far side of it was a raised dais, on top of which sat a high-backed throne. Brown and gray stone made up the bulk of the room, with occasional purple banners streaking the walls. In the ceiling was set a lattice made up of tinted and stained transparasteel. Its pieces formed something reminiscent of the old empire's seal.

Hux could respect the flare for the dramatic, even if it was hopelessly outdated.

More concerning to the general was the duo on the far side of the room. Emperor Fel lounged on his throne. A few years older than Hux, he had a heavy scar sat above his right eye, and ran vertically up from there until it disappeared at his hair line. At the top of the scar was a white steak in an otherwise dark expanse of hair.

Beside the man stood a familiar face.

Representative Sol leaned nonchalantly against the high back of the throne.

"Punctual as always, general," she called out.

"I was under the impression that this would be a private meeting." He spoke with the same careful clip to his words that he used when speaking to Snoke.

The man in the chair let out a good-natured laugh that immediately put the general on guard, "As private as it can be when I'm talking to a man, his aid, and their personal security."

From the corner of his eye, Hux saw Phasma's stance go slightly rigid. He would have said something for it, but he was distracted by a quick twist of motion flickering past the skylight. The general just had enough time to make the commotion out to be a handful of TIEs careening past the palace. Although idly impressed by how much sound the building blocked out, he turned back to the conversation at hand

"My apologies, your majesty," the general began, trying to salvage the situation by being as formal as he knew how.

"None needed," the emperor replied with a relaxed wave of the hand, "I would spend more time on pleasantries, but I think we've both studied up on each other to skip them over."

Hiding how taken aback he was by Fel's almost good-humored admission of having spied on him, Hux considered his options. Fel clearly knew that Hux had also developed a file on him. It was an easily guessable fact, but Hux hadn't thought that the emperor would mention it so casually. In his experience, to do such a thing would be opening oneself up to attacks and accusations from others.

"If I've heard right," Fel continued on, his pleasant expression hardening slightly, "then you think my empire should fall in line under yours."

After the initial shock from Fel's initial demeanor, Hux found his bearings. Thinking the admission followed by a blunt accusation had been a clever plan to goad him into replying recklessly, he carefully considered his response, "On the contrary, your majesty, my stance is much more nuanced than that. I believe that an alliance between your empire and the First Order may prove to be mutually beneficial."

Fel let out a quick laugh under his breath, "Well, you get a few points from a response like that. Tell me, general, what mutual benefits do you think you're going to gain by goading my moffs into a civil war?"

Hux hesitated for a second, thinking of some way to twist the situation to his benefit.

Should I say that the First Order would help quell the rebellious moffs? No, that wouldn't work. They're rebelling in the First Order's favor to begin with.

In the time it took for Hux to consider his next comment, a servant entered from some well-hidden hall that lead to the far side of the room. Emperor Fel beckoned them over, much to Hux's chagrin. They spoke in hushed tones for a moment before the servant scampered off again.

"Sorry for the interruption. Where were we?" He wondered aloud before going on, "Oh, right. You were telling me why it would be a good idea to let some potential war mongers sit on my council."

The hint of good nature in Fel's voice was gone, and Hux was left to wish that he had Lori at his side rather than Mitaka or Phasma.

In the small pause, Hux saw Representative Sol go stiff at something. Suddenly she turned to grab at the emperor. In the split second that the action took Phasma reached for her blaster, ready for an ambush.

When the ceiling came down, none of the First Order officers were prepared.

Heavy stone rained down, pulling clouds of fine dust after it. Shattered transparasteel followed as glistening shards. Some large enough to impale a man where he stood, while others were simply content to leave a hundred tiny wounds on the exposed skin of anyone unfortunate enough to be caught in their shadow.

Hux tried barking an order to Phasma, or to Mitaka, or to anyone that might still be near him.

But he found himself short of breath, and staring at the freshly revealed sky. A pile of rubble sat over his hips and legs. Dust coated his face and clothes, and when he forced an arm up to wipe some of the dirt from his eyes, it came away streaked in fresh blood.

TIEs screamed overhead, weaving in and out of sizzling blaster fire. Towers fell with thunderous claps and pilots met their end in bone shaking explosions. The world had fallen into little more than chaos, little more than the steady wailing of an air-raid siren that had failed to warn the palace.

Spurred on by the sight of bright blood on his hand, Hux kicked at the rock and tried to claw his way free. Somehow finding the breath to shout, he didn't hear his own words over the high pitch ringing in his ears

He had to go. Mission be damned, he needed to flee to the outskirts of the city. He knew the way back to Lori's apartment, and there wasn't a single thing that mattered more than getting there and then getting them off the planet.

The wound at the side of his head began to throb, a glaring distraction for the frantic thoughts racing through the general's mind.

Before he found control of his thoughts, another heavy blow cracked against the palace walls. A second wave of battered stone fell flew from the side of the room and crashed against the pile on the throne room floor. A small rock slide came from the commotion. Beneath the heap came a snap and a bolt of fire-like pain from Hux's leg.

The falling stone ground against him and battered his shin before tumbling to the side. Shaking in pain and terror he clawed desperately at the ground. For a split second, a gap in the stone passed over his pinned leg and he just barely managed to scramble free. Breathing heavily, Hux scraped himself off the floor. When his injured leg buckling beneath his weight, he put a hand out to catch himself as he fell against the pile. It landed against a section of stone made nearly molten by blaster fire.

Flinching away and fighting the urge to clutch at the searing wound on his hand, he tried hopelessly crossing the floor on a fractured leg.

He had to leave. Had to hurry. Adrenaline rushing due to the wounds, and the explosions, and the burning fear he held for Lori and Ardis, he forced himself onward.

When he found himself laying on the floor instead of making any progress, he tried in vain to force himself up once again.

While he did, a figure came up through the lingering dust. Staggering uncertainly through the haze, Lieutenant Mitaka called out to the general.

Hux had worked himself into a crouch when the lieutenant dipped down to help him the rest of the way. The younger man's mouth moved, as if he were saying something, but Hux heard none of it through the insistent whine that rang in his ears.

They managed to make it a few more steps to the edge of the throne room when the world shook once more. Mitaka saw something, his eyes going wide just before ducking.

The general never got the chance to follow suit. A heavy blow landed at the back of his head, knocking him unconscious.

.***.***.***.***.

A sharp sound jolted Lori out of a light sleep. She had been dozing off, with Ardis curled into a comfortable resting place on her chest.

The warbling that cut through her front door combined with the afternoon sun to make a harsh wake up call. Even worse was that they gave Ardis a reason to wake up and add her own shrill crying to the cacophony. The rude wake up left Lori wishing that she could simply cover her ears and roll to the side.

Wishing that Ardis and the noise outside had an off switch, Lori forced herself from the couch, carful to hold Ardis in the upright position that she seemed to prefer. Lori just barely managed to tiredly stagger to her feet and take a confused step towards the living room window.

There wasn't a parade planned for today, and Lori knew that Bastion wasn't the sort of place to hold impromptu festivals. The blaring sound had been going on for far too long to be some sort of traffic dispute.

Blinking away the last of her nap, Lori gently tapped Ardis on the back and tried in vain to calm her, "Shhh… Shush now. You're ok. It's alright." While she muttered to Ardis, Lori got a clear view of the scene outside of the apartment.

The street was nearly empty. A lone couple abandoned a speeder in the center of the road before running to the indoor market across the street.

Before she had time to wonder, the building shook and the wailing siren was hidden beneath the scream of a TIE fighter passing over head.

Ducking involuntarily at the sound, Lori quickly realized that the alarm was meant to be an air raid siren. As if to confirm her suspicions, a second TIE careened into view and opened fire on the first.

Working off of reflex, she turned away from the window. The afternoon light grew brighter for a moment, before turning dim and uneven. A quick glance out the window found burning debris and a heavy black smoke wafting up from a series of ruined buildings less than a block away.

An attack.

Spurred on, she raced for the data pad that lay undisturbed on the kitchen table. When a glance found it empty of any messages, Lori unceremoniously tossed it into the go-bag that sat by the front door.

Ardis continued to scream while Lori put her into the hovercrib. Instantly wishing that the infant was back in her arms, Lori tossed the bag over her shoulder. The hovercrib had a retractable visor. It was meant to keep away the sun or slight rain, but it would be better than nothing against falling debris.

Lori reached of the control panel to open the door. She hesitated for a second.

Armitage was at the palace. She hadn't made out any noticeable features of the TIEs that had been screaming overhead. Had a civil war kicked off already? If it had, a rebellious squadron of TIEs was one hell of an opening move.

But then, wouldn't Armitage have sent a message warning her?

What if-

She forced thought to a clattering stop. Worrying about him being caught up by the Fels in some way wasn't going to help him now, and it wasn't going to get them out of the crossfire.

Crushing down the persistent fears for his safety, she opened the door. A quick skim of the sky showed her a dog fight several miles away, occasionally flitting over the palace. Knowing better, but still hoping that the pilots would be drawn away from the capital building, she hurried down the stairs and to the street below.

The hovercrib followed closely behind. Ardis' cries from within seemed to grow even louder. Lori moved on, wishing that she had the breath to spare on a reassuring comment.

Adrenaline sent blood rushing through her ears. Spurred on by it, she turned to make a final run for the speeder that had been abandoned only seconds ago. As she did, she caught a glimpse of the sky behind her apartment.

It was gray.

The afternoon sky was gone, hidden behind the hull of a massive ship that stretched for miles into the horizon. A terrible thing, shaped like a dagger that promised to tear the world asunder, it spat dark clouds of TIE fighters into the air.

For a brief second, Lori stopped in her tracks.

This wasn't rebellion.

It was an invasion.

Now wasn't the time for caution. If it came into range, that ship could turn the city into a sheet of glass in less than a minute.

Terror clawing at her, Lori raced for the speeder that sat in the center of the road. The hovercrib stayed close to her side, only coming to a stop when Lori deactivated it with a quick gesture that left it laying in the passenger seat.

The speeder was still on. Lori hoped that the tiny sliver of luck was a sign. It had been far too long since she had to hotwire a speeder, and she wasn't sure that she would be able to revive the old skill now.

Dust kicked up in the speeder's wake as Lori shot down the freshly abandoned city streets.

She only had a second to make up her mind. The palace sat in view, twice as far away from her as the landing zone was. She doubted that she could get there and then off-world before the ship above fired.

A T-intersection that would require a decision grew closer by the second.

Ardis cried in the covered crib. Wind whipped through Lori's hair. Air-raid sirens and the occasional explosion punctuated her thoughts, but Lori found that she couldn't shake her mind from a single decision.

I have to find Armitage. He wouldn't leave us-

Just as she made her mind up, a fresh batch of TIEs strafed the city. Shots rained wild through the tall buildings. Hidden blaster turrets ripped hostile ships out of the sky and sent pilots to their fiery doom. Most of the debris fell far from the small city streets that Lori sped down.

What wasn't spared, was the palace.

A TIE came down at a steep descent over the capital building. Blasting through defending ships, it let loose a salvo of neon green blaster fire. The sizzling hot plasma beams crashed into the palace roof.

Breath caught, and heart gripped from the display, Lori brought the speeder to a skittering halt.

Even from miles away, she felt the earth shake as the main citadel crumbled inwards. Plumes of gray and brown stone dust wafted up from the disaster, only to be cut thought by speeding fighters, and eventually twisted away by the howling winds.

He's not in there. He can't be in there. He couldn't be. He had to know about this, he had to know that we would run. He had to-

A fresh wave of TIEs cut Lori's thoughts short. Ducking against the dust and debris that they kicked up behind them, Lori moved the speeder once again. This time twisting around to take Ardis and herself to the ship yards, she tried to ignore the sensation of her guts turning as heavy as mud.

Fighting down a wave of nausea conjured by the fear she refused to acknowledge, Lori was slow to respond to a collapsing building. A second too late she jerked the wheel to the side.

Thrown by the sudden shift in direction, she tumbled out of the speeder that had spun to a stop mere inches away from the stony debris. The duracrete was hard, and hot, and caused a loud pop to sound from the arm that Lori landed on. Trying her best to ignore the blossoming pain from her dislocated shoulder, Lori crawled over the ground before forcing herself to her feet.

Fresh beads of panic coming in unrelenting waves, she desperately searched the speeder for the hover crib. She found it still resting in the passenger seat. Heart thundering out of terror, a moment went by where she heard nothing from inside the pod.

"No. Nononono."

Frantic hands tore away dust and ash that coated the plastasteel cover. Arm screaming in pain, blood oozing from road rash that had torn through her shirt and skin, she slammed her hand against the side of the pod.

Sputtering and occasionally stopping, the hood retracted.

Ardis twisted and screamed, angered and terrified, but alive.

Lori crumbled, relief breaking over her like a thunder wave.

Before Lori had a moment to catch her breath, a fresh rain of blaster fire crashed into the city streets. In a split second she found herself huddled over the exposed crib. Hot shards of duracrete and steel rained over her back, but she dared not move until they had fallen from the air.

Lori looked up. Filled with soot, and choked by rubble, the roads were useless now. The speeder had seen them most of the way there, and there could only be a block between her and the landing pad.

Closing the hovercribs hood and then picking up the no longer functional machine, she hoped that her ship was still in once piece. If the Tolera were little more than scrap, then she would happily steal a different one.

With one arm dangling uselessly to one side, and the other clutching the only thing left to protect Ardis from the destruction, Lori went off in the closest thing to a run that she could manage.

She didn't look up.

Death could come as a stray shot from a TIE. Or as a building collapsing through the haze. Or as a burning heap of scrap shot down from the heavens. Or from the dagger shaped ship that loomed beyond the haze.

It could come from anywhere.

Chapter Text

The room shook and rattled General Hux out of his stupor. Immediately groaning and clutching his throbbing head, the general hadn't the wherewithal to take in his surroundings.

What he could make out was a voice. Seemingly distant through the rushing sound of blood that roared in his ears, but in reality quite close.

Lieutenant Mitaka stood above the general, leaning over the bench in the Upsilon shuttles passenger compartment that Phasma had laid the unconscious man on, "Sir! Sir…? Captain, I think he's waking up."

Thoughts began bursting through Hux's mind one at a time, made slow by the still fresh blow to the head, "…Ugh. L-lor…?"

"S-sit down, sir." Mitaka held out a hand against Hux, who had uncoordinatedly tried sitting up.

More scared to touch the general than he was to give the ghost of an order, the lieutenant took a meek step back. Hux ultimately failed at his attempt, and instead lamely rested against the bench as he slowly came around to the situation.

"Where-" he began with a hoarse voice before switching to an order. "Status report."

Mitaka wasn't sure how to begin. Their escape from the palace had been a mess. The Alignments blockade of Bastion had nearly been their death. Never mind that any hope of diplomacy with the Fels was gone. The hermit empire might be dust for all the lieutenant had seen.

"Lieutenant. Report!" The general pressed, having finally begun to brush away the persistent ache in his head. Mitaka's stalling did nothing to reassure him, and the dawning reality of being aboard a ship drove him to the worst possible conclusions.

"S-sir." Mitaka finally spoke, "There w-was an attack on the palace. Alignment forces o-organized a preemptive strike."

"What of the city?" Hux tried to sit up again. His vision of the compartment and Mitaka both swelling and distorting in waves as he did.

The lieutenant moved back, narrowly avoiding the generals flailing arms and trying his best to stay composed, "The pa-palace was destroyed, sir."

"The city, lieutenant! What of the city?!" Hux swayed, his head tapping against the wall and letting lose a fresh wave of nausea.

Mitaka had never suffered the full brunt of the general's legendary temper, and as keen as he was on avoiding it now, he hadn't an answer. "I-I don't-"

Hux wasn't concerned with I-don't-knows. Staggering to his feet, he lurched forward when his injured leg threatened to crumble beneath him. Narrowly avoiding a collision with the lieutenant, he fought the urge to vomit from the sharp pain blooming from the back of his skull. From all the nagging injuries, he was left to sway on his way to the pilot's compartment.

He was only a step short of the door when it slid to the side.

Captain Phasma stood in the doorframe. Despite the missing helmet and scuffed armor, she stood with an unshakeable air. Beyond her was the cockpit. The pilot sat keenly in his station, eyes skimming the control panel for any hint that the ship might have been damaged during their escape.

The general barely registered either of them. The white-blue glow of hyperspace beyond the viewport was his main concern.

"Turn the ship around." Hux had meant to shout, but he found himself short of breath.

Phasma moved forward until there was only a mere inch between her and Hux. It left just enough room for the door to slide back shut behind her.

"That was an order!" The general managed to raise his voice once again.

The trooper looked down at the general. Phasma was sure she had seen him more brutally injured than this, yet he wasn't even bothering to stand up straight. Dried and flaked over blood ran from a head wound just above his left temple, and he had made no attempt to wipe it away. Adding to that was the fact that he was still partially coated by dust from the palace's destruction. The general that she knew would have awoken only to immediately begin cleaning himself and correcting his uniform.

Mitaka approached the two others, clutching a med kit, "S-sir. Please, sit. You'll reopen your head wo-"

He stopped as the general tried to face him. The movement proved too much, causing Hux to sway and nearly fall to the ground. He was only kept from collapsing into a heap by Phasma's catching him.

She was met with no real resistance as she lifted Hux back to standing and half dragged him back to the bench.

The room still swirled around the general. The garish lights stabbed into his eyes, while the normally reassuring hum of a hyperspace drive did nothing but remind him that he grew further away from his family with each passing second. He would have cradled his head in his hands, or stood up to do something –anything– that might right the wrong, but Hux found that his body wouldn't listen.

Exhausted and terrified, Hux tried speaking. He only just managed to make it above a whisper, "Captain. Report."

Phasma wasn't as easily flustered as the lieutenant. She spoke with a practiced monotone, "Forces from the Pentastar Alignment launched a preemptive strike on Bastion. Casualties unknown. The Alignment fielded a single Executor-class dreadnaught, as well as at least two Imperial I-class Star Destroyers. TIE compliment, unknown."

On any other day, for any other battle, he would have had a harsh comment about the lack of details. But today he wasn't concerned with who fielded what, with the tactics, with the hundred tiny details that would tell him which set of strategies would see a victory.

For the first time, he was concerned with the collateral damage.

"The planet's surface," he huffed out, "what remains of the city?"

It wasn't lost on the captain that General Hux had never before worried about the civilians that might be caught in the cross fire. Perhaps there was some other hidden tactical property about the city that he hadn't told her of.

Or maybe he was concerned for whoever he had been sneaking out to visit.

Mitaka took a seat next to the general and pawed through the medkit, eventually coming to the canister of bacta spray he had been searching for. Hux would have brushed the other man away, but he only really registered the lieutenant's presence after he began spraying the bacta over the remains of his head wound.

Realizing that it wouldn't be long before the general was back to his old self, Phasma spoke, "The palace and surrounding city blocks sustained heavy damage, the status of the planet at large is unknown."

She watched something twist along the generals features. The familiar sight of anger and annoyance meant nothing to her, but there was some other emotion. She almost thought she saw the shadow of fear pass over the general, but it was quickly hidden by Hux rubbing a hand across his tired eyes.

The medication was fast acting, but it didn't shake the soreness from the general's limbs, nor did it solve the burn on his hand, or the freshly blossoming bruises along his ribs. Biting his tongue, Hux considered his options.

At the very least, Snoke would demand a report over this failure. Hux could worry about his reputation later, he had Lori and Ardis to think about now.

Assuming they aren't- He stopped himself. They're alive. They have to be alive.

Aware of the lump that sat in his throat and the sting in his eyes, Hux clung onto a shred of hope.

"Contact Captain Canady," He began, already stitching together a plan that might salvage the situation, "He's to claim Bastion, and then push eastward through the rest of the Fels and the Alignment. No orbital bombardments, and absolutely no attacking civilians."

Even Mitaka heard how strange the general's orders where, "Sir?"

Hux knew he was acting bizarre by their accounts, but he couldn't begin a three-way war that might catch his family in the crosshairs. He came up with a convenient lie instead, "If we appear as liberators to the Fels, then they are less likely to rebel and more likely to join our ranks against the New Republic. Liberators typically don't fire on civilians."

The captain wished she was still wearing her helmet. The First Order were conquerors, not liberators. She saw it as foolish to pretend otherwise.

Mitaka was much quicker to accept the explanation, "Brilliant plan, Sir!"

Before his subordinates commented further, the general spoke again "Now fetch me my data pad."

Phasma didn't move while the lieutenant scampered to the other side of the compartment. She knew that the data pad couldn't be outfitted with a long range communication array. If he were trying to send a message ahead to the Finalizer, he would have to use the one installed on the Upsilon, or have the pilot drop out of hyperspace.

Of course, she thought, he might not be signaling the Finalizer at all.

She hadn't the chance to speak on her concerns before Mitaka returned with the battered machine.

Hux grimaced at its cracked surface, and for a moment he was worried that it wouldn't turn on at all. It did, but his heart was left to sink a second time when there were no messages waiting for him.

That proves nothing. He thought, trying to convince himself that the message simply hadn't caught up due to their being at light speed.

As if to contradict his thought, the Upsilon shuttle shuddered once more, signaling a drop from hyperspace. The movement was enough for Hux to put a hand down to keep from falling over.

The pilot's voice crackled over the intercom., "Incoming transmission from the Finalizer."

For the second time, Hux pushed himself to standing. Mitaka nearly offered a hand to help, but was stopped by a pointed look from Phasma. Hux wouldn't have accepted the offer, regardless. His ego wasn't quite as badly bruised as the rest of him, and he intended to keep it that way.

Stiffly making his way to the cockpit, the general tried to hold onto some dignity when he slumped down in the copilot's seat. The pilot didn't interrupt him when he toggled the holoprojector on.

A blue tinged hologram of Captain Faro snapped into existence. The sight of her simultaneously relieved, and annoyed the general. Ren should be at the helm of the ship. If not because it was literally his job, than because the generals return should be important enough to warrant the other commander's attention. Still, not being face to mask with Vader's heir did leave Hux with one less problem.

"General Hux," the translucent figure bowed slightly. He could only imagine the rest of the bridge crew sitting just outside the holoprojector's receiver. Any slip he made now would no doubt be the subject of gossip and rumor for weeks to come.

"Captain Faro." He kept his back straight and didn't acknowledge his disheveled state, "I see Ren has abandoned his station."

Faro had served on the Finalizer long enough to know not to goad either commander into complaining about the other. Instead of trying to explain away Ren's absence, she simply talked on as if the comment hadn't been made, "Sir. We've begun preparations for a jump to lightspeed. Landing bay four has been cleared for your arrival."

A sour look twisted Hux's features. He'd been very clear that the Finalizer was to remain in position until he returned. To come back to them preparing for a jump was no less than insubordination. He only had one guess as to who was behind the change, "I don't care what Ren has ordered, remain in this sector. I will resume command upon landing."

The captain shifted nervously.

"Do you have a rebuttal, Captain?" Even he heard the venom on his words. The familiar ire at his subordinates did something to ground him back to reality.

Faro made an effort to still herself before replying, "Sir. Supreme Leader Snoke himself issued our relocation order."

A dozen angered thoughts vied for attention over the aches and the persistent fears for Lori and Ardis.

"Explain." He finally hissed out.

The Upsilon moved for the landing bay while Captain Faro gave a shortened account, "After receiving word on the location of objective MTLS-2, Kylo Ren reported to Supreme Leader Snoke, who then issued our movement orders."

The map to Luke Skywalker. When the FOSB had found their target and how they had tied the hutt to the map, was lost on him. He didn't much care to find out how the mishap had happened, as he was too busy thinking of all the ways it might doom the First Order.

When he hesitated in his response, the captain went on, "Our course is set to Jakku, Sir. Launch procedures are complete. We will jump upon your landing."

Bad news upon bad news, that last sentence left General Hux to stiffen in his seat.

Jakku.

That dreadful, dusty corner of the galaxy. That no-named sphere of sand and unrelenting heat. That pathetic planet at the edge of the inner rim that only served as a wretched hold out for scavengers and desperate souls.

Jakku, where the Empire officially fell. Jakku, where Brendol had found someone he actually cared to call son. Jakku, where some zealot hid his map that would lead to the First Order's doom.

Jakku, that was fifteen thousand parsecs away from Lori and Ardis' last known whereabouts.

He didn't reply before snapping the holoprojector off. The Upsilon settled into the hanger bay floor at the same time, its heavy blast doors sliding shut behind the smaller ship.

The door to the cockpit had been open during the exchange. Phasma stood in the walkway, with Mitaka having curiously listened in from behind her.

Hux's leg was killing him, his hand was blistered, and it hurt to breathe from under bruised ribs.

But he had work to do, and a reputation to maintain. If he failed at either, he wouldn't be in any position to launch a rescue effort for Lori and Ardis.

"Lieutenant," he called.

Mitaka stiffened, "Yes, sir?"

"Relay my previous message to Captain Canady. Then begin a file on the new front. I'll take daily reports, no later than 0700," he spoke while slowly coming to standing. When it became apparent that the lieutenant was waiting for something more, Hux told him to leave with a stern, "You're dismissed."

Quickly doing an about-face, Mitaka hurried out of the shuttle.

After Hux had taken his first stiff step, he addressed Phasma, "Draft a summary of our mission. Have it to me by the end of the shift."

Phasma wouldn't admit it, but she was surprised that he asked for help in summarizing the mission. Normally he would have insisted that no one but himself would do a satisfactory job. Noting that oddity to be one among many, she gave a simple acknowledgment before turning to leave.

When he didn't give some sharp comment at her leaving without being dismissed, Phasma was left with no doubt that the general wasn't the same man that she had come to know.

Completely ignoring the pilot, Hux left the shuttle as well.

He had never made a habit of visiting the med-bay, but he was certain he'd fractured something. Beyond that, he knew that the next few days would continue to test him. He'd already been pushed far past the edge, and even he knew that the sense of control he clung to was an illusion.

Lori and Ardis were out there. Somewhere. On Bastion, trapped under a planet-wide siege. Or perhaps fled into a war zone, dodging hostile TIEs and capital ships.

Or maybe they never got the chance to do either of those things, The general crushed the worries from his mind, They're alive. They have to be.

He slowly made for the med-bay, staring daggers at anyone who gave him a questioning or frightened look in the hall.

They have to be alive.

.***.***.***.***.

Lieutenant Mitaka had been madly scrambling around for the last hour, but he had relayed the general's message to Captain Canady. At first he was surprised that anyone had listened to a lowly lieutenant such as him, but it turned out that acting in General Hux's stead was a good way to make any officer, junior or senior, listen to what he had to say.

With that job done, Mitaka made his way to a mess hall. He had only suffered minor injuries from the palace collapse, and his stomach vied for more attention than the few shallow cuts he had suffered from raining transparasteel.

It was only after he collected a tray of food that he noticed one of the other junior officers lingering nearby.

Lieutenant Quin Grier sat at the bench towards the far end of the table. He had spoken to Quin on a few occasions, she had always been kind and unassuming. After it became obvious that she had been spotted, she resigned herself to scooting to sit across from Mitaka.

His guard immediately shot up. A few of the other personnel had been badgering him for details about his recent outing. Mitaka knew that spreading gossip was the fastest way to be placed on a suicide mission, doubly so when it was about a failed mission. Triply so when his own bungling might have added to the failure. It wasn't lost on Mitaka that the Alignment only knew to attack after a newspaper mentioned the First Order's intervention on Bastion.

"I'm not going to talk about the mission," He blurted.

Caught off guard by the sudden and stern dismissal, Quin blinked a few times before timidly asking, "Are you ok?"

Immediately feeling bad for being so defensive, Mitaka let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, "I-I'm fine. The cuts are very shallow."

She nodded slightly, a second question bubbling just below the surface. Dopheld was clearly distressed about something, and even if he was only a passing acquaintance she was still concerned that he had returned covered in wounds.

"Do…" she was trying and failing to think of a question that wouldn't be too intrusive, "Did something go wrong?"

He wasn't going to talk about the details, but he did appreciate the concern, "Put lightly, yes."

"Put less lightly?"

Taking some comfort in her expression, Mitaka tried to hold onto the conversation, "It was an absolute disaster."

She gave him a sympathetic look. It was a well-known fact that working as Hux's aid was a precarious position, but it rarely ended in bodily harm. It did, however, often end in being sent off to some no-name position. To Quins mind especially, the general had a habit of disappearing anyone that came near him.

Mitaka watched Quins expression flicker. Sympathy turning to concern for a brief moment.

It was his turn to wonder, "Are you alright?"

Suddenly aware that her face betrayed more of her thoughts than she realized, "Oh? I…" She knew it was a longshot, but neither she nor Vanya had heard anything in months. For a brief moment Vanya had even been adamant that Hux's sudden interest in that other imperial remnant had to do with Lori's departure, "It's probably a dumb question, but was there anyone there? One of us? A major?

Her question struck him as impenetrably odd, for a moment he worried that she were trying to goad him into saying something he shouldn't. He spared a glance to the mess hall around them. Only after he was sure no one was listening did he answer Quin, "No? Should there have been?"

"No!" She nervously answered back, louder than she had meant to, "Just curious, never mind."

He hadn't been suspicious of anything in particular, before her sudden dismissal "Are you su-"

Quin abruptly stood from the table, face reddening from the slip, "Sorry I asked. Thanks for talking, good bye!"

Before Mitaka had a chance to respond to the commotion, Quin had stumbled way from the bench and was conspicuously rushing from the room.

Blinking in confusion, Mitaka just barely noticed a few snickers come from the table behind him. Glaring over his shoulder at a handful of other junior officers, he didn't bother speaking to them.

Instead he turned back to his untouched and now cold meal.

The general had been sneaking out. Could it have been to visit this mystery person that Quin had been asking after? Mitaka decided that Lieutenant Grier might know more than she should. And against his better judgment, he was tempted to find out what it was.

.***.***.***.***.

A series of x-rays had found two broken ribs and a hairline fracture in the general's left leg. Combined with the head trauma and second degree burns on his hand, the medical officer on duty hadn't let Hux leave before he had spent an hour in a bacta tank.

The general only had his ruined uniform to change back into once he'd left. Able to breathe deeply and move without nearly passing out, he made the walk back to his quarters as quick as he could.

Ingrained motions had him changed into a fresh uniform in a short moment. He hadn't a minute to spare, but he did have pressing matters that could only be addressed in private.

He reached into the interior pocket of his ruined tunic, now little more than tatters that sat at the edge of his bed. When he retrieved it, the holodisk was battered and cracked in some places. Stomach sinking, he tried powering it on. For a moment, nothing happened. Frantically clicking the activation button, Hux was only a second from throwing the thing across the room in a fit when it finally sputtered on.

The hologram was of low quality to begin with. Now it was dim to the point of ghostliness, heavy lines cut through the image before running to the edge of the projection and fizzling out. Lori's features had gone out of focus completely, and Ardis' face was barely identifiable from the blurred blanket.

Looking at the near broken thing, Armitage felt more alone -more useless- than he had in years.

His family was broken, lost, or possibly worse, and there wasn't a thing he could do about it.

Alone in the room, his fear and terror quickly turned to anger. And then to rage. And then back down to a cold determination.

He clicked off the tattered holodisk. It slid easily into the pocket of the clean uniform he was wearing. A quick look in the mirror found his face free from bruises or blood, the dunk in the bacta tank having done its job.

Swallowing the lump in his throat, he left the bedroom and made for his private office upstairs. Apprehension rising, he checked his ruined data pad.

Nothing.

It couldn't have been more than a day, but radio silence had taken its toll on the general.

The battered datapad that sat on his desk offered no hints, its fractured surface blank and good for nothing besides reflecting Hux's worries back at him. With nothing left to glean from the datapad, he was left to agitatedly check through his computer.

Mitaka had sent in his first report: Canady and his task force had been dispatched to the newly opened war zone.

Scoffing at the lack of detailed, he closed the report and turned elsewhere. Hux entered Lori as missing in action in the First Order's data base. There were already thousands of names on the list, but if she ran into Canady and his forces then she would be welcomed back, rather than arrested for desertion.

Leaving the closed system, he went to a near forgotten corner of the holonet. A short while later, and he had put a bounty out for Lori. As anonymously as he could have, of course. What she was wanted for wasn't clearly stated, but the reward was handsome. More importantly, it would only be paid out if she were returned alive and unharmed.

He doubted that she had even seen the messages he'd been sending. She would have replied if she had.

But, they were some tiny thing he could do to make it feel like he could still reach out. And -he worried and hoped at the same time- there was the chance that she might somehow be able to read his messages but might not be in a place to reply.

This one was short:

"I'm looking for you."

Aware that anyone might be reading these messages now, he kept himself from adding any more information.

Heavy with the fear that he may never hear from her again, the general took to old habits. Closing down the computer and stiffly correcting his uniform gave the illusion that he was in control of something. It was pitiful, and as he left the room, he bit down bitter comments about how pathetic he had become.

Consumed by thought, he left his quarters.

Lost. Injured. Captured in battle. He didn't let himself consider what other fate might have befallen Lori and Ardis.

A contingent of Stormtroopers passed him in the hall. What were they, other than tools to be used in his conquest? What were people, or ships, or even his grand military strategy? What did he care for any of it? They hadn't done him any good to protect what was his.

They hadn't done any good because he hadn't used them.

He'd gotten too clever for his own good, too reliant on diplomacy when he should have used a fleet of Star Destroyers.

Deep in his thoughts, the general came to the bridge. Searing blue-white light cut through the shaded view ports. Crew members huddled over their stations, making a point to work even more diligently as the general stepped over the officers walk above them. Even Ren stood at the far end of the room, focused on his own dread laden thoughts.

The general stopped even with his co-commander. Kylo Ren shifted his stance at the curious anger that rolled off the other man.

Hux didn't try to hide a scoff as he gazed out of the viewport. Speeding towards an objective that didn't matter, on a planet that he might blast out of the galaxy on principle alone. It was a horrendous waste of time and military resources.

Military resources that hadn't mattered, because he had been slow to use them.

Hux looked to the burning light of hyperspace. He would find them. Lori and Ardis were coming back to the Finalizer, everyone else be damned. Not a single planet in the galaxy was safe, and it would stay that way until he ruled over each and every one with an iron fist.

Chapter Text

Sirens blared and warning lights bathed the cockpit in a glaring red glow.

Lori had just slumped into the pilot's seat of the Tolera, bag on her back jostling from the rough movement and spilling half its remaining contents onto the dusty floor. Ardis still lay in her battered hovercrib, driven to exhaustion from the ordeal she had fallen silent.

The battered machine sat in Lori's lap, and she was left to awkwardly lean over it as she reached for the toggles and switches that would take them away from the swooping TIEs and collapsing buildings, away from the massive ship that loomed over the city.

Completely blocking the sun, it hung like deaths own shadow. A colossal ship, larger than the First Order's star destroyers, that were larger than the old empires, this machine of destruction stretched far into the horizon and cast down destruction in the form of hissing green plasma beams.

Lori didn't look up to any of it.

Ignoring half of the launch checklist, she wrenched a lever to the side. Suddenly on at full power, the thrusters kicked the ship into the air. Left with only one arm to work with, she scrambled to the side to grip the yoke. With a full bodied twist, she had the ship careening over the planet's surface, rather than into the fray above.

The sight beyond the viewport turned to little more than heavy brown dust. Occasional dark streaks that could have been TIEs or smoking buildings whipped in and out of view.

Without warning, the Tolera rocked to the side.

When the commotion wasn't followed by a sudden and fiery death, Lori realized that they had been stuck be falling debris. They were too low to the ground for the altitude meter to give a reading, and too blind by soot and dust to see besides. Loath to release the yoke, Lori made a quick move to slam down the button to activate the ships shields.

The shield generators were junk. She had them set to full power, but she knew that they wouldn't hold against a direct hit. Even a glancing blow would likely punch through them and turn the ship to a pile of slag.

Something hissed and fizzled against the thin shield. Lori desperately looked to the radar read out. Crowded with swarming dots, she twisted the ship side to side, desperate to stay out of the fighters' paths.

After a frantic flight that saw her careening left and right, the Tolera finally shot passed the edge of the city turned rubble.

She had only escaped because none of the combatants had cared to waste their time on an unaffiliated freighter. She knew she might not be so lucky if she came face to face with a squadron not distracted by the battle.

Dropping the ship to skim the planet's surface, she tried to take calming breaths. Ardis squirmed in her crib, and as much as Lori would have liked to stop everything and simply hold the infant, she had other matters to focus on.

Sirens still blared, screaming about the damaged hull on the starboard side. A quick glance at the control board found a warning light: Engine on fire.

"Damn it!" she added her own voice to the cacophony.

Struggling to keep Ardis and the crib in her lap, Lori reached up with her only working arm. The ship went wide as she did, slowly drooping to the rocky surface below. Struggling back and forth between the emergency controls and the yoke, she ended up wildly flipping a series of toggles in hopes that one of them would do something.

The Tolera bled deep black smoke from its starboard engine, despite her efforts. Gripping the wheel, she pulled the ship up once again.

The day light streaming through the viewport grew brighter as they left the shadow of the massive invading ship. Even at mach two it had taken too long for comfort to flee from the destruction.

Loosing speed from the damaged engine, Lori was left with a shrinking window to make a decision. Any longer and there wouldn't be enough power to brake through the atmosphere, but if she climbed too soon she risked running into one of the many TIEs that dotted the sky.

While she frantically weighted her options, the Tolera rattled. A fresh leak sprung from somewhere deep in the engine, and brought a new chorus of alarms to the cacophony.

A coolant line had burst. Any landing how was liable to end in a fireball. Spitting swears and shouts, Lori took the Tolera into a steep climb. The artificial gravity of the ship did nothing against that of the planets, and Lori was pushed back in the pilot's seat at the vertical ascent.

The fires in the damaged engine grew tenfold. Its heat reflecting back from the inside of the shield and scorching the thermal plates of the ship. One of the many sirens cut out, its circuits burned by overuse.

Fleeing to space was a long shot. But at least there, the fires would have no oxygen to burn.

Half way there, a TIE cut through Lori's flight path. A second before she swerved away, sparking blaster fire strafed the side of the Tolera and crashed into the imposing black fighter. Fighting back a wave of nausea at the knowledge of how close death had come to them, Lori kept the wounded freighter on its path to the stars.

One moment went by with no other fighters blocking their path.

And then another.

And then another merciful second of empty sky.

Stomach firmly in her throat and limbs shaking with adrenaline, Lori struggled for a breath as the Tolera breached atmosphere and entered low orbit around Bastion.

The moment of relief was short lived. Beyond the edge of the planet, but inside its moons orbit were two more capital ships. Classic gray triangles, she recognized the iconic silhouette of an Imperial Star Destroyer.

Reflexes still sharpened by panic, she turned the Tolera to face away from them. Leaking lazy plumes of smoke from the smoldering engine, she took the limping ship away from the destroyers.

She had to flee the planet. A lone ship, hardly holding together as is, wouldn't even be worth reporting as a casualty from the destruction those destroyers could cause. Never mind the immense gray dagger that floated above the planet.

Lori was no tactician, but she's seen Hux plot a thousand different ways to invade a planet, and the trade routes in and out of the system were always the first things to go. Nagging worries over where he was and what had happened picked at her as she limped around the planet.

The space north of Bastion held nothing of value. The moment she was free from the planet's gravity well, she would activate a jump to light speed.

The going was slow, and only one of the warning sirens gave way as the engine fire choked out of existence. No less than three others still warbled in disjointed waves.

Finally free of the last traces of Bastions gravity, Lori had to stand to reach the lever that would activate the hyperdrive. Off balance from the fear, the pain, and the heavy weight of Ardis and her crib, Lori uncoordinatedly shoved at the lever. The sudden acceleration to lightspeed knocked her off her feet.

Laying in a heap on the floor, Lori gasped while staring at the ceiling. The hovercrib landed heavily on her chest, and made it difficult to draw a breath. Left in a stupor from the sudden drain of adrenaline, she simply wheezed and stared forlornly at the ceiling. The final alarms had cut out at their jump to lightspeed, and the red warning light had given way to the flashing white-blue of hyperspace.

Coughing against an unsteady breath, Lori finally made herself slide Ardis and her crib to the side. Careful not to disturb the child, she turned over and peered into the cradle.

Ardis breathed heavily, exhausted and covered in dust. Lori brushed some of the soot away from the infant's tiny face. The soft touch roused a cry from the baby. Lori winced against the sound. Thankful that her daughter still had the will to cry out, but disturbed by the sound, Lori scrapped herself off the ground.

It was slow going. The full agony of her dislocated shoulder coming in waves now that she wasn't in a mad scramble for her life. Lori found the struggle to be too much when she tried to lift the hovercrib one handed. Resigning herself to her second choice, she took to dragging the machine and child into the cargo bay.

Stepping into the other room, she worried that they might encounter trouble, even at light speed. Away from the pilot's seat, she knew she'd never have time to react to what might be a fatal threat.

But, she needed to fix her arm.

She'd been left with dislocated joints and grievous wounds before. She'd grown quite skilled at patching herself up, and some old skills never really faded.

Along one wall of the bay was a rotating shelf. Meant to be storage, the shelves were deep enough for her to lay on. Some miscellaneous machine parts still remained in the bay. Grabbing a piece of rope, she tied a few droid scraps together, and then tethered them to the wrist at the end of her limp arm.

She tried to hurry at the sound of Ardis' cries. The haste only lead her to fail at tying the knot properly. Her shaking fingers and distracted thoughts slowed the process even more.

The palace. There's no way anyone in there-

She gritted he teeth and refocused her efforts on the task at hand. Through sheer force of will she managed to tie the weight to her wrist. The task of carrying it to the rotating shelve went slowly as well. But, in time, she had laid on the lowest shelf with her wounded shoulder dangling over the side.

It took a few tries, but she hit the control panel with her foot. The shelf moved up a foot, and then another, and then two more until the weight dangled above the floor.

Biting down a yelp, Lori clenched her fist and forced herself not to scramble off the shelf. Slowly pulled by the ships gravity, her shoulder slid back into place. The grind of bone against bruised muscle drug on for several long minutes before ending in a meaty pop. Body suddenly going slack at the sharp release, Lori groaned and didn't move from the self.

She would have been content to stay there, but Ardis' cries spurred her on.

Her feet found the ground with a soft thud. Untying the rope was far simpler than putting it into place. Arm still weak, and shoulder still weeping partially dried blood, she carefully lifted Ardis from her crib.

The infant was hot, and heavy in her injured arms, and it took all Lori had to limp back to the pilot's seat.

"Hey now," she muttered to Ardis just before slumping into the chair, "You're ok… we're ok."

She hadn't the energy to bounce a knee. Between breathy comments she looked to her emergency supplies. Half had fallen out during her wild flight, and that which remained were scattered across the cockpit floor.

"Looky there," she patted Ardis' back, wincing at the lingering pain in her shoulder, "we held onto a change of clothes, and that's at least three days of rations."

Talking did almost as much to calm Ardis as it did Lori. What she didn't mention was the real problems that they might come to face.

Half the rations were gone. Couple that with the busted engine, and she wasn't sure what their range of travel was.

"Now do you see the data pad…?" she skimmed the ground. Heart sinking as seconds ticked by without spotting it.

"Ok. Let's calm down for a second." Ardis had stopped squirming, and Lori was under no illusion that she wasn't speaking to herself.

Standing on deeply fatigued legs, Lori nervously searched the cockpit. Seconds turned to minutes, and her unease grew alongside her realization that the datapad was gone.

After a second search found nothing among the jumbled supplies, Lori came to a stop in the center of the cockpit. "Don't panic."

Ardis hadn't let out so much as a fresh cry.

"Don't panic." She repeated to the empty room.

It took a long, silent stare to the near blinding lights of hyperspace before she was able to make herself listen to her own advice.

"That's right. Sit down. There's work to do."

She came to a stop in the chair, Ardis laying on her lap. On the dashboard was a series of read outs. She had been right to assume that the blasted engines wouldn't hold out for long. A toggle of a switch brought up a projection of a star map.

Mentally placing lines where the boarders of the Fel Empire and Pentastar Alignment laid, she considered her options.

The Fel's extended far to the west, beyond that was an unclaimed territory that eventually turned into First Order Space. A glance at the remaining range on her ship found that she wouldn't make it half way across Fel territory before running adrift in a war zone.

The Pentastar Alignment was shaped like a crescent, and ran around the southern and eastern edge of Fel territory. Having begun her journey by fleeing north, she might be able to slide east and avoid the top edge of Alignment territory all together.

Of course, that would leave her back in the New Republic. Even worse, the closest inhabited system was Dantooine. Taking the long way around to get there would leave her at the very limits of the Tolera's range.

Taking time to think about it wasn't doing her any favors either.

Grimacing against the daunting odds, she shifted the craft out of lightspeed. When they sputtered to a halt, there was nothing but the empty void of space to greet them. Lightyears way from the nearest star, they appeared as nothing more than impossibly distant pin pricks of light.

"Piece of junk doesn't even have a long range comm." She spoke at least one of her complaints aloud while clicking in what she hoped would be a safe route to Dantooine.

At the obviously distressed tone, Ardis shrieked and began to kick.

Immediately feeling guilty, Lori pushed the ship back into light speed along their new rout.

"I know, I know. Being angry doesn't fix it." She slumped back to watch the light once more, "but damn, I wish I had a way to call Armie. Just to make sure he's ok." She shook her head, "Scratch that, of course he's fine. We just need to find a way to tell him that we're ok too."

Lori's words did little to calm the infant. Haunted by regrets and fears left unsaid, Lori lifted Ardis and held her close against her wounded shoulder. She felt heavier. Lori almost made a comment, but she found nothing that could lift the moment.

Alone and almost lost in space, she simply held her daughter and hoped that things wouldn't get worse.

.***.***.***.***.

General Hux stepped into his office, each though of his dogged by a bone-deep weariness. Devoid of sleep, he had been busily shifting between his official duties and then desperately searching for his lost family.

He'd just returned from an audience with the supreme leader. Snoke had been largely indifferent to the failure on Bastion; it was no consequence to him what fate held for the hermit kingdom. Kylo Ren had taken it as an opportunity to lord over the general. Hux would have focused on the barb and taken to plotting his revenge, but his mind was elsewhere.

The day spent traveling across the galaxy had left him with no real clues as to Lori and Ardis' fate. Nervously checking his computer once again, he found that Lori was still logged as missing in action. His bounty had been accepted by multiple hunters through the galaxy, but none had completed the job.

He'd sent an official communication to Captain Canady. He'd received a reply that was nothing more than an acknowledgement and a terse reminder that the task force was still a day's travel from Fel territory.

Finding that he could do nothing besides funnel more resources to Canady's task force, he nervously turned to writing another short message.

"I'm coming. Stay safe, and if you can go west."

Scarcely a second after he hit send, a knock came from the door.

Quickly closing any incriminating holograms, he called out, "Enter."

At his command, Mitaka quickly stepped into the room and shut the door behind him.

"What?" any weariness that might have clung to the generals voice was covered by a thick layer of contempt.

"Sir." The lieutenants back stiffened to attention, "You're presence is requested on this bridge. Kylo Ren's shuttle has begun its prelaunch procedures."

Hux checked the time upon hearing the lieutenant. They had arrived to Jakku exactly when the navigators had estimated. Loath to leave his desk, and his potential source of news concerning Lori and Ardis, he huffed as the stood. "Very well. Come along."

Mitaka followed in Hux's wake as he left the office.

The general hadn't the mind for mindless small talk as they went to the bridge.

A comment did spring to mind as they passed Captain Phasma in the hall. She was bound for the hanger bay, much to Hux's chagrin. Visiting some no name village on Jakku rankled him, and he thought that well trained personnel would better spent elsewhere.

But he said nothing, and it was only a moment later that he was left standing in the bridge.

The dusty planet where the empire had met its end sat below him. It hung as a pale brown ball against the black void of space, no more assuming than any of the other millions of backwater planets that clogged the galaxy.

General Hux thought that it was a pathetic sight. A waste of time and space, made all the more insulting for being the thing to pull him away from his search for Lori and Ardis.

He looked to a chrono, and then back out the view port. A squadron of transports tore through space and raced for the planet's surface. It wasn't long at all before they blinked out of view, distant dark dots swallowed by the nighttime side of the planet.

Ren could go on his absurd mission to retrieve the map to Luke Skywalker. He could do whatever he pleased to on Jakku's surface. But he had better make it quick.

.***.***.***.***.

The Tolera was low on fuel.

A day at lightspeed had taken its toll on the already limping engine. Lori had done everything she could possibly think of to stretch their effective range.

Shutting the airlock between the cockpit and the rest of the ship meant that she could turn off all but the barest amount of life support systems.

No more water recycling; she had filled a bucket and brought it to the cockpit. The oxygen scrubbers were set to minimum; just enough to keep the one room breathable. No more heating anywhere other than her little habitual bubble, even then the heat was set to low; she had put on all the cloths that remained on the ship and sat with Ardis in her lap, beneath a layer of jacket and bundled in blanket. The lights were off as well; Hyperspace gave plenty to see by.

Not that she needed it.

There wasn't a thing to do, hurtling along in her tiny metal shell. Not a thing to do besides keep the lingering fears at bay.

What if he didn't make it out?

She shook her head away from that one.

What if we don't make it?

She grimaced, before shuffling slightly. The movement of rough cloth over the raw patch on her upper arm had become her most persistent distraction from the intrusive thoughts.

She'd had a small med-pack in her go-bag, but it had been one of the many things lost. Left alone with an open wound, the threat of infection hadn't escaped her.

If I even live that long.

Biting her tongue this time, she willed the thought away.

They were going to be fine. She couldn't let herself believe otherwise.

They would reach Dantooine, she would find a way to contact Hux, she would get Ardis out of harm's way, and she would be damned if anything were going to convince her otherwise.

Especially herself.

Setting a level gaze on the flashing blue-white lights beyond the cockpit, Lori made a silent vow.

They were going to live.

And she would never be in a situation like this again.

Chapter Text

Kylo Ren had been away from the Finalizer for an hour. Hux almost wished that the other man was still on the ship. Not for any sense of companionship he found in Ren, but rather because he would have been a useful distraction. Every insignificant word that Kylo Ren uttered drew endless amounts of annoyance from the general. At the moment Hux would have preferred the irritation over the worries that plagued him.

He replayed the siege of Bastion in his head as he gazed down to the brown planet before him. One Executor-class dreadnaught. Two Imperial-class star destroyers. Unknown scores of TIEs. No ground-based forces. A dozen pointed questions came to mind, he would hand them off to Mitaka along with a demand for answers.

A ripple in the steady hum of the ship and crew took General Hux's thoughts away from his personal predicament.

Mitaka walked over from the communications array with a nervous trot, "Sir, we've received a transmission from Kylo Ren's transport."

Hux turned away from the viewport, but only spared a glance at the lieutenant, "What is it?"

Mitaka hesitated for a small second, then finally said, "He's to return with a prisoner, Sir. He requests that an enhanced interrogation cell be cleared."

The general didn't imagine for a moment that Ren had put in a polite request. He considered reprimanding Mitaka for modifying the other commander's message, before ultimately deciding that the lieutenant's wording was more convenient. It didn't pay to have the crew see him give in to Kylo Ren's demands.

"Very well. Clear a cell," The general ordered. When Mitaka didn't scamper off after his orders, Hux was left to speak again, "Have you some other news, lieutenant?"

Mitaka didn't wince from the acidic emphasis on his rank, but other members of the bridge crew did.

"Y-yes, sir." He squeaked out.

"Well?"

"Sir," the lieutenant fought to regain some composure, "The mission was a failure. Lor San Tekka was located and eliminated, but the map was not recovered"

General Hux bit back a bitter comment.

Of course it was. Of course we let ourselves be pulled half way across the blasted galaxy. Of course! How could we have possibly expected to succeed on a mission that we've been foolishly focusing on for well over a year now?

Mitaka shirked back. Something dark and somehow more merciless than the general's usual disposition slithered across his eyes.

"I'll be in my office." Hux said instead of unleashing the angry maelstrom that the bridge had expected.

No one tried to stop the general as he left the bridge. Only after he had gone and disappeared around a turn in the hall did a few nervous whispers bubble up from the crew. A few of the other officers even gave Mitaka a sympathetic look, sorry for the man and eternally grateful that they hadn't been assigned as the general's aid instead.

Hurrying to his office, Hux didn't mind the commotion in the halls. A contingent of troopers were headed for the hanger bay, ready to receive the newly acquired prisoner.

A moment later his office door slid open and then shut, leaving him as insulated from the rest of the ship and it's problems as he possibly could be. Finally alone, he considered letting the misery and anger run rampant, letting himself shout, or sob, or give into any other emotional impulse that suited him.

But he didn't. He took a hiss-like breath before steeping to his computer. Greeted still by empty inboxes and no real information, his mood couldn't possibly sink any lower.

He should be leading an armada into Fel territory, not hopelessly pining away at a blank screen. He especially shouldn't be concerned with dead-end hunts for information that would do the First Order more harm than good.

Despite the misery, he took solace in at least one fact.

The map was gone. It wasn't in his hands to be destroyed. But, if the presence of their prisoner was anything to go by, the Resistance hadn't secured it either. One mishap in the interrogation room would render their prisoner dead, and leave the galaxy with one less clue as to Luke Skywalker's location.

With that silly distraction out of the way, he would have plenty of time to turn his attention to the galactic north. Back to the search for Lori and Ardis.

.***.***.***.***.

Lori had drifted in and out of as much sleep as her nerves would allow. Time had become stretched and distorted, being measured in little more than the number times she had fed Ardis. Seventeen feedings at lightspeed, if she had counted correctly. Sixteen of those had gone by locked in the tomb-like cockpit.

Shivering, she didn't dare activate the computer. Knowing how much longer she had until the Tolera shuttered to a halt wouldn't be nearly as useful as the fraction of a parsec she would gain by leaving the machine dormant. Just a second longer in hyperspace could be the difference between their survival or their doom.

Seemingly in response to her grim thoughts, the Tolera rattled and shook. Heart dropping and stomach churning in time with the transport, Lori tensed in her seat.

The blinding light faded fast, leaving Lori to blink against the phantom brightness that had stained her vision.

Eyes finally adjusting to the dark, she gazed numbly out of the viewport.

Nothing.

Nothing but the void. Any of the countless stars that might show them to safety looked to be little more than pinpricks of light. Cruel little things glinting in the distance, completely unaware and uncaring of her struggle hundreds of lightyears away.

Lori lifted a tired hand. Clicking on a single read-out left her with grim news: Keeping to the same minimum settings, the life support systems would hold for another twenty hours.

She switched on the lights.

Leaving Ardis as warmly bundled as she could, Lori collected the now empty water bucket. She found thin air and a near frozen hall when she quickly stepped through the airlock into the rest of the ship.

Already lightheaded from her short journey to the fresher, Lori filled the bucket with clean water as quickly as she could. She doubted that they would run the tank dry, but she also doubted that it would stay liquid once the cold grip of space started truly seeping through the hull of the ship.

Returning to the cockpit, she took a greedy, deep breath before forcing herself back to a calm.

As soon as she had replaced the bucket, Lori began tucking Ardis and her blanket back under as many layers of her own clothing as she could manage. She only came to a stop when there was nothing but a thin shirt between them.

Ardis protested at the commotion, but quickly calmed down at the warmth. She had cried out a couple of times during their flight, mostly when she was hungry. But she had been more silent, sleeping for longer stretches and eating less in each setting.

"Hey, now. It's going to be ok." Lori looked down at Ardis through the neckline of her jacket, but she spoke for her own sake.

Ardis blinked, her wide blue eyes looking back at Lori.

Taking that as the closest thing to understanding that she was going to get, Lori picked over the control panel. A distress beacon fed of its own emergency battery pack. Its range was respectable, but it only had a twenty four hour lifespan.

Only a moment after Lori switched the beacon on, she switch the lights off. Just running the lights for those five minutes had drained enough power to pull half an hour off their maximum survival time.

"It's going to be ok." She said once again to the darkened cockpit.

In spite of her words, she wasn't sure what would come for them first: Rescue, or a cold death.

.***.***.***.***.

General Hux scowled at the hologram feed that came from the interrogation room. He'd rather be back in his office, attending to something that actually mattered, but Kylo Ren had demanded that he come to the prison ward.

Paying little mind to the image of Ren leaning in uncomfortably close to their prisoner, Hux instead focused on the previous interrogator's report.

Their prisoner had been identified as Poe Dameron. The name was mildly familiar, and Hux was struck with yet another twist of dread when he remembered where he had heard it.

Lori had gleaned the name from that group of rebels on Bastion. The very first section of the rebel pilot's file had been written by her. The document had been edited and added to, but he still saw her influence over them. Reading over the words, Hux felt that Lori was closer yet more distant than she ever had been.

He was only taken away from the lengthy file by a scream that echoed through the door. A spare glance at the holofeed found Poe writhing in agony. Kylo Ren stood above him, stance tense, and hand twisted into a claw.

When Poe suddenly went slack, Hux assumed that the display would be coming to an end. With some remorse, he powered down the terminal.

Scarcely a second after he did, the door whooshed to the side. Kylo Ren stormed out. His unresponsive mask twisted to the side, as if annoyed to find Hux in the hall.

"It's in a droid, A BB unit." He didn't offer any further explanation.

"Well then." Hux almost made a snide comment about the lack of detail in Ren's words, before deciding the he didn't care enough to draw the conversation out, "If it's on Jakku, we'll soon have it."

Kylo sensed an ire deep within the general, but he assumed that it was nothing more than the usual loathing that the man held for him.

Purposefully trying to anger the general, he left the hall with the ghost of a command in his wake, "I leave that to you."

Hux would have rebutted, but Kylo Ren was fast to turn the corner and escape from his view. Biting back the angry retort, he instead turned to an awaiting stormtrooper.

"Retrieve the interrogator. Once our guest awakes, have her glean all that you can from him."

"Yes, Sir." The trooper was about to turn away and trot off after his task, but he was stopped by an angry hiss from the general.

"I did not dismiss you."

The trooper nearly strained his back for how rigidly he stood at attention.

"Tell the interrogator that she's to eliminate our guest, slowly. Record the ordeal and then leak it onto the holonet. Let the galaxy see the price they pay for their defiance."

This time, the trooper didn't move. He'd known the general was a monster, but he'd always dismissed the darker rumors. Looking at the man now, he was grateful that his helmet blocked his terrified features from view. Worried that he might be the next poor fool that ended up on the general's tables, he stayed poised at attention.

Hux had meant to have the trooper scurry along that time. Realizing that the soldier had managed to learn from his mistake, he gave a stern order. "You're dismissed."

With nothing more than the two words, the trooper was gone.

Once again alone in the hall, Hux left for his office. He would check to see if any progress had been made on Lori's bounty. Captain Canady should have arrived in Fel territory as well, and a new report on the situation was due in an hour.

Upon reaching the private room he sent a short message concerning the search for the droid and the map it carried. A contention of troopers were to scour the area surrounding Lor San Tekka's village. If anyone found the droid or the map, they were to return them immediately and directly to him.

He would decide whether or not to hand the map over or have it quietly destroyed.

In the meantime, he turned his attention to personal matters.

.***.***.***.***.

Lieutenant Mitaka had just finished drafting an update on Canady's mission. Not much had happened, and he had been trying to find the most gentle way to tell that to the general.

Mitaka hit send, but he couldn't shake the sense that something was wrong. It wasn't like the general to be so insistent that he be kept up to date on an obscure front. It seemed especially out of place that he had been in frequent contact with Captain Canady, sometimes going as far as personally dictating to the older man how he should conduct his forces.

Normally, Hux would make a command and then expect for it to be perfectly executed without him spending another moment on it. He had never tasked an aid with daily reports on something that wasn't one of his personal projects. And he had certainly definitely never asked for details concerning civilian collateral damage. In fact, the general had always seemed to take a sadistic pleasure in being as cruel as possible to make an example of those who defied him.

Logging out of his work station for the day, Mitaka tried to push his concerns away.

Despite his efforts, he found that his thoughts kept straying back to General Hux's odd behavior on Bastion. Phasma had been adamant that his disappearances had been part of some ruse, but nothing ever came of them. Coupling that with his short conversation with Lieutenant Grier, Mitaka was convinced that he general had a hidden contact on the planet.

Whoever they are, they must be very important. He thought to himself as he made his way down the Finalizer's clogged halls.

The shift had just ended, and Mitaka was debating whether or not he should have a quick meal, or just go back to his suite. A third option came to mind when he caught sight of Quin at the end of a hall that branched off from the one he was walking down.

Turning down the other corridor, Mitaka found that he had to hurry his pace to catch up. Doing so left him slightly light on breath as he came to walk even with Quin. She had been deep in her own thoughts, and didn't notice Mitaka until he spoke.

"Lieutenant Grier? Pardon me, do you have a moment to talk?"

She jumped slightly before stopping all together, "Lieutenant Mitaka? Where did you come from?"

"I just finished my shift," he began, before telling himself to get on with what he wanted to know, "I'm sorry if I caught you off guard. I… I wanted to ask you about yesterday."

Knowing exactly what he was wondering about, Quin nervously scratched at her neck and looked for a convenient reason to leave, "Yesterday? What about it?"

Mitaka saw that Quin was poorly trying to play dumb. He hadn't a reason to be mean, per say, but he was very curious to know what she had meant when she mentioned that missing major.

He as much as he didn't want to be pushy, he couldn't afford to be indirect, "You told me about a missing major. Why would they be on Bastion?"

"I don't know, that's why I was asking you." Quin looked back to the main hall. The crowd had thinned, and she didn't have the convenient excuse of seeing someone she knew to run off after.

He felt like he might be giving away too much simply by asking, but his curiosity got the better of him, "Would this major be a personal acquaintance to the general?"

Quin said nothing. She didn't have to, because the sudden drain of color from her face told Mitaka all he needed to know.

He was about to ask another question Quin recovered.

"Ok, fine. Maybe they are," she looked around the hall, this time checking that no one was near enough to overhear them, "But I can't talk about it."

"Why not?" He could imagine several reasons, but he asked in spite of them.

Quin answered in a hushed tone, "I promised I wouldn't say anything."

"To General Hux?" He assumed with a heavy layer of confusion.

"No, to the major." She corrected him almost indignantly, before adding, "Hux is terrifying, I don't talk to him."

Mitaka did nod along slightly at the comment, "Fair point. Can you at least tell me anything about this major?"

Quin was tempted to tell Mitaka, if only so that she would have one other person to share the secret with, but she had promised Lori that she would keep her relationship quiet, "Why are you so hung up on this?"

"I-" Mitaka tried to find a deflecting answer, but he found that he was too focused on what had happened on Bastion, "I… well you can obviously keep one secret, could you keep another?"

She saw something nervous in the other lieutenant, and she meant it when she said, "Of course I can."

Mitaka wasn't sure he believed that anyone would be that genuine that quickly, but his concerns had been eating at him. It wouldn't have been safe to speak of them to Captain Phasma, and confronting General Hux directly would be nothing short of suicidal.

"Thank you," he began, "Th-the general has been acting strangely lately, I'm sure you've noticed it on the bridge. He… he spent some time away from Phasma and I during our mission, he snuck away from us actually. Came back one morning dressed in civilian clothes."

"He was-!" she cut herself off when a contingent of storm troopers turned down the hall to continue their patrol.

Quin poorly faked a cough in attempt to hide the fact that she had just been talking. She tried to think of any reason -besides visiting Lori- that would have Hux sneak away from his aid and guard on a high-profile mission. When she came up with nothing, she nervously waited for the last of the stormtroopers to turn the corner and disappear from the hall.

As soon as she was sure they were out of earshot, she turned back towards Mitaka, "He snuck out? Are you sure?"

"Yes?" he wondered if he had somehow been unclear about that.

Mind racing from the surprise, Quin thought over the dates. It had been months since Lori disappeared, and the timeline was perfect for their child to have been born.

"Wait a second," she thought out loud, "You came back injured. Bastion got attacked."

"That's also correct, yes." Mitaka nearly continued speaking, but part of him wondered if he might learn more by simply listening to Quin as she rambled on.

"…and now it's a war zone. And Hux is asking for daily reports?"

"Yes, I just drafted a new one."

The confirmation brought reality crashing down over Quin. The general might have gone off to be with Lori for the birth of their child. But he had left the planet without her, and as a war zone. Moreover, he had somehow become an even larger tyrant on the bridge.

What if… the rest of the thought was too terrible to consider.

"I-I have to go!" Quin breathed out the words, already having broken into a nervous trot down the hall.

"Wait!" Mitaka called out, "Lieutenant Grier, come back!"

He would have gone after her, but she was gone from the hall and his comm had begun to vibrate and chime.

"What now?" he annoyedly muttered to himself as he answered the machine.

A panicked and static laden voice cracked over the comm, "Urgent communique for General Hux."

Mitaka let out a tired sigh, "Well ping him directly, because I'm off duty."

A heavy explosion made a garbled noise through the device, with the voice just barely cutting through the blast's echo, "Go find him! The resistance prisoner is escaping from bay two! He's got a- is that a stormtrooper?"

Spurred on by the sounds of mayhem, Mitaka ran off down the twisting halls of the Finalizer.

Chapter Text

General Hux was fuming as he made the short journey from his office to the bridge. Shortly after he had left, he encountered Phasma in the hall. A short command with no explanation left her walking even with Mitaka, who scampered along in the general's wake, wondering if there was any way he could have told Hux about Poe's escape that wouldn't have caused such an infuriated reaction.

Upon arriving, the general was greeted by a scrambling crew without a commander, and a rogue TIE zipping in and out of sight beyond the view port.

"Stations, report!" he angrily commanded as he crossed the room.

"Sir! Prisoner Poe Dameron escaped his cell, and has commandeered TIE fighter number 382. Unidentified stormtrooper is aiding his escape." Someone called from the controller's pit.

While the general stepped towards the window, Mitaka was quick to slip into his old console. Since they were between shifts, the weapons officer hadn't arrived yet. Mitaka had only had the position for a short while before being assigned as General Hux's aid, but he found the station just as he remembered it.

He didn't have long to skim the readouts before the general came to peer over his shoulder, "Sir, they've taken out our turbolasers."

"Use the ventral cannons." Hux commanded.

"Yes, sir. Bringing them online."

Before the general had the chance to make a harsh comment about the Finalizer's slow response, he was cut off by a new voice.

"General Hux!" Kylo Ren called as he stormed onto the bridge, helmet twisting towards the wild TIE dashing in and out of view, "Is it the Resistance pilot?"

If you bothered to learn any of the goings on of your own ship you would know the answer to that. Hux thought harshly.

"Yes, and he had help. From one of our own." he answered instead, venom from the comment he would have like to make seeping into his words. Hux was left with another remark as he spared a glance at one of the many data readouts that crowded the bridge, "We're checking the registers now to identify which stormtrooper it was."

The force user peered out the window. Despite the man's expressionless mask, an unease settled over the bridge.

"…the one from the village. FN-2187." He muttered, words made almost unintelligible by the static of his mask.

Hux hated how warped and distorted the bridge felt when the other commander brought his strange intuition into play. He hated it even more when he looked to a readout to find that the man had been right in his impossible guess.

"Sir." Mitaka's voice cut through his preoccupied thoughts, "Ventral cannons hot."

"Fire." He gave the command dispassionately.

This was nothing more than a sideshow, a distraction, and a waste of time. And he wanted nothing more than to be done with it.

Beyond the bridge, the rogue TIE swooped and spun and dove in and out of the line of fire. The file had been correct in calling Poe an excellent pilot, but Hux knew that even he would fall to the full onslaught of a Star Destroyer.

In the brief moment Hux had his attention turned to the one sided battle, a second technician had pulled up the stormtrooper's record.

Phasma saw the readout first. She had hoped that Kylo Ren had been wrong when he named the traitor. To her dismay he wasn't, and she was left to look at the same face she had seen in the hanger bay after returning from Jakku.

General Hux wasn't long behind her in seeing the read out. The outcome of the battle was obvious to him, and he saw no reason to watch it all the way through. Especially not when there had been some traitor in his ranks. Without Lori there to ferret them out, he had been increasingly paranoid that another Resistance cell had slipped onto his ship. This only added to his suspicion.

Sure that the general would have a harsh comment, Phasma was the first to speak, "FN-2187 reported to my division, was evaluated, and sent to reconditioning."

"No prior signs of non-conformity?" he asked incredulously.

"This was his first offense," she confirmed.

General Hux had a harsh rebuttal in his tongue, but was interrupted by a technicians update.

"General! They've been hit."

"Destroyed?"

The TIE had turned in a wide circle, back towards Jakku. Just a moment after it did, the Finalizer's cannons clipped the fighter. The liquid oxygen feed went up in a quick ball of flame that was quickly extinguished by the hungry void of space. Left with an uneven thruster, the little ship could do nothing besides careen headlong towards the dusty planet below.

"Disabled," she replied, skimming the report as it came in, "They were headed back to Jakku, the fighter's projected to crash in the Goazon badlands."

The news rankled at Hux.

"They were going back for the droid," he realized aloud, before adding, "Send a squad to the wreckage."

A wave of "Yes, Sir," rippled around the bridge as officers began sending orders around the ship.

Hux turned back to Ren to give him a harsh comment, but found that the other commander had disappeared while he had been hard at work.

Typical!

"Sir…" Mitaka's meek voice came from the generals left.

"What?" he harshly bit out.

"S-Supreme Leader Snoke has requested an audience." He fought not to flinch before adding, "Kylo Ren just left for it."

Hux stifled a heavy breath, "Very well. The Finalizer is to maintain normal operations until I return."

"Understood, sir." Mitaka acknowledged the command, just before Hux stormed off of the bridge, Captain Phasma following in his wake.

.***.***.***.***.

The air had stopped flowing from the vents an hour ago.

Lori shivered in the pilot's seat, aware of the deadly change only because she had nothing to focus on besides the near silent hum of the air conditioner.

Wrapping her hand around her stomach to cradle Ardis more tightly, Lori turned her gaze toward the only light piecing the gloom of the ship.

The emergency beacon was still on. If she remembered correctly, it still had a few hours of battery life left to it.

Huddled against the cold, Lori thought of the compartment around her. Even missing half her rations, she doubted that she'd succumb to starvation. She should even have enough water for a day or two. The room had to hold at least a days' worth of fresh air.

She shivered again. It was the cold that would come for them.

Knowing where death would come from first, she shifted in her chair. She had brought her arms into the body of the jacket, then tried to shift the lower layers around so that Ardis rested directly against her skin.

The infant was still warm, having been swaddled in her blanket and kept under the coat from the very start. She kicked and wriggled slightly at the commotion.

Though she was left to feel rather than see her daughter, Lori found some comfort in her activity. "Looks like you've already got some fight in you."

In response, Ardis batted her little arms. The flicker of movement brought a smile to Lori's lips, only for them to strain and crack. The small pain brought several fears with it.

How thick was the Toleras hull? How much thermal shielding had they lost while fleeing Bastion? The tiles were just as good at keeping fiery heat from seeping into the ship as they were at keeping warmth from seeping out, did the Tolera have enough sheeting to keep them safe for another hour? Another day?

Lori couldn't feel her fingers. If there had been any light to see by, she would have found a thick sheet of ice over the water bucket. For now, she shook and tried to keep Ardis warm.

Still refusing to give in, Lori looked out of the cockpit viewport. The bare expanse stretched on, endless in its emptiness and its apathy.

Hoping against hope, Lori blinked.

She thought something moved.

Unable to stop shaking from the cold, she peered again into the abyss.

Movement. Unmistakable this time. Occasional dots blinked in an out of view, being blocked by some ship in the distance.

Desperate, Lori jolted from her seat. Her control panel was just as dead and dark as it had been for the past day when the distant ship drifted closer.

Still too far away to see the pilots features, Lori caught sight of a fully lit cockpit. Hoping desperately that they could see her she heldArdis in her arms, but still under her jacket. Lori's shivering double in intensity. The cold was near unbearable, and she lost the little blanket of warmth she had gathered from sitting so still.

"…C'mon." She muttered as the unidentified ship drifted closer.

It came to float just above the Tolera, the end of the other ship hanging at the edge of the view from her cockpit window.

A distant clink echoed through the cold halls of Lori's ship, then a faded whirring of machinery just barely drifted through the heavy cockpit door.

Lori turned to the door, brushing against the control panel as she went. She didn't know who her guest might be. Pirates or scavengers, she was more than ready to talk either into being her saviors. She had plenty of angles to work with. Scared, wounded, and alone with a child, she wouldn't have to fake the fear and desperation.

Of course, those same thins made her an easy target as well.

There came a heavy hiss of decompressing air from the cargo hold. It was soon followed by a muttered swear and heavy footsteps.

A heavy creak came from the door as someone manually slid it to the side. Lori hadn't the chance to say a word before a bright light crossed the room and left her seeing stars.

She groaned at the sudden stinging. The man forcing the door open stopped, fumbled around for something at his hip and swore in surprise at finding the lone inhabitant of the doomed ship.

With her eyes closed and arms trapped under a layer of clothing, Lori knew very well how vulnerable she was. She couldn't open her eyes, the oppressive light of a glowstick burning despite having her eyelids clamped shut.

A beat of confusion passed before a distantly familiar voice called from the other end of the bright light.

"Lori?"

.***.***.***.***.

The cavernous meeting room echoed with Supreme Leader Snoke's every word. General Hux had entered shortly after Kylo Ren, yet he had stumbled into a tense moment between the master and aprentice.

"It was no mistake that the Resistance pilot had help from one of our own." The supreme leader's voice bounced from the walls and beat down on the general and the knight both.

Hux had only just arrived, but he was quick to attempt to gain the supreme leader's favor, "A mistake that will not be repeated, Supreme Leader."

The ghostly hologram turned its piercing gaze to the general, in part contemptuous of his late arrival, in part grateful that he could move on with his reason for summoning them.

"For your sake, general, you had better be correct," The massive projection shifted to peer down at both commanders equally, "There has been a disturbance in the force."

"What?!" Kylo Ren hissed.

Hux gave the masked man a sharp glance just before Snoke's voice shook the room once more.

"Silence!" His projection lurched forward before settling back down, "There has been a disturbance of unknown origin. It is imperative that I have the map, but… If there comes a moment that the Resistance might claim the map before the First Order, see it destroyed. They cannot know its contents."

General Hux knew better than to smile. He wasn't even sure he still could, with dread and despair for Lori and Ardis haunting him. But, he was sorely tempted to. Any excuse to turn that map into space dust was a boon, and one less obstacle between him and the search for his family.

Kylo Ren, however, was nearly frothing at the mouth beneath his mask, "Supreme Leader! That map is our only lead to Luke Skywalker. Without it, he might bring a whole new group of jedi to-"

"I will not be debated, Kylo Ren. Your uncle is but a small menace." Snoke cut him off.

Hux had never been one to rely on intuition, but even he could feel the tension in the air. He almost took joy in seeing Ren's shoulders stiffen at the mention of a familial relationship, but he had more important matters to attend to.

"Understood, Supreme Leader." The general almost stood at attention when he spoke, a rare show of respect that he only ever used to speak to Snoke.

"Good. You're dismissed." The hologram gazed down directly at Kylo Ren, "Both of you."

And with that, the projection was gone in a blink.

.***.***.***.***.

Slowly adjusting to the first light she'd experienced in over a day, Lori creaked open one of her eyes.

The beam had moved to the side, though she still couldn't see the features of the man. He put what she assumed to be a blaster back on his hip. He stood taller than her, and had broad shoulders. With a grunt, he began pushing at the door once more.

In the time it took for him to finish the job, Lori had come that much closer to succumbing to the cold. Her eyes had also adjusted, finding a familiar face in the process.

Lex. One of the mercenaries that had taken shelter in her apartment.

"What are you doing out here?" He asked as he stepped into the cockpit.

She hadn't much energy left to spare on small talk, "Freezing to death."

A trace of annoyance crossed his features while he walked through the gloom and across the room. Just as he was about to say something about it, there came a sudden bout of movement from under Lori's jacket. With it came a muffled cry.

Eyes widening, Lex asked, "Is that-?"

"We'll talk later" she interrupted, "We've been sitting in the cold dark for hours."

Understanding, Lex stepped to the side. Lori teetered passed him and into the hall. What little moisture had been in the remaining air had dropped and turned into a layer of frost. It crunched softly as they walked over it.

A bright shaft of light cut through the cargo hold. The personnel hatch was open and connected to Lex's ship. A ladder had been dropped hallway into the room, Lori wasn't sure if she was in shape to climb it.

"I'll hold onto the kid while you climb up." He offered, not sure that she could manage even with both arms free.

"She goes up first."

Lex had seen nothing on Bastion that made him trust, or even particularly like, Lori but he did respect the determination on her words. "Alright," He held out his arms.

Lori didn't like the idea of handing her daughter over to the rebel, but she didn't have much of a choice. Shuffling to free Ardis and herself from the jacket, Lori was hit by the full force of the cold. Trying her best not to shake like a leaf, she gently handed Ardis and her blanket to Lex.

The infant didn't cry out as the man carrying her quickly made up the ladder. As soon as there was room, Lori tried following Lex. The cold metal of the ladder stung against her frigid hands.

Half way up, Lori lost the rest of the feeling in her hands. Body shaking from the punishing cold, she teetered back, only to be caught by Lex. He was laying in his own ship, arms reaching down to try and pull Lori up the rest of the way.

With the extra help, she made it. Instantly collapsing onto the floor, she found a brightly lit storage compartment around her. Within the room stood a second person.

"Lori?!"

From her place on the ground, she looked up. Above her stood Brixie, arms filled with a bundle of blankets and face painted by surprise and confusion.

While the medic stepped forward, Lex pulled the ladder up and kicked the hatch closed. Lori was slow to come to her feet, only for Brixie to carefully guide her towards a stack of crates. They groaned slightly as Lori sat on them, rough rope creaking and grating against her bare palms as she steadied herself.

Brixie lay Ardis down next to Lori, then quickly readjusted her blanket to support her head.

"Go get a bucket of warm water, and a bunch of bottles." she told Lex, "And get plenty of blankets!" She had to shout the last bit after him as he left the cargo hold.

Hoping that he got the message, Brixie turned back to Lori, "Can you hear me? Hey."

The medic watched Lori, noting the unmistakable signs of hypothermia. Dulled by the cold, Lori was slow to reply.

"I hear you," Lori began, speaking though bone shaking shivers, "I hear you."

"Great, I'm going to need you to lay down. Can you do that?"

Her body might be slowed and sore, but Lori's mind was still perfectly intact, "Give me a minute."

With that, Lori leaned over. Brixie did her best to guide her patient to the side. The going was slow, and by the time Lori was down so that her head lay next to Ardis, Lex had returned.

"Fill the bottles, then wipe them dry." Brixie instructed

"On it," he acknowledged before setting about the task.

While he was at work, Brixie turned back to place a blanket over Lori. It didn't do much at first, her body below still barely producing any heat. Brixie then turned back to collect the first bottle of warm water that Lex had filled. One after the other, she laid them against Lori's sides. Once fully surrounded by warmth, Lori got another layer of cloth. The process didn't take long, and not a second after she was done with Lori did Brixie begin making a self-warming bed for Ardis.

"How long were you out there for?" The medic asked.

"Days." Lori answered back, though her gaze was locked on the bundle of blankets that held her daughter.

Brixie accepted one more bottle of warm water from Lex, "Here, take a drink. Getting something warm on the inside will help too."

With Brixie helping to prop her head up, Lori took a long drink of the hot liquid. For a moment it felt like her stomach was thawing out as well. While her neck was craned, Lori tried to catch a glimpse of Ardis.

Brixie saw the effort and tried to reassure Lori, "She's ok. A bit on the cool side, but I don't see any signs of frostbite.

"You sure?"

Looking back to Lori, Brixie nodded, "I'm sure."

No sooner had the words left Brixie's lips, when a third person spoke from the hall.

"We're either of y'all ever going to come and get me or-" Dak stepped into the room. It only took a second for him to take in the scene, "Lori?! What in the hell are you doing out here?"

"Good to see you too," she said, despite seeing nothing beyond the ceiling and Brixie in her periphery.

"Wait, it was you who was flying around in that heap? You got to stop flying around in the cheapest junkers you can find. They'll be your death one of these days."

"Hasn't killed me yet." She croaked out.

Coming to stand at her side, Dak took in the sight of his old friend. Her face was the only exposed part of her, and that was a bright red. Even though the rest of her was under layers of cloth, she shook enough to make the whole pile tremble.

"Looks like this one got real close," he observed before glancing to the side, "and it could have gotten both of y'all. Isn't that right, Little Lori?"

Lori clenched and released her hands in effort to get her blood flowing, "She's got a name, Dak."

"Whatever it is, I'm still calling her Little Lori." He replied.

While they talked, Lex left the cargo hold for the cockpit.

Nervous and keen on keeping her patient talking and awake, Brixie sat next to Lori, "What's her name?"

Looking to the medic, Lori replied, "It's Ardis."

"That's a beautiful name," Brixie said as she peered into the makeshift bed, "She's got your eyes."

The observation wasn't wrong. Lori knew that Ardis still had the puffy round features of a newborn, but she liked to think that Ardis would grow to look like Armitage.

Especially if he's-

She stopped herself from finishing the thought, but still spoke off the same worries, "I think she'll take after her father."

Thinking back to their chats on Bastion, a sad flicker crossed Brixie's features, "Well, he must have been very handsome, because she's beautiful."

Lori blinked away a stinging in her eyes and tried to cough a lump from her throat. She had lied about Armitage being dead before, and now that she wasn't sure what was true and what wasn't she couldn't bring herself to talk about Armitage in the past tense.

"She sure is," Lori settle on saying before trying to change to topic, "Now, as glad as I am to see y'all, what are y'all doing out here?"

Brixie faced Lori once again, "Looking for you, actually. I sent an update, but didn't hear back from you. And then we heard about the Alignments attack…"

"And the First Order's." Dak tacked on.

A shock of surprise shook Lori along with the shivers, "Wait. A second invasion?" she worked to put her features and racing thoughts back under control, "I made a run for it after the Alignment started bombing. When did the First Order get involved?"

A little flicker of hope warmed Lori, though she was careful not to show it. Armitage had never been a graceful loser, and launching a full scale invasion in response to being attacked was definitely something he would do. She even let herself imagine that he might organize a secret rescue effort.

Through the little hope, a fear nagged at her. Armitage might be a sore loser, but he would never propose a violent invasion of the planet where she was living. Maybe the First Order's attack was retaliation for a slain general.

"The First Order showed up half a day ago," Dak answered, "I figured you'd be fine if it was just the Alignment, but those folk… they might be true evil. I don't know what stakes they've got out here, but stars help whichever side they're gunning for."

Before Lori responded, Brixie interjected, "No. The Fels, the Alignment, and the First Order all need to go. They're monsters, through and through."

"Just like the Empire?" Lori fished for a clearer explanation.

Hearing the edge on Brixie's words told Lori that now wasn't the time to try and twist the medic around to her point of view. But, she did see a chance to learn what made the medic tick.

"Worse," the medic answered back, "At least the Empire pretended not to be evil. I guess the Fels do too, but the First Order… You were right to run." she took an unsteady look at Ardis, "They kidnap children. And they torture people to death. They caught one of our pilots, he's strapped to one of their tables and they're putting videos out. I… I can't watch them."

Releasing footage of a torture session was news to Lori, but she was no stranger to the fact that they happened.

With the news of the First Orders involvement, Lori almost wished she had stayed on Bastion. There was no doubt in Lori's mind that Armitage would find them if she had just stayed in place.

Assuming he's not-

"Damn." She muttered at her thoughts and Brixie's words.

"Damn is right," Dak agreed, "Before I came down here I was trolling the holonet. Apparently that general of theirs has gone off and invaded Jakku too." He looked over to the medic, "Batuu was just a taste. They've been threatening war for years now, and I think it's finally started."

Lori's breath caught, and she felt her blood rush with adrenaline. Her body shook from shivers and nerves alike, and for a moment her lingering chill was all but forgotten.

"Which general?" She asked, talking over Brixie in the process.

There was something rough on Lori's words. The medic assumed that Lori asked her question out of anger, or fear from an encounter she had only nearly escaped. So outlandish was the real reason behind Lori's tone, that neither of the mercenaries even suspected it.

"General Hux." Brixie answered before disdainfully adding on, "Born to an imperial family, he's a fanatic. Last time I checked, he was head of their research and development."

Dak jumped on to the end of her comment, "Yeah, along with their army intelligence, their propaganda, their stormtroopers, and everything else."

While hearing someone use Armitage's list of accomplishments as a list of insults grated at Lori, she was far more focused on the growing possibility of him being alive, "How reliable is that source, Dak?"

"Hasn't steered us wrong before." He replied.

Lori almost didn't let herself believe that Armitage was alive. The news seemed too good to be true and she feared that if she were to latch onto it, she might be crushed completely if it proved untrue.

"Up to date too?" she pushed.

Dak thought he recognized a dark current to Lori's question, and even he began to wonder what personal vendetta his old friend might hold for General Hux, "Damn near to the minute."

She held on to her hopes a little more firmly. She could figure out what had dragged Armitage all the way to Jakku later. The tentative news of his being alive warmed her almost as much as the heated blankets. Looking to the side, her gaze settled on the bundle of cloth that held Ardis.

"Good."

He was alive. They were alive. And she was going to bring them all back together.

Chapter Text

The meeting with Snoke had only just ended, and Kylo Ren had already decided that he was going to ignore the supreme leader's orders. The knight found himself walking to the bridge for no reason other than a need to go somewhere, anywhere.

General Hux walked even with him, mostly out of a need to make sure that the other man wasn't about to do something that would prolong their mission.

"Supreme Leader Snoke was explicit," Hux told the knight as they strode over the officer's walk, "Capture the droid if we can, but destroy it if we must."

He spoke loudly, meaning full well for the crew to hear him.

Kylo Ren came to a clattering halt, temper spiking in response to the general's words. From behind his shielding mask he cast a harsh glance over the crew, seeing nothing more than potential traitors among them.

"How capable are your soldiers, General?" He spoke with an accusation.

Hux heard it, despite the garbled nature of Ren's voice. "I won't have you questioning my methods."

"They're obviously skilled at committing high treason," the knight said. As he did, he felt a tiny flicker around Hux, a dash of annoyance that Ren knew he could exploit. The general had always been concerned about his precious pet projects, and Kylo Ren know that attacking any one of them was an easy way to pick at the other commander. "Perhaps Supreme Leader Snoke should consider using a clone army."

This wasn't the first time the force user would use his tricks to pry at the general, and Hux knew it wouldn't be the last either. Careful to keep his attention on the topic at hand, Hux didn't stop himself from retorting back, "My men are exceptionally trained. Programed from birth-"

"Then they should have no problem retrieving the droid. Unharmed."

As Ren finished speaking, he tried peering again into the general's mind. He couldn't quite put his finger on what, but Hux was hiding something beyond the usual hatred he held. Normally the knight would be content to let Hux wallow, but in that moment he was just interested enough in humiliating and angering the general to make a concerted effort.

Hux grimaced. In part because of the obvious pressure on his mind, but mostly because of the utter loathing he held for the other man.

"Careful, Ren." Hux spat, knowing that the fastest way to distract and disturb Ren away from potentially discovering his family was to mention the knight's instead, "That your personal interests not interfere with orders from Supreme Leader Snoke."

The old trick did its job, the pressure on Hux's mind immediately relenting. Kylo's features twisted into a snarl that, despite it being hidden behind his mask, was perfectly audible to Hux and the bridge as he said, "I want that map. For your sake, I suggest you get it."

Without waiting to hear a response, Kylo Ren left the bridge.

Hux glared after him for a moment. Seething with contempt for the other commander, Hux turned his critical eye to the crew. Everyone very suddenly became very busy.

Making use of the moment, the general spared a glance to a chrono. He had checked his bounty posting less than an hour ago. Captain Canady should have reached the edge of Fel territory some twelve hours prior. Impatience dripping from his every step, he paced the officers walk.

There wouldn't be any news waiting on him, and the Finalizer needed a commander.

.***.***.***.***.

Lori had stopped shivering, and had even managed to get some rest. For a while the feeling she regained in her hands had been little more than pins and needles, but that too eventually faded.

Brixie had been in and out of the cargo hold, occasionally checking on Lori and chatting when she found the other woman awake.

At the moment, Lori only had Ardis for company. Sitting up for the first time since she had come aboard the rebel's ship, Lori was careful to brush the now cooled bottles of water to the side. Free from her cocoon, she lifted Ardis and brought the infant to her lap.

Her daughter's weight was reassuring, and for a moment she simply gazed down at the child. Ardis kicked slightly in response, her round blue eyes lazily blinking away the remains of a nap.

Gently brushing a hand around the side of the infant's face Lori muttered, "Yeah, I know. We're not out of the woods yet."

In lieu of Ardis' inability to give a real reply, Lori considered her options.

She didn't have a credit to her name. Without a ship of her own, she didn't have a place to stay either. Dak and the mercenaries were useful for now, but she didn't want to stay with them for too long. Every single one of her instincts told her that doing so would spell doom eventually. Of course, her biggest fear was that the rebels might learn about her First Order ties. She knew better than to say anything, but it was only a matter of time before her recent past caught up with them.

She huffed. A fate worse than having the past catch up too soon might be having it never catch up at all.

Dangerous or not, she had to contact Armitage.

If he's even-

Lori stopped the disparaging thought. She had to believe that he was alive, but she dreaded the very idea of hope. Such a delicate thing could become a bitter blade if it were shattered by reality.

Threading the line between hope and fear, Lori replaced Ardis in her makeshift bed.

Her arm ached when she stood. While it had slid back into its socket, the deep road rash she had suffered still throbbed with a dull pain. The wound had dried and scabbed over where her shirt met it, and when she moved the cloth pulled away to reopen the wound

She did her best to ignore the pain as she went. If she was going to find some way to sneak a message out to Armitage, she would have to make it quick. It had been a while since Brixie made her rounds, and Lori wasn't sure how long she would have alone.

Leaving the cargo hold left her in a narrow hallway.

Voices echoed from the far end of the corridor and to her right. They were muffled, but she could make them out to be Brixie and Dak. Acutely aware of their location, Lori turned left.

She hadn't seen the ship from the outside, but the cramped conditions told her that it couldn't be very big. Passing a room with multiple bunk beds reinforced the idea that the mercenaries were tight on space.

When she reached the end of the hallway without seeing anything useful, Lori cursed her luck before turning back.

Silently slinking to the cargo hold, Lori peered back through the rooms she had already passed. Holding in a few annoyed grumblings when she once again found nothing, Lori jumped slightly when she heard an unexpected clink of metal.

Immediately standing straight and ready with a lie about what she was doing, Lori looked to the end of the hallway where she had heard Dak and Brixie. When no one came from that direction, she searched for the source of the sound.

Only after she took another step down the hallway did she figure it out.

A second clink came from the ground, and as she looked down she found a loose grate in the floor.

Seeing an opportunity, she knelt to lift the hatch and slide it to the side. It was heavy, and moving it with her wounded arm took more effort than Lori was willing to admit.

Dropping into the lower section of the ship, she found a mess of wires and pipes. She wasn't sure the about model of the ship, but most standard designs had maintenance terminals buried deep within the most intricate parts of their design.

More importantly, Brixie had been very clear that the mercenaries messaged all their people once a week. From the looks of things the mercenaries lived out of their ship, and Lori bet that they had to send and receive transmissions at lightspeed. In order to do that, they would have to have a long range communications array installed somewhere.

Ducking below a duct and dodging a mess of cords, Lori ventured deeper into the guts of the ship. Occasionally, she would pass beneath another grate, the scattered light that filtered through the dirty metal being the only thing she had to see by.

"…how's Poe doing?" Brixie's voice drifted through the grate above Lori.

"Dunno. The videos stopped, but I didn't see him die." Dak answered back, his words echoing off machinery.

"I hope he's…"

The last of Bixie's words trailed off as Lori continued on. The sudden stop of videos felt like a strange detail, but now wasn't the time to stop and wonder over them. Leaving the conversation behind, Lori felt as if she must have walked the entire length of the ship before she found a clearing.

Directly below another grate, she cautiously peered up. Lex sat at the pilot's seat. His feet were propped up on one control panel, and his gaze fixed on a data pad he held in his hands. Even though he was distracted, Lori was careful to keep away from his line of sight.

Skirting the edge of the machinery, she eventually came to the far side of the clearing. Placed squarely beneath the pilot's seat was the maintenance terminal.

Realizing that this would be easier with a droid, Lori powered the thing on.

It took some searching, but she eventually found the command window for the ship's communications array. Sure enough, there was an auxiliary device patched into the system.

Glancing up Lori hoped that the main control panel wouldn't blink or beep at her actions. She tentatively typed out a short message. She had no way to encrypt what she was sending or where she was sending it, so she didn't dare put any obvious information in the transmission. She wasn't even sure that Armitage would get it, and if he did she wouldn't be able to get his reply.

But she still had to try.

"Do not reply. Gone to Dantooine." She paused, realizing that she needed some way to show that the message was from her. Both her and Ardis' names were out of the question, but Lori was quick to come up with something equally as identifying, "We could use some Sullustan Jam."

Not wasting another moment, Lori sent the message. A quick look upward found Lex still reading off his data pad, none the wiser of what was happening just beneath him.

Lori snuck back the way she came, increasing her pace when she overheard Brixie excusing herself from her conversation with Dak. Trying not to make a noticeable amount of noise, Lori rushed back to the open grate and hoisted herself back to the hallway. Scarcely a second after she replaced the metal and made it to standing, the door at the far end of the corridor whooshed open.

"Hello?" Lori called out. Experience told her how to avoid looking suspicious, and it was very rare for a person trying to hide something to call out for attention.

Brixie was pleasantly surprised to see her patient up and about, "Oh! You're awake. How are you feeling?"

"I can feel my fingers and toes again," Lori answered without missing a beat, "I was actually looking for a fresher. I'm pretty sure I've still got dust from Bastion in my hair."

"Sure. Go down the hall, and turn into the room with a bunch of bunks. There's a fresher in there to the right."

Lori wasn't lying outright, she did need a chance to clean herself, and she was glad for the helpful answer. Quickly turning to the side, she would have disappeared into the bedroom, but she was stopped by another comment from Brixie.

"Hold on, do you want a change of clothes? They might be too big, but I can find you something."

Dropping some of the tension from her shoulders Lori answered, "Yes, please."

"You're welcome. Also… are you ok? You're holding your shoulders unevenly."

Keep it together, Lori mentally chided herself before going with a mostly truthful answer.

"I got a bit banged up. Hurt my shoulder real bad, ended up losing a few layers of skin off of it."

Brixie opened her mouth in surprise, but then took a calming breath before speaking, "I'll get the medkit, and some clothes. Don't do anything to strain your arm, and don't turn the water on too hot."

"Whatever you say, doc."

Brixie was grateful for the compliment, but she timidly muttered, "I never finished med-school."

Lori gave a warm half smile to the medic. She almost felt bad. Turning the conversation around and controlling the better part of it was too easy, and Brixie was far too trusting for her own good.

Before heading off, Lori left Brixie with a final comment, "Could have fooled me."

Chapter Text

A contingent of ground troopers had called in an air-strike.

General Hux watched his TIEs speed off towards Jakku. Hands clasped behind his back as he stood on the bridge, no small part of him hoped that they turned the map and the droid carrying it to a pile of slag.

A full shift had come and gone. A glance at the chrono found that Ren should have returned to take his position on the bridge well over an hour ago. Not surprised at the other commander's characteristic absence during his own shift, Hux took his leave. His crew should be competent enough to manage a handful of TIEs without him, and he had personal matters to attend to.

Arriving back at his office, the general was left to sift through an inbox overflowing with mundane messages. A quick glance told him that the Starkiller base was only a few scarce days from being battle ready. He would have liked nothing more than to let that good news distract him from his foul mood, but he knew very well that it couldn't. Flicking past other messages, he found nothing else that might lift his spirits.

He had launched an inquiry, looking for more traitors in the First Order's ranks. Many commanders had sent in passive aggressive messages about how trustworthy their particular crews were.

There was a direct reply from Captain Canady. He had never been a passive man, and his message was a purely aggressive demand that Hux stop overstepping and challenging his command. The general made a mental note of Canady's insolence.

Unsurprisingly, no progress had been made on the bounty he had put out for Lori either.

With a huff, he began sending out his responses to the few messages he deemed important enough. Half way through the task, his computer chimed with a new delivery.

Sure that it was going to be just another annoyance, he finished his current correspondence before giving the new one so much as a glance.

When he did, he couldn't help but raise a skeptical brow. The sender was little more than a garbled set of letters and numbers. The beginning of the message that was visible from his inbox simply read: do not reply.

He was about to delete it and send a scathing message to the tech department about updating the First Order's firewall against spam messages. But, part of him dimly hoped that it might be some bounty hunter. They did have a habit of using horribly outdated machines and disreputable methods.

He skimmed the short message before doing a double take, his heart suddenly in his throat.

"Do not reply. Gone to Dantooine. We could use some Sullustan Jam."

Reading, and re-reading the dozen words painted on his screen, a dozen thoughts raced through his mind.

Lori!

It had to be her. The reference to that god-awful jam she somehow enjoyed was too strange a thing to mention and too specific to be anyone else.

Dantooine?

That was firmly within New Republic territory. Why she fled there instead of towards the west, he didn't know. For a moment he worried that she hadn't a choice.

He shook the concern from his mind, ridiculing himself for even entertaining something so outlandish. She needed someone to come help her, it was obvious from the wording she used to mention the jam.

Do not reply.

How could he possibly hope to do that? Why shouldn't he? Was she in danger? What of Ardis? Was this message intercepted? It must be compromised somehow. He had to trust that she had written as much as circumstance would allow.

His shoulders tensed as he realized it hadn't allowed much.

There hadn't been any mention of Ardis. He shouldn't be so surprised, but her absence left him with nothing to stave off the worse of his fears.

With a grinding effort, he forced the stress from his tightly wound muscles. The message read: We could use some Sullustan Jam. He had to believe that was Lori's way of telling him that they were both okay.

He let out a shaking breath.

They were alive and he had a location. Better yet, he had an obscene amount of resources at his disposal. He'd always prided himself on the First Order's technological superiority, and it would be child's play to trace this message back to whatever array it had been sent from.

While he eagerly opened up the program that would do so, a small knock came from the door.

It would take a moment for the script to load, so he simply hid the window. Hux knew very well that he would grow irritated if he were to just sit and wait on the machine. Work might be a welcome distraction from the delay.

"Enter," he called out.

Scarcely a second after he did, lieutenant Mitaka timidly stepped into the room. The younger man obviously held on to some terrible news. But he hadn't come in shouting about an exploding hanger bay this time, and nothing short of that was going to ruin the first hint of joy that Hux had felt in nearly a week.

"Sir," the lieutenant began, voice almost catching on the single word.

"What is it, Mitaka?" Hux didn't stand, nor did he have a thick layer of disdain on his words.

Along with the almost cheerful tone, the lieutenant was also taken aback at hearing the general say his name rather than his rank. He had been half convinced that Hux hadn't bothered to remember it. Tucking away the surprise, he moved on to his grim news, "Th-there was an issue with the air strike, sir. Tentative reports state that we've lost three pilots. The droid and the map have gone unrecovered, the droid possibly having fled the planet."

The news washed over the general. On any other day, at any other moment, he would have unleashed a flurry acidic questions. He would have demanded to know how anyone could have failed so utterly and completely so as to lose a blasted droid during an air strike on a barren planet.

But, he was in a good mood, and he was absolutely intent on holding on to it.

"Very well," he said, almost flippantly to Mitaka's ears, "Collect what information you can. Inform Ren of the details."

Mitaka hesitated for a moment, fully expecting some overly specific demand or some harsh comment about Ren's lack of leadership. But, time stretched on and the general demanded nothing more. He didn't even speak with the vitriol that seemed as much a part of him as his well-tended uniform when he politely dismissed the lieutenant.

"You may go now."

"Y-yes, sir." Mitaka stuttered out of confusion more than fear this time.

The door slid shut, leaving Hux alone. Already dismissing the news about the failed airstrike, he typed away at his new task. The First Order had been perfecting its tracking technology. It wasn't perfect, really it hadn't even left the trial stages, but Hux had a way of tracking a vessel through hyperspace.

He leaned back in his chair, admiring the program for a moment. He would have to update the information on his bounty and change his orders to Captain Canady. The Fels could burn for all he cared, the new priority was pushing through until Canady reached New Republic territory.

War was inevitable. Welcome, even. With this debacle on Jakku, it might have even already begun.

The computer chimed. The source of the message was in hyperspace. Much to his annoyance, Hux couldn't get a lock on the signal. Not yet, at least. As soon as they dropped down from light speed, he would have a lock on them.

He hunched back over his desk, ready to bring Lori and Ardis back home.

.***.***.***.***.

Lori stepped out of the fresher unit and into the tiled room to find a fresh change of clothes waiting as a heap next to the door. Taking care to avoid the raw patch on her arm, she slid the outfit on to find it was a few sizes too large and short-sleeved. She didn't care to have her long healed-over scars plainly visible, but she knew that complaining would only draw attention.

She also assumed that Brixie had brought something short-sleeved so that it would be easier to reach the wound on Lori's shoulder.

That assumption was quickly confirmed when Lori slid the door open and entered the bedroom. Brixie was there waiting for her, medkit sitting to her left and a bundle of blankets holding Ardis to her right.

Brixie did a double take at the raw patch on Lori's arm, "I should have gotten a bigger medkit."

"It's looks worse than it is," Lori said as she came to sit on the bed.

Ardis twisted, but wasn't woken up from her nap as Lori's weight shifted the mattress.

"Well, it looks pretty bad," Brixie shifted to face Lori's wounded arm, digging through the kit as she went, "this might sting a bit."

Before Lori had the chance to make a snarky comment, Brixie sprayed some aerosol over the raw patch. It did sting, leaving Lori to bite her tongue against a wince.

"Sorry," the young medic muttered before digging through the box again.

"It's fine," the sharp pain was fast fading. The medic was quick to come back up with some sort of gel, she began applying it to the wound, leaving Lori a chance to fish for information, "Hey, Brixie?"

"Hm?"

"What's the plan? We get to Dantoonie, and then what?"

The young medic paused her work, "I… I don't think we should leave you behind again, if that's what you're worried about."

While it was good to know that she had Brixie's trust, or at least her sympathy, Lori was more concerned with how much trouble the mercenaries might bring her way.

"Thank you, but…" Lori gave a meaningful look to her infant daughter, "I can't run forever. Do you think Dantooine is safe?"

"Well…" Brixie put the healing paste down, only to pick up and nervously tug at a bundle of bandages, "We have a couple of contacts on the planet, but I don't know any more."

"Guess I'll have to go check, and see for myself."

Brixie sighed, "Pick up your arm for me?"

Lori did as she was asked, allowing Brixie to firmly wrap the bandage. As she worked, there was a slight shudder through the walls of the ship.

They weren't far from the planet's surface now. Both women knew it. For Brixie the knowledge brought a little trickle of worry. The rest of the Red Moons mercenaries had set up a safe house, but she didn't know if it was still safe.

For Lori, the shudder brought an opportunity. Slipping away from the rebels might be difficult, but Hux knew where she was. Best case scenario, she could find her own way back, or at the very least find a way to contact him more regularly. Worst case scenario, she only had to wait until he caught up.

.***.***.***.***.

Lieutenant Mitaka rubbed a trembling hand across his sore neck.

After nearly killing the lieutenant, Kylo Ren had tossed him aside before storming out of the control room and leaving it in flaming shambles. Terrified, Mitaka was nonetheless thankful that he wasn't part of the burning rubble. Still struggling to catch his shaking breath, Mitaka staggered his way to standing.

As he did, a figure stepped into the doorway that Ren had just left through. The sudden presence drew a surprised yelp and jump from Mitaka. Stumbling from his half standing position, he had tumbled to the floor before he realized the new person wasn't Ren coming back to finish him off.

Instead, Lieutenant Grier peered in from the door frame, confusion and concern coating her features.

"L-l-lieutenant Gr-" Mitaka stopped himself when he found his stutter and shortness of breath too much to talk around.

"What on…" Quin took in the ruined room and the quivering officer. Once her gaze settled on the molten gashes cut into the control panel, everything became clear, "Ren?"

Unable to get a grip on his words, Mitaka nodded. While he did, Quin stepped into the room and offered a hand. Mitaka gladly took it, this time successfully standing with her help.

"He's gone now, I didn't see him in the hall." She tried to assure Mitaka before glancing to the ruined control station, "He's probably too mad to come back."

It was a small attempt at making him feel better, but Mitaka appreciated it. Taking in a deep breath, he did his best to speak, "Y-you're right."

A silence settled between them, interrupted only by the smoldering control panel. Quin was acutely aware of the possibility that Mitaka might start asking about Lori again, but she couldn't bring herself to just abandon him after he'd nearly been killed by Ren.

"Are you off duty?" She asked.

Still flustered, Mitaka wasn't sure where she was going with her question. He nodded.

"Good, let's go grab something to eat."

"What?"

His features were twisted by confusion and a lingering panic, so Quin offered a small explanation, "You look like you could use a distraction. Come on."

She had half turned to step back to the hall. Mitaka recovered quickly enough and made a quick step to follow her.

"Th-thank you." He managed to say as they left the ruined room.

Quin smiled a little, genuinely happy to help, "You're welcome."

Chapter Text

Dantooine was a green planet. Rolling fields of tall grass and the occasional slow river stretched on for as far as Lori could see. The city also seemed to spread far and wide, rather than up. Even after touching down on the landing pad, the view went on for miles around.

"See, safe and sound. You didn't need to watch my every move on the way down," Lex complained from the pilot's seat.

Lori had been less concerned with crashing, and more desperate to gain any insight into the planet that she could, but she played along. "I thought it was touch and go for a minute."

Lex didn't appreciate the snarky comment, and rolled his eyes before coming back with one of his own, "You're one of those people that think Dantooine is just as rough as Tatooine, aren't you? Just try and keep a low profile."

"I know how to keep my head down. I'm just not so sure that you do." She retorted as she strode out of the cockpit.

She didn't catch another comment from Lex as she went. A glance into the cargo hold found Dak gathering up a bundle of materials. Further on, she was greeted by Brixie in the sleeping quarters.

"How's your arm?" the medic asked.

Lori crossed the room while she said, "Good enough to carry Ardis."

The medic was about to protest, before deciding that telling the mother that she shouldn't be the one carrying her baby would be a losing battle. "Ok, but if you need any help, I'm here."

"Thanks, but I should be fine." Despite the strong words, it took a moment for Lori to get a good hold on Ardis and her blanket.

The medic noticed, but simply nodded along.

The two of them stepped back into the hallway, this time finding Lex with Dak in the cargo hold. There was little chatter as Lex lowered the loading ramp. The few words that did get shared mostly came from Dak, who was halfheartedly boasting about a job that had brought him to Dantooine several years ago. Lori remembered that particular mission; it had ended with him locked in a local jail for a week, but she decided to let him have his moment.

By the time he finished his tale, they had skirted the edge of town and arrived at a modest villa.

The building was a smooth tan, with a front yard that was enclosed by a waist-high wall of the same material and color. In the grassy yard was a water fountain. Cool water bubbled up from a bulb that was the same onion domed shape as the roof of the main house.

Beyond the fountain sat Hugo, the elderly demolitions expert with white hair and wild eyes. He was tinkering with some machine that Lori hoped wouldn't explode if he crossed the wrong wire.

Lex had a similar thought, and called out while the group was still on the far side of the yard, "Hey, Hugo! You're not planning on blowing us up again, right?"

The old man looked up, a toothy grin blooming over his features, "Again?"

"Don't play dumb," Lex replied as he made his way closer to the demo man.

As he did, he found that Hugo was messing with a broken mouse droid, and that he had been worried about nothing at all. Upon seeing Lex take a calm breath, the rest of the group followed closely behind.

While Lex and Hugo were busy with their own conversation, Brixie, Lori, and Dak stepped into the house.

It was a cozy place. The living room floor was covered by overlapping layers of brightly colored rugs. Several potted plants hung from the ceiling, their long vines lazily draped over the side of their pots to dangle scarce feet away from the floor. The afternoon sun drifted in through the slit like and high set windows, diffusing softly through the leaves.

The kitchen wasn't visible from the front door, but a spicy, savory scent drifted from one of the halls that led deeper into the house.

Brixie had wasted no time in sitting on one of the many cushioned couches, and she very quickly beckoned Lori over. She didn't need to be told twice, and hastily took a seat next to the medic.

"I know you said you didn't have many friends on the planet, but this place is pretty nice." Lori pried for information.

"Well, I'm not sure the owner is our friend."

Just as Lori was about to ask about the strange emphasis on Brixie's last word, a series of shouts echoed from down the hall.

At first unintelligible, they quickly grew in volume and proximity. In only a second, two women came from the hall. Ivey, the dark haired woman that served as the mercenaries' professional thief and hacker, had stormed into the room. Beside her was an identical woman of the same age. They bickered over some family issue that had too many jumps in topic for even Lori to keep up with.

Dak tried to step in, "Ladies, ladies! Please!"

Both of them immediately turned to the side. Their combined look said in no uncertain terms that they would have shot him if either were armed.

Immediately gulping in fear, Dak squeaked an apology before hurrying across the room.

After skimming the room, the woman that was not Ivey broke the silence, "And when the bounty hunters show up, you're on your own!"

Without waiting for a rebuttal, she stomped off down the hall that she hadn't just come down. Ivey didn't follow after her twin, instead turning to face the new arrivals.

"Welcome to Dantooine." She began with a heavy sigh, before nearly shouting, "That was Valli, the sister that never left home!"

The echo of a slamming door came from down the hall.

"We're you two in the middle of something?" Brixie timidly asked.

"No more than we usually are," the thief answered before sparing a quick glance at Lori, "Actually, I'm afraid there's some bad news."

A small pang of worry threaded its way through Lori, but she was careful not to show it. Reassuring herself that there was no way they could have learned about her First Order loyalties, she asked, "What is it?"

"Bounty hunters. I don't know what you did, but you've got a massive bounty out on your head."

Unease picked at Lori, "When and who from?"

Ivey crossed the room to plop down in a plush chair, "A few days ago, but we just saw it. The poster tried to go anonymous."

"Tried?"

The thief and hacker leaned back, casting a careful eye over Lori, "Tried. But that didn't stop me from tracing the post back to a First Order computer."

Dak looked at her with a question and a comment at the ready.

Lori was quick to cut him off, "Am I wanted dead or alive?"

"Alive," Ivey answered,

"There's a silver lining."

"Assuming they don't have something worse in mind," Ivey kicked her feet into a low set table, "The kid got mentioned too, I'd keep a low profile if I were you."

Lori cradled Ardis, who had begun to awaken from a nap. Hours had passed since she last ate, and Lori knew it was only a matter of time before the little girl let out a sharp cry to remind her of the fact. "Thanks for the heads up."

"Anytime," Ivey crossed her legs at the ankle, deliberating on whether or not Lori's response had been the one she expected, "You're welcome to stay here."

Lori saw where this was going, "Won't that get on your sisters nerves?"

A wry smile traced its way across Ivey's lips, "Absolutely."

.***.***.***.***.

The dining hall was nearly abandoned.

Quin rankled at the realization. She had wanted to give Mitaka something to think about other than his near death experience, but she didn't want the conversation to stray back to Lori.

She did feel bad for hoping that Mitaka was too traumatized to talk about anything work related, and offered to fetch a cup of caf in attempt to atone for her imagined slight.

Mitaka had just gotten his breath back. Just as he was about to turn down her offer, Quin turned around and hurried across the room. Taken aback slightly, but ultimately happy that he didn't need to talk just yet, Mitaka took a seat at one of the smaller tables away from the few other officers that were there.

Things could be worse, Mitaka thought to himself, this is at least better than crawling back to my quarters and sobbing in the fresher.

He watched as Quin returned with two steaming cups of caf.

"Thank you." He told her as he wrapped a slightly shaking hand around the warm cup.

"You're welcome."

A short silence settled over the table. So flustered from his near death experience, Mitaka didn't consider prying for information about the mystery major that Quin seemed to know so much about. Quin, on the other hand, shuffled nervously in her seat, almost dreading an awkward silence as much as she did accidentally telling her secret.

"So," she began, desperately searching for something to talk about that wasn't work, "How have you been?"

Mitaka looked up from his caf, confusion clear on his features.

"Other than… you know." She awkwardly gestured at her neck, hoping that that would get her point across.

"I-I'm fine?" Mitaka was so unsure of the conversation that his answer came out as a question in its own right. Unfortunately, he was in no place to make the conversation any less stilted, "How are you?"

"Good," Quin chided herself for being off guard against the most obvious question Mitaka could have asked in return. When the single word answer felt dismissive, she babbled on, "Well, as good as I can be, what with the bridge being a mess."

Quin had gone stiff at what she was saying before the last few words left her mouth. There had to be a thousand other things she could bring up besides work, but she had been so intently focused on not talking about it, it became the only thing she could think about.

Her comment rang more true for Mitaka than Quin could imagine, "It certainly is, isn't it? Kylo Ren and General Hux both have gone mad, haven't they?"

Quin squirmed in her seat and barely managed to respond with a terse, "Mm-Hmm"

Being caught up in his own thoughts, Mitaka barely noticed, "I have no right to be surprised by Kylo Ren's behavior, but General Hux…"

Desperate to avoid bringing the general up, Quin tried in vain to change the subject, "Yep. Sure is crazy. Have you tried the caf yet? It's a new roast, it's has hints of caramel."

The other lieutenant shook his head with a far off look in his eyes.

"I don't know what's going on with him anymore," Mitaka rubbed a hand against his face, as if that would do something to soothe his rough thoughts, "The general has been on the verge of ordering executions one moment, and then the next he's the happiest I've ever seen him."

The end of Mitaka's comment caught Quin off guard just enough to pique her curiosity, "How do you mean?"

Mitaka let out a confused and heavy sigh, "I reported to Hux before speaking with Ren. You saw how he reacted, but the general didn't even bat an eye."

There was a chime from Mitaka's comm. His stomach sank with the thought of what terrible message might be waiting for him.

Fully expecting some sort of reprimand from Ren, he looked down to the small device. Instead, he found a direct message from General Hux. The lieutenant was to reduce is updates on the northern war front. There was a change in tactics, and Hux was now interested in pushing as far east as possible rather than liberating the Fels.

Exasperated, he handed the machine to Quin, "See? This is what I'm talking about. He changes his mind on a whim, I think he's suffering from a mental break."

Quin read and reread the order. Coupled with her fears about Lori's fate, the sudden change in plans brought the worst possibility to the front of her mind.

"I…" she looked around the mess hall, to make sure the nearest people were out of earshot. Even entertaining the idea that her commander had lost his mind might be treasonous, and with the sudden episode with the traitorous stormtrooper everyone was especially on edge. "I think your right."

Mitaka heard a heavy sorrow on Quin's words. She hadn't begun to cry, but the edge of her words waivered slightly and immediately put Mitaka on guard.

"You know what's behind this, don't you?" He tried to make the realization sound less like and accusation.

Quin looked back up to Mitaka, the edge of her eyes slightly reddened. She considered denying his claim, but she had never had a talent for lies. She had never wanted to be a secret keeper either, and for a moment she wondered if it even still counted as a secret if Lori was dead.

The words were stuck in her throat, and even if they weren't she wouldn't dare say them aloud in public. Instead, she nodded and muttered, "but I can't say it here."

Mitaka looked around the room. It was still largely empty, though a few new people had wandered in.

Some even passed the table as Mitaka asked, "Very well, my suite or yours?"

Quin thought about it, once again second guessing herself, before finally answering, "Mine."

.***.***.***.***.

Two full days had come and gone on Dantooine, and Lori still hadn't had a chance to slip away from her unwitting captors.

No true chance, at least. Once or twice she had an opportunity where no one was watching, but she hadn't had Ardis in her arms, and leaving the infant behind simply wasn't an option. Even now, she was left in the living room with Anderphan.

The leader of the mercenaries studied a star chart. A north west section of the galaxy had been colored red to reflect the latest news of the First Order's invasion into the outer rim. Lori appreciated the speed of the advancement, but didn't dare say anything for it. Instead, she had busied herself with teasing details about the rest of the resistance out of the group.

She had managed to gather a few tidbits here and there, but her main focus had always been on escape.

"Any news about Poe?" She asked the older man.

The captured pilot had been the subject of a flurry of conversation and speculation that Lori had been half-heartedly following.

A tired grin fought its way through the rest of Anderphan's dour features, "There is, actually. The crazy bastard made it out, hopped a TIE and crash landed on Jakku."

Lori could only imagine the chaos such a thing would have caused on the Finalizer, "Really? Any idea how he managed that?"

Anderphan shrugged, "Last I heard he was taking a bath in a bacta tank, before that he crawled back muttering something about a helpful stormtrooper."

"Did we have someone on the inside?" She asked with genuine shock. She'd been gone for half a year, but Lori liked to imagine that she hadn't been the only thing standing between the First Order and a torrent of traitors.

"Not that I know of." He had stopped being purposefully vague with Lori, though the habit annoyingly clung to his words.

With the exception of Dak and Brixie, the mercenaries had been overly guarded during the time she spent with them on Bastion. Lori wasn't sure if they felt more at ease in New Republic territory or if her efforts at gaining their trust had finally paid off, but they all talked slightly more freely around her.

Much to her delight, she had even overheard the location of the Resistance's main base. Predictably, it was a no-name little planet on the south side of the outer rim. D'Qar was a forgotten place, with no sentient species that claimed it as a home planet, and no permanent settlements to speak of. It had proved to be so completely and utterly useless that no one had bothered to mine it, to farm on it, to visit it as a wildlife preserve, or even use it as a rest stop between more interesting destinations.

Without pausing to betray her thoughts, Lori replied, "That's too bad. Sure would be useful to know that's going on in there."

Anderphan peered back at the map, "That would be the day. So far I've only counted one First Order fleet in the north." His voice faded to near silence, more wayward thoughts of an old soldier than purposeful input into the conversation, "They have to have more than that, I just can't place them…"

They did have more than one fleet. Twelve, to be precise. It was no coincidence that the First Order had a navy organized to the same number as the Empire, Lori had listened to Hux bragging about it dozens of times. She had also listened to him explain the finer functions of each of the ships in each of the fleets, and she could name and place each flagship to its home territory in the unknown regions.

The First Order, and by extension Lori herself, had worked very hard to keep all of that a secret, and it gave her some small relief to see that they had been effective.

She did nothing to betray that relief. She would have continued to see what the mercenaries did and didn't know, but Ardis had begun to kick and squirm on her arms. A quick glance to the chrono found that it had been a couple of hour since the newborn last ate.

Taking her leave, Lori left the living room. She had waited two full days on the green planet. After seeing the map, she hoped that it might only be a few more until the First Order came to her.

Chapter Text

General Hux hadn't heard from Lori in over three days.

With the exception of that one hastily sent and partially coded message, he hadn't heard from her at all. Part of him worried that he had given in to wishful thinking. The rest of him had taken to daily checks on the location of the ship that had sent the message.

A glance to his computer found the ship was a WTK-85A interstellar transport, and that it was still docked on Dantooine.

That model had been widely manufactured during the imperial era, and this particular ship was forty three years old. Last reported stolen from a decommissioning yard in the Atrivis sector, its previous owner had been dead for nearly a decade.

Whoever crewed that vessel now wouldn't know a moment's peace until Lori was back by Hux's side. Even then, he would be more than ready to hunt them to the end of their miserable lives if they had done anything to harm her or their daughter.

A chime from the computer took the general away from his vengeful planning. There was an update on the map. Apparently some scoundrel in the mid-rim had seen the droid. Skimming the report left Hux with bitter news.

Han Solo was now in possession of the map.

Of course he would be involved. Contempt clung to Hux's thoughts, No matter, the man is old and there's no room left for his kind in the galaxy.

Along with scorn, the news also brought a spiteful grin to play at the general lips. Han Solo had the map, and Hux knew that Kylo Ren would drive himself to madness at the news.

Besides, he thought, Starkiller base is hours away from completion. Even an army of Jedi couldn't hope to stand against me now.

Hux tried to hold onto the sliver of confidence as he finished attending to the various work messages that plagued him. There had been some progress on the northern front, and Canady could be expected to hit New Republic territory in the next forty hours. There was even an update on his bounty posting for Lori.

He opened the message to find a grainy hologram and a request that he confirm the target's identity.

Hux paused for a moment, breath caught at Lori's image. She looked to be in a market place, talking to a dark haired man. Armitage's stomach sank as he realized that she wasn't carrying Ardis with her. Determined to believe that she was safe as well, Hux typed out a short reply.

"Target confirmed. Locate the child as well. They are both to be returned unharmed."

As he hit send, he wondered what twist of fate had brought Lori to her current state. Was the other man in the image some sort of captor? Was she be being held against her will? Had they done something to Ardis? Was that why Lori didn't have their daughter? Was she being held ransom, or as collateral against Lori's escape?

Hux knew that Lori wouldn't have breathed a word about her First Order loyalties, but the possibility that she was being held by resistance or New Republic agents clawed at him.

Looking at the hologram of Lori in the market felt like swallowing hot coals. Turning towards the pain, Hux fished around an interior pocket for the holodisk he kept on him at all times. Horribly battered and near broken, the disk's image of Lori and Ardis was faded and distorted.

The electric white lines that ran through the unfocused image mirrored his own thoughts. So many things seemed to be rushing by Hux: disjointed news and hopes and fears about his family; the power to turn entire star systems to dust sat at his fingertips; the years long hunt for Luke Skywalker was moments away from drawing to a terrible end.

Everything had been okay a week ago. But now he was in a ship racing along at light speed towards a project that had consumed his life for the past several years.

He closed the holodisk and the image of Lori on his computer.

Two hours until the Finalizer would reach Starkiller base.

Like it or not, destiny was waiting.

.***.***.***.***.

Lieutenant Mitaka had given General Hux a wide berth for the last three days. He wasn't sure that his senior officer had even noticed.

Mitaka stepped into his suite. His roommates were out on their shifts, leaving him alone as he clicked on the caf machine and leaned against his kitchen counter in a huff.

Three days to let the news sink in, and he still wasn't sure that he believed Lieutenant Grier.

He shook his head at the news, nearly refusing to let it sink in. General Hux couldn't have a wife and child. That was impossible. Mitaka couldn't imagine that anyone would voluntarily spend time around the general, let alone be involved with him romantically.

But, Quin had even been able to name the woman as Major Lori Gallus. A quick check on Mitaka's end had found that she was reported as missing in action scarcely a day after the attack on Bastion. Even more mysterious was that she was retroactively placed on unspecified leave before that, having actually left the Finalizer several months ago.

The caf maker was only half finished with its pot when Mitaka poured himself a mug.

He wondered if there were some way he could confirm what Quin had said. Asking the general directly would be suicide, and he dare not try and drop subtle hints to try to trick the general into saying anything either.

Mitaka's mind raced with questions about the kind of woman that might have fallen in love with someone like the general.

Who was she? How even… Had they been happy? Of course not, how could anyone- He shook his head, They must have been. To have the general risk a high profile mission for even a night's visit…

Mitaka took a deep drink from his hot cup of caf.

General Hux had been distraught from the moment he awoke on that upsilon shuttle. The lieutenant couldn't imagine the reason why, but looking back he now understood perfectly.

For a moment, Mitaka wondered if raising a family would have eventually calmed General Hux's temper or if it might have taught him to be a little more patient.

"What a life that could have been," he spoke to the empty room, wondering what it might be like to lose so much so quickly.

The last of the lieutenant's words faded into the ever-present rumbling of the Finalizer's engines. The suite felt lonely without his roommates buzzing about, but Mitaka knew his temporary isolation was nothing compared to the tomb that the general had built for himself.

Taking another sip of his caf, Mitaka somehow came a little closer to, and drifted much further away from, understanding the man he worked for.

.***.***.***.***.

The short shuttle ride from the Finalizer to the surface of Starkiller base had been silent. Nervous troopers eyed their two commanders from behind the safety of their anonymous helmets, while Hux and Ren conspicuously ignored each other.

The walk from the landing pad and into the twisting corridors of the base seemed to stretch on for forever in comparison. Relieved of their armed guard, General Hux had nothing between him and Kylo Ren besides the reassuring weight of his officer's coat. Similarly, Ren had nothing to distance himself from the constant, low-level disturbance in the force besides the cold metal of his mask.

Wordless, they hurried to the assembly hall. Snoke had ordered them to the snow-laden planet-turned-weapon, and now they were to meet with him via hologram. Dozens of conflicting emotions clashed within the general. This was his chance to put the New Republic in the past where it belonged, then he could focus on a future that deserved his full attention.

Upon entering, the assembly hall was dark. But, the moment Hux and Ren came to a halt just before the center of the room, a harsh blue light rushed into existence. The light settled, quickly taking the form of their supreme leader.

He did not waste time on a greeting.

"The droid will soon be delivered to the Resistance," Snoke spoke with a heavy voice laden with anger but smoothed over by confidence, "Leading them to the last Jedi. If Skywalker returns, the new Jedi will rise."

Ren's shoulders tensed, he had tried to warn the supreme leader of that very fact. Ready with a sharp comment on his tongue, he was further angered when General Hux spoke before he got the chance.

"Supreme Leader, I take full responsibility for th-"

"General!" Snoke shouted, "Our Strategy must now change."

Hux hid his satisfaction from his features. Even though suggesting that losing the map had been his fault wasn't the most elegant solution, it had taken Snoke's attention away from his cult like obsessions.

"The weapon," Hux began, "It is ready. I believe the time has come to use it. We shall destroy the government that supports the Resistance, the Republic. Without their friends to protect them, the Resistance will be vulnerable, and we will stop them before they reach Skywalker."

Snoke considered the general's words. This isn't what he wanted. To begin wholesale war with the New Republic before the death of the final Jedi was not the path to certain victory. But, simply waiting for the Resistance to find Skywalker was a surer path to defeat.

"Go." The supreme leader held a distaste for his words, even as he said them, "Oversee preparations."

Scarcely a second after Snoke gave his permission, Hux turned and hastily made for the door. Whatever other ramblings about sorcery or fate that Ren and Snoke might fall into was none of his concern.

Starkiller was ready to fire. Hux was ready to have this war finished before it started.

He was ready to focus on the future.

Chapter Text

Another day had passed on Dantooine.

Much to her ire, Lori hadn't know a moment's peace since she'd arrived on the lush planet. When she wasn't chatting away with Brixie, she was looking over a star chart with Anderphan. When neither of them were in the house, she was either making sure Hugo didn't blow anything up or listening to Dak spout off conspiracy theories about the First Order, or the Alignment, or the Fels, or any other group he could name.

She had only narrowly managed to talk her way out of the house once before. As she had gotten ready for her trip to the market, Ivey had rightly pointed out that the bounty on Lori's head mentioned her daughter as well. The conversation that followed had resulted in her leaving Ardis at home, and thus foiling her attempt to run away.

But this time, Ivey hadn't been home. Even better, Anderphan had left Lex in charge, and he was hopelessly easy to talk into a corner.

It had been Dak's turn to run maintenance on the ship, and Lori had volunteered to go along with him. It hadn't been difficult to get her old friend on her side, and it had been equally simple to annoy Lex into thinking it was a good idea for her to get out of the house.

Lori had even brought Ardis along with her, under the excuse that the infant needed some fresh air.

Of course, she fully intended to take the ship the instant Dak had his back turned. Barring that, she would find a chance to send another message to Armitage.

Lori was so focused on her plans, that she didn't notice a man following Dak and her through the streets.

He had seen his quarry once before, two days ago at the market place. He'd even tracked her back to a modest villa at the edge of town. There hadn't been a chance to capture the woman or the child in all that time. No less than half a dozen others lived in the villa, and most of them were armed.

The bounty hunter didn't wonder what the woman had done to earn such a massive bounty, and he didn't much care as he followed her through increasingly sparse crowds.

Eventually, he followed the duo to the spaceport at the edge of town. The bounty hunter found the whole arrangement very convenient, his ship was at landing pad four.

Careful and aware that he would be easy to spot in the large open space, he hung back and plotted his approach.

Lori and Dak, on the other hand, strode across the open landing zone without a care.

"You remember your way around a hydrospanner?" Dak asked with a half sarcastic chuckle as he waited for the loading ramp to reach the ground.

"It's been a while." She answered back with a grin, "Why don't you do the heavy lifting for once?"

The ramp hit the ground just in time for Dak to take a step onto the ship before replying, "Someone's been pampered, at least do me a favor and clean out the cargo hold."

She saw an opportunity, "Fine, I'll take the cargo hold if you check the landing gear."

"And I suppose you'll just sit around and watch me work?" He half shouted over his shoulder as he walked into the cargo hold

"Of course not." Lori replied with a good natured but semi-serious tone, "I'll be in the cockpit, flipping switches and making sure everything still turns on after you get done poking around below deck."

"Oh, ye of little faith." Dak picked up a broom that had been leaning against the wall. He tried to offer it to Lori, only to be met with an incredulous look.

Breaking away from Dak, Lori glanced down to Ardis in her arms and then back up, "Now which hand did you think I was going to grab that with?"

"Alright, fine. Take your sweet time cleaning out the hold. I'll let you know when to go run the diagnostics."

Lori waited until Dak had leaned the broom against a stack of crates before replying, "Deal."

With nothing more than a halfhearted grumble, Dak disappeared around the corner and further into the ship.

Meaning to play along, Lori adjusted Ardis and her blankets before setting the child onto the same crate that had been their makeshift bed when they first arrived. Grabbing the broom, she slowly held up her end of the bargain, wordlessly sweeping out the dusty cargo hold.

What neither her nor Dak had noticed was the man slowly circling closer to the ship. Taking a long, roundabout route, the bounty hunter had approached from far side. Walking up under the ship, he had crouched below the lowered ramp just in time to catch the end of Lori and Dak's conversation.

.***.***.***.***.

Starkiller base was abuzz with energy. General Hux let it all wash over him as he watched crews of technicians hurry through their final checks. Senior officers barked orders to their underlings, who in turn scampered off to the hundreds of little tasks that came with bringing the base to life.

The first shot was scheduled to take place in half an hour. He had a speech to give as well. He would have reveled in the moment, but it seemed tainted. What should be the grand culmination of years of his life felt hollow. His attention on inward matters, Hux idly watched as a captain ran a diagnostics check.

Through the commotion, he distantly heard someone calling his name. A half turn to the side found Lieutenant Mitaka stiffly standing at attention.

"What is it?"

"Sir, Han Solo and the droid have been spotted on Takodana."

The general didn't quite let his shoulders sag, but he was sorely tempted to, "Very well, notify Ren."

An awkward shuffle came from the lieutenant, "H-he's left for Takodana, sir."

A flash of annoyance crossed Hux's features.

Of course he would leave Starkiller alone for its debut. He's never on the bridge, especially not when it's his job to be. I don't know why I expected him to stay here.

A secondary realization that Ren's absence meant that the Finalizer was no longer orbiting Starkiller also rankled the general.

"Noted." Hux spoke with venom on his words, "You're dismissed."

Mitaka shifted once again, debating whether to speak more.

Hux noticed, "Have you some other news, lieutenant?"

"Sir. There's been a ringing coming from your office."

The general looked to the busy room, debating for a moment on how much gossip his sudden absence would generate. Fearing that he was hoping for too much, Hux hurried from the control room. Mitaka followed along for a moment, only to be stopped with a curt order.

"Remain here. Update me on Starkiller's progress when I return."

Hux didn't wait on a reply before taking the long winding walk to his office. Upon turning the corner and coming to its locked door, he could hear a muffled chime coming from his computer.

A swift movement had the door unlocked and sliding open.

A light blinked on the desk, and the chime grew louder. He rarely used it, but there was a holoprojector installed on the table. More often than not, the other officers avoided speaking with him face to face, preferring to take their verbal lashings in writing.

But a bounty hunter wouldn't know who they were calling. And they tended to prefer the lack of a paper trail left behind from holoprojected conversations.

Scarcely a second after he sat, Hux activated the terminal.

.***.***.***.***.

With baited breath, the bounty hunter waited until he heard a muffled commotion coming from the lower deck of the ship. Even while searching for the noise, it was barely audible beneath the rhythmic scraping of a broom against durasteel.

Lori was none the wiser when the man came to the edge of the lowered ramp. Facing the door with her back to the exposed landing bay, she didn't see him snuck his way into the cargo hold. The sound of sweeping hid the tiny clinks of a blaster being drawn from its holster.

She was caught perfectly off guard as she saw the man in the corner of her vision.

Quickly turning the rest of the way, she stifled a yelp and tried to beat down the surge of white hot adrenaline that flooded her veins.

He stood next to Ardis, blaster lazily held at his side and trained on the infant, "Scream and the kid gets it."

Lori bit down a venomous comment. The hair on her arms stood on end and she felt hot spots blooming over her skin from the sudden rush of rage the scene filled her with.

Drawing deeply on her practice at controlling her thoughts and actions, Lori moved very slowly and very deliberately to lay the broom on the ground. Moving back to standing, she kept her hands raised to the level of her shoulders.

"Smart move." The bounty hunter spoke with a rough voice before taking a step back. Blaster still trained on the infant, he gave Lori a curt order, "Pick up the kid. Try to run and I'll shoot."

Anger not even beginning to subside, she did as she was told. Her heart leapt when Ardis cooed at being disturbed. The small noise brought the bounty hunter that much closer to firing.

Lori rocked back and forth slightly, the movement lulling Ardis back to silence. When she saw that the man was no less on guard she made it very clear that she meant to speak before actually trying.

"What?" The word was clipped, and came as the bounty hunter took a few small steps to the side.

Still swaying for Ardis' sake, and to hide the bits of rage she was shaking with, Lori answered back in a low tone. The words weren't as soft as she had meant, but they were largely devoid of the fury she felt, "We're wanted alive."

She watched a flicker pass over the man's features. Whether it was minor annoyance at being told how to do his job, or surprise that she appeared calm, she couldn't tell.

In either case, he recovered and gestured for her to leave the ship.

Lori didn't have long to debate what the worse choice was. Did she fight back, and hope that the bounty hunter was only bluffing? She knew who had hired him, but there was no telling what the bounty hunter thought he was meant to do.

But if she didn't go with the man, she would only be stuck with the Resistance aligned mercenaries. That was a gamble unto itself, with no way for her to tell if they might try and flee before the First Order arrived on Dantooine.

She considered her options for a moment too long. Before she had made up her mind to shout, the bounty hunter reached forward and roughly gripped her wounded arm. In a practiced movement, he had turned around and was effortlessly tugging Lori out of the ship.

Hoping she was making the right decision, Lori didn't put up a fight.

They quickly made their way across the landing field. The bounty hunter kept close to her, the barrel of the blaster firmly pressed into her side and blocked from view.

"You can put that away, I'm not about to run off."

He adjusted the blaster so it dug deeper into Lori's side, "Right. Next you'll tell me you've got some ocean front property on Tatooine for sale."

Lori bit down an equally sarcastic remark.

They approached the bounty hunter's ship, some trimmed down and lightly armored thing built for speed. The bounty hunter shuffled for a moment, his grasp on her arm dropping for a second as he hit a command button inlayed onto his gauntlet.

If Lori were in the mood to run, she would have done it just then. Instead, she played along as the boarding ramp dropped from the ship.

Only a moment after it hit the ground, a sudden bout of shouting erupted from behind them. The bounty hunter was quick to twist around, blaster at the ready. With his hand suddenly gripping Lori's wounded arm like a vice, she yelped and squirmed.

In the commotion she just caught sight of Dak running out of the mercenaries' ship and sprinting across the field.

Making a split second decision, she leaned closer to the bounty hunter, taking care not to yell.

"Hit me." Lori all but ordered.

"What?!"

"Aim for the jaw, not the temple." Playing into what Dak would expect to see, Lori weakly attempted to shuffle away from the bounty hunter.

More confused than anything else, the man did as he was told. The hit landed more harshly than she had expected, and Lori was only half faking it as her knees buckled.

Scarce steps away from the ramp, he didn't have too much trouble half dragging Lori the rest of the way into the ship. Slamming a hand against the control panel to shut the bay door, he barely paused as he roughly sat Lori on the ground and rushed to the cockpit.

He could ask the crazy woman what she was doing later. The man she had been with was peppering the outside of the ship with bolts from some decrepit old blaster riffle he had pulled from his own dilapidated ship.

Sliding into the pilot's seat, it only took a few seconds before the bounty hunter had taken his ship into the sky. Scarce moments after that he was long gone and safely hidden away among the stars.

.***.***.***.***.

A blue hologram of a man in a robe flickered into existence. Hux didn't recognize him, but a glance at to the bottom of the projection found that his ID was the same one that had sent him the image of Lori at the market only a few days ago.

The bounty hunter seemed distracted by something beyond the projector's range. In spite of it, he quickly turned to look directly at Hux.

"I've got the lady and the kid. Name your drop of point."

Hux almost didn't hear the second half of the bounty hunter's words, pulse thundering and blood rushing in his ears from the first half.

Carefully measuring his words, he tried to push his excitement down. He only just managed to do so, and his words took on a shaking quality that he hoped was disguised by the static of the machine, "Bring them to the camera first, both of them."

The bounty hunter had already been taken off guard by the odd behavior of his prisoners, so he wasn't surprised that the bounty poster was being needlessly demanding either.

"Give me a minute," Only interested in his pay check, he gave a half shrug with the comment before stepping out of view.

The few seconds he was gone could have been a lifetime for the general.

Hux tried not to startle at the sudden flash of movement from the holoprojector.

After so many days sick with worry and nights plagued by darkened thoughts, Hux fought to breathe over the words stuck in his throat. Swirling thoughts and comments and worries and questions clawed over each other so that none of them made it out.

Lori's features were painted in jittering blue light.

She looked tired. Her shoulders slumped, weighed down by the infant and bundle of cloth in her arms. A heavy bruise darkened the left side of her face, though even it couldn't dampen the knowing glint in her eyes.

The general knew the bounty hunter must be listening just out of view, but seeing Lori like that made his worries that someone might learn about their relationship seem insignificant.

"Who hit you?" Even he heard the dangerous edge on his words.

A familiar half smile spread over Lori's features, "This little thing? That'd be our bounty hunter friend, but I very literally asked for it."

Several more questions about when and why rushed to the forefront of Armitage's mind, but Lori wasn't in any clear danger. And nothing about the way she spoke suggested that she were being coerced or threatened.

Lori watched Armitage grapple with his thoughts. She didn't spare a glance to the bounty hunter, who was still in the cockpit. It was less than ideal to let him know too much. She didn't mind revealing that he had been hired for a rescue rather than an abduction, but she wasn't about to reveal every detail to him.

She tried to communicate as much to Armitage, "I'll tell you all the juicy details later. How have you been?"

As much as he didn't want to admit it to himself, Lori was right. Purposely skirting the details and omitting anything that might be damning, Hux said, "I'm alright, better now. My project is nearly complete. It's coming online today, in fact."

The coded news about Starkiller caught Lori's ear. The implication that the base would bring for the rest of the galaxy seemed small in comparison with what it meant for her and Armitage. With the New Republic a relic of the past, there would be nothing to stop the First Order from reclaiming all the territory from the old empire. It would still be difficult, but without the constant threat of spies and turn coats, she and Ardis would have a chance to live in the open.

Armitage's next words brought her away from the stupor the news had put her under, "What about you? Are you alright?"

Suddenly seeing again, she was acutely aware of the obviously eavesdropping bounty hunter, "I'm fine, better now. Got any special plans in mind for your new toy?"

"Only the one's I've had from the very beginning."

Lori grimly nodded. She hoped that all would turn out for the best, but experience told her that things would only get worse before they got better.

"And what of Ardis?" Armitage continued, face and tone only just concealing a whisper of fear.

At that Lori let her features soften, even going as far as to spare a glance down to the bundle in her arms, "She's tough. I think she's coping better than I am."

Hux breathed a little easier. Of course that wasn't nearly as much news as he would have liked, but it would have to do for now. A glance to the chrono found that time was running short. It pained him to do it, but he needed to leave once again.

"Lori?"

She peered back up at him.

"I've got to go." he hesitated, debating whether or not he should leave a trail to follow by transmitting a set of coordinates to meet at. He also though over the logistics of his war. There would be a final death throw from the New Republic, he knew it. Any resistance would be futile, and short lived, but he couldn't afford a second away from the helm of his base. In a short moment's consideration, he made up his mind, "Go to Batuu, I'll send for you."

The bounty hunter overheard, and slowly went about prepping the ship. Batuu was on the other side of the galaxy, and in the middle of nowhere besides.

"Understood," Lori inwardly groaned at the thought of delaying their meeting for even a second longer. There was so much more to say, but she also felt time pressing down on them. Casting a quick glance to the bounty hunter that had busied himself at the ship's control panel, she made a last comment, "Once more thing."

Hux peered at the flickering hologram.

"I think I found your missing pilot. He and his friends are living out on D'Qar."

For a second Hux distantly wondered what she was talking about, then he was hit with a realization that she must be referencing the rebel pilot that had escaped the Finalizer days ago. He would have told her -begged her- not to put herself in danger for a few scraps of information concerning the Resistance. But the bounty hunter was listening just out of frame, and he knew that it would do more harm than good to even suggest that Lori was involved with something more grand than being kidnapped by nameless mercenaries.

"Is he now?" he innocently began, "It's been quite some time. Perhaps I owe them a visit."

Satisfied that he got her message, Lori played along, "I suppose you might."

The moment settled. Hux was loath to end it, "Be careful, I'll see you soon."

"I'll be careful as long as you promise the same," Lori answered back with a genuine plea on her words.

Hux heard it and longed for a time that would let them go back and forth for however long they cared to.

"As you wish. I love you."

Lori lifted Ardis so that her face was visible on the projection. Just as she had done once before, she gently waved the infant's arm in farewell, "We love you too, goodbye."

The general wasn't the one to cut the feed off as it blinked away to nothing.

Alone in his silent office, a new layer of determination settled over the general. Starkiller was his key to the future, a terrible tool that he would gladly wield to reign the galaxy under control.

Stepping into the hall, he found Lieutenant Mitaka waiting for him.

Painfully aware that it looked like he was disobeying orders, Mitaka spoke quickly, "The weapon is ready, sir. Our target is set, and the technicians have given the all clear."

"Brilliant." Hux leaned into the little sense of grandeur that he dared to allow, "I'll see myself to the platform."

There came a small pause, with the general seemingly deep in thought.. Mitaka felt the hair on his arms stand straight, fearing what it might mean for him.

Never minding the lieutenant obvious distress, Hux issued a small order, "You're to prepare a shuttle."

"Sir?"

Besides Lori, there wasn't a single person in the First Order that Hux trusted on a personal level. Luckily, there were scores of loyal underlings, and Mitaka had proven himself clever enough to survive as Hux's aid.

"I have a special assignment for you, lieutenant." Hux only gave a small explination.

Mitaka didn't trust the dangerous glint in the general's eyes. Gulping down a heavy lump in his throat, he apprehensively awaited his special orders.

Chapter Text

"Didn't realize I was on a rescue mission," the bounty hunter turned away from the control panel to look at Lori.

They had made a short jump at lightspeed away from Dantooine, and now sat in the empty void of space.

Lori had finished her call several minutes ago, though she had only just slid into the co-pilot's seat. Not wanting to delve too deeply into her past, she gave a comment that distracted more than answered any question the man might have, "Guess that means your conscious can rest easy now."

He hadn't been bothered in the first place, but he could appreciate the sarcastic barb, "That still doesn't explain why you asked me to clock you."

Lori shrugged before answering, "Just keeping up appearances."

"An appearance of what, exactly?" the bounty hunter wasn't keen on being blindsided by some other circumstance that his employer hadn't mentioned.

A lie came easily to Lori's lips, "I just figured my life and yours would be easier if my captors thought you were working for one of their competitors."

"Instead of your husband?" he thought he was putting the pieces together.

Lori let him make the convenient assumption, "That's right. If they knew you were working for him, that man probably would have shot us both. But, since they think you're just another thief…"

He picked up on the logic he thought Lori was trailing off on, "They'll try and steel you back instead."

She turned a grin into a grimace, "Not the best solution, I know. But you've got to admit that it's better than getting blasted out of the sky."

"Fair enough."

The bounty hunter didn't press on why she and the infant had been kidnapped in the first place, nor did he ask where she came from, or who the kidnappers were. He had spent long enough marauding around the galaxy to know that the answer would leave a bad taste in his mouth, and that it was better to take the money and leave without another word.

Lori leaned back in her seat, satisfied that that would be the end of it. She didn't expect Dak or the mercenaries to catch up, and once she returned to the First Order it more than likely wouldn't matter what they thought of her. But she was never one to leave a loos end dangling, and it was all the better if they considered her to be a lost ally for as long as she could manage.

The bounty hunter finished plotting their course to Batuu. He had recently upgraded his hyperdrive, and the journey wouldn't be long at all. Breathing out a small sign of annoyance, the man flipped a switch to initiate the jump.

Only for the engine to stall.

A glance at the ships instruments found several strange readings. He wasn't sure why, but one screen had blinked out a warning of a sub-hyperspace rip. Just as he was about to grumble out a complaint, a red light painted the inside of the cabin.

.***.***.***.***.

General Hux stepped onto the frost laden platform. The senior officers and head engineers that had brought Starkiller base to life stood at attention in neat rows towards the center of the stage.

Tens of thousands of troopers stood on what would normally be a landing field. Flanking the field of white were black rows of newly minted TIEs, their pilots stiffly standing to their sides. Dotting the crowd were blood red banners, each emblazoned with the First Order's insignia. General Hux took in the scene, letting himself marvel at all he had created.

A shiver cut through him, its sharp edge barely dulled by his heavy gaberwool coat.

The surface of Starkiller was bitterly cold, made even worse by the death of the star that it had once orbited. The lingering light left behind by the suns withering core cast the planets snow laden landscape in a muted gray. Deep green trees took on a sinister tone and melded into the black stone of the many mountains in view, even the pure white snow turned to the color of ash.

If Hux were a symbolic man, he would have taken the fading light as an omen. An event to portend the death of the New Republic.

Instead he listened to the snapping of flags on the wind. Three massive banners served to block the base's entrance from the harshest of the elements. Like the smaller things dotting the field they were a deep red. The biggest shock of color on the planet, they drew the eye and demanded attention.

Hux felt very big and somehow truly insignificant as he had his back to the banner.

He breathed deep, looking down at ten thousand helmets that looked nowhere besides back at him.

Starkiller base had become a field bathed in black, white, and red. Wrapped in his officer's coat, with skin paled by the cold, the red headed general was in perfect harmony with the sinister sight.

The wind blew across the field. Hux took a deep breath before beginning a speech that had sat in the back of his mind for nearly a decade.

"Today is the end of the Republic!" He began at a shout, "The end of a regime that acquiesces to disorder!"

He voice fell over the field of obedient soldiers, words quickly fading against murmuring wind. As they did, he didn't just see a field of troopers, he didn't just feel the cold wind whipping around him. He saw the future unfolding out beneath him. He felt fate turning on a single moment that was his to command.

He continued, words beginning to tumble form his mouth with a practiced cadence, "At this very moment, in a system far from here the New Republic lies to the Galaxy, while secretly supporting the treachery of the loathsome Resistance. This fierce machine which you have built, upon which we stand, will bring an end to the senate! To their cherished fleet!"

"All remaining systems will bow to the First Order! And will remember this… as the last day of the Republic!"

As his last word faded into the wind, there came a sudden snap and a deep rumbling that came from a great movement in the crowed. Ten thousand troopers saluted a general, his eyes turned towards the sky.

Hux looked up, seeing the end of one era and the beginning of a new. An age of order, an age that would be his. Quick thoughts of everything he had lost and everything he had never imagined that he would have cut at him along with the wind.

Ready for his life to begin again, the general gave his order as a shout.

"Fire!"

.***.***.***.***.

Red light painted the cockpit. Turning around, the bounty hunter followed Lori's gaze through the viewport.

Garish red streaks cut through the stars. He counted three, then four, then five arching beams darting through the galaxy at an impossible speed, an impossible distance away.

His confusion turned to disbelief, then to horror, as the beams suddenly bloomed. The edges of their fearsome glow turned uneven with the fragmented remains of some rocky celestial body.

Lori didn't mind the man, nor did she mind the blast.

A terrible sight, to be sure, but within the violent beam she didn't see the billions of lives that had been unmade in an instant. She didn't see the fear or hear the screams cut short.

She gently cradled her infant daughter, and she saw the harsh beginning of a bright future.

Chapter Text

Lieutenant Mitaka sat with his back against the wall.

Batuu had been firmly brought under the control of the First Order, but he was still uneasy on the unfamiliar planet's surface. Not even being accompanied by an armed guard soothed his nerves. More than anything, being flanked by four well-armed and well-trained soldiers set him on edge even more.

As per General Hux's instructions, Mitaka had reserved a private room at a non-descript cantina. His presence hadn't raised any particular attention, with many of the other patrons in the bar belonging to the First Order as well.

What truly rattled the lieutenant was the face staring up at him from his datapad.

He was here to pay a bounty hunter and to take custody of his query, Major Lori Gallus.

Just a week ago, her name and the job would have seemed completely unremarkable to the lieutenant. He might have wondered why she warranted a personal pick up, but he wouldn't have been struggling to contain a nervous shake like he was now. But, knowing what he did now, he wondered why the general had elected to send a lowly lieutenant to do something so important.

You know why, Mitaka admonished himself, because nobody knows who she is, especially not you. He wants this to be low profile.

Mitaka stifled a cough while he checked the time. They should arrive any minute now. He clicked over to an abridged personnel file that had been loaded onto his datapad.

A supply officer of six years from the mid-rim, Major Gallus had spent an unremarkable four years aboard the Absolution before being transferred to the Finalizer. The only mildly abnormal mark on her record was a brief encounter with the FOSB two years ago. A sergeant under her command had been tried and executed for treason, though she had been cleared of any suspicion.

Largely non-descript, the photo on file showed her to be tanned, with brown hair, and dark blue eyes. Coupling that with an unremarkable height and an average weight, Mitaka wasn't sure he would even notice passing her in the hall.

Consumed with his thoughts, Mitaka jumped slightly at the whoosh of an opening door. The four troopers in the room immediately went on edge, their expressionless visors reflecting the newcomers as they stepped into the room.

Mitaka thought he heard his pulse as he tried to act nonchalant about the situation, "Welcome. Please, sit."

He gestured to the far end of the table. Lori took the empty seat, gently cradling a bundle of blankets in her arms. A commotion came from them as she did, and the lieutenant caught a glimpse of a pudgy arm reaching up.

Clearing his throat Mitaka put on the most authoritative voice he was capable of, "Very well, can I get your names, ma'am?"

The woman seemed perfectly at ease despite the tension that Mitaka felt crackling over his skin, and she replied, "I'm Lori Gallus, and this is Ardis."

The lieutenant nodded, his voice caught in his throat. Casting a glance to one of the troopers, Mitaka gestured for them to come forward.

Understanding, the trooper picked up a briefcase that had sat at his side, only to unceremoniously slide it across the table.

"There's your payment," Mitaka looked to the bounty hunter, "You may leave now."

While slightly annoyed by the younger man's tone, the bounty hunter was content enough to take the credits and leave. As the door slid shut behind him, Mitaka let out a breath he hadn't even realized he'd been holding.

The tension in the room hadn't even began to faded before Lori made a comment from across the table, "This isn't how you thought you would be spending your day. Is it, lieutenant?"

"N-no, ma'am." He hadn't planned for what he would actually say to Lori. The idea of being the go between for a bounty hunter had been unnerving enough, he hadn't even allowed himself to worry what might come from talking to Hux's lover.

She smiled at him warmly, looking every inch the kindly mother one would expect to see clutching an infant and a bundle of cloth, "Well, thank you very much for the rescue. Now, if you don't mind, I think it's time we went back home."

Mitaka hastily stood from his seat, thumping his knee on the table in the process, "O-of course, ma'am. Right this way."

She watched the lieutenant stumble to the door. A few of the stormtroopers cast confused glances at each other.

Lori didn't know a thing about the dark haired lieutenant, and she doubted that her simply being a few ranks above him would be cause for his obviously nervous behavior. It wasn't unheard of to raise a family within the First Order, so he shouldn't be too rattled by the sight of Ardis either. Given the man's age it was more than likely that he had grown up within the order himself.

Hiding her suspicion, Lori followed the lieutenant and made polite conversation as they went.

"So, you know my name, but I haven't heard yours."

Her every word seemed to get a rise from the young man, she watched him avoid her gaze as he answered, "My name is Dopheld Mitaka, ma'am. I'm glad to be at your service."

"Good to meet you, Dopheld," she kept up the face of a relieved major, not unlike the persona she had worn back when she was working as a supply officer.

Mitaka wove his way out of the cantina and back through sparsely populated streets on his route back to the landing pad. Lori walked even with him, taking care not to peer at him too harshly. Behind and around them was their stormtrooper guard.

More than once another First Order member on the street would give them a curious glance before going back to their business. By the time the group made it back to their waiting upsilon shuttle, Mitaka was fighting a losing battle with his paranoia.

How many people on the street knew who he was walking with? What did she know of him? Had the stormtroopers figured it out as well? What would happen when they returned to base? The general had never explicitly told him who Lori was, what would the punishment be for knowing more than he should?

A sudden hiss came from the loading ramp as it shut. The noise barely managed to take Mitaka away from vivid fears about that his punishment might be. A quick glance to the side Found Lori standing med inches away. Mitaka wished that he had never pressed Lieutenant Grier. Some things were better left unknown, and this was definitely one of them.

"Hey, Dopheld?"

Mitaka jumped at his rarely said first name, "Yes, ma'am?"

Lori gave him a sympathetic look to mask her growing suspicion, "You can calm down a bit. Come one, let's sit for a minute."

She took a step towards one of the long benches that took up the side of the shuttle. The stormtroopers had gathered on the far side of the passenger compartment, sitting at a small table and talking quietly amongst themselves. On a normal day, Mitaka would have paid them no mind. But now, he was painfully aware of his every word, and even his thoughts felt loud enough to overhear.

While Lori was no mind reader, the lieutenant had a poorly guarded expression, "Is there something on your mind?" she began with an earnest tone.

"Oh. N-no, ma'am."

"You sure?"

She knows that I know! "Yes, ma'am."

He would have been much more convincing if he were able to actually look at her while he spoke.

"Ok, whatever you say, Dopheld." She eased off of him. Acutely aware that it would be very easy to press the man too hard, she searched for something non-threatening but still useful to talk about, "How did you end up with this job, by the way? Last time I checked, bounty pick-ups would be the FOSB's problem."

"Special orders." Mitaka meekly muttered.

"Who from?"

Mitaka hesitated, driving himself wild with second guesses.

You know who! There's no way you don't! His mind raced on, trying to decide what to say, The general never told me this was an undercover mission, so he doesn't expect me to tell a lie. Or does he? What if this is a test?

He looked to Lori, sitting there with kind eyes and a gentle demeanor. He had tried in vain to imagine what kind of person would be involved with Hux, and nothing like this had crossed his mind.

What if Quin had been wrong all along? What if Lori is just some major that had a run of bad luck?

But then why would the general care so much? Why send me off? Why even-

"Dopheld?" Lori's voice brought Mitaka away from his thoughts but made his worries seem even worse.

Seeing no good option, Mitaka defaulted to the truth.

"General Hux! Ma'am. They were special orders from General Hux."

Lori had watched the poor man debate himself. After taking so long, she was almost surprised he had answered truthfully.

Keeping to her character, she let her surprise show as mildly concerned shock, "O-oh. That's… that's certainly something, isn't it?"

If Mitaka weren't surrounded by other people, he would have screamed in frustration. Everything about Lori's demeanor told him that she was just as uncomfortable at the news as he or anyone else would have been.

"Yes, ma'am," he numbly found himself saying.

The confusion, and now disappointment, was clear on the lieutenant. Lori had been suspicious, and while she didn't have any proof it seemed like her hunch might be correct.

Mitaka knew that there was some link between her and Armitage. She couldn't imagine that Armitage would have told Dopheld about them. If he were a Resistance agent, then he wasn't very good at his job, the poor thing had been almost painfully on edge since the second she'd laid eyes on him.

Lori shifted her hold on Ardis, who was beginning to stir. She didn't know exactly how long they would be traveling with the lieutenant and his guard, but she was sure that it would be long enough for her to learn exactly what he thought he knew.

.***.***.***.***.

Scarcely a day had passed since Hux blasted Hosnian Prime out of the galaxy. He would have liked to be celebrating, but a heavy weight sat in his gut. Mitaka hadn't yet arrived with Lori and Ardis, and when he did Hux was going to have to make a decision on what to do with the man.

He would have to make a decision on what to do with his family too. He'd sworn to Lori and to himself that it would be safe for them once the New Republic fell, but it seemed like Snoke and Ren were both intent on madness. Worse yet, the resistance had a lock on Luke Skywalker's location.

Ren had completed his mission to Takodana. Rather than securing the droid and the map, he had nabbed the random scavenger girl that had fled from Jakku. Hux would have wondered what Ren was thinking, but he knew better than to pretend that the other man thought at all.

Instead of securing the coordinates to Luke Skywalker, Ren had brought a resistance agent and yet another obstacle into Starkiller base. In anticipation of learning Luke's location, Hux had even given the order to relocate to the nearest star system so that Starkiller base would be ready to fire once more. Since Ren had ruined that option, the general was quick to come up with a second.

Lori had mentioned to him that the Resistance was hidden away on D'Qar, in the Ileenium system. If he couldn't turn Luke Skywalker into a smattering of space dust, then he could at least destroy everyone who was searching for him.

While he considered how to propose and explain his new course of action, Hux heard the echoes of Ren and Snoke's conversation drift down the hallway.

"… Untrained, but stronger than she knows!" Ren's shouts were even more indignant than usual.

Snoke seemed not to heed them as he asked, "and the droid?"

There came a second of silence that Hux assumed to be Kylo Ren hesitating to reveal his blunder.

Relishing in his timing, the general strode into the room with an accusation at the ready, "Ren believed it was no longer valuable to us."

At the general's sudden appearance, Ren twisted to peer over his shoulder.

Hux was momentarily surprised to see the other man without his childish helmet, but he didn't let the realization slow him for long, "That the girl was all we needed. As a result, the droid has most likely been returned to the hands of the enemy. They may have the map already."

Snoke fumed at the news, it was clear to Hux that the supreme leader's cherished apprentice hadn't told him the full story.

"Then the Resistance must be destroyed," the old man began, "Before they get to Skywalker."

Hux seized his chance to share his plan before Ren butted in, "We have their location. We tracked their reconnaissance ship to the Ileenium system."

Snoke considered the general's words. Ren did as well, but rather than thinking up some way to counter Hux, he wondered what reconnaissance ship he could be talking about. He had heard of no such report, and –since Starkiller base had just moved- he wasn't sure when a Resistance ship would have gotten the chance to come near enough to be tracked.

A heavy moment passed before Snoke finally spoke again, "Good. Then we will crush them once and for all. Prepare the weapon."

Nodding in acknowledgement, Hux was a moment away from turning to leave before Ren finally found his voice again, "Supreme Leader. I can get the map from the girl. I just need your guidance."

Hux barely stifled a dismissive huff as Snoke turned his gaze to focus on the knight.

"If what you say about this girl is true, bring her to me."

Chapter Text

General Hux paced the control room, occasionally noting the fading sun as the barren scenery beyond the windows grew dim.

"Report." Hux ordered in a failed attempt to calm himself.

Some junior officer called out in answer, "Weapon charged in fifteen minutes, sir."

Hux stifled a hissing breath.

So close. He was so very close to seeing this all come to an end. The Resistance, the pathetic shred of rebellion that it was, would soon be a thing of the past.

And with that, he mused, the galaxy will bow to the First Order.

A buzzing of his comm took the general away from his musings.

Glancing down at the small device he found a message from Lieutenant Mitaka, "Major Lori Gallus and her infant daughter are in custody. Together with our stormtrooper accompaniment, we have left Batuu without incident, and are in transit back to Starkiller base."

The general let the good news wash over him. He desperately needed it after a second look at his comm found another message waiting for him. Apparently Ren's precious prisoner had escaped from her cell.

He tried to dismiss his ire with a thought, No matter. In mere moments the Resistance will be nothing more than a dark blot on the galaxy's history.

For a brief moment, Hux's imagined darkness felt tangible as the lights in the control room flickered.

A fresh crop of muttering bubbled up from the officers, nervous and more than a little confused.

"Sir," the same junior officer as before called out, "There's an anomaly. The shield generators are offline."

"What?" he all but hissed at the news.

Before anyone had the chance or the ability to explain, there came a gasp from a sergeant at the window. Snapping his head to the side Hux followed their line of sight to the dimming sky.

On the horizon, in clear attack formation, loomed a squadron of X-wings.

.***.***.***.***.

Lori had been attempting to talk with Lieutenant Mitaka for the last several hours. Most of the time she only got an awkwardly rushed answered followed by long stretched of even more awkward silence.

"So you've been the general's aid for nearly two weeks?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"How do you like it?"

Lori tried not to stare at Mitaka as she waited for a response. He fidgeted in his seat, desperately looking for an answer that was short, but not one that might offend her if she truly was Hux's lover.

Assuming that Quin had even been right.

"It's a challenging position, ma'am."

"I guess it would be, wouldn't it?" Lori shifted her hold on Ardis while she searched for something else to pry at. The lieutenant was unsurprisingly guarded whenever she asked anything that might relate to Hux, so she tried easing off and looking for something more mundane, "What did you do before taking the aid position?"

She watched as Mitaka's shoulders dropped a tiny amount of tension, "I was a weapons officer, ma'am. I oversaw turbolaser functionality."

Leaning into the opening she had found, Lori went on, "One of my old roommates was a weapons officer, do you know Captain Sydney Tetch?"

Mitaka tensed once more, "No, ma'am. I was the bridge liaison, not a depot specialist."

Hearing about the bridge set Lori on edge. Purposely trying to avoid mention of Hux again, she tried at what she thought would make for a more mindless conversation, "Funny story, I had another roommate who was bridge crew. Have you met Lieutenant Quin Grier?"

At the mention of a roommate named Quin, all the color drained from Mitaka's face.

Do I lie? I have to! No. I can't.

Lori watched a pained expression play over the lieutenants features. He had been acting very strange with her, much of the time very fearful, but at others strangely reverent. His being so shocked at the mention of Quin stuck out to her, there was nothing the other woman could have done to make Mitaka fear her very name.

But there was something Quin could have said to make Mitaka afraid to mention her to Lori.

"Y-yes, ma'am." He finally answered

Testing her theory, she gave a meaningful look to Mitaka, and then down to Ardis, "Do you talk often?"

Mitaka stared at Lori, as if he were waiting for her to lunge forward and attack, "No, ma'am."

Hearing the obvious lie, Lori looked back up.

Mitaka quickly crumbled under her gaze.

"Quin and I are very close, Dopheld. She will tell me if you two talked."

She watched as the man broke out into a sweat.

In the beat of silence where he said nothing, Lori talked on, "Quin told you. Didn't she?"

Unsure of whether to stutter out a hasty denial or admit to the burdenful knowledge, Mitaka found his mouth wordlessly gaping open and shut.

Normally, Lori wouldn't do anything that might even give a hint as to something she was trying to keep hidden. But, in this case, she was completely sure that Mitaka already knew what she was referring to. "Does Armitage know that you know?"

Hearing the general referred to by given name rather than surname or rank was enough of a shock to jolt a few panicked whisperes from the lieutenant, "No, ma'am. I-I mean, yes ma'am. Well… I…"

Lori looked to him while making an effort at covering her impatience with an expression of concern, "Take your time."

The apparently caring face coming from a source that Mitaka never would have imagined possible unnerved him even more. Eventually, despite the sense of dread and his panicked thoughts, Mitaka managed to calm himself enough to speak.

"S-she did tell me, yes. But I pressed her for the information, wrongly so." Mitaka at least tried to defend Quin. He saw this as the end of his career, and possibly his life, but there was no sense in dragging a fellow officer down with him.

Lori nodded along, but waited for Mitaka to go on.

"…and no. No, I've not said anything to the general."

"That was probably wise," Lori said as she adjusted her hold on Ardis.

Mildly confused by her words, and still second guessing every assumption he made about Lori, Mitaka shifted in his seat as he went on, "And, o-of course I won't tell anyone else."

Lori had seen exactly what it looked like when Dopheld was lying, and she was sure that he meant that particular promise. Still, she kept a slight pressure on the man, "I'll hold you to that."

Mitaka searched for a good response. The silence that loomed over him when the words wouldn't come was mercifully interrupted by the pilot's voice coming out of an intercom.

"Final approach to Starkiller base, our landing has been delayed. Updates incoming."

At that, Lori cast a curious glance at Mitaka. When he proved just as confused as her, she stood from the bench and made her way to the cockpit door.

.***.***.***.***.

Heavy explosions shook the horizon and would have been deafening if not for the blaring of sirens in the control room.

General Hux rushed to the window, only to shout back into the room, "Dispatch all squadrons!"

A ripple of "Yes, general" came back to him all too slowly for his liking.

Fuming that they had been so stunned as to need an order rather than reacting in real time, General Hux turned back into the room and hurried for a communications terminal. In the scarce second it took him to order the rest of the base to battle stations, the squadron of x-wings had taken evasive maneuvers and were swooping in and out of view.

Furiously typing away, Hux even sent a direct message to Ren, "Aerial attack. Unknown number of hostile ships. Defend the base."

As he hit send, there was a sudden thunderous clap from outside that shook the ground and walls of the building. Twisting around, Hux found a ball of fire and plume of ash wafting up from the thermal oscillator.

His heart leapt as he waited for the smoke to clear.

If the power regulators in the central thermal oscillator were damaged, then the resulting surge would fry the diodes. Once that happened there would be nothing to keep the power from flowing back through the system and blowing up the fuel cells.

General Hux let out a shaking breath as a looming gray silhouette came into focus through the ash. The thermal oscillator was intact for now, but it wouldn't stay that way for long if the x-wings were left unchallenged.

As if in answer to his worries, the sky grew dim and the building shook once more as TIEs screamed past. Keeping his eyes to the sky, General Hux spared a glance to the dwindling sun. As long as there was any light left in it, the Resistance pilots might have a chance at ruining his plans.

Knowing that staring out the window would do no good, Hux turned back to control room once more.

"Time until ready to fire?"

A technician hurriedly eyed a screen, "two minutes, sir."

Damn, that may as well be a lifetime.

Failing to hide a grimace, Hux did his best to ignore the battle raging outside.

A TIE twisted and screamed to the ground, one of its wings landing miles from the main body of burning wreckage. A ground turret rumbled with blaster fire that tore an x-wing from the sky. Ships vied for dominance, with one of the attackers occasionally landing a blow on the battered thermal oscillator.

Hux cast an irritated look to a data readout that tracked which ships had been launched from the hanger, Where is Ren? He's had plenty of time to scramble his TIE-silencer.

The seconds ticked by, and the light grew dim with no hint of the other commander. Hux cast nervous and angry glares at the data readouts that screamed for his attention nearly as much as the dogfight outside.

Power charged to ninety percent. Anomalous fluctuation readings though the power terminal. Extreme damage to the utility trench in sector four.

"Half of the enemy fleet destroyed, sir." Another officer called out, confirming the general's own grim observations.

The sun's light was nearly gone, and the already dour room was cast into even deeper shadow.

"Weapon at full capacity in thirty seconds."

Hux watched the fighters bobbing and weaving in and out of each other, "Prepare to fire."

The tension in the room ran high, with every engineer and tech acutely aware that this was the point of no return. With the base primed and ready, any additional blow to the oscillator would cause a chain reaction and destroy the rest of the base.

Of course, even if they didn't fire, the stored energy would override the already damaged power safeguards and cause the planet to collapse in on itself regardless.

Another horrible shudder cut though the planet. This time Hux looked over to find the thermal oscillator spewing flames high into the darkened sky. Heavy black smoke twisted into the clouds, and as fighters cut through the ash they brought little slivers of darkness into the already grayed sky.

Transfixed by the oscillator turned inferno, no one in the control room noticed a lone x-wing dipping below the horizon. Zooming through the utility trench, the single ship made a daring rush into the burning machine.

The officers in the control room could only watch with abject horror as the oscillator came to life with explosions. Bright red things, bathed in blinding yellow hallows that left spots in the vision of all that saw them. The ground rumbled and shook, this time setting off a cacophony of sirens in its wake.

Hux was nearly thrown to the side as the floor shifted beneath him.

Sick with realization, he stumbled as he stepped towards the hall.

This was supposed to be a glorious moment. A final strike against disorder. The death of the Resistance and proof that the First Order controlled all of the galaxy. A few dozen hot-shot pilots with decades old fighters weren't meant to stop him. They weren't meant to tear Starkiller base to shreds.

Walls crumbled and sirens blared in warning that the base was doomed. Officers and enlisted personnel scurried through the halls. Some shouting commands, and others fleeing in any direction they thought might be safe.

The general paid them no mind. Through the ruined base he heard the last of the fight outside. Fresh anger, hot and focused solely on the Resistance, washed over his skin.

The galaxy was his. This base was his. Everything being destroyed, the power being lost, was his.

A section of ceiling caved in to reveal an x-wing fleeing the planet.

Hux hurried his flight down the halls. The damned Resistance might have destroyed Starkiller base, but he was determined to survive.

.***.***.***.***.

Lori's numb gaze fell just beyond the viewport.

Thick with a blanket of stars and a pristine white planet only a moment ago, now the sky flashed with a garish red.

Blinking the hellish imprint from her eyes, Lori was left with the memory of those scarlet streaks of energy that had torn across the galaxy only a day ago. She knew that they had spelled doom for a billion innocents, a billion people living on a planet that seemed so safe only seconds before its fate.

She had thought Hosnian Prime to be a simple casualty of war. The first, and hopefully the last, massive shock in a galactic battle.

The blood on the First Order's hands, on Armitage's, hadn't given her a moment's pause for thought.

As Lori peered into the quickly fading sky, a soul crushing weight bored down on her. Thick with a blanket of stars, it hid a profound emptiness that seeped deep into Lori.

Starkiller base was gone, reduced to nothing more than space dust and shattered dreams. Reality, with its uncaring gaze, its brutally harsh consequences, had never once spared Lori. It had never once spared any being in the galaxy. For as quickly as the First Order had snuffed out a billion lives and a billion dreams on Hosnian Prime, the Resistance had done the same on Starkiller base.

She held onto Ardis, swathed in the soft gray blanket that had been a gift from her father. The weight of their daughter grew heavy in her arms.

Hux had been on Starkiller.

Numb. Numb to the chattering stormtroopers. Numb to the lieutenant standing at her side. Numb to the cold and unblinking sky. Lori staggered out of the cockpit, heavy dread seeping from her bones and pulling at her with each tired step she made.

Ardis was crying. Lori's guts twisted and her heart swelled. So broken by the death of her lover, she hadn't even noticed.

Dropping onto the bench, she held Ardis close. Lori hadn't the breath within her to mutter to the child, so she rocked gently back and forth. Through the motion, the room swelled and went unfocused, and Lori found a hot tear streaming down her cheek.

Ardis cried louder. Lori opened her mouth to say something, anything. Any little thing that she could pretend would make the situation better.

Only a choked sound came out.

Clutching their daughter, holding back sobs that only left her shaking in grief, Lori stared into the middle distance without seeing anything.

Chapter Text

General Hux glared down at the unconscious lump that was Kylo Ren.

The damned fool had been out in the woods fighting against two Resistance agents. Even more pathetic was the fact that he had lost! He had failed at defending the thermocouples. He hadn't even taken to a TIE fighter, to defend against the aerial assault. No, the brash and short sighted man had gone on foot to search for his lost scavenger girl.

Hux bit his tongue, knowing better than to say anything or act on his anger. A handful of other officers and troopers had rushed onto the transport as it evacuated Starkiller base, and he wasn't about to let them think that there were any flaws in the First Order's leadership. Starkiller base had been destroyed, and it was more critical than ever that Hux appear the consummate general. They could talk all they wanted about Ren and his shortcomings, but Hux held himself to higher standards.

A ripple of commotion surged through the crowded passenger compartment. Ren shuddered, twisting in his stupor and muttering against something that sounded like a nightmare.

Hux hoped that he was suffering in that demented little mind of his.

Swallowing an acidic remark, the general pushed through the crowd to take a seat on one of the benches.

He hadn't wanted for reality to set in, but it seemed that the general very rarely got anything he wanted.

Starkiller was gone. Firmly due to Kylo Ren's incompetence, in Hux's opinion. A decade of his hard work, the symbol of the First Order's utter dominance over the galaxy, blown to dust in an instant. It was unfair. Unthinkable! And it had been completely avoidable.

Hux grit his teeth and sat with a ramrod straight back. This was a disgrace, a grievous blow to the First Order, and a personal insult. Fleeing from the destruction of his crowning achievement on an overcrowded transport, Hux seethed and let his anger run freely through him.

The Resistance would burn for this. Forget precise strikes and being coldly effective, he wanted them to suffer, to slowly wither on the vine and to watch as the galaxy slowly crumbled beneath his heel.

The lingering remains of the New Republic wouldn't see a quick and painless downfall like Hosnian Prime. They wouldn't be spared the rod. Anyone who so much as dared whisper a longing to be rid of the First Order's rule would be made an example of.

Hux stifled a hissing breath.

Venting or looking to another for support was something he had only managed with Lori, and she wasn't here. The general knew better than to try and contact her now, it was far too crowded and he had lost his comm besides.

The last message he'd received did say that Lori and Ardis were en route. Mitaka never said that they had landed, and Hux doubted that they would have arrived before the base was destroyed.

But the possibility did nag at him.

Forcefully ignoring the baseless fear, Hux returned to thoughts of revenge. If he couldn't blast D'Qar out of the heavens, he could at least turn the planet's surface into ash and glass.

.***.***.***.***.

Lieutenant Mitaka stood in the doorway with a thousand thoughts and no words that could do them justice.

Beyond the cockpit sat the empty void of space, once filled with Starkiller base. The lieutenant heard the pilot furiously typing away and hurriedly toggling switches, desperately searching for an open communications channel.

Mitaka didn't pay the frantic cockpit any mind as he took a numb step into the passenger's compartment.

Major Gallus sat on a bench, loosely clutching a gray bundle of cloth that held the general's daughter. The infant cried for something. The lieutenant's sight drifted to the ground. There seemed something inappropriate in wondering if the infant might be crying for the same reason as her mother.

A horrible moment lingered on the ship where the only sounds were the frantic pilot and the half controlled sobs of a widow and her fatherless child.

Eyes stinging and throat raw, Lori bit down her mournful cries and forced herself to lock away the tears.

Her guts churned and felt as if they had turned to mud. This wasn't supposed to happen. Not again. Lori thought she had watched Armitage die once when the Bastion palace fell. She couldn't be left to live in that horrifying reality once more.

She lifted her sightless gaze from the floor and turned it to the nearly blocked viewport. Beyond Mitaka's wide eyed face, Lori found nothing besides the nightmare she expected.

The lieutenant watched something haunting cross over Lori's features.

Her face was tinged red with grief. Despite it, the despair clouding her eyes drifted away, replaced by anguish and smoldering rage.

Surrounded, but alone in the Upsilon shuttle, Lori made a decision.

Revenge was an ugly desire. It wasn't profitable, and it rarely lead to results. But, it was brutally satisfying. She hungered for it. For any little thing she could do to strike back at the galaxy that seemed so cruel and so cold. For any way to lash out and pull the heavens down to her level, even if it went kicking and screaming.

Lori glanced away from the empty space beyond the viewport, on the way she caught Mitaka's eye and watched him wither.

All these years later, and some things never really changed.

No matter where she went or what she did, there would always be someone bigger and stronger than her. Destruction and death would be around every corner, and would strike out with the most horrifying kind of disregard.

Lori though back to all those years ago, standing in the inferno that her childhood home had become. Life was cruel and horrible, and the only way to survive in this galaxy was to it hit harder and faster than anyone else.

Ardis shook in the blanket that her father had given to her. Lori untucked an arm and gently traced a hand around the infant's face.

In times like this, hoping hurt too much so Lori settled on anger instead.

Suddenly released from the soul piercing hold that the major's gaze had placed him under, Mitaka was able to breathe again. Barely aware of anything that wasn't his own thundering pulse, Mitaka heard a voice crackling over the ship's communication system.

"All unbound flights. Repeating, all unbound flights. Reroute to the Supremacy. Repeat, reroute to the Supremacy. Transmitting coordinates."

The words seemed hallow and heavy all at once. Without waiting for any of the officer's commands, the pilot set about keying the ships nav computer. The jump to light speed seemed to happen in an instant, and in that time Mitaka was only able to find one coherent thought in his roiling mind.

What happens now?

.***.***.***.***.

Calm on the outside, General Hux was impatiently waiting for Snoke's hologram to appear.

When it finally did, Hux managed not to react to the murderous glint in the supreme leader's eyes.

"General." Snoke croaked the word like it tasted vile.

"Supreme Leader." Hux spoke back with a voice devoid of emotion, knowing full well that his choices were complete neutrality or incoherent shouting, "Starkiller base is a total loss. Kylo Ren is unconscious and in the med-bay. I'm going to D'Qar to turn the rebel base into glass."

Snoke snarled, only to grow deathly quiet before asking, "And what of that scavenger girl?"

You can't be-!

Hux stopped the indignant thought short, "Location unknown. Sir."

The general's words held a poison on them. It chafed at Snoke, but he had grander concerns than the general's feelings, "Go then. Destroy the rebel base," he paused for a moment before adding, "and then rendezvous with the Supremacy. I must speak with my apprentice in person."

With stilted movements, Hux bowed slightly at the waist. Not waiting a moment longer for the general to go on, Snoke's hologram blinked away.

Left alone in the darkened room once more, Hux let his still-fresh anger be his driving force. He had only had fitful bouts of restless sleep since the fall of Bastion, and he hadn't slept at all since the destruction of Hosnian Prime. This new pressing list of tasks wouldn't allow him a moment's rest any time soon.

A short walk found the general in an activity-laden war room. Holographic maps, colored with overlays and crowded with scrolling reports floated above the table computers that dominated the center of the room.

The general scoffed as he saw that Captain Canady had finally finished his mission across the Pentastar Alignment.

Where are Lori and Ardis? Hux found the thought rolling around the back of his head. Mitaka hadn't reported back to him. Unsurprisingly so, given the dangerous fog of war that the Resistance had managed to create.

The general checked his comm for a message. Finding it empty left a shadow to cross over his features.

A captain standing opposite the table of the general winced as he watched Hux. The entire room had gone on edge, and everyone was sure that he was about to make their day several times worse than it already was.

Braced as they all were, no one was surprised when Hux uttered an order.

"Contact Canady. He's to rendezvous with us at D'Qar."

The captain looked at the floating map, noting that Canady and his dreadnaught were to the far north of the galaxy. In order for him to reach D'Qar he would have to cut straight across New Republic territory. The captain was about to say as much, but a venomous look from the general cowed him into obedience.

Simply muttering a, "yes, sir," the captain set about drafting a communique.

Hux was no fool, he saw the map as clearly as everyone else in the room. His order was meant to be a message as much as it was an effective way to bring a dreadnaught to D'Qar. The New Republic was in shambles, and there wasn't a single system that could stand up against Canady's ship. The heavily armed vessel was defiant of the New Republic's laws, and having it cut through the heart of their territory was a symbol clear as any that they were no longer in power.

That their space belonged to the First Order, and that Hux would do whatever he pleased with it.

Chapter Text

General Hux stood on the bridge of the Finalizer. Before him was the ominous shadow of the Fulminatrix. Dwarfing the general's star destroyer, Captain Canady's dreadnaught stretched on for over seven kilometers into the distance.

Anyone with an untrained eye wouldn't see the faded scorches of turbolaser fire against the Fulminatrix's side. They wouldn't see the clouding in the transparasteel windows that came with a direct hit. They wouldn't see the warping at the edge of the orbital bombardment cannons that came with hours or days of continual use.

But the general saw all of it as he gazed down at the larger ship, and in the small wounds he saw proof that the New Republic, and all of the other imperial remnants combined, couldn't hope to stand against his marvelous machines. The remains of the imperial navy had been no match for a single dreadnaught, and the Republic's navy hadn't even tried to challenge her.

Hux was sure that the fleeing resistance could never hope to damage his dreadnaught. Even if she was scarred and tired from a campaign across half the galaxy.

Beyond the Fulminatrix floated a green planet. Dotted with lakes and no central sea, Hux could make out the occasional silvery dot breaching the planet's atmosphere and fleeing into the stars.

They knew we were coming, he realized, Hunting them down one by one will be a pain.

As the pair First Order ships drifted closer, the stream of Resistance vermin slowed to nothing more than a few limping transports.

Still, General Hux found some pleasure in catching the stragglers.

"We've caught them in the middle of their evacuation," Captain Peavey informed General Hux of the obvious.

Biting down a bitter retort, Hux instead played the part of an unaffected commander simply following orders from on high, "I have my orders from Supreme Leader Snoke himself. This is where we snuff out the resistance once and for all. Tell Captain Canady to prime his dreadnaught. Incinerate their base, destroy their transports, and obliterate their fleet."

The captain nodded, a bead of sweat threatening to roll down his temple. He had always held a disdain for the much younger general, being half convinced that the man had only gotten his position by exploiting his family name. However, seeing that Hux had somehow held onto his title after the Starkiller disaster, Peavey was quickly realizing how dangerously pragmatic the younger Hux could be.

Besides, it hadn't gone amiss on the rest of the crew that Lieutenant Mitaka had gone missing since the destruction of Starkiller Base. It seemed cruel –even for Hux- to have left the young man to die on the base. But, after hearing the nonchalance the general held for firing on unarmed and retreating forces, Captain Peavey didn't doubt the rumors.

Fearing that he might be just as expendable, Captain Peavey acknowledged the order and began a transmission to the Fulminatrix.

.***.***.***.***.

Several thousand personnel transports, gunboats, TIEs, and freighters swarmed around the Supremacy. Lori's shuttle had been left to wait in orbit around the imposing ship. Even with it's hundreds of hangar bays, the unbridled chaos that came from Starkiller's destruction was taking a toll on the Mega-class star dreadnaught.

Lori herself hadn't said a word since fleeing Starkiller base. Not for lack of something to say, but because she had been thinking to herself what she was going to do next, and how exactly she would go about doing it.

The New Republic was gone. She had gleaned as much from the occasional chatter that bubbled up between the other passengers aboard the ship. The First Order was in a similar state of disarray from the attack on Starkiller base, but their leadership was still intact and they hadn't lost their capital. Those few facts combined made it clear that the galaxy was the First Order's for the taking, and the only unknown was how quickly the fragments of the New Republic would fall in line.

Of course, she was more interested in personal revenge than in retaliation against the galaxy at large. The First Order would be fine without her help, and she wanted to watch the Resistance crumble from up close.

Unfortunately, revenge would have to wait.

She settled in her seat, adjusting her hold on Ardis.

The Supremacy was the official home of the First Order. Even though she had learned the information years ago, Lori hadn't forgotten a single detail about the massive ship. Over sixty kilometers in width, and thirteen in length, the Supremacy was permanently crewed by over two million people. Within the ship were forty separate city districts, all of which were connected via a craft spanning public transportation system. Two on board military academies trained the entirety of the First Order's officer core, and at the tip of each massive wing was a specialized laboratory, each of them home to dozens of dangerous or secret projects.

Besides the living spaces and labs were thirty-two sub-light engines, six isolated fusion reactors, eight durasteel foundries, an asteroid mining complex, ten military staging areas, eight droid factories, four vehicle factories, two star destroyer ship yards, several hundred smaller hangers, and eight star destroyer docking stations six of which were internal.

On several occasions, Lori had listened to Armitage enthusiastically rambling on about the Supremacy's self-contained supply chain, and how it's manufacturing capacity rivaled that of most industrial planets.

What should have been a warm snippet of a memory felt bitter and cold as Lori pushed it from her mind.

The massive ship was home to everything a galaxy spanning empire could possibly need. Lori knew that she would be able to stay here mostly undisturbed, but she wasn't interested in a quiet life. Especially not when she had a job to do.

While Lori sat with an expression that teetered between blank and enraged, Lieutenant Mitaka had been nervously peering at her from a safe distance.

The major had been pleasant enough. At the very least, she hadn't been nearly as terrible to talk to as General Hux had been.

The lieutenant's gaze dropped to the ground.

Mitaka had never been friendly with Hux, but casually thinking of the general as a relic of the past felt callous, cold, or even downright cruel when staring at the man's widow.

Unsure of what to say, but knowing that he couldn't just leave Lori alone, Mitaka cautiously crossed the passenger compartment. Lori didn't stir as Mitaka took a seat next to her, being too lost in her thoughts.

"Ma'am…" Mitaka began, "are… are you alright?"

A word caught in Lori's throat. Determined to not let anyone too close she took a moment to breathe. Rolling her shoulders back, Lori straightened and shifted her hold on her sleeping daughter.

"How long until we land?"

Mitaka didn't miss that she hadn't answer the question, "Half an hour, ma'am."

The annoyance that came with the news wasn't the welcome distraction that Lori was hoping it would be, "Have there been any other status updates?"

"No, ma'am."

Lori barely managed not to scowl. In effort to hide her bitter mood, she shifted in her seat. The movement proved just enough to wake Ardis, who began to squirm from beneath her blanket.

Mitaka looked down to the infant. She seemed to be such a fragile little thing, with wide blue eyes set into a pudgy face. Though her features were still those of a newborn, rounded an overly soft, the lieutenant was left with a persistent thought.

She very much looks like the general.

Unsure of whether sharing his thought would help or hurt, the lieutenant left it as a comment unsaid.

The little girl brought a chubby hand up to her face and uncoordinatedly swept it across her chin. Worried about the infant, Mitaka was about to reach over or to let Lori know about the odd little movement.

Before he did, Lori abruptly stood, offering a muttered explanation as she went, "She's hungry."

Slow to react, Mitaka hadn't the chance to say anything before Lori had disappeared into the fresher.

.***.***.***.***.

General Hux stifled a cough and tried his best to ignore the dull throbbing pain in his ribs.

Much to his ire, he'd been made a fool of on the bridge. Being outsmarted by a single Resistance pilot hadn't been good for his image, and even worse was the fact that it had led to the loss of the Fulminatrix. And if that weren't enough, Hux also had to contend with Snokes displeasure.

Hux tried not to wince from a twist of pain in his chest as he took a seat at his desk.

Turning on his computer, the general took solace in one fact. The Resistance might have fled the system, but they wouldn't be able to escape the First Order. Their light speed tracking technology was only just out of the experimental stages, but it was more than equipped to follow a fleet though an otherwise empty corner of space.

Satisfied that something might go right for once, the general turned his focus away from work for a moment.

He hadn't heard from Lieutenant Mitaka since before the destruction of Starkiller base. A twinge of worry blocked out a lingering physical pain. Not wanting to dwell on his fears, Hux searched for the Supremacy's ship registry.

The list was massive, with thousands of flights having been redirected from his ruined base. Despite being a visceral example of his failure, Hux did feel some of the tension drop from his shoulders as he skimmed the registry.

Mitaka's upsilon shuttle had landed in hangar 347, nearly twenty minutes ago. Records showed minimal damage to the ship and a full crew list. One pilot, four storm troopers, Lieutenant Dopheld Mitaka, recently recovered Major Lori Gallus, and one previously unrecorded infant.

Soon.

Soon Lori and Ardis would be back by his side. Soon the last remains of the Resistance would be a remnant of the past. Soon, everything would be better.

General Hux checked through a few other updates. The Supremacy was set to arrive at the Resistance fleet's coordinates at the same time as the Finalizer. From there he and Ren were to transfer and meet with Supreme Leader Snoke. There was no doubt in his mind that the meeting would be terrible for several reasons, but he did have one thing to look forward to.

Letting himself hope for a moment, Hux began drafting a message to Lieutenant Mitaka.

"Alert Major Gallus that she is to report to meeting room 15-G, in city block 18, for a mission debrief."

He wished that he could be more specific, that he could ask a hundred little questions about how she was, and how Ardis had fared on the trip. He wanted nothing more than to settle down on his stiff couch after a warm meal, an arm wrapped around Lori as they skimmed the holonet. He longed for a quiet night with her by his side, to reach out and feel her tired weight against his as she slept.

A small, fragile part of him even wanted to be awoken in the night with a cry, to sleepily stumble from bed, and to rummage through the kitchen for a bottle and formula.

A few smaller tasks nagged at him, he would have to secure supplies, to get Ardis registered into the First Order's systems. He couldn't hide having a family forever, but the very idea of taking the safety of anonymity away from them sent a shiver down his spine.

Breathing deeply, the general sent his message.

Soon.

Soon, he echoed to himself, desperate to latch onto the promise held in the small word.

Chapter Text

Lieutenant Mitaka fought the urge to break into a nervous jog as he made his way down a crowded city block. He had left Lori's side less than an hour ago, in part relieved to be free of the creeping sorrow he felt around the woman and at the same time ashamed for feeling so relieved.

All of those conflicting emotions had been washed away and replaced with a shocked urgency by a single message. Short, but speaking volumes, the sparse words from a man he had thought dead had Mitaka running out of his temporary room with his hair still wet from a shower.

Turning down twisting city halls, it felt as if a lifetime had passed before the lieutenant arrived at Major Gallus' room. The racing thoughts in his head turned a simple knock on the door into too-hard blows that left his knuckles sore.

When the metal finally slid to the side, Mitaka was greeted by a fully uniformed major who was holding her infant daughter with an air that was both tired and defiant.

"M-m-ma'am! A-a m-me… The-!"

The sudden appearance of a panicked and babbling lieutenant wasn't doing anything to improve Lori's bitter mood. She tried and failed not to speak with a bite to her voice, "What?"

Quickly realizing that the words simply wouldn't come to him, Mitaka anxiously reached for his data pad before frantically pulling up the message and turning the screen so that it faced Lori.

Confused and mildly annoyed at the whole situation, Lori cast an apathetic eye at the data pad. Upon reading the words there was a split second where she didn't register them. As their meaning trickled through to her, she read and then reread them.

Afraid to let herself realize what the message meant, Lori almost didn't look for the name of the sender. The fluttering in her chest turned to a sharp bolt of energy when she finally did let herself find Armitage's name.

Heart scarcely more than a lump in her throat, Lori rushed from the room.

.***.***.***.***.

General Hux stood in an empty conference room.

His meeting with Snoke upon arriving at the ship had been nothing short of disastrous. On any normal day it would have been easy to mope and dwell on the catastrophe, but the general found himself consumed by other worries instead.

He had expected to find Lori waiting for him.

Turning to the single long table in the room, he considered pulling out the new comm he had gotten. He doubted that Lori had been assigned a new device, the chaos from Starkiller's destruction still wasn't completely settled and a nameless major wouldn't be high on the priority list.

Hux made a mental note to change that, though he still grappled with what it might mean to have Lori and Ardis living in the open.

Soon.

The sudden whooshing of an opening door left Hux to quickly turn away from the table.

Just as he finished his movement, he found Lori standing in the doorway, Ardis in her arms. As still as a statue and with features just as frozen in place, Lori looked to him with something terrified, hopeful, and poorly hidden in her eyes. Armitage couldn't tear his gaze away from them, not only because the sight of her and their daughter brought a relief to wash over him, but also because that relief was made stilted and cold by the haunted look that traced over Lori's features.

Lori stared at Armitage, scarcely believing her eyes.

For a second she didn't let herself believe that he was standing there, his long coat settled over the typically pristine uniform. His shoulders seemed stiff and were held squarely despite the fatigue that clouded his features. He looked so tired, so ground down, and she was hit with the urge to make sure he was okay while fighting against collapsing herself.

Unsure of when she had begun to move, Lori found herself rushing across the room.

Hurried steps left her to crash into Armitage's chest. She pulled herself as closely as she possibly could, turned slightly to the side to keep Ardis from being squeezed by their embrace. With one hand, Lori desperately clutched at the lapel of Armitage's coat. Breathing deeply, she didn't dare let her breath catch no matter how much it threatened to.

The faint scent of a green planet after a rain storm lingered in the air. It brought her back to so many small moments that seemed so long ago. Gradually falling in love, quite nights and tender mornings, fleeing the Finalizer. They all seemed to plummet down on Lori all at once, and she was only able to breathe out a few heavy words.

"I thought I watched you die."

Armitage wrapped his arms around her, brushing one hand across her shoulders. The small sentence Lori uttered pierced him like a dagger and brought a poorly defined guilt to settle over him.

At the gentle weight of his hand on her back, Lori fought not to crumble. Not to buckle under the strain of the last weeks that she had been keeping at bay. Armitage's supposed death had been a trigger and a rallying point. A horrific moment that brought the rest of Lori's carefully constructed reality crashing down. It had been a focus, a terrible thing to cling to for support. A tragedy to fuel her for as long as she could let it.

And now the terror was gone. Replaced by a relief that somehow failed to fill the void, but also swelled so much that it threatened to tear her apart.

Armitage rubbed his hand across her back. Lori twisted his coat tighter in her hand.

"I'm here now. I'm here," he spoke quietly. The words were small things in the large room, and he hoped that they carried all the meaning that he had intended.

He was back, and he wouldn't be leaving again. He certainly wouldn't be having any more near brushes with death. Not only for his own desire to live, but to avoid the horrific pit that clawed at his innards.

Lori had been his rock to lean on, and he knew better than to pretend that anything was okay if she were so deeply rattled.

A long moment lingered while Lori held onto his coat and simply tried to breathe. She wasn't sure that she was in any condition to speak again, but the words within her threatened to bring rushed sobs with them if she kept them bottled inside, "Twice. I thought you died twice."

She looked up to Armitage. He leaned back so that he could look her in the eyes. They were tinged red at the edges, a tell-tale hint that she was on the edge of weeping that he wouldn't dare comment on.

Dropping his gaze, he found their daughter in a blanket, the one he had given her. Armitage loosened an arm around Lori so that he could slide it down to help cradle their infant. His other hand was left to trace Lori's back as a small comfort, proof that she had returned to him, and that he had been here to wait for her.

"We can't do this again," Lori tried to curl into his touch, but she kept her sight pinned on Armitage's features, "you can't keep almost dying."

"I know. I know, and I'm sorry," His gaze flickered back and forth, looking between Lori and Ardis. In them he saw his greatest accomplishment, and the chance for his greatest failing. Starkiller base and his place in the First Order had been his identity, who he was and who he was destined to be, but in his small family he had found something else. Machines came and went, strategy changed, and even grand failings faded from memory. But now he had someone, two someone's. He had a family, something so foreign yet so uniquely his.

His gaze fell in line with Lori's and he looked into her red tinged eyes as he spoke with a heavy promise, "Everything is going to be better now. I swear to you, it's going to be better."

Armitage wasn't one to apologize, and he definitely wasn't one to make promises he couldn't keep. Though Lori desperately tried to lean on the supportive words, creeping fears and a persistent paranoia refused to let her.

When the strain in Lori's posture didn't fade, Armitage worried that he might have said something out of turn. A fresh bead of alarm managed to twist at his tired features.

The tiny shift in his eyes from sheer determination and deeply seated concern, to clear and confused alarm prompted Lori to relish the present rather than dwell on abstracts fears and failings.

She hadn't forgotten her worries, but she did find some tiny strength that might let her begin to fight against the lingering dread that hung over her.

Lori shifted her hold on Ardis, glad to let Armitage take some of her weight. Her other hand finally released the edge of his coat, but only so that she could thread it up towards his neck and jawline.

"Well, everything's better now than it was a minute ago."

The attempt to lighten the moment wasn't lost on Armitage as he leaned into Lori's hand. He searched for a reassuring comment, but didn't find one before Lori shifted herself upwards for a kiss and a long embrace.

It was warm, and soft, and ached of everything that they had missed in their time apart. Lori breathed deep the scent of the general's cologne and let her hand drift to the back of his neck. Armitage felt her slowly melt, tension dropping in her shoulders as he tried to hold onto as much of her as he could manage.

The welcome kiss slowly drew to a close and was ended completely by a small movement from the bundle between them.

Armitage looked down at his daughter. Two wide eyes gazed back up at him, pale blue for now, and so large that they dominated the infant's face.

Ardis blinked at the new face that wasn't quite in focus from so far away. Struggling to make the most simple of movements, the infant twisted and kicked, and even managed to lift her head for a short while.

"Lori!" The unexpected movement was a welcome surprise, and he scarcely believed that something so simple would leave him with such a sense of awe, "She… she moved her head. All on her own!"

Breathing in his surprise as a welcome relief, Lori felt a wide smile growing over her features. Armitage looked down at the infant, almost too distracted to notice as Lori shifted her stance.

She leaned Ardis to the side so that her weight rested on Armitage's arm completely. As Lori took a small step to the side, Armitage noticed and tensed his hand around her shoulder.

"It's okay," she told him, sure that he had a worried comment at the ready, "play along for a second."

Glad to hear the wounded edge missing from her words, Armitage let himself relax as Lori slid out from under his grasp.

General Hux looked painfully out of place holding a baby, but Armitage seemed perfectly at ease.

Marveling at a sight that she had feared she might not get to see again, Lori felt a fragile joy spreading through her. Armitage tried to focus on Lori and the bundle in his arms at the same time, desperate to have the both of them close by his side.

He brought a hand out from under the child in an attempt to run his finger across the side of her face. As he came close Ardis wiggled again, this time waving her stubby arms in the air. Just as she had the day she was born, she hooked an arm around Armitage's thumb and squeezed it with all the force that her tiny body would allow.

"Looks like she wants a hug too." Lori commented with a soft chuckle.

Armitage looked up.

The Lori looking back at him had shed some of the shock and fear he had seen in her only a few moments ago. No small part of him knew that such a thing couldn't be thrown off in an instant, and it gnawed at him that he had been at the center of her fears.

He had meant it when he said that everything would be better. The galaxy was slowly falling in line beneath him, and soon there would be nothing that might bring harm to his family ever again.

He held onto his daughter and took a confident step towards the woman he loved.

"She'll get everything she wants from me."

"I can't be the strict parent," Lori threaded her arm around his as Armitage came to a stop by her side, "I thought that was going to be your job."

Hux leaned into the first light conversation he'd had in a week, "What gave you that idea?"

Lori gave an exaggerated roll of her eyes, Armitage was glad to see some humor coming back to her, "Gee, I wonder."

He let a little grin play at his lips, "We are in a meeting room, we could formally decide who will do what for Ardis."

"Armie…" she gently tugged at his arm, well aware that he was trying to distract her from the bad mood she had been in only a moment ago.

"The table has a computer set in it, we could make a daily schedule with the planning software."

As ready as she was to go home, Lori indulged herself in the conversation, "I'm glad to see you haven't changed at all. Also, I'll sign off on whatever schedule you come up wit on one condition."

Armitage felt Lori steering the conversation, and he was more than ready to follow along, "And what would that be?"

"I want plenty of time where's it's just us three."

Armitage grinned back at her, an overwhelming swell of affection making his eyes shimmer, "Deal."

Chapter Text

The Supremacy was not the Finalizer.

General Hux's temporary quarters on the capital ship was not a familiar split level suite. He didn't have a secluded personal office, and there was no convenient bar the bordering the kitchen. Instead, the front door lead directly into a long hall.

To the left was an archway that lead to a parlor. Stiff couches upholstered in a deep red dotted the room, arranged so that there was a prominent seating area and a few other private alcoves. Between them were abstract sculptures that had been strategically placed to further shelter the secluded spaces. On one wall sat a fully stocked bar with several gleaming sets of crystal drink wear. On another there was a single door that lead to a private and soundproofed room, meant for business rather than entertaining.

Immediately to the right of the front door was a formal dining room. A table with ornate durasteel legs and a transparasteel top was the main feature. Eight high backed chairs surrounded the domineering table, each of them with the same deep red color as the couches in the parlor room. Along the long wall of the dining room were two doors, both of which lead to the kitchen.

The kitchen itself was at odds with the rest of the suite. Spartan and meant to be used and seen only by working staff, the large area was home to multiple stoves and ovens, complete with a walk in freezer and overlarge pantry. Neither of them were filled, with Hux having just moved in and with the suite having been in disuse for several months.

At the end of the hall was a door leading to the single bedroom of the suite. Slightly less grand than the other rooms, it was still an overly large space. A large bed sat against the far wall, with a seating area and table across the room from it. Set into the same wall as the door to the fresher was a long and thin closet filled with identical charcoal-black uniforms.

Though it wasn't the home she had longed to return to, Lori still found a comfort in the overly ornate place. Beneath the fine furnishings, the suite still had the same cold gray tones as the Finalizer and though she wasn't sure when, Lori had begun to deeply miss the ever-present hum of engines on a large ship.

Even the chill in the air wasn't unwelcome as she used it as an excuse to curl more deeply into Armitage's side as they sat on the couch. "You know, I never thought I'd say this, but this couch is even more stiff than the one back home."

Armitage tried to pull himself closer to Lori, "It certainly is more of a show piece than anything."

"Speaking of showpieces," Lori cast a glance around the room, "this is the most done up suite I think I've ever seen."

"A diplomatic suite. Meant for entertaining rather than business, I can't say that it's my first choice in living quarters. It's far too crowded, and the sculptures clash." He added the last comment with a contemptuous squint at the nearest art piece.

The look was short lived as Ardis began wriggling in Armitage's lap.

He tried to adjust his hold on the infant while his other arm was wrapped around Lori's shoulder, "See, even she can tell that it's garish."

Lori reached over, savoring the unassuming moment, "I think she's just trying to pass gas."

At the comment and Lori's movement, Armitage took his other arm off of Lori's shoulders and adjusted his hold on Ardis. He was slow and carful to bring the infant up to rest against his chest, and even slower to gently rub a hand against her back.

Ardis, on the other hand, was quick to shake with a burp and settle as a tired lump on her father's shoulder.

A playful expression that said, "I told you so," traced over Lori's features as she looked over to Armitage.

"This doesn't change the fact even an infant could see that this room is over designed." He held onto his almost haughty tone.

A long ignored ache clung to Lori, a relic of being tensed and stressed for a week, with it came a deep fatigue. Combined with the fact that it was finally safe to unwind completely, she stifled a yawn.

Armitage noticed, and was immediately hit with the urge to yawn himself

"Fair enough," she replied with a chuckle, "While we're talking about what does and doesn't belong here, it's getting late and Ardis needs a crib."

Hux had stepped foot onto the Supremacy scarce moments before reuniting with Lori, and he hadn't had time to procure one. He hadn't time to secure much of anything, and the list of needs for his little family seemed to grow longer every time he thought of it.

"Now," Lori went on, "there is a crib back in my quarters. But the whole city block is families."

"And I'll certainly be noticed." He completed the thought, while dwelling deeply on his own, "We can't hide forever."

Lori spoke with a lightness that was half way between joking and serious, "I mean, we could."

Armitage tried not to disturb a now sleeping Ardis as he lulled his head to the side to look at Lori, "You know what I meant."

She gave an overly innocent shrug before settling into a more serious conversation, "You're right. We need to be on the same page about this. My two cents is that we do things slowly, a few people at a time, before we go casually strolling down the halls."

"A reasonable start. I'll begin the paper work as well," Armitage tried to turn a worried sigh into an amused one, "that ought to cause a bit of a stir in the records department."

Lori tried to lean into the moment, but still held onto a reservation, "Yeah. This'll be hard to talk around, even for me. I guess I can kiss my spying days goodbye.

"Being an active spy is far too dangerous." he agreed, "But you're talents are wasted as a supply officer."

Hoping to hear some idea that might keep her busy and close to action Lori commented, "Sounds like you've got something else in mind."

"I might. How would you feel about teaching the rest of the First Orders spies?"

Lori considered the possibility before reaching over to run a gentle hand across their daughters back, "I though fixing the FOSB was Ardis' job."

Armitage brought his hand to rest on top of Lori's, "All in due time. Are you interested?"

"It certainly wouldn't be the worse job I've ever taken," she moved he gaze from their interlocked hands on Ardis' back to Armitage's tired features, thinking deeply on his suggestion as she went.

A teaching job wasn't the same as sliding in and out of rebel groups. And it certainly wouldn't be as satisfying. But, they had both agreed that they would be there to raise Ardis, and Lori knew better than to think that she could do that in secret.

"Alright, I suppose I am. Don't be surprised when you get a bunch of people quitting, I want quality over quantity."

Armitage had watched a few curious expressions cross over Lori's features. Each f them subdued and barely there to the point that anyone other than him wouldn't have noticed them, "Once again, we see perfectly eye to eye."

Confident that one of their problems had been done away with, both parents were quick to notice a small snore coming from Ardis.

Dropping his voice so that it barely rose above a whisper, Armitage said, "This is all well and good, but we do still need a crib."

For that, Lori had a plan, "Well I'm not leaving this couch, and I'm pretty sure you're not allowed to move right now. Luckily, I can think of one person whose job it is to do whatever you say."

As far as Hux was concerned, it was everyone's job to listen to his every order, "oh?"

Lori glanced to the low table that held Armitage's data pad, "Lieutenant Mitaka probably isn't busy right now."

Hux considered it, but was loath to let the skittish lieutenant in on their secret.

Lori saw Armitage thinking, and decided to break the news to him sooner than later, "He already knows about us, Armie."

"What!?" the word came out more loudly than he had intended, leaving Ardis to startle from her sleep.

When she didn't immediately start crying, both parents were quick to pat and rub at the child in effort to avoid her shrieking. After a long moment of semi-controlled panic, the baby once again curled in place and settled back into her nap.

"What?" Armitage asked again, this time in a carefully controlled tone.

Taking care to speak just as quietly, Lori responded, "He's a clever kid, terrible liar though. He noticed that you were acting weird on Bastion and did some digging."

He thought back to their chance meeting in the hallway that one morning, after he had spent the night with Lori and Ardis. Mitaka had been surprised to see the man, and he had acted even more suspiciously around him ever since.

"Fine," Armitage just barely admitted to himself that he may not have been as discrete as he had intended, "I'll have a talk with the lieutenant. In the meantime, send him the list of supplies I have saved on the data pad. I want them delivered within the hour."

Lori happily reached for the data pad and began typing away, "That seems like an unreasonably short time frame."

Armitage didn't even try to suppress a mean spirited grin, "I suppose it is."

.***.***.***.***.

Mitaka quickly stepped down the hall, a worker droid carrying an overlarge box trailing behind him.

Scarcely a minute before his deadline was up, the lieutenant hurriedly knocked on the general's door. A few long seconds ticked by where the lieutenant was left with nothing but his racing thoughts.

They all came to a clattering stop as the front too slid open.

On the other side of the threshold stood the general, looking as grim and dour as he ever did.

"Sir," Mitaka snapped to attention, overly aware of the contents of his delivery, "I have the items you requested."

General Hux glanced back to the droid and its box before stepping to the side, "Go into the back room and assemble the bed. Then you'll be dismissed for the night."

Mitaka had dimly hoped that he would be able to simply drop off the package and then leave, "Yes, sir."

Beneath the judgmental eye of the general, Mitaka stepped into the suite and quickly made for the rearmost room. As he walked down the main hall, he noticed Major Gallus sitting in the parlor room to his left, a napping infant lightly snoring in her lap.

He didn't dwell on the sight before disappearing into the bedroom.

Letting is shoulders droop slightly after the lieutenant disappeared from sight, Hux began to wonder what more he might have to say to the younger man. By the time he had shut the front door and returned to the parlor room, he had only decided he would put off a formal talk until tomorrow.

Upon his return, Lori tried to wake Ardis up as gently as she could.

Just before Armitage was about to ask for an explanation, Lori offered one, "I think it's time for a bath. We can't go getting the new bed dirty on the first night."

"A fine idea, but Mitaka is in the bedroom, and I'd rather not talk with him at the moment."

"We're not going to put her in the fresher," Lori stood with the groggy infant in her arms, "she's way too little for that. I was thinking we put one of those kitchen sinks to work."

Armitage stepped to the side and fell in next to Lori as she walked, "She's not a pile of dirty dishes, we can do better than a sink."

"The sink's just a small tub," Lori replied with what she thought was an obvious point, "but if you've got a better suggestion, I'm all ears."

He thought about it while walking even with Lori. When they arrived in the kitchen and he still hadn't thought of a suitable alternative, he gave an exasperated, "Very well, but we're not using dish soap."

"Fair enough," Lori conceded as she stepped to the nearest sink and turned the water on.

While she adjusted the water, Armitage begrudgingly left for the bedroom. Soap and a change of clothes had been a few of the items on the long list that he had sent Mitaka to fetch. He still wasn't sure what he was going to say to the younger man, so upon entering the room he simply resolved to resolutely ignore Mitaka.

The lieutenant casted a worried look at the generals sudden appearance. When the other man said nothing to him, he sheepishly continued trying to assemble the crib.

After the moment had grown long and awkward, Hux finally fished out the handful of items he was looking for.

When Hux returned to the kitchen, he found Lori testing the water's temperature.

Deciding that it was warm but not unpleasantly hot, Lori plugged the sink and then tried to single handedly lay a dish towel across its bottom. Mildly confused, but quick to help, Armitage set down the soap and change of clothes before hurrying over.

The towel was soaked through and quickly becoming submerged, but laid perfectly flat across the bottom of the sink.

As the water level rose, Lori offered a simple explanation, "I don't want her to slip."

Nodding along with the precaution, Armitage tried not to paranoidly search for other things to worry about. In attempt to distract himself, he went off in search for more towels.

While he went through every drawer and cupboard in the kitchen, Lori set about undressing the infant before closing the tap and gently lowering her into the water.

Ardis immediately hated the sensation, and let out an earsplitting cry. Armitage was quick to rush over to the sink, towels dropping from the bundle he had collected as he went. Lori kept one hand at the back of Ardis' head, while trying find some way to soother her with the other.

"It's okay. You're alright," she tried to talk loudly enough to be heard over the shrieking without yelling.

While Armitage could see that nothing was amiss, the persistent crying set him on edge and spurred him to do anything he could think of to make it stop. Not sure what good it would do, he stood next to Lori and tried reaching into the sink, a towel wrapped around his hands so that he could pick up and dry the infant in one fluid movement.

Lori didn't try to push him out of the way, but did say, "You can't just pull her out of there. She's got to learn to like bath time."

One hand on the baby, and another below, his arms were awkwardly crossing over Lori's to the point that he couldn't get a stable enough grip to lift Ardis, "We can try again in a few days, but she's obviously not interested right now."

"If we keep putting it off, she'll never be interested."

With a retort on the tip of his tongue, Armitage was hit with a sudden realization, "Do you hear that?"

Lori listened to an unexpected silence, "No."

Looking down in a panic, the two parents found Ardis silently blinking up at them, comfortably wriggling under their combined holds and the wetted towel.

The weight of the soaked fabric pressing evenly across her little body made for a reassuring comfort in the face of the strange new sensation that was the warm pool of water. That, combined with a familiar voice and a distracting commotion, had calmed and then interested Ardis enough to stop crying.

Immediately feeling the tension drop, Lori looked to Armitage, "Well, I'm not sure how we're going to get any soap into this situation. But if we can do some gentle scrubbing with the towel, I'm willing to call this a successful first bath."

"Likewise," Breathing a sigh of relief, Armitage took a calming look at Ardis, "I think I can scrub at her left arm."

"And it looks like I can get at her right," Lori added on.

Immediately feeling silly for sliding into a panic so easily, Armitage looked to Lori, "seems like a good strategy to me. And when she inevitably starts shrieking again?"

Lori saw where he was going, "we pause and re-bundle."

Glad that they were on the same page, Armitage gave a nod and a smile before the two of them set to work.

While they toiled away, Mitaka finished assembling the crib. Unsure of whether or not he was simply meant to leave, he cautiously peaked out of the bedroom. Upon hearing nothing besides hushed chatter and the occasional splash of water, he crept down the hall until he came to the kitchen door.

Inside, he found the major and general both leaning over a sink, their arms twisted together into a mess of limbs. He couldn't quite hear what they were saying, but the warm look he found on the generals features left him mildly concerned, somewhat confused, and more than sure that he wasn't meant to interrupt.

Quickly coming to a decision, Mitaka continued down the hall and slipped out the front door. Left alone with the worker droid, he almost didn't believe how his day had just ended.

Chapter Text

The sheets were cool against Armitage's skin, but Lori was warm to the touch. Stretching slightly in place, he took a deep breath to try and chase the remains of sleep away. When a few wayward strands of Lori's hair unexpectedly wisped across his face, he disorientatedly swiped at them with one hand while leaving the other firmly wrapped around her midriff.

For a moment, he simply tried to relax, to let the ever present strain drop from his habitually tensed shoulders, and to let himself doze in and out of a light slumber.

He accomplished two out of three as he found himself perfectly awake in bed. Lifting his head to see over Lori's sleeping figure, he cast a tired eye to the chrono that sat on the bedside table. He wasn't sure when Ardis had woken them up last, Lori had insisted that it was her turn to tend to the child, but he doubted that she would remain silent for much longer.

Carefully unwinding himself from Lori so as not to wake her, he slipped out of bed.

The floor was cold against his bare feet as he crossed the room. Paying the small annoyance no mind, he was careful not to cause enough noise to wake either Ardis or Lori. Just before reaching the crib, Armitage took a short detour to the assortment of items he had sent Mitaka to collect.

Besides the crib and baby cloths, his list had included daily essentials such as diapers and formula. A heating pad was near the top of the box, and he had to dig past it to uncover the small hovercrib that made up the bottom of the pile that remained in the box. Activating the small machine and setting it to follow, Hux began piling supplies into the floating machine. They had set out a bottle warmer and a handful of bottles before settling into bed for the night, but Hux piled a few spares into the hovercrib.

A few other odds and ends came to rest in the floating machine. Once Hux was satisfied that he had what he would need for the morning, he took the few remaining steps to the crib.

Peering down into the bed he found Ardis soundly sleeping. For a small moment he simply looked at the infant, appreciating the serene morning moment.

He thought the little girl favored her mother, and he was exceedingly careful not to wake her as he scooped her from the crib. Ardis stirred slightly, turning her head to face her father's chest.

Armitage held the infant in his arms as he made the short journey to the kitchen. The hovercrib silently floated behind, burdened by mess of bottles and cloth.

By the time he stepped into the kitchen, Ardis had fully waken up and had begun grasping at handfuls of her blanket, only to shakily release the fabric.

"Now, now. Patience is a virtue, Ardis." Armitage mumbled to the barely awake baby as he came to the counter.

The bottle warmer was ready and waiting. Though he had only gone through the motions a few times before, Hux found that the act of mixing and warming a small bottle came to him naturally.

In a short while he was shuffling his arms to arrange Ardis and the bottle into an acceptable position. When she took to it without hesitation, Armitage let a sense of contentment wash over him. Stifling a yawn and feeling very warm for how cold the suite was, he leaned against the counter while Ardis had her morning meal.

The serenity of the morning was spoiled by the loud whoosh of a door followed by a series of fast and heavy footfalls.

Just as Hux wondered what might be happening, he caught sight of Lori hurrying down the hall. As she passed the open door to the kitchen, she skidded to a stop and took a hurried step back. Coming to a stop just inside the room, it was clear that she was making an effort at looking relaxed.

Lori had drifted out of sleep, only to notice that Armitage was missing. Before she was aware of what she was doing, she found herself rushing from the bedroom. As she stood in the kitchen she felt the last bit of worried adrenaline trickling away, only to be replaced by a inwardly aimed frustration.

Armitage watched her tuck away the panicked looked that had been on her face, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, fine." She spoke with a nonchalance that would have fooled most anyone else.

Hux wasn't as easily convinced. Rather than saying anything for his doubts, he simply raised a skeptical brow.

Lori saw it, only to step towards the caf maker in an attempt to stall.

She had woken up to a panic. She hated to admit it, but the fear of suddenly and permanently loosing Armitage still clung to her. A pit sat in Lori's gut, she'd been so focused on her search for Armitage that she hadn't even noticed that Ardis wasn't in her crib.

The calm family life wasn't for her, and she knew it. Even playing at something so nice felt unearned, or like it was some task that she could only fail miserably at. Or like it was something that might disappear in an instant, taken away by a cruel and unflinching galaxy.

Lori shook her head.

You're better that this. She inwardly admonished herself for giving into the intrusive thoughts while clicking on the caf maker.

"Lori," Armitage's voice suddenly coming from her side took her away from her roiling thoughts.

Turning to face him, she took a moment to glance at Ardis, who clung to a half empty bottle. Looking up from their daughter, she found Armitage with a mildly worried expression that he wasn't even trying to hide. He didn't have to ask her again if anything was amiss.

"I…" Lori felt ridiculous for admitting it, "I'm just working through some stuff. I think my little adventure took a bit out of me, is all."

Armitage wasn't going to point out how much Lori wasn't saying in that uncharacteristically clunky dismissal. Instead, he played along, sure that Lori would come to him if she needed the support, "Of course. Would you like some time to rest? You've only just returned, you could wait before beginning to work again."

She immediately knew that he had chosen not to press her for answers. At once grateful for the space but longing for support that she couldn't ask for, Lori replied, "No, it's better if I pick up a few projects. Keep myself busy."

Armitage would have made the obvious comment, but Ardis beat him to it as she squirmed in his arms. Deciding that she was done with the mostly empty bottle, she had managed to turn her head to the side. The light grip she had had on the bottle was gone completely as her pudgy arms fell back to her sides, and she began to settle in for a nap.

Lori took the bottle from Armitage, leaving him free to adjust his hold on the infant. Trying to move away from the conversation, Lori emptied the spare bottles from the hovercrib as well. While she loaded them all into the sonic dishwasher, Armitage tucked the dozing infant into her floating crib.

While the moment was silent and calm, a few creeping worries clawed at the edge of Lori's mind. At first easily ignored, they piled and compounded each other until they seemed to build into a real and tangible threat.

Nearly slamming the sonic dishwasher door shut, Lori spoke before she was sure she wanted to, "One more thing."

Armitage expectantly looked at her.

She didn't meet his gaze, suddenly questioning the already garbled line of thought that brought her here "I, uh… I know I'm probably worrying over nothing, but have you considered carrying a blaster? Or something? So you can defend yourself, just in case."

Her words landed heavily. He had suspected through their conversation that her strange behavior would all come back to his near brushes with death, but suspecting and knowing were two different things. It was no secret to him that Lori had a marked dislike for blasters, and her even suggesting such a thing was glaring proof of how deeply she had been affected.

Carful to play along without slipping into a nearly instinctual condescending tone, Armitage replied, "If you wish, though I doubt that I'll ever need to use it."

Lori heard him softening his words and was all at once grateful for -and ashamed of- the pity. Once more looking for a distraction, she nodded in thanks before going off in search of mugs for their caf.

Letting her go, Armitage checked on Ardis once more. After finding the infant soundly asleep, he began quietly collecting food for Lori and himself.

The day would be long, and he was sure that Lori wouldn't want to leave his side. He was loath to leave her and Ardis as well, but a pleasant morning was the best he could do.

.***.***.***.***.

General Hux had been slow to leave his suite and family. Unfortunately, the pace of work was as unforgiving as it had always been, and he had no choice but to quickly work through the mess that was waiting for him in his office.

There had to be a thousand messages flush with questions or hap hazard reports concerning Starkiller base's destruction. Hux only paid them as much mind as he needed to get rid of them, but they quickly soured the good mood that he had been doggedly trying to hold onto.

No more than half way through the reports, a direct communication from Supreme Leader Snoke flashed across Hux's screen. Fearing for a moment that it would be yet another demand for information, or a reprimand for something that was probably Ren's fault, the general let out a heavy sigh before casting a wary eye to the message.

To Hux's surprise, it was actually a ship wide alert. To Hux's pleasure, it announced that he would be taking official command of the Supremacy until further notice.

Of course, news like this could only mean that Supreme Leader Snoke had some other project to focus on. The general wanted to think that Snoke was working on something of actual importance, but he was sure that the old man had been distracted by some inane ramblings about the force.

Either way, the ship was his to command. A self-pleased grin twisted the edge of his lips. He might have suffered a temporary setback with Starkiller base, but he was still a major power in the First Order, and this was a message as clear as any to the rest of the high command that he wouldn't be done away with so easily.

Equally as importantly, it meant that it would be his orders that saw the last of the Resistance wiped from the stars. While victory by any means was welcome, there was a special pleasure in delivering it himself.

Pulling himself away from dreams of revenge, Hux drafted a message to the bridge. They were to alert him the second the Supremacy dropped down from hyperspace, then they would wait until he arrived for further orders.

After sending that set of orders, Hux quickly rolled into another. This time writing the FOSB, he let them know that he was appointing a new officer to their bureau and that they should contact Major Lori Gallus by the end of the day.

With the slightest sense of trepidation for the future, he hit send before let himself have any second thoughts.

A final set of orders for the day nagged for his attention.

He needed to speak to Mitaka, and it was a conversation he didn't look forward to having. Part of him wondered if he could just leave Lori to talk to the lieutenant. She had always been better with people, besides.

But, Hux's ego picked at him. He was Mitaka's commanding officer after all, and he also wanted a direct hand in controlling anyone who learned about his family.

Increasingly aware of how many people would learn his most closely guarded secret, Hux drafted a short message to the lieutenant.

.***.***.***.***.

Lieutenant Mitaka scarcely heard his heavy footsteps echoing beneath the thumping sound of his pulse.

He had received a terrifyingly short order from the general: "Arrive at my office at 1500. Bring me a SE-44C pistol from the armory."

Mitaka had heard horror stories of the old empire, that senior officers would maim or kill their subordinates without a seconds thought. He had seen firsthand the brutality that Kylo Ren was capable of, and there were rumors abound that Hux had done far worse than the other commander had even dreamed.

The lieutenant took a shaking breath.

The blaster and its holster felt very heavy.

For a brief moment, Mitaka wondered if he might be able to run away, to disappear into the galaxy at large and never mention to another soul what he had learned of the general. But then he came to the general's office door.

Swallowing a lump in his throat and hoping against hope that the blaster wasn't for him, he knocked on the door.

It opened with a characteristic whoosh to reveal General Hux busily typing away at his computer.

Aware that he should say something in greeting, but finding that his voice simply wouldn't come to him, Mitaka wordlessly entered the room.

General Hux had been dreading the lieutenant's arrival, not because he was planning the younger man's death, but simply because he had no interest in sharing details of his personal life.

Speaking stiffly, Hux didn't look away from his computer as he said, "Place the blaster on the desk, take a seat."

Mitaka numbly did as he was told.

The chair was stiff and creaked as the lieutenants weight settled in place. The sound did nothing to cut the tension in the air.

Putting off the inevitable, Hux took an intentionally long time to respond to a message. Mitaka tried not to nervously twitch in his chair, sweat gathering at his hair line and his eyes flicking between the general and the blaster.

After too many too long seconds ticked by, the general finally ran out of distractions and was forced to focus on the lieutenant. Mitaka swallowed heavily as the hologram between them blinked away.

"I'm sure you understand why you've been called here." Hux began with an even tone

Mitaka nervously nodded, remembered who exactly who he was talking to, and then tried to mutter out a real answer, "Y-yes, sir."

As much as the general had wanted to see the lieutenant squirm, he wasn't interested in the long drawn-out conversation that would be in store if they went back and forth, "Good. I'm sure I don't have to tell you that neither the major nor the infant need be mentioned to anyone."

For a second it sounded as if the general wasn't planning on shooting Mitaka where he sat. Still, the lieutenant didn't let his guard drop, "C-certainly, S-sir."

"And if anyone should come to you seeking information, or insisting that they've somehow already learned of them, you're to outright deny anything that they say." Hux still wasn't sure how quickly he wanted the information to spread. He knew very well that rumors would be abound as soon as he entered Ardis into the First Orders records, but it might be better to let them speculate than to confirm anything.

Besides, he could always change his orders to the lieutenant.

Finally letting himself believe that this wasn't an impromptu execution, Mitaka felt himself deflate in his seat, "Yes, sir."

Satisfied that he had made his point, Hux was about to dismiss the lieutenant but was interrupted by a persistent chiming from his comm. Fully intending to send Mitaka away with a gesture, Hux happily answered the comm.

The voice that cracked over the machine, however, immediately became a much larger annoyance than the lieutenant.

"Sir! Urgent message from the bridge, Kylo Ren has scrambled a squadron of TIE fighters!"

Very suddenly hit with the rash of resentment that the mere mention of Ren created, Hux replied, "I authorized no such thing, recall the fighters and then put Ren on the line."

There came a heavy pause from the comm, then, "Sir… Kylo Ren is no longer on ship. He's leading the squadron."

Reeling from how short sighted and obviously defiant Ren's actions were, Hux stood from his desk and gestured for Mitaka to follow him.

"I'm coming to the bridge. Have a line open to Ren's fighter before I arrive."

"Yes, sir." The bridge's response came quickly this time.

Expecting the bridge to act as quickly as it spoke, Hux aggravatedly hurried through the halls.

Chapter Text

General Hux stepped onto the bridge with a demand at the ready.

Quelling it slightly, he found a full ship to ship engagement happening beyond the view port. Sizzling green turbolasers fire careened away from the Supremacy, only to splatter against the shields of an MC-85 cruiser. One look at the distant battle was all he needed to know that the whole thing was a frivolous waste of resources.

The stupidity of it all was only made more bitter by the fact that no one had consulted him, the ship's commander, before going along with whatever harebrained scheme that had come out of Ren's impulsive little mind.

Scarcely paying any attention to the distant dots that swarmed around the Resistance fleet, Hux carried a dour look as he came to a communications terminal, "Patch me through to Ren's ship."

The bridge had fulfilled at least one of his demands, as Hux was almost immediately greeted with Ren's hologram.

The general didn't waste time on pleasantries, "Ren, the Resistance have pulled out of reach. We can't cover you at this distance, return to the fleet."

He didn't get a verbal reply. The feed was cut almost as quickly as it had been opened, and Hux was already too tired of Ren's behavior to try and get it back.

Instead, he turned to the captain that had been managing the bridge, "What's the point of all this if we can't blow up three tiny cruisers?"

The captain kept his reply clipped and as purely factual as he could, "They are faster and lighter, sir. They can't lose us, but they can keep at a range where our cannons are not effective against their shields."

Hux had been referring to Ren's mad run against the meager remains of the Resistance fleet. He very well knew the shield ratings and top speeds of each ship beyond the viewport, and he didn't need a refresher course on the Supremacy's capabilities.

He let a thin layer of annoyance paint is features before giving a spiteful order, "Well, keep up the barrage. Let's at least remind them that we're still here."

The captain nodded, still weary of Hux's notorious temperament, "Very good, sir."

No longer minding the captain, Hux looked back out the viewport. A fresh explosion bloomed from the Resistance's flag ship and scattered debris into the stars. Not long after, Ren and the remains of his squadron came careening back to the Supremacy.

As he watched the destruction, his mind ticked through everything it knew about the ships that dotted the battle field.

One Nebulon-C escort frigate lingered near the rear of the main cruiser. Commonly re-outfitted to be a medical frigate, the unaltered version boasted ten heavy turbolasers and six shor- ranged, point defense laser cannons. He couldn't tell from here if it had been modified or not.

A Free Virgillia-class corvette moved to the front of the pack. A fairly unremarkable orbital bombardment ship, it only had two turbolasers, and four point defense laser cannons. If it was fully armed it might also be carrying three heavy plasma bombs and eight heavy ordinance pods. D'Qar had been a lesson in bomber effectiveness, the general made a mental note to take special care that the corvette be destroyed first when the Resistance fleet came within range.

The flagship of the tiny array was Mon Calmari in origin, an MC-85 Star Cruiser. Though more heavily armed than the support ships, it was woefully undergunned for a ship of its size. Despite being similar in size to one of Hux's Resurgent-class Star Destroyers, the MC-85 only had fifty or so cannons and lasers, while the destroyer had well over fifteen hundred. The MC-85's only saving graces were it's extreme speed, and it's extraordinarily heavy shielding, both of which were horrifyingly fuel hungry.

If those three ships were the only remains of their fleet, then the Resistance was completely and utterly doomed.

Hux spoke quietly, almost to assure himself, "They won't last long burning fuel like this. It's just a matter of time."

It was only a matter of time indeed. Starkiller may have been destroyed, but it had done it's job well enough.

The general straightened his coat, it finally seemed as if everything was going to be okay.

.***.***.***.***.

Lori took a seat on the overly stiff couch, in the overly decorated living room. The already cavernous parlor felt more empty than it had any right to, and Lori was acutely aware that this marked the longest stretch of time that she had spent alone since being marooned on the Tolera.

In effort to distract from the realization, Lori pulled the hovercrib slightly closer to the couch. It floated just below eye level, leaving Lori able to peer down at her napping daughter. The infant had stirred once to demand another meal, a few hours after Armitage had left for the day.

Not finding the distraction she had been hoping for in checking on Ardis, Lori huffed before picking up a spare data pad that Armitage had left for her.

It didn't have all the same features as her last one, with the lack of access to Resistance communications being the most glaring difference. But it was a lifeline to the rest of the ship, and to the galaxy at large.

She'd had precious little opportunity to search the holonet during her time with the mercenaries, and she had been preoccupied during her return trip home. Now, at least, she could read what the rest of the galaxy was doing and thinking in response to the First Order.

Skimming the data pad, Lori wasn't at all surprised to find scattered and rushed articles describing the destruction of Hosnian Prime. A few prominent system governors had gone on record as defiant to the First Order's demand of total surrender. Most others had stepped down or fled, while a few radical Centrist governors had opened their arms to the First Order's presence.

If scattered rumors and whispers from a few shady forums were to be believed, then the sole remains of the Resistance were on the scant few ships being pursued by the Supremacy.

Lori idly rocked the hovercrib with a free hand.

A strange sense of finality prickled at Lori. Dull and distant from the cold but clear emotion she had felt with the firing of Starkiller base, she tried to get a hold on the sensation.

It was all coming together, her and Armitage's plans for raising Ardis. The end of a war. The beginning of a new life that she wasn't sure she could fully grasp. It seemed painfully real, yet dangerously fake. Fragile, and more imagined than the personas she had been wearing for most her life.

Lori put the data pad down and took her hand away from Ardis' crib. Running her hands over her face was a weak attempt to wipe away the worries, but she had to try. Breathing deeply, she tried to latch onto the calm that had gone uninterrupted for most of the morning.

Naturally, the silence was pierced by a harsh buzz from the data pad.

The sound hadn't woken Ardis, but it did leave Lori to grumble as she picked the machine up again. Once she did, she found a ship-wide alert, directly from Supreme Leader Snoke. Skimming it left her eyes to go wide, and then immediately narrow in suspicion.

Snoke was leaving General Hux in command of the ship until further notice.

Such a significant change with no warning or explanation left Lori to imagine a series of sinister ulterior motives. Purposefully shaking her head, Lori forced herself to instead take solace in the message. The bridge was probably the safest place for Armitage, especially on a ship like this.

Spurred into searching once more, Lori flicked through a few of her usual sources for leads and rumors. Most were incoherent ramblings about the state of the galaxy, but one did catch her eye.

At first dismissing the rumor as simply that, Lori scrolled past the bold accusation.

Then she saw it again.

And again.

And finally she was convinced to look more deeply into the matter.

It preoccupied her for over an hour. Crawling through First Order report banks and several public message boards was interrupted by Ardis awaking from her nap and crying for a meal. Lori took the break, and only just remembered to eat something herself.

Deciding to simply stay at the dining table, Lori pushed her dirty plate away before once again focusing on the data pad.

She hadn't thought that Kylo Ren actually had the nerve to do it, but as far as she could tell, he had actually killed Han Solo. The revelation brought the need to tell Armitage with it. She couldn't imagine that he knew, since he hadn't said anything about it to her.

There was a strange irony to it, that Ren would eventually kill his father when Hux had done the same years ago. Of course, she doubted that Ren was stable enough not to let it eat at him. She and Armitage had had their reasons, but she knew nothing about the life that Ren had lived before the First Order.

The juicy bit of gossip would be entertaining, at any rate.

Lori would have sent a personal message to Armitage right there and then if she hadn't been distracted by a new message appearing on her data pad.

Topped by the FOSB's official letterhead, Lori wasn't too surprised by its arrival. Armitage had promised her as much as a job with the bureau, and she was only really caught off guard by the order to start tomorrow morning.

.***.***.***.***.

General Hux left the bridge with nothing of interest happening besides Ren's skirmish. To his surprise, he hadn't even had to deal with Ren's return to the Supremacy, as the other man had elected to go and mope in his quarters rather than confront Hux on the bridge.

Taking that as a small relief, Hux walked through the twisting halls of the ship. Lower ranking officers didn't meet his gaze as he passed them in the hall, and he couldn't help but wonder who among them might have heard rumors or seen the paperwork he had sent in earlier that day.

Of course, he could be overthinking everything, and they might be avoiding him for the same reasons as always.

He had only just finished debating his paranoid thoughts by the time he arrived home. The door whooshed to the side, and then immediately shut as he stepped into the overly designed quarters.

A glance into the living room didn't find Lori, and Armitage was left to wonder for a split second before he heard her call from the dining room.

"Armie?" She peeked around the doorway to find him standing in the hall, "It's about time you got back."

He felt a little bit of tension drop from his shoulders, "There was some excitement on the bridge. All of it being Ren's doing."

She heard a hint of acid at the end of his words, the familiarity of it brought a ghost of a smile to her lips, "Sounds like some things never change."

"Unfortunately so," he said just before taking a step into the dining room. There he found the hovercrib floating just behind Lori. A quick glance inside found Ardis awake and apparently listening to their conversation. Before he went on, he scooped the child up and cradled her in his arms, "But he's being even more reckless than usual, and it's trying my patience."

Lori settled against the doorframe. "Funny you should mention him. I might have a handy explanation for the even worse behavior."

As focused as Armitage was on complaining about Ren, he was happy to hear that Lori was back to her old tricks, "you weren't mingling with the crew while I was out, were you?"

She shrugged, "Nothing that adventurous, yet."

He took a step forward while he adjusted his hold on Ardis, "Do tell, then."

As they settled into their conversation, Ardis began to stir without shrieking a demand for a meal. Instead the infant quietly looked up to her father, listening to his conversation and comforted by the occasional rumble of is chest.

Lori noted that Ardis was intently watching Armitage, but said nothing for the sweet observation as she replied, "I might have been trolling the holonet, and checking up on our battle records. Long story short, I think Ren killed Solo."

Armitage thought on the idea for a second. Ren had been unhinged during their meeting with Snoke, overly focused on that random girl from Jakku that managed to best him in a fight, and even more petulant than usual. Hux hadn't heard any news concerning Han Solo from Snoke or anyone else, but he also hadn't cared enough to dig into what all might be wrong with the other man.

As the news sunk in, Armitage let out a dry and humorless laugh, "And that's what's bothering him? For all his talk about the dark side, he certainly is a sensitive boy."

Armitage's reaction was exactly the one Lori was expecting, she leaned into the cruel humor, "Apparently patricide makes people uncomfortable. Who knew?"

Still frowning from the news, Hux wasn't about to spare any sympathy for Ren, "I didn't think that he actually had the nerve. He'd better not believe that this somehow makes him special."

Lori pushed away from the doorframe to leisurely walk to the kitchen. She was riling Armitage up, but she could hear how ready he was to complain about Ren and it felt like the conversations they would have long into the night back on the Finalizer, "But he's already Snoke's precious apprentice, doesn't that make him such a special boy?"

"He's overly dramatic, is what he is." Armitage spoke as he followed behind Lori, "he's the one responsible for Starkiller's destruction, I'll have you know. If he'd bothered to do his job, the Resistance's attack never would have been successful. But now, it sounds like he was too busy giving himself another reason to be absolutely insufferable."

"Maybe if we're lucky a Resistance cell will pop up just long enough to let everyone know that he murdered Han." She called back to him as she stepped into the overly large walk in freezer.

Armitage stayed in the kitchen, exceedingly aware of how the cold might bother Ardis, "Tempting, but I have the sinking suspicion that he won't suffer any penalties from this. You and I actually have to care about consequences, but reality never seems to matter to Ren."

Hux fumed on his words while Lori was out of sight. He had worked hard, day in and day out for over a decade to get where he was, yet Kylo Ren had waltzed into his position due to little more than his pedigree. Snoke's precious protégé wasn't even a proper member of the First Order's military, yet he had been appointed as Hux's co-commander.

No, Ren always seemed to have life handed to him, and Hux doubted that now would be any different.

Taking a deep breath, Armitage was able to hide his harsh thoughts just as Lori came back with two trays of food.

"He won't suffer any consequences at all," he echoed himself, "but let's not dwell on him. How was your day?"

Lori heard Armitage make an effort at dropping the topic. Sliding the trays into a reheater, she moved on to the only other thing that had happened, "I got a letter from the FOSB. They've really got a knack for making good news sound ominous, I'm supposed to report in tomorrow morning"

"Tomorrow? I expected them to negotiate a start date. That's far too soon, I'll have a word with Director Orlok."

"It's fine, Armie," Lori looked at him with the closest thing to sympathy that she could muster, "It'll do me some good to get to work, I was getting a bit stir crazy earlier."

"But what about Ardis?" he moved his arms and the infant slightly in emphasis.

"Don't worry," Lori put a soft hand against his shoulder, "I have a plan."

Chapter Text

General Hux leered across the table at Lieutenant Mitaka, the younger man trying not to wither under the weight of his boss's gaze. Mitaka had gotten another terrifyingly short order early that morning. Though he hadn't been asked to bring a blaster this time, the small string of words still filled him with a unique dread that had only grown worse since he had stepped into the general's suite.

Hux had brought the lieutenant into the dining room the moment he had arrived. He hadn't said a word, partly because he wasn't interested in a half stuttered conversation but also because he was sure that a heavy silence would be far more intimidating. As it was, Hux sat at one end of the table while the lieutenant sat facing the general with his back to the hall.

Lori had talked Hux into letting the younger man babysit for the day, and Armitage still wasn't sure how she had gotten him to agree to the arrangement. They both knew that leaving Ardis alone wasn't an option, and she couldn't come along with either one of them to work. Hux had begun filing paperwork to enter Ardis into the First Order's system, but it would still take time to enroll her in a nursery.

And he still hated the notion that people would know about his little family. The need for control ate at the general, and even though he knew people would very quickly notice the infant, he still desperately clung to the idea that he could limit the spread of information.

The already long moment stretched on for another long while before a whoosh echoed from down the hall and Lori stepped into view.

Mitaka couldn't see her sudden arrival, and Hux was left to scowl in annoyance at his obviously startled jump. Rather than saying anything, he stood from his seat and took a few long strides across the room. Trying to contain his confused sense of panic, Mitaka stood from the table as well.

Standing in the doorframe was Lori, back in a perfectly fitted teal major's uniform. Behind her floated an occupied hovercrib.

Careful to slip into the carefully constructed persona that she had created well over a year ago, Lori replaced her native wild space accent with her false mid-rim one, "Good morning, lieutenant. There's formula and a bottle warmer in the kitchen, she eats every couple of hours. Just toss the bottle in the sonic dishwasher when she's done. If anything happens we're only a short message away."

Hux saw now as the perfect moment to chime in, "Yes, lieutenant. We will e watching you very, very, closely. Expect us back before eighteen hundred hours."

Babysitting had never been in his job description, but he knew better than to ignore a direct order from the general. Trying not to choke on the lump in his throat Mitaka replied, "O-of course, sir."

Satisfied that he had made his point, and sure that if he didn't leave soon he wouldn't do so at all Armitage took a short look into the hovercrib before stepping towards the front door.

Lori lingered in the dining room long enough to see the lieutenant break into a nervous sweat. Working off of the tension that Armitage had built, she made herself seem even more approachable in comparison, "I'm sure you'll do fine. You know what toys she has, and we put the diapers in the fresher."

When Mitaka didn't immediately stammer out a response, Lori took her turn to lean over the crib.

Running a hand around the curve of Ardis' face, Lori told the infant, "Now you be good. We can't go scaring Mitaka away on the first day."

The lieutenant thought her words were either an attempt at a joke or a coded message to the general. He didn't find them funny or reassuring, but he appreciated the effort.

Unbeknownst to Mitaka, his thoughts on the comment were the exact response that Lori had been looking for. Apparent proof that she was at least a little on his side, and slightly airheaded besides.

To really sell the act, she hurried out of the room with a final little wave before leaning back to deliver a final piece of advice, "Oh, and she likes it when you rock the crib back and forth."

Mitaka hadn't the time to reply before the major whipped around the corner and disappeared behind the shutting front door.

Once she and Armitage were alone in the hall, Lori dropped the act and looked at Armitage for the comment that she knew would be waiting.

"Are you sure leaving her with the lieutenant was wise?" Armitage wouldn't seriously second guess Lori's decision, but he couldn't help but ask the obvious question as they walked down the hall.

She wasn't surprised for a second over his overprotective fixations, "Rest assured, I'm sure Mitaka would die for Ardis."

Armitage didn't have to say anything as the incredulous look on his face spoke volumes.

"Of course he would," she reassured him just before adding a sly grin, "He knows that if he didn't you would kill him instead."

.***.***.***.***.

Privates Morban and Gill sat at the intake desk for the FOSB headquarters. The early morning had been quiet, with little more than the occasional agent shuffling into the offices without sparing so much as a word for them. The two young men hadn't said much to each other either, besides a short greeting and the occasional complaint about the snobbish agents.

The rest of their shifts would have come and gone in an equally undisturbed silence if Morban hadn't choked on his caf at the sight of a particularly surprising message.

"First day with the new mouth?" Gill looked to Morban, dimly wondering if the other man was going to spill what was left of his drink.

Morban tried to cough away the liquid that remained in his throat, occasionally getting a word out between them, "ha, ha… Real funny. You'd be choking too if- you know what... Just read this."

Gill set his own cup of caf on the desk before casting a dubious eye over Morban's data pad. He read the short message while Morban finished clearing his throat in the background.

Scarcely a second after the coughing from his coworker stopped, Gill slid the machine back across the table, "What kind of krayt spit is this? Did you start reading tabloids? Is this from the gossip column?"

"No, you nerf herder." Morban forcefully shoved the data pad back at Gill, "Read the from line."

Gill looked back down, ready to see some random name behind an outlandish and baseless rumor. Instead, he found an address from a mutual friend of theirs. More importantly, said friend worked down in the personnel department and had a penchant for being overly serious.

"Oh." Gill tried not to fall into a stunned silence.

"Yeah." Morban didn't move the data pad, "that's what I thought."

"But… but that would mean that someone…"

"I know."

"With the general." The mental image that flashed through Gill's mind was emotionally scarring.

"Yeah. Why do you think I choked on the caf?"

Gill leaned back in his chair, as if the distance between him and the data pad would help, "They got a promotion out of it, right? They had to."

"Stars, I hope so. If not a promotion, then hazard pay, or something. Hux's bedroom has got to be the most dangerous part of the ship."

"Don't just say it out loud like that," the mental image attacked Gill once again. Purposely ignoring it, he tried and somewhat failed to change the topic, "Any idea who the mother is? I need to know where to send my condolences."

Morban finally picked up the data pad, "I'll ask. And do what you want, but I plan on avoiding her like a plague."

"That's a strong plan B." Gill picked up his caf and took a deep drink like it would wash away the vile taste the news had left in his mouth.

As distracted as the two privates were, they didn't notice as a new face stepped into the room.

A woman in a major's uniform had come up to the desk and had plenty of time to take in the two privates and their far off looks before either of the men noticed her.

Startled into action, Private Gill was the first to respond, "Good morning ma'am. May we help you?"

Major Gallus didn't know what had gotten into the men, but she didn't have a high opinion of the FOSB to begin with. Careful to keep a kind face while taking a mental note of everything she saw, she replied "Yes, actually. I have an appointment for oh-nine-hundred."

Falling into a comfortable routine, Gill typed away at his computer terminal. A cursory glance at the office calendar left him with a name, "Major Lori Gallus?"

Lori responded with a nod and a quick, "That's me."

Morban poorly stifled a fresh bout of coughing, this time spilling his caf in the process.

Gill was careful not to pay the man any mind, acutely aware of how quickly senior officers were to take offense at the smallest signs of disrespect, "Conference room two eighty three, down the hall and to the left. Someone will be with you shortly."

Listening to the helpful private, but watching the one who was bent double and coughing into his lap, Lori gave a simple response before setting off down the hall.

Only after the major was gone from sight and well out of earshot did Gill turn towards Morban, "What now?"

Morban looked to Gill with a look of shock and horror, "You're not going to believe this."

.***.***.***.***.

Lieutenant Mitaka sat at the dining table, eyes locked on the crib that floated scarcely a foot away. He hadn't moved from the dining room, afraid that the slightest movement of the crib would disturb the baby.

The child hadn't stirred since the general and major left for the day, and thought it had been less than an hour, he worried that something might already be wrong. Nervously peering into the crib, he found Ardis looking up, quietly alert and staring back at him with wide blue eyes.

"Yes, you are very cute," he admitted, "but your father is terrifying and your mother confuses me."

Ardis babbled slightly, leaving Mitaka unsure if she was old enough to recognize speech or if it was pure coincidence.

"I've really lost it now, talking to an infant." He leaned back in the stiff dining chair, "I was supposed to be a weapons officer, but here I am. Babysitting. Life certainly does take us in strange directions."

A small squeak that was part of a yawn came from the crib.

Mitaka took his own meaning from her actions, "I suppose you're right. I best just go with it. You'll grow up eventually, so I won't be playing nanny forever."

Ardis flailed her hands after the yawn, raising them just high enough to be seen over the side of the crib.

He perked up at the little commotion, "Then again, who knows. Being Uncle Mitaka might prove very useful. Would you like that, having an old Uncle Mitaka?"

Peering over the edge of the hovercrib just as he said his final words, Mitaka caught Ardis' eye a split second before she let out a deafening shriek. The sharp sound filled the room, and Mitaka's hands snapped upwards to cover his ears.

Desperately hoping that she was just hungry, he stumbled from his seat and hurried to the kitchen. Much to his chagrin, the hovercrib had been set to follow close behind, bringing it's screaming passenger along.

.***.***.***.***.

Lori had been left to wait in the conference room until well after her meeting was scheduled. When someone did finally arrive, they were confused as to why she was here and it was left to her to explain to them that it was her first day.

Then she had been handed off to department after department, each of them mistakenly thinking that she was their new hire before realizing their mistake and sending her off to the next office.

Of course, Lori knew where she was going and exactly who she needed to speak with. Letting the overly bureaucratic mess that was the FOSB waste most of her day was an easy way to get a feel for the place, to see who answered to whom, and to figure out how closely they adhered to their own regulations.

The First Order Security Bureau was not part of the army, nor was it part of the navy. During that one week so long ago that she had spent on the Absolution, Lori hadn't spent a moment learning about their methods. During her year as a secret double agent, she'd had a few close encounters with the bureau, and had learned about them out of sheer necessity.

One part military police, one part spy organization, and one part law enforcement, the FOSB had been born from the ashes of the Imperial Security Bureau. Much like its predecessor, the FOSB tended to bend or break more rules than they maintained. Lori could certainly appreciate the apathetic approach to the law in concept, but she loathed it in practice simply because the FOSB wasn't very good at their jobs.

Their investigators couldn't find a clue when it was placed directly on their desks, and their spies were loud and obvious. Even the office workers seemed disorganized as she walked down the halls, and the men working the front desk hadn't even noticed a complete stranger walk through their front door.

It was no wonder that Hux had searched for a bounty hunter rather than turn to the FOSB those few years ago.

After half of the afternoon had slid by, Lori finally decided to nudge her apathetic tour guide in the right direction, "Excuse me, I think we've already been to this office. My hiring letter said I was to report to the training center."

The agent guiding her only heard as much of what Lori said to realize that she could make her charge someone else's problem, "Oh, this way then."

Turning down a new series of halls in the FOSB headquarters, Lori found less uptight bureaucrats and more unsavory and disheveled looking characters. Her guide seemed uneasy as they traveled deeper into the twisting maze of offices. Just as Lori was about to say something, her guide came to an abrupt stop just before a closed door.

"You can wait in here," she said as the door whooshed to the side to reveal a bare room.

In any other situation, Lori was sure that an empty room in a dangerous part of the ship would be a trap. But that was the exact the kind of nonsense that she had missed. Lori stepped into the room and was completely unsurprised when it quickly shut behind her, the quick footsteps of her guide rapidly fading as she hurried down the hall.

Sitting alone in the room, Lori had plenty of time to think. This wasn't a trap, so much as it was a flighty bureaucrat being spooked by the unsavory side of the FOSB.

Yes, the FOSB was a mess, overly bureaucratic and poorly trained besides. Fixing even a small part of it might take years.

A small smile twisted over Lori's lips.

This seemed like a fine place to spend a decade or two.

Chapter Text

A few blissful days had slipped by where Lori and Armitage had managed to slide into a comfortable daily rhythm. Trading off turns in the middle of the night to attend to Ardis had quickly become second nature, and even with the regular interruptions their nights were far more restful together than they had been apart.

As the morning hours came to the Supremacy, Lori drifted away from sleep, alert and ready for another calm day. She didn't have to glance at the chrono to know that Ardis would soon awake with a small cry that translated to a demand for her morning meal.

Crawling out of bed, Lori immediately wondered how she had ever missed the chronically over-chilled interior of the First Order's ships. Trying her best to ignore the chill in the air, she took a short moment to change into her uniform. After the last button was fastened and her hair had been pulled back into a tight bun, Lori heard a tell tale stirring from Ardis' crib. Before she let out a hungry cry, Lori moved to scoop the infant up.

Although there hadn't been a sound to wake him from his slumber, Armitage cracked his eyes open to find Lori with Ardis in hand and ready to step out of the room.

She just barely noticed his half opened eyes and paused to make a soft comment, "Morning, sleepy head."

"Good morning," he sat up, hardly even noticing the chill to the room. Though he looked to the chrono on the side table, he still wondered out loud, "what time is it?"

"Early enough that you don't need to rush out the door," Lori commented as Ardis grew restless in her arms, "Take your time, I'll go scrape breakfast together."

She made to move just as Armitage began to yawn, and was gone by the time he had finished.

Notably free of the tired soreness he had been carrying with him, Armitage left the bed and began getting ready for the day. The movements were quick and practiced, with everything being perfectly in its place.

The last few days had been perfect as well, dreamlike almost. Waking up at the same hour to fall into a calm morning routine. The days drifted by in a blissful blur while he and Lori had spent precious nights together. Even inviting the lieutenant in to care for Ardis during the day time hours had become comfortably mundane.

Armitage fastened his belt before carefully brushing his hair to the side and setting it in place. He looked the same today as he did yesterday, and just as he hoped he would tomorrow.

Leaving the bedroom, he was comfortable in the knowledge that he could live the rest of his life just as he had the last three days and be perfectly content.

Stepping into the dining room, Armitage wasn't surprised to hear the beeping of a reheater and a rushed curse coming from the kitchen. A few long steps took him there. As he entered he found Lori setting Ardis into the hovercrib, doubled over slightly to prevent a stain from spreading past the top of her tunic.

Ardis had spat up half of her morning meal, and Lori could feel it seeping through the layers of her uniform.

Sparing a second to pop the reheater open and stop the persistent beeping, Lori was quick to leave the room, "Ok, breakfast is your problem now."

Before he had the chance to comment on the situation, she had slipped past him on her way back to the bedroom. Never minding the hot oats that sat in the reheater, Armitage took a careful look at Ardis.

Lori had cleaned any residue from the infant's mouth, and the little girl was happily snoring away the commotion from just a moment ago.

More than a little thankful that Ardis had decided to follow up her antics with a nap, Armitage picked up where Lori left off. In a short moment, there were two warm bowls of oats waiting along with two steaming mugs of caf. He had just finished setting the meal out when Lori returned in a clean tunic.

"How's the little troublemaker?" she asked as she slid into a seat.

The hovercrib followed at Armitage's shoulder, settling in place between them as he took a seat beside Lori.

"Sound asleep."

She glanced into the floating crib, a slightly miffed smile playing at the corner of her mouth. "I can't say I'm surprised," she said just before turning back to the table, "Any mid-night reports about the fleet?"

The Resistance fleet had been limping along for the past few days, growing closer and closer to the Supremacy's reach. There hadn't been a night gone by that Hux didn't have some sharp comment about the state of their ships, or their projected fuel supply.

"No," he replied between long sips of caf, "but their days have probably turned into hours now. And I've heard nothing from Snoke about relieving me of command, we might be staying here for quite a while."

Lori heard a hint of wishful thinking at the edge of Armitage's words. She wasn't about to discourage him, but she was still weary of Snoke's decision to hand him command of the Supremacy. It seemed too perfect for the supreme leader to suddenly hand him the First Order's capital, especially just days after he had lost Starkiller. She knew that Armitage was more than capable, but she didn't trust the deranged supreme leader. She couldn't put her finger on how, but this reeked of some sort of trap.

"Maybe," she put her worries away from her reply, "I guess that means we should find a better suite. This is nice and all, but I'd kill for a soft chair."

"And a spare bedroom," he added, eyes cast at the hovercrib, "speaking of, Ardis should have a spot in the nursery very soon."

"Oh no, Mitaka will be so sad."

"Perhaps," Armitage heard the sarcasm on Lori's words and matched it with his own dry attempt at humor, "but he'll live. Until he sees the backlog of work waiting for him."

"He doesn't get a-"

A chime from Armitage's comm cut Lori off.

Already irritated by work's interruption, Armitage checked the small device. Lori watched his features drop and then twist into something resembling interest.

"The Resistance fleet is beginning to power down." He told her, "I'm needed on the bridge."

As much as she would have liked to let their quiet morning last, Lori understood what this moment meant.

"I might be home late tonight," he said as his chair scraped across the floor, pushed back by his hasty motions.

Lori slowed him with her hand on his, "I'll be waiting up."

She wasn't going to tell him to be careful. She knew that the bridge was the safest part of the ship, and that there was nothing the limping enemy fleet could do.

But.

But the possibility that something might go horribly wrong still clung to her. She wouldn't say anything directly about her fears, but Armitage had heard them all the same.

Careful with his response, he didn't tell her what she ought to be doing, "Then I'll take whatever is left of Ardis' interruptions for the night."

Grateful for the understanding, Lori nodded slightly before raising from the chair, the hovercrib following her shoulder as she did. She leaned forward to leave a small kiss on Armitage's cheek, "And you're making breakfast tomorrow morning too."

"Deal," he softly agreed before turning towards Ardis.

The soft chatter of her parents had woken her from her post meal nap. Blinking at the interruption, she was left to gaze up at her father.

He leaned down to plant a soft kiss on the infant's forehead, glad at least that he got to say goodbye while she was awake.

"I'll be home later, behave yourself while I'm away." He told the infant with no expectation of having her listen.

"I'm sure she'll give Mitaka no trouble at all." Lori chimed in before adding, "I'll wait for him to show up, you should get out of here before they blow up the Resistance without you."

Lori didn't want to see him leave, but knew that she could handle a drawn out goodbye even less. Armitage heard the competing desires, and mindfully said nothing for them.

Hoping that Lori's words were a promise of what was to come rather than a dream of what might be, he nodded before stepping out of the room.

.***.***.***.***.

Leaving his suite and family behind, General Hux rushed from the bridge. To his chagrin, his journey to the bridge had been delayed by a chance encounter with Captain Phasma. Apparently, she had been off ship pursuing a traitor, but Hux had been so fixated on the Resistance fleet and his own precious moments at home that he hadn't noticed her absence.

He spared just enough time on the encounter to command Phasma to brief the FOSB on her actions before quickly finishing his journey across the ship.

Stepping onto the bridge, the general was greeted with a healthy buzz of action and the far off flickering lights of a failing engine. Taking long strides to the viewport, Hux felt a cruel rush of energy and a tantalizing hint of victory. Stopping at the edge of the officers walk, Hux leered at a control panel.

The acting captain on the bridge provided him with an update that he was already aware of, "The main cruiser's still keeping beyond range. But their medical frigate is out of fuel and it's shields are down."

A smile and a glimmer of hope, a realization that victory danged within his reach, played at the edge of the general's thoughts. The rest of the crew shirked away from the man, grateful for nothing beyond the fact that they were not the object of his merciless desires.

"The beginning of their end." He savored the words before uttering a pitiless order, "Destroy it."

.***.***.***.***.

"Be on your toes, major. Phasma's no joke." Colonel Larus told Lori as they walked down a narrow hall.

Lori kept even with the older man. She had finally been assigned to the correct office, but the powers that were in the bureau resented that fact that she had been appointed a position. The apparent snub was made even more personal by the appointment coming from General Hux, who had a notoriously low opinion of the FOSB.

And then there was Lori's unique circumstances. She had absolutely no doubts that everyone in the office knew, but none of them dared mention it to her. Probably out of fear of retribution rather than anything else, and certainly not out of respect for her privacy.

Colonel Larus was her direct superior. Not quite old enough to have worked for the Imperial Security Bureau, he had been in training when the empire fell. Since then, he had spent a long thirty years as an investigator for the FOSB, and it was only recently that he had taken up a job in the training center.

Old habits seemed to die hard, and Larus was still everyone's first choice when it came to high profile debriefings. As such, it was him who had been called in to speak with Phasma, and by extension Lori was dragged along.

"Understood, sir." She replied to his warning without any hint that she was perfectly comfortable talking to the infamous captain.

Satisfied that his subordinate wouldn't cause any trouble, Larus remained silent as they approached the meeting room.

Upon entering, they found Phasma already waiting on them, her polished helmet sitting on an otherwise empty table. Phasma watched the two newcomers as if this was her room and they were her visitors.

She sat with a practiced stillness, and even Lori struggled to see a slight flash of recognition trace over the captain's flat blue eyes.

She's sharp. Lori thought to herself as she took a seat at the table.

They had met once before. A brief moment in passing, back when she had pretended to be Hux's aid for their mission to discredit Captain Cardinal. While Lori knew more about the day than Phasma ever would, the captain had taken most of the credit for arresting the Resistance agent, a perk of leading the group of stormtroopers that had kicked the door in on the staged scene that Lori had prepared.

Lori knew better than to assume that the flash of recognition was anything more than that; a slight surprise at seeing an aid with a different job on a different ship.

Colonel Larus didn't notice any of it as he began speaking to Phasma, "Captain. Thank you for sitting down with us, in the interest of not wasting anyone's time, I'll try to keep this short."

Phasma nodded disinterestedly, her attention squarely shifted to the colonel.

"Now, you've reported that a Lieutenant Sol Rivas was responsible for lowering the shields on Starkiller base just before the Resistance's attack. Could you tell us your method for discovering his treachery?"

The news piqued Lori's interest. She had been none the wiser of this supposed Resistance agent stationed on the base. Despite her nearly yearlong absence, she doubted that the rebels had managed to embed a man on Starkiller. It took years, not months, to turn someone to their side and without an active cell already operating on Starkiller, there would have been no way for them to sneak a man inside.

"He had failed to hide his tracks. A cursory glance at the shielding control panel was all it took for me to find that he was the last one to log into it." She spoke with a casually arrogant air that put Lori even more highly on guard.

Larus hummed as if she had said something brilliant, pausing to type away at a data pad.

In the little opening, Lori took her own opportunity to ask, "How did you know which terminal to check?"

The colonel cringed slightly at her speaking out of line, but he could appreciate her apparent willingness to learn from the captain's quick thinking.

In reality, Lori saw a glaring problem with Phasma's story. She must have heard Armitage describing the base's layout and supposedly impenetrable defense systems countless times.

Starkiller base had hundreds -if not thousands- of control panels. In order to know which terminal had been used to shut down the shields, Phasma would have either had to have seen it happen in real time, or would have gotten very lucky on a guess that would take several minutes of digging through the terminal's programming to confirm.

"Simple," Phasma hadn't expected anyone to question her, but she had a plan just in case, "Because the shielding went down over a specific section of the base, I was able to narrow down which terminals might have been tampered with. Only one of those had been left unattended, so it was the obvious choice."

Lori smelled a rat.

That wasn't how Starkiller base worked at all. The terminals and their corresponding shield generators were randomized, with the rational being that a traitorous insider wouldn't be able to tell their accomplices where they would be able to approach the planet. In a better world, the delay caused by the confusion would have been long enough to destroy the disorientated attackers. Unfortunately, it seemed like two systems had failed that day.

"Quick thinking, captain." Colonel Larus chimed in once more, unashamedly brown nosing as he did.

"That still seems very lucky," Lori looked the other woman in the eye, "were there any other clues to indicate that terminal?"

For a variety of reasons, Lori didn't want to think that Phasma had turned traitor. Losing the captain to the Resistance wouldn't just be a loss of a gifted warrior, but it would also give them a terrifyingly long list of secrets to exploit, chief among them being Brendol Hux's fate.

Even worse was the possibility of more hidden Resistance cells being embedded on the ship. If they had managed to get to Phasma, there was absolutely no telling who else might be compromised.

Phasma took the look in Lori's eye for the challenge that it was, "Do you have a problem with me, major?"

Lori didn't trust the aggressive turn to Phasma's words. Too many people thought that the fastest way to hide a lie was to push back against the one who noticed it, "I'm only doing my job, captain."

The major's refusal to wither under her gaze only irritated Phasma more.

Feeling a tension rise in the room, Colonel Larus tried desperately to intervene, "That's enough out of you, major! My apologies, captain. Now, where were we?"

Phasma answered back. Lori listened for more inconsistencies to her story, though she stayed silent for the rest of the talk.

She wasn't sure what game the captain was playing, but she would find out by the end of their conversation.

Chapter Text

"Thank you captain, you're free to go." Colonel Larus leaned back in his stiff chair as he spoke.

Lori still had more to say to Phasma, "I'll show her the way out," she offered as she stood.

Phasma shifted a wary eye towards the major before scooping her helmet from the table. She didn't need a guide out of the warren of offices, but a few questions best asked away from curious onlookers floated at the edge of her tongue. Besides, Phasma doubted that the unassuming major would pose a threat.

The captain slid her helmet on, then cast an aloof hand towards the door, "After you."

Her words were just flat enough to make the colonel think that they weren't meant with disrespect. But it wasn't lost on Lori that the lowest ranking one in the room thought that she was the one in control here. Going along for now, Lori stepped out of the room and into the hall.

Phasma followed along, her distinct armor clattering as she walked. The halls this deep within the FOSB were largely deserted, and the two were left in relative privacy.

Lori knew that the other woman had been sizing her up during their meeting, and now was no different. She waited for Phasma to make the first move, sure that the captain was better suited to a physical fight than one of words.

"You were on the Absolution two years ago." Phasma said the fact as if it was an accusation.

"I was," Lori nonchalantly acknowledged, "you put in some fancy footwork in catching that resistance agent."

Phasma heard the concession that was Lori's complement. As ready as she was to take it, Phasma was no fool. Remaining silent she waited for Lori to go on.

Taking note of the captain's unexpectedly cautious behavior, Lori baited her with a pointed question, "Do you make a habit of that, captain? Being in the right place at the right time to catch Resistance spies?"

Cool in a battle, but quick to raise to a challenge Phasma bluntly called out Lori's implication, "I'm exceptionally loyal to the First Order."

"I never said you weren't, captain." Lori placed a purposeful emphasis on the other woman's rank. No one questioned Phasma despite her technically only being a junior officer, her place as a decorated commander with a fearsome reputation usually being enough to scare away any detractors.

The slight reached Phasma loud and clear. Not being one to back down from a challenge or a dismissal, she tried to invoke a name that outranked the major, "If you're attempting to discredit me, you'll find nothing. Just ask my commanding officer."

Lori saw exactly where this was going, and she desperately wanted to goad Phasma into an embarrassing trap, "I'm not familiar with your chain of command. Who's your superior?"

Playing what she thought would be a winning hand, Phasma came to a stop as she turned her blank helmet towards Lori, "General Hux. If you're intent on questioning him, I'm sure you could find him on the bridge."

The desperate power play almost brought a twisted grin to Lori's features. Instead she let the captain's comment have none of the frightening effect that Phasma had been expecting.

"I'll catch him at home instead."

Phasma had been off ship since Starkiller base was destroyed. Lori wasn't sure how much attention the captain paid to idle gossip around the ship, but this conversation had only made her sure that Phasma had no idea about Hux and her.

Lori wasn't able to see the captain's eyes narrow dangerously, but she was able to see an uneasy shift in the other woman's stance.

Just as Phasma was about to demand an explanation, a small whirring of a BB-series droid came whizzing around the corner. It skittered to a stop at the two officers in the hall before deciding that it's message was more important than whatever conversation it had stumbled into.

As it began a panicked series of beeps and whirs, Phasma and Lori both cast a confused looked to the black durasteel ball.

"Slow down," Lori was the first to speak, "How many of them were there, and in what sector of the ship?"

A few sharp beeps and whistles came in reply.

"Three will be no trouble for a company. Go find the nearest trooper and guide them to the intruders," Phasma was quick to dismiss the little droid.

"Hold on," Lori stepped away from the captain to directly face the BB unit, "go keep an eye on the intruders and keep us updated on their movements. We'll figure out the rest."

The little droid rocked back, its processor unit swiveling between the two women in the hall. Searching its base programing for the best decision and coming up blank, it defaulted to following the command of the higher ranking officer. Following Lori's order, it rolled back down the hall, transmitting an easily followed signal as it went.

Without a word, Phasma turned her horrifyingly blank helmet to the major.

Maybe I'm pushing her a little too far, Lori distantly thought as she was left to stare at her reflection on the captain's helmet.

"How good are you at organizing an ambush?" Lori asked with a purposeful ease.

Phasma nearly growled the word, an answer and a threat, "Very."

.***.***.***.***.

The day had dragged on, and not for a second had General Hux left the bridge. He had hardly torn his gaze away from the final two slivers of the Resistance that existed in the galaxy.

At that very moment, the corvette's engines flickered as it dropped further behind the cruiser.

Meter by meter, it drifted away from the pesky safety of the larger ship's shields. Meter by meter, one of the final cinders that dared defy the First Order came just a little closer to being snuffed out.

A sudden streak of hungry green light flew from the Supremacy. Though it traveled impossibly fast, it covered a distance so great that General Hux was able to watch as the solitary beam dashed across the void before turning the corvette into a pile of slag.

"That was the last of their support ships," a captain updated the bridge, "It's just their main cruiser now."

The general's lips curled. A single ship sat between him and a galaxy free of vermin.

Hux tensed his hands into a fist and then purposefully exhaled as he loosened them, "And their fuel reserve?"

Not a single soul on the bridge missed the dangerous edge to the general's question.

The same captain answered, his words made quick out of fear, "By our calculations, critical."

.***.***.***.***.

Lori had been waiting down the hall and in a room watching real time video of Phasma's ambush. As much as she enjoyed watching reality crash over the trio, a small sence of recognition picked at her. Something was off about the older man in a lieutenant's uniform, and as he was hoisted off the ground Lori was able to clearly see his face.

"DJ?" she spoke to the empty room.

Lori had only worked one job with DJ, and that was over five years ago. But she would recognized his traitorous face anywhere.

Sensing an opportunity, Lori brought her comm up and used it to speak directly to Phasma, "Separate the prisoners, and bring the guy dressed up as a lieutenant to me, I think we can get something out of him."

If Lori knew one thing about DJ, it was that his loyalty could be bought and sold to the highest bidder.

Phasma would have liked to ignore the know-it-all voice that echoed through her helmet, but she complied all the same. As her troopers finished hoisting their catch up from the ground, Phasma told them, "Separate the prisoners. DL-396, DT-119, on me."

The seemingly random decision to bring the false lieutenant along caused no special stir as the other two invaders shouted and screamed as they were dragged off in separate directions.

Phasma's walk to Lori's hiding room was short, and her stern dismissal of the two troopers was even shorter as she dragged the intruder into the cramped space.

Stopping just short of Lori, Phasma stood at DJ's side, the end of her blaster firmly against his ribs.

Bringing one hand to rest against her hip, Lori was careful to keep a flippant air about her, "As I live and breathe, if it isn't my least favorite thief and splicer."

Despite the surprise of finding Lori here of all places, he stammered out, "W-w-wait! I have information."

"I doubt it's worth your life." Phasma drove the barrel of her blaster deeper into his side.

"Stand down, captain" Lori said without actually making a move to shoo Phasma away. Looking DJ in the eye, she cut straight to the method she thought would work best, "You're not a man with principles, I'm not a woman with patience. Start talking."

DJ shifted his gaze between Phasma's carefully polished blaster and Lori's exasperated expression. Phasma's helmet turned to face Lori, and she was sure that the captain's eyes were demanding an explanation of her.

"I don't know those other two. I'm just here on a job; Sneaking, splicing. Getting paid."

Lori gave a knowing hum, the tone on his voice now was identical to the one he had worn just before he betrayed her on that job they had done so many years ago, "So that means this is the part where you sell out your accomplices to save your own skin?"

"You know me so well."

Phasma was confused, but she wasn't an idiot. She certainly wasn't in favor of letting an apparent intruder go.

But the major seemed far less concerned than the captain, "Alright, name your price and then spill it. I don't have all day."

DJ thought on it, though the blaster at his side made his words jumbled, "H-h-how does a million credits sound?"

Lori raised an eyebrow, "Sounds like you're pretty confident."

The thief was only speaking to stall the conversation, and Phasma had already grown tired of them talking around the point, "You'll worry about getting paid after I decide if you'll be allowed to live. Tell us what we want to know or die where you stand."

The blaster nearly cracked a rib for how hard Phasma jammed it into his side. DJ cast a renewed look of panic at Lori.

She had wanted to take the soft approach, but she wasn't above threatening the scummy man either. Shrugging, she said, "You heard the lady, start talking."

.***.***.***.***.

General Hux hadn't been expecting a message from Captain Phasma. He especially hadn't been expecting a follow up message from Lori. In both cases he was absolutely galled to hear of an intruder on the Supremacy.

Between the separate reports, he had gathered that two Resistance agents and a somewhat unwilling accomplice had slipped onto his ship with the intent to disable their hyperspace tracker. In exchange for his life and a healthy lump sum of credits, their prisoner had revealed all he knew of the Resistance's plans to flee from the battle. Lori made it clear that Phasma wanted the credit. Apparently she had managed to bruise the captain's ego, and felt that this would be a reasonable offering at peace.

Playing his part in their scheme, Hux was in a hanger control room awaiting the arrival of his prisoners. While he did, he turned to a computer terminal to send an order to the ship security team; they were to reevaluate and repair all of the ship's doors and locks. Lori had made it clear in her short report that the three rebels in disguise had bypassed the alarm mechanism and fried the locks on the server room doors in far too short a time.

In the short time it took to send his message, the rebels and troopers appeared in the hanger bay. Hux leisurely strolled across the floor, even more sure that the Resistance was doomed.

Hux cast a gloating eye over his prisoners as he came to a stop, "Well done, Phasma."

More than happy to take the credit, Phasma turned towards DJ and spoke as if she had been alone in negotiating the deal, "Your ship and payment, as we agreed."

A shocked look raced over the rebel's features. One of them, disguised as a major, was quick to realize the betrayal, "You lying snake!"

DJ rubbed at his sore wrists as a stormtrooper removed a pair of cuffs from them. He focused on the crates of credits in front of him before turning to his former accomplices with a shrug, "We got caught, I cut a d-d-deal."

"Wait," a sickened look coated with fear traced over the other rebels face, "cut a deal with what?"

As if in answer, a junior officer approached the group, a data pad in hand, "Sir, we checked on the information from the thief. We ran a decloaking scan, and sure enough, thirty Resistance transports have just launched from the cruiser."

"He told us the truth. Will the wonders never cease?" If Hux had faith in anything past himself he might have taken this as a sign.

"No!" a single word from the Resistance agent dressed as a major brought Hux back to the moment.

Somewhere between dispassionate and excited, Hux turned his eye to the officer beside him, "Our weapons are ready?"

"Ready and aimed, sir." They eagerly answered.

A triumphant grin twisted the edge of Hux's features, "Fire at will."

Not a second after he uttered the order to end the Resistance, his prisoners broke into a chorus of shouts and swears, their struggling made futile by the contingent of stormtroopers holding them in place.

As much as he would have enjoyed reveling in their misery, the general wanted to see his moment of victory up close.

Turning away, he swiftly made for the bridge.

.***.***.***.***.

The general swept across the officers walk with a glint in his eye and a spring in his step that brought dread to all who saw him. As he approached a far control panel that sat just below the wide viewport he spared a glance to a data read out.

Though they weren't visible to the eye, twelve tell-tale dots on the radar screen betrayed the position of the last of the Resistance's desperate retreat.

A sizzling green bolt of turbolaser fire ripped itself from the Supremacy and streaked across the darkened void of space. In the distance was a tiny puff of explosion that coincided with another dot blinking off of the radar screen.

As Hux was taking in the last few moments that stood between him and complete domination over the galaxy, the officer sitting at the battle command station chimed in with an inane comment.

"Sir, the Resistance cruiser's preparing to jump to lightspeed."

"It's empty. They're just trying to pull our attention away." He nearly scoffed at how foolish the ploy was, even for them. "Pathetic. Keep your fire on the transports."

Even if the general hadn't learned the plans behind the transports, their mere existence was proof enough that the cruiser had been abandoned.

Another dot vanished from the radar.

The cruiser rolled to its side, blocking the transports from the line of fire.

So, they've already given up pretending to flee. A contemptuous realization floated through Hux's mind. He let the thought go, knowing that this would only be a minor delay.

Then the cruiser continued it's turn.

Another turbolaser hissed past it. Nine dots on the radar.

Hux squinted at the scene before him, a distant suspicion picking at the edge of his mind. Glancing to the field diagnostics he found that the cruiser was still prepped for a jump to lightspeed.

A sick realization jumped the general.

Rushing to the gunner's terminal he nearly crashed into the officer stationed there.

"Fire on that cruiser!"

Chapter Text

The world was on fire.

Hot plumes of smoke rolled through cramped corridors, swallowing all who weren't fast or lucky enough to avoid the superheated gas. Doors slammed shut, alarms blaring and airlocks engaging. Terrified men and women rushed down twisting halls, unsure if they were running away from or towards danger.

Behind shut doors came shouts and screams of people trapped in burning corridors or pinned beneath rubble and grievously injured. A few doors were silent. Horrifying unknowns that might hold people bleeding out in their offices, knocked into deadly unconsciousness, or a thin barrier between life and the hungry vacuum of space.

Shouts and coughs and cries and hissing flames choked the air.

For a long and horrible moment Lori was back on Lasan. Back in a childhood home turned to cinders and promises of a slow and painful death.

Stumbling through a fiery corridor, the shouts and screams of her fellow crew members hid the echo of her father's voice and the predatory cries of nighttime creatures. She stumbled and tried to ignore the chaos. To ignore the adrenaline pumping through her veins that brought forth every terrible memory she had.

A gust of hot air carried stinging cinders on it. Lori ducked to the side just in time to avoid a plume of flame bursting from a room that she hadn't even noticed she was passing. The heat licked at her skin and scorched her tightly bound hair.

The flames were a familiar fear, their burning yet another dreadful memory to be lost in. Phantom pain, or perhaps something as real as the death that might come for her at any moment, danced across the old scar on Lori's arm.

A fresh bout of embers rained from a melting beam. It's sudden groan sent Lori barreling down the hall. Her lungs ached from the heat and the soot and the breakneck sprint, and it was only after the fire's light had faded and Lori found herself in a silent and darkened corridor that she stopped.

Slumping against a cool durasteel wall, she had nothing but her fears for company. She watched her childhood home collapse in on itself in her mind's eye. As the shack fell, the weak structure was suddenly one of stone and she was back on Bastion watching the palace fall. The terror and the assuredness that she had just watched Armitage die clawed at her.

She clamped her eyes shut, trying to shake away the terror of the moment, but she only saw Starkiller base being blown to dust.

A fragile gust of cool air floated past her blistered face. Letting her eyes flitter open, Lori tried to let the memories be blown away. They were heavy things, and the trickle of air was nothing against them.

Pulling in a shaking breath, Lori crammed the panic and the dread into a corner of her mind that was as dark and forgotten as the hallways she stood in. They didn't go easily, and she was only successful because of a single resounding thought that made all the others seems small.

The world is on fire, and I need to save Ardis.

.***.***.***.***.

General Hux scraped himself off of the floor.

"Status report!" He called out to anyone that was still within earshot.

Met only with groans and coughs, he didn't bother to shout out again as the scene beyond the viewport unfolded.

Debris floated past the transparasteel wall. Following along its path, Hux felt his knees nearly buckle beneath him. The Supremacy's starboard wing keeled over, cut away from the stabilizers housed in the center of the ship. Dim and distant red light shone from the molten durasteel at the edge of the wing. Between the searing scarlet walls crossed the occasional blue-white arch of electricity. Coming in flashes and sparks where cables had been cut away, the deadly blue light cast a ghostly glow over the debris. Mostly machine and vaporized debris, some of it was horrifyingly easy to identify.

A pit opened beneath the general's stomach.

"Damage report." He scarcely found the breath to speak before yelling in desperation, "Now!"

The groans and moans of the crew lessened until one of them managed to stagger to their terminal, "Hull rupture across city block 17. Airlocks engaged, hanger terminals fifty-seven through eighty five, destroyed. Resurgent-class star…"

He had stopped listening after learning where the cut had been made.

Between him and the FOSB offices. Between him and the suite.

His stomach churned while he was somehow able to breathe again. Lori and Ardis were cut off from him. He hoped they were cut off. That some terrible twist of fate hadn't given Lori reason to venture beyond the seventeenth block. That the report was correct.

A distant distraction from the carnage came from a small silver dot speeding away from the main body of the ship.

Snoke's escape craft? The realization seemed dim in the face of all else that had happened.

Letting confusion be his guiding force, Hux began stumbling away from the viewport. He had to leave the broken wing behind, to avoid the fears of what it might mean. His steps and sense of urgency growing as the seconds ticked by, the general went from stumbling to hastily walking. Then he broke into a trot as the wrecked state of his ship became clear.

Trying to outrun all the terrible possibilities that this moment might bring, he found himself rushing to Supreme Leader Snoke's throne room. As he turned the corner he found the door stuck open, jammed in it's frame made warped by the massive collision.

Hux hadn't been expecting to find Supreme Leader Snoke in the room. He'd seen the old man's escape craft zipping across the horizon, by all threads of logic that should have meant that he had fled.

But, Hux found him next to his throne.

Half of him.

A single seared gash had cleaved the old man in two. As jarring as the sight was it didn't stop Hux from taking in the rest of the destruction that the room had to offer.

Over half a dozen praetorian guards, cloaked in scarlet cloths that didn't even begin to hide charred black wounds dotted the ground. Some lay scattered against the wall, others contorted into lifeless piles, it was clear that none of them had died from the collision.

A lump and a sickening realization crawled up the back of the general's throat as his eyes came to rest on a single shock of black that lay as a heap on the ground.

Kylo Ren.

Hux felt a cold realization slide over him.

A traitor?

.***.***.***.***.

The door ground to a halt when it was half way open, the distorted frame making the rest of the movement impossible. Not even pausing to listen for the crackling of flames or some other warning, Lori pushed through the crevice and tumbled into the suite.

The room of fine statues and expensive couches had been torn to pieces. Delicate glasses had flown from the bar and now dusted the ground as glittering shards. The lights in the room flickered, occasionally showering sparks when there was a surge or drop in power.

Hurrying past one room in disarray, Lori rushed to the next.

Her heart leapt as she came to the threshold of the dining room. The panicked fluttering was only stalled by Ardis' muffled cries echoing from the room.

The heavy transparasteel table sat in a crumpled heap, one of its ornate legs collapsed in on itself. Lieutenant Mitaka lay face down in a twisted pile half-on the ruined. Limbs splayed at odd angles, he wasn't moving. Lori tried to ignore the sickly streak of still-wet blood that smeared across the table and ended below the lieutenant's face.

Above him floated the hovercrib.

Lori completely ignored the broken man on the ground. She wasn't sure when she had started moving either, but she found herself standing over the crib. Looking down she found her baby girl curled in the crib. Clutching and blankets and screeching in fear or confusion or both.

The sharp noises tore at Lori, but also came as a rushing relief.

Reaching down with a single hand, Lori tried to rub at the little girl's face. The infant cared nothing for a gentle caress and instead fearfully wrapped her shaking arms around Lori's hand. Knowing that he had to do more, Lori scooped Ardis up, trying to hold her close without taking the one hand out of the infant's grasp.

"You're ok. You're ok." She spoke for the infant's sake, but the words were meant for herself.

Ardis held onto Lori's hand in a bear hug, the closeness of her mother calming her into silence.

Beyond the walls came muffled shouts and the occasional hiss of flame. From below Lori came a low groan that she feared might be a failing engine.

But the groan grew into a wheeze and then a breathy cough.

Settling the girl down but not daring to take her hand away from Ardis, Lori looked down to the lieutenant to find his previously slack body jerking with pained movements. Crouching and bringing the crib with her, Lori reached out her free hand to shake at the man's shoulder.

"Dopheld! Hey, wake up! We got to go."

There came a grumble that might have been words.

Painfully aware that it was now or never, Lori tried turning Mitaka over with a rough yank. His body was slack and almost too heavy to move. She half considered leaving the younger man to his fate, intent on saving her daughter above all else. But then Mitaka shook and just barely managed to roll to his side.

His face was red.

Half swollen beyond recognition, there was a deep gash across one of his cheeks where he had hit the table. The flesh around one eye had gone puffy and nearly purple. All the swelling made it impossible to tell, but there was enough blood on the table that Lori wouldn't be surprised if he were missing an eye.

Mitaka teetered to the side, suddenly moving very quickly and retching from a pain induced nausea. Nothing came up beside reddened spit and a knocked out tooth.

They didn't have time to spare on a first aid session as the ship creaked and there came a far off snapping noise.

Raising to her feet, Lori pulled at the stained collar of Mitaka's tunic, "We got to move. Come on."

Purely due to Lori's adrenaline fueled strength, he was able to stand on unstable feet.

"Ma-major?" Sharp pain cut through his jaw as he tried to move it, and a horrible buzzing noise that only he could hear made his thoughts incoherent.

Lori didn't answer him at first, instead turning to close the cover of Ardis' crib. The infant let out a sharp cry as soon as Lori moved her hand away. Hating it but knowing it was for the best, she resisted the urge to open the contraption again.

When she finally did turn back to face the man, she found him swaying on unsteady legs.

This wasn't a place to die.

She grabbed one of the lieutenant's hands before hurrying from the suite, Ardis' crib clinging closely to her side.

.***.***.***.***.

The possibility of Snoke's apprentice turning traitor didn't shock Hux. If anything, he had been expecting the unhinged beast to finally grow tired of its chains. Ren had been slipping, tearing himself apart since the death of Han Solo. The gibbering wreak had been stalking the ship for days, talking wide-eyed into nothing, and running after so-called visions that only he could see.

Hux drew his hand to his waist, fingers ghosting the edge of the blaster that Lori had urged he begin to carry.

Snoke was dead, apparently by his apprentice's hand. Wasn't it the general's place to avenge him? It was certainly in Hux's best interest to finally be free of the buffoon. To be free of his only possible rival for the mantle of supreme leader.

His fingers trailed along the edge of the blaster just as Ren began to stir.

Damn, the general quickly withdrew his hand, not today.

Seemingly unaware of his near brush with death, Ren rose to his feet and muttered an unbelievable claim, "The girl murdered Snoke."

An acidic and disbelieving thought flushed all the others out of Hux's mind, Oh, really? Is that who did this? Defeated again by a scared scavenger girl, this time with a team of eight other warriors by your side.

The only thing more pathetic than Ren's telling that lie, would be if it were true.

Waiting for his chance to murder the other man and seeing the unhinged glint in Ren's eye, Hux played along, "She took Snoke's escape craft."

"We know where she's going." As Ren spoke, Hux wasn't sure what he meant by we, "get all our forces down to that Resistance base. Let's finish this."

"Finish this?" the tail end of Ren's words cut away all the good sense that Hux had to cling to, "Who do you think you're talking to? You presume to command my army? Our supreme leader is dead! We have no ruler!"

You fool! Your power came from the old man's word, mine was earned. You don't know how to run the Order! You don't even belong here! You -

Hot pressure wrapped around Hux's neck. Out of reflex, he sent his hands up to claw away at the thing he knew wasn't there.

A fiery glint danced across the edge of Kylo Ren's eye, Hux wasn't sure if it was the dwindling fires in the throne room or a symptom of the Force, "the supreme leader is dead."

Ren's meaning was clear. Common sense and bitter fear cowed Hux's words, "Long live the supreme leader."

The crushing weight unwound itself from the general's neck. Spite cutting through his features, he refused to cough or breathe as if the ordeal had rattled him.

Sensing the hideous ball of fear and resentment curling around the general, Ren turned to leave the room. Purely because he knew it would cut at his rival turned subordinate, Ren shouted over his shoulder, "Gather my troops, we're going to Crait."

.***.***.***.***.

"We're almost there." Lori shouted over the crackling flames as they approached the hangar.

She spoke for Mitaka's sake and for her own. For the thin reassurance that they might be okay, and that she hadn't taken them to their doom.

The ground shifted, near molten metal groaning as the gravity generators pulled at uneven strengths and as the void space sucked at the weakened hull. A shower of sparks came down, Lori held an arm up for herself and hunched over the hovercrib. Mitaka yelped at the sudden stinging and the scent of his uniform smoldering.

As it stopped, Lori reached for the lieutenant, grabbing his flailing hand and tugging him along, "We're not dying here today."

The fires grew hotter and for a second Lori was able to see the black void of space through the smoldering hanger. Beyond it was a great gray structure. The rest of the Supremacy drifted past the hangar opening, pushed forward on it's still functional engines while the wing was set adrift.

Lori tried not to break her stride, but found herself stopped. She knew that the ship was horrifically damaged, but cut in two?

A sickening question churned at her innards, He was on the bridge. Right? He wasn't caught in the blast zone. Right?

The shocking sight had stopped her in her tracks, only for the echoes of blaster fire through explosions to spur her back to moving.

"Not today." She muttered through the flames, "not today."

Hurrying as much as the hovercrib and her wounded companion would allow, Lori kept a low profile through the hangar turned inferno. Clattering metal and explosions that let loose waves of superheated air dominated the room.

Burning her hands where she brushed against crates, and singing her hair for how close they came to open flame, Lori searched for a ship. For any chance they might have at survival.

Gasping for clean air, for some breath that wasn't cinder and smoke, she saw one. A small craft, maybe a shuttle. She couldn't tell through the blaze and as long as it flew she didn't care.

The Supremacy shuttered once more, a plume of bright flame erupting to their side. The blaster fire came to a stop, leaving just enough silence for her to hear the edge of Ardis' cries through the closed hovercrib.

She wrapped an arm over the crib, hoping she didn't tilt it too far. With the other hand she gripped Mitaka's wrist. Not having the breath to spare on words, Lori broke into a run. Ground shaking and sparks falling, they made it to the ship. The seconds it took for the ramp to lower could have lasted a lifetime before they were able to stumble into the pocket of clean air that the transport offered.

Still not having let go of the hovercrib, she hurriedly stepped to the cockpit. Not sparing a moment, she propped Mitaka into a corner.

"I-I… I'll help."

"Don't move." Lori wasn't going to waste the time to explain that he would hurt more than help at the moment.

He didn't protest as Lori turned towards the control panel.

Beyond the viewport was the destroyed hangar bay. It's heat was blocked by the double walled transparasteel, and the sounds of explosions dulled by the ship's thick walls. What wasn't quieted was the small click of a blaster being drawn behind her.

A terrible memory roared to life with the engines as Lori whirled around. Moving on instinct, she brushed the now floating crib behind her. As she came to a stop, she knew it was impossible, but she saw her father one again, wreathed in flames and wanting nothing more than to shoot her dead.

Rose Tico looked to the woman before her, but saw the eyes of a wounded animal. Face blistered by flame and hair charred, the woman in blue had burning red eyes and a desperate air. Coiled tightly like a cornered beast, the woman put all of herself between Rose and a floating case behind her.

Almost overcome with wild fear, Rose hesitated at the blaster's trigger as a tiny sound echoed through the cockpit.

Ardis was crying.

The sound of her daughter jolted the memory away. Lori watched as her father disappeared in a heavy plume of smoke, replaced by the rebel she had led Phasma to only hours ago.

Eye's going wide, Rose asked in a gasp, "Is that a bab-"

"We got to go!" A second voice shouted from the passenger compartment.

Finn tumbled into the room as the ramp hissed closed in the compartment behind him.

Pushing through the panic and the paralyzing fear of her memories, Lori searched desperately for an out. Mitaka had slipped into silence, and she wasn't sure if he was still breathing. Ardis screamed, the sounds muffled by the still closed crib.

Hoping against hope, fearing for everything she had come to call hers, and more than a little desperate, Lori made a decision.

"Please don't hurt us!" She blurted, intending to sound panicked but wishing that she was in control of the very real fear.

She would pretend. Lie as she always had. As far as these people would be concerned, she wasn't a First Order officer at all, and her uniform was as fake as theirs. She had the background and the contacts to pass as an escaped prisoner, so she that was the face she would wear for these people.

In the meantime, she would have to play her part. A newly escaped prisoner wouldn't know that these people were Resistance agents in disguise, so Lori spoke with rushed and nervous words that one would expect from an escapee caught red handed. "I-I'll go back to prison! Just don't let my baby die!"

"What in-"

The shuttle lurched to the side as the hanger crumbled in on itself.

"Later!" Rose shouted before regaining her footing and stepping to the control panel.

In an instant, the shuttle rocked upward just as the magnetic shield flickered and gave way. The sudden hungry vacuum of space swallowed the flames and pulled the ship from it's place.

The two rebels clung to the control panel while Lori was flung to the side. Ardis' crib remained in the air, while Mitaka landed with a sickly thud. As he hit the floor a weary groan barely crossed his split lips.

By the time Lori made it back to her feet, they had left the wreckage behind and were cutting through empty space.

Chapter Text

The stolen Xi-class shuttle careened over the unmarred white surface of Crait, barreling towards a quickly closing crack in the face of a long forgotten rebel fortress.

Lori had been pushed back to the passenger compartment by the rebels. Ardis and her crib close by her side, and with Mitaka unconsciously crumbled on the floor. She forwent the long benches in the passenger compartment and instead sat slumped against the wall, just beside the broken man.

She put a hand on Mitaka's neck, checking for a pulse. She would be shocked if he hadn't broken the bone beneath his face. The bruise that began at one eye had spread through the rest of his features, it's deep purple only covered by patches of blackened and charred blood. For a long second, Lori didn't feel anything beneath her fingers.

Then she caught a barely there throb that assured her that Mitaka was still alive.

A series of shouts came from the cockpit. Lori fought to ignore them while she tried to stave off her own panic. Her own frantic concerns for her safety, for Ardis', for Armitage's fate that she didn't even dare to guess at. As her mind tumbling in dozens of directions she tried to focus on her strategy for getting out of this mess.

She had to find a way back to the Supremacy. But first she had to convince the rebels that she wasn't a threat. A ghost of a plan had already come to her; she would tell them that she had just escaped from a First Order prison. To explain Mitaka, she would claim that he had taken pity on her and helped her escape.

Hopefully that would convince them not to shoot her on sight.

The ship rocked and shuttered, interrupting Lori's encroaching worries. The already battered hovercrib beeped a warning. Lori didn't wait for it to shut down completely before scooping her shrieking infant from the failing machine.

No more than a second after she had wrapped her arms around the baby did the compartment begin shaking violently. Lori held the back of Ardis' head, half curled over to protect herself and the child.

The wild shaking ended in a tremendous thud as the ship's engines died. Lori rolled to the side at the sudden jolt, knocked off balance and doing everything she could to shield the infant in her arms.

As she ground to a stop, the cockpit door hissed open and the loading ramp lowered. A sudden flurry of blaster fire soared scare inches above her. Abandoning her attempt to stand, Lori stopped on her side and pulled her knees up so that she completely surrounded Ardis. A few errant shouts cut through the cacophony of blasts. Lori was sure that a few were her own.

Then the blasts suddenly stopped, replaced by rushing footsteps. Lori hadn't moved, still desperately clinging to her sobbing infant when a hand shook at her shoulder.

Yelping and then immediately growing angry at how little control she had over herself, Lori struggle to turn her head and look up.

The sight that greeted her left her speechless and relieved.

Brixie Ergo, medic for the Red Moons mercenary group, was staring down at her.

"Lori!?" the young medic nearly shouted the other woman's name.

Dazed and confused, Lori simply fought to breathe against the sudden drain of adrenaline from her system.

"It's really you!" Brixie had no such pause, and eagerly leaned down so that she could help Lori to her feet, "I thought I'd never see you again. And you have Ardis too! This is a miracle, how did Finn and Rose find you?"

Lori had just gotten to her feet, but hadn't yet found her voice.

The medic in Brixie told her not to overload Lori quite so quickly, but the friend in her was hopelessly excited, "Never mind that. You're here! I have to go tell Dak, I nearly killed him when you were taken. And Anderphan. And Ivey. And Lex! He'll be excited too, trust me."

"Everyone's here?" Lori just barely managed to mutter the two words, knowing that she needed to play the part of a thankful escape, while barely able to manage her own thoughts.

Brixie heard a breathlessness to Lori's question, and she couldn't miss the fact that Lori swayed slightly as she stood. Cautiously looking around the room, Brixie's sight lingered on the presumably dead man that lay on the floor.

Ripping her gaze away from the dead man and the ruined ship compartment, Brixie thought that leaving the shuttle would be good for Lori, "Yeah, we're all here. Let's go find Dak. He'll be so happy to see you."

Lori heard a sadness lingering at the edge of Brixie's voice, but she didn't have the presence of mind to poke at it. Instead, she nodded her head and followed along.

Leaving the shuttle, they quickly came upon a tightly gathered group of people. Brixie hesitated before leaving Lori besides a control panel, but she eventually trotted off in search of Dak. Lori lingered at the back of the group, simply observing them.

A sense of surprise cama in waves. There couldn't have been more than four dozen people left in the base. All of them huddled together and hanging on the words of a few desperate leaders.

This was the end. The end of the Resistance that had nearly killed Armitage. The end of the Resistance that had been her reason for meeting the general in the first place.

Lori distantly wondered if any of them had known one of the dozens of spies she had ferreted out. Then she wondered how many Resistance agents there had been in the first place, if this was all that was left.

A worried ripple rolled across the crowed, Lori wasn't sure why.

She was losing her touch. Caught off guard, she had missed whatever their plan was. On any other day she would have been more than ready to use their actions to her advantage, but today she was just trying to cling to sanity.

"Come on." Finn said to them, "we have allies. People believe in Leia. They'll get our message. They'll come! But we have to buy time. We gotta take out that cannon."

What? Lori only dimly felt that questioning word drift through the back of her mind. Cannon?

.***.***.***.***.

General Hux stood in an upsilon shuttle and watched with a solemn expression as the Supremacy and it's scattered remains shrank from view. Emergency craft were already swarming around the doomed wing. Reports of the conditions inside had been scarce to nonexistent, but he had overheard the occasional garbled transmission of a desperate survivor, not long for this life and choked to near silence by smoke and thin air.

He tried to put his most obvious fears away as the upsilon shuttle approached Crait, but they lingered at the edge of his mind.

Lori is a survivor. She escaped Bastion single handedly, and here she has all the help of the First Order at her disposal.

A plume of quickly fading flame jutted from a fresh rupture in the hull. The general tried not to think of it's exact location. Tried not to wonder if it came from city block eighteen, or the FOSB headquarters.

Hux's view of the flaming wreckage faded as the shuttle dipped below the first thin strands of Crait's atmosphere.

They're fine. They must be.

The shuttle rocked as it grew closer to the ground.

Beside the command shuttle were a series of transports and light freighters. Within them were no less than ten AT-MG6s, two AT-ATs, two AT-HHs, and a series of AT-STs that the general hadn't bothered counting.

Hux glanced to a communications panel, ignoring the seething and self-proclaimed supreme leader. A squadron of TIEs were close behind the main force, escorting a siege cannon that Kylo Ren had ordered be stripped from one of the more heavily wounded dreadnaughts. To Hus's ire, the rebel base had a working shield generator. Built with the empire in mind, the shield was enough to give his wounded fleet a pause, but a point blank blast from inside the shields range would crack the base wide open. Of course, Hux was of the mind that they should simply wait for the Resistance's shield to run out of power.

Kylo Ren snarled a question out to the pilot.

Or we could impulsively charge ahead. Hux looked past the viewport, turning his gaze to the wide expanse of salt that stood between his troops and a mountain range. What a pathetic distraction. We'd be better served simply waiting for the shield to lower and then turning the mountain range to slag. My time is better spent searching for Lori and Ardis besides.

The upsilon shuttle began to slow it's approach, carefully keeping far enough back from the rebel base's heavy blast door to avoid the shrapnel that might come from it's destruction. Hux lazily eyed the field, three thin trench lines created red gashes across the pristine white field. Scarcely a dozen artillery emplacements dotted the area. They had little to no strategic thought behind their placements, obvious signs that the base had been built by the desperate, for the desperate.

The general rolled his eyes. The death of the rebellion should have happened an hour ago, but now he was here to watch a man-child scream at a few pathetic stragglers. Hux took a half step back, searching a rear control panel for updates on the Supremacy's condition.

When he found nothing but grim news, he tried to ignore the sickly churning of his guts with a glance back out the viewport.

A sudden jolt of motion came from the far off blast door. Surface ships with a design so iconic and so long surpassed by better designs, that Hux instantly recognized them as V-4X-D ski speeders.

Hux didn't even have to look at a data readout as the ships stumbled and rushed forward. Their numbers were so few, he could count them by the thin streaks of red that they in the salt.

If Hux were capable of pity, it would have infected his words. Instead, the general spoke with a thinly veiled disdain for both his commander and his enemy, "Thirteen incoming light craft. Shall we hold until we clear them?"

"No." Ren answered in a deranged whisper, "The Resistance is in that mine. Push through."

Hux bit his tongue as the command shuttle began to buzz with commotion. He would play along only so that this would end quickly. Only to avoid a delay in his return to the Supremacy.

.***.***.***.***.

The crowd began swarming through the base, giving Lori a wide berth as they did.

Brixie came back from the group of people, not having found Dak. It seemed like something had changed in the short time that she was away, and Brixie looked to her battered friend.

First degree burns covered most of Lori's exposed skin and the charred sections of her stolen uniform didn't bode well. Patches on Lori's face were burnt to the second degree. Brixie could only see the edge of Lori's hand for how closely she clung to Ardis and her blanket, but she was sure that she saw the edge of a third degree burn on Lori's palm.

Moving slightly and slowly so as not to surprise Lori, Brixie brought her hand to gently lay against Lori's back. When it did, Brixie found that Lori was shaking slightly. Suspicions growing, Brixie looked to Lori's eyes. They were dilated, and despite the frantic scene before them, they didn't seem to focus on anything.

"Hey, Lori." Brixie spoke with a softened voice, "Let's go sit down."

A creeping panic sat at the edge of Brixie's thoughts. She hadn't had the chance to check Lori's pulse or temperature, but she had seen a few hints of shock on her friend.

"Lori?" Brixie pressed more firmly again Lori's shoulders and brought her other hand to Lori's front. More than ready to slow her fall if the other woman suddenly collapsed.

The sensation of a hand against her back took Lori away from thoughts that she hadn't even begun to have.

The crowd had suddenly dispersed. For a moment Lori thought she was alone before finding Brixie still standing at her side.

"I couldn't find Dak. Let's go sit down." The medic repeated.

Lori heard the cautious edge to Brixie's voice. Slowly realizing that she was the cause for concern, Lori took as sure of a step as she could manage. A few wisps of panic that she didn't know the reason for lingered around her. Crunching down the vulnerability with a thick twinge of resentment, Lori wordlessly made for a stool sitting by an abandoned radar terminal.

On the way there Lori looked down at Ardis. Exhausted from the ordeal and finally in a room that wasn't on fire or violently shaking about, the infant had slipped into a deep sleep.

The baby was as much of a calming anchor as Lori could hope for. Unsure of when she had lost her voice, Lori coughed slightly to shake a few words loose.

Her throat ached, and Lori realized that it was probably caked with soot as she tried to speak, "I-I'm fine. I'm fine!"

Brixie didn't believe her for a second. Rather than telling Lori as much, Brixie pulled a half filled water bottle from her belt, "Here. You'll feel better with some water in your system."

Lori shifted her sleeping daughter in an attempt to free a hand.

"I can hold her," Brixie offered.

"No!"

Brixie tried not to recoil at the forcefulness of the single word.

Dropping the sudden tenseness in her shoulders, Lori tried forcing herself into a calm.

"No," she repeated, "Ardis is staying with me."

Lori felt her pulse flutter as a hot flash bloomed over her skin. The heat quickly faded, and a sudden cold enveloped Lori. Sure that she was acting strangely, Lori fought with herself for some semblance of control.

The sympathetic look in Brixie's eyes only made Lori more desperate and angry.

Clinging to something -anything- that didn't feel like it was controlled by pure chaos, Lori looked for comfort in a lie of her own making.

"They took her, Brixie." The words tumbled from Lori's lips. Uncontrolled and sounding all the more real for her panic, "They took her away, and I just got her back. Ardis isn't leaving my side again."

Brixie nodded in understanding. Holding the water bottle and waiting for Lori to move at her own pace, she said, "It's okay. You're safe here. Help is on the way."

Lori let her eyes dart to the closed blast door. Help was on it's way.

The medic took her own meaning from Lori's darting eyes, "Don't worry about them. They won't get you again, I swear."

The promise on Brixie's words was heavy, and Lori would have appreciated it in any other circumstance.

Instead she found her uncontrolled thoughts reaching in an untold number of directions. Through all of them was the persistent fear for her and her daughter's fate, but also a burning question of what had happened to Armitage.

He must have been on the bridge during the blast.

Did the Supremacy even still have a bridge?

"What?" Brixie leaned closer to Lori, water still in hand.

Lori hadn't even realized that she had spoken aloud.

Get it together! She made sure to keep her thoughts in her head this time.

"Did we take out the main ship? Did we get the bridge?" Lori made sure to speak as if she was on the rebel's side. The words tasted bitter.

"No," a dark look traced over Brixie's features before being pushed away.

A quick flurry of movement came from the front of the base. Brixie turned to watch as a score of her friends scooped up their rifles and made for the narrow halls that would take them to the trenches. She watched a dozen of her friends slide into decrepit ski-speeders.

She watched her friends, and she was sure that she wouldn't see them again.

Turning back to Lori with a tear of her own sitting at the edge of her eyes, Brixie said, "No. We didn't get the Supremacy's bridge. But we'll get them eventually. We have to."

Lori slumped in relief. Brixie thought she was watching her friend deflate.

Working off of the tiny sliver of good news, Lori dug deeper into the reality she was making for herself, "Well, at least y'all knocked all the security out. If it weren't for y'all and that lieutenant, I'd still be trapped."

Lori had meant to emphasize the supposed fact that she had been an unwilling captor. What she hadn't intended was Brixie giving a solemn nod and a comment about Mitaka.

"It's a shame he didn't make it. A defector straight from the Supremacy would have been helpful."

"Would have?" a sudden sinking sensation threatened to throw Lori off of the sense of sanity she had finally found, "He was alive when we landed."

"He was alive?" the comment caught Brixie perfectly off guard. She had seen the man's ruined face, and hadn't seen that he was breathing. The sight had left her to assume that a fractured skull had killed the man. The thought of leaving someone so terribly injured behind spurred Brixie into action, "I'll be right back."

She had scarcely said her final word before setting the water down and trotting back to the stolen shuttle.

Left to watch the few people that remained in the base, Lori was able to focus on nothing beyond her own breathing. She had as much confirmation as she could hope for that Armitage was alive. The only thing that they could do now was wait for the First Order to come to their rescue.

Lori looked at the heavy blast door, but thought of the decrepit fighters and puny rifles.

Help was on its way, and it was only a matter of time before it arrived.

Chapter Text

Distant dots swarmed the thin trenches that stood between the First Order's front lines and the last desperate remains of the Resistance. Neither the general nor anyone else in the command shuttle paid them any mind.

Junior officers and a few enlisted personnel tapped away at their screens, relaying information in real time as the ski-speeders drew near. Their lead was halfway across the field with the first scarlet plume of un-oxidized salt burst into the air, sent skyward by the heavy blast of a TIE fighter.

The command shuttle trembled, shaken by the force of the passing craft.

The speeders twisted away from the hail of blaster fire. Their tight red tracks suddenly twisting in on each other, marring the earth like claws of a confused and desperate beast.

Hux impatiently waited for the farce below him to come to an end.

The AT-AT's let loose their own salvo of blaster fire, cutting down a few frantic speeders as they did.

Desperate, afraid, clinging to some obscure hope that Hux thought useless, two of the ski-speeders banked hard to the side, sending plumes of reddened salt into the air. His view of the field cut off, Hux scoffed at the pathetic attempt at delaying the inevitable.

His TIE pilots seemed similarly unconcerned. Half of them broke away from the scattered skis. Climbing skyward, the TIEs rolled into a wide turn barrel roll that brought them low over the trenches. Strafing the enemy line, they cut through the artillery emplacements without being challenged.

The general glanced at a chrono. They were winning, handily so, but it was all a terrible waste of time.

As the plumes of salt cleared and the general could once again see the field of battle, he found a few scattered craft that continued to carve bloody paths into the planet's surface. One desperate rebel swerved back and forth, trying to flee from the TIEs that would wipe them from this planet.

Then a sudden stream of blaster fire cut three of Hux's TIEs out of the sky.

A wild snarl burst forward from Kylo Ren's mouth before Hux had even bothered to look up, "Blast that ship out of the sky!"

Just barely sparing the effort, Hux glanced skyward to see the Millennium Falcon spinning in and out of his TIE formations.

The general held in a tired sigh, I'm not even surprised at this point.

"All fighters" Hux half-heartedly followed up Ren's command, completely sure that the battle was so totally won that they didn't need the air support.

As the fighters banked off in chase of the freighter, the salt just in front of their cannon began to glow. Melted from the intense heat of the laser, there were only a few bare seconds between the First Order and delivering the killing blow to the Resistance.

The remaining skis began a desperate charge. One, then two of the remaining six craft were cut away. Falling to pieces in a stream of sparks, their remains sent more waves of salt into the sky.

Four craft left.

The monstrous rumble of a laser about to fire shook the ground and air. Three of the small enemy fighters banked to the side, realizing too late that their charge was suicidal.

A single brave ship remained.

Hux scoffed at it, The brave are so ready to die for foolish reasons.

The beam began to form, its deadly heat painting its path in a burning orange. The final ship rode forward through the light. Speeding headlong to its doom. Then, one of the fled ski speeders jutted to the side, diving into the beam's path. Cutting just below the AT-AT's feet, the little pilot crashed into the foolhardy one, both of their doomed ships rolling to the side.

Then came a heavy pulse of light.

Pure plasma burst forward from the cannon, carrying with it the power of a small sun. Just as bright and hot, it would have blinded anyone foolish enough to try and watch it as it streaked over the marred field and bloomed against the rusted durasteel door.

A sudden bone-deep silence settled over the field.

Then a heavy creak and groan grew from the legs of Hux's machines. The all-terrain transports slowly made their way over the dead lands. Slowly made their way to the Resistance's end.

The general was a patient man, and on any other day he would have savored the palpable fear that wafted out of the Resistance's last hiding place, their fortress turned tomb.

But today, he had somewhere much more important to be.

Tapping his foot in annoyance, he silently waited for the command shuttle to glide along. When his troops finally did drift to a stop, they were greeted with such a sad and desperate sight.

Luke Skywalker.

"Stop!" Kylo Ren shouted the word, shaking with rage at the simple sight of an old man. After a breath that did nothing to calm him, Ren added in a growl, "I want every gun we have to fire on that man."

A gunnery officer hesitated for the briefest of seconds, unsure of whether or not he was meant to wait for a second order from Hux. Fearing for his own life and quickly realizing that the general's words had no real power here, the officer relayed the command to the walkers.

A single red beam burst forward from one of the machine's forward lasers. Then another shot came from the side. Then another, and another, and a hundred more until the field was being showered in red; some dull and tired from the ground, and some searing hot and glowing from the laser turrets.

"Do it. More." Ren grit his teeth at the destruction, seeing this as the end of the Jedi that he thought had cursed him. Clenching his fist, he screamed, "More!"

The general waited far too long for the firing to stop, a board though rolling through his head when it didn't, This is a waste of ammunition.

Hux stepped forward, "That's enough." He told the room.

"That's enough!" he shouted with no one having listened the first time. The barrage of lasers ground to a halt, the air below them filled with red dust and black ash.

"Do you think you got him?" Hux hoped that his words showed even a fraction of the resentment coiled within him, "Now, if we're ready to get moving, we can finish this."

The pilot's voice interrupted him, "Sir?"

Ready to lash out at the junior officer that dare to draw this moment out for a second longer, Hux pivoted to the side. But he didn't move as fast as Kylo Ren, who had taken a step towards the view port.

Luke Skywalker stood among the settling dust, straight backed and in perfectly pristine robes. As a clear challenge, the old man flicked away a non-existent speck of dust that clung to his shoulder.

"Bring me down to him." Ren was quick to take the bait, "Keep the door covered and don't advance until I say."

This was pathetic.

"Supreme leader," the title felt bitter when given to Ren, "don't get distracted, our goal-"

A sudden invisible force flung Hux across the cockpit. He clattered heavily against a wall of knobs and levers, ribs popping from their place and the air being knocked out from his lungs as his back crashed against the uneven surface.

Hux's head made a loud crack against the floor as he collapsed in a heap.

By the time he had scraped himself off of the floor, Ren was nowhere to be found in the cockpit.

Barely containing a smoldering rage, Hux limped to the viewport, cursing everything he had ever known about the other man. He hissed in agony and anger that he was made to waste his time on this desolate planet chasing the dregs of a ruined enemy. He barely managed to bite down his most acidic thoughts about the arrogant beast that had stolen the mantle of supreme leader.

These were his machines, his designs, his officers, and his First Order! Every single thing that surrounded Ren -that had been taken by Ren- belonged to Hux. These were his achievements. His hard work. His hopes and his dreams that had been torn from him.

All because the impetuous child couldn't bear to be wrong. Couldn't cope with getting his hands dirty. He'd killed his father in the heat of the moment and his pathetic little mind broke from the strain. Ren had been turned down once. Once! He claimed to be abandoned by someone he didn't even know. Ren was a spoiled brat. A terror and a fool that Hux should have shot when he had the chance.

Hux clutched at his bruised ribs and shook the ringing from his ears.

Ren had left the shuttle to face his uncle directly.

The general tasted blood in his mouth, and he hoped with every fiber of his being that Luke Skywalker would slay Kylo Ren on that salted field.

.***.***.***.***.

Lori didn't believe her eyes.

Luke Skywalker.

The legend, the myth. The man was casually strolling through the gnarled hole that had been blasted into the metal door. Lori was only able to see him once she poked her head up from behind a ruined control panel. As his silhouette became wreathed in the sterile while light from beyond the blast door, Lori felt a sudden tug at her sleeve.

The blast had created a persistent ringing in Lori's ears, though she only became aware of it when she found Brixie trying to say something. Exhausted, pushed beyond panic and into a numbed state, Lori slackly watched as Brixie gave up whatever she had been trying to say.

The medic forced herself to be content that Lori wasn't actively dying like the lieutenant. Nerves frayed by the gaping hole in their defenses and the nagging absence of the rest of the mercenaries, Brixie tried to focus on keeping her patient alive. As she felt for broken bones in his neck, more wounded were being carried in from the battle field.

A few limped in from the trenches, while one was dragged in by her coat.

A fresh series of explosions erupted from outside, the fragile light streaming into the base cast a red hue by the salt thrown into the air. Brixie ducked for cover at the sound, half-heartedly yanking Lori down with her.

Ardis shrieked and Lori only seemed to react to the commotion in her arms.

Tired. Wounded. Near broken from the several brushes with death, drained by the day and the fears and the endless danger, Lori shook and tried to calm her daughter.

"We're going to be okay. It's going to be okay." Lori knew that she was speaking, she felt the fragile words crawling up her dried throat. She saw the baby shrieking, felt her shaking. But all Lori heard was that persistent ringing.

The slight rumble of her mother's voice was reassuring. The absolute exhaustion that had come from the hours long ordeal was also dogging at the little girl. As the blasts from outside began to fade, so too did her cries.

Brixie had paused, a worried breath caught in her throat. Only having the time to spend on a cursory glance to the mother and child, she found Ardis to simply be asleep.

Struggling to let go of the tension that was tightly wound around her, Brixie leaned away from the duo.

This isn't good for them. She thought just before casting a worried look to the panicked base, This isn't good for any of us.

Before the thoughts even had time to fade, there came a fresh shout from the room, "Follow me!"

Twisting to the side, Brixie found Poe calling out, beckoning to everyone who still remained.

He shouted again, this time drawing more and more people to him. Brixie teetered to her feet, scanning the room as she did. As she came to standing, the other rebels had worked themselves into a fervor. Helping limping friends and dragging along the horribly wounded. Brixie found a fragile hope in the excitement, and before she called out a familiar voice came from her side.

Dak came trotting up, clutching at a wound on his shoulder, "Brix! We got to g- what the hell?"

"I'll explain later." She did not have the time as she tried to pull Lori to standing. The other woman just barely managed not to keel back over, grabbing at Dak as she got to her feet.

"Dak?" Lori only distantly remembered Brixie mentioning that he was still alive.

Dak began rapidly switching between squeaking out an apology, while also asking a series of blurred questions. Brixie didn't mind any of it as she began tugging at the lieutenant's limp arm.

Poe had a plan, and she had to believe that it would save them all. Stumbling along, Brixie only made it a few feet before a second familiar voice came from the rapidly emptying room.

"He's First Order, drop him." Lex came forward, his coat stained red and his steps made stiff from a hidden wound.

"He didn't leave Lori, so we're not leaving him." Brixie dragged at the mostly unconscious lieutenant, "Help me!"

Not knowing the first thing about what was going on, but instantly feeling guilty, Dak stepped in. Staying out of Lex's way, he grabbed Mitaka's limp wrist and started pulling alongside Brixie.

Quickly putting the pieces in place, Lex glanced to Lori who still hadn't spoken a word.

"I'm going to regret this." Lex muttered before stepping to the unconscious lieutenant's side and simply tossing the man over his broad shoulders.

Brixie and Dak let go of Mitaka's arms, with Brixie immediately offering support to a battered and confused Lori.

"Go, I'll follow." Lex said from beneath his own wounds and the weight of the other man.

.***.***.***.***.

The Resistance base was empty.

Deserted in haste by fearful people. Like rats, they must have fled from the hound, desperately crawling through decrepit caves in search of a place to hide.

General Hux was flanked by two troopers. They entered an empty room, decades deep blankets of dust clung to every surface, only having been disturbed by recent footprints and a few streaking hand prints on a work station. The troopers went through the standard room clearing procedures, checking for vermin in supply closets and behind control panels. Hux was wordless as he watched them work.

There was nothing here. That much was clear the second they stepped in.

He turned around, his long coat raising slightly at the movement.

They should have been bombing the mountain range from the start. He'd like to see what kind of sorcery would have guided the Resistance through molten stone.

Loose pebbles crunched under his boot. The general only dimly noted a fresh smear of blood behind a charred control terminal in the main room.

At least they're wounded. The need for medicine will draw them out.

He left the contemptible scene behind him. A fresh squad of troopers rushed in as he stepped out, so eager for a fight that they would not find.

The whole planet seemed cased in silence, the disfigured entrance to the base being the only sign of a struggle across all of its white surface. Alone and standing in the cold sunlight, Armitage looked to the clear sky.

Not far beyond the planet's atmosphere hung the Supremacy. Its main portion having moved into the planet's orbit, it couldn't be further away than a typical moon. Beyond the ship's ghostly outline drifted its severed wing.

The jagged triangle grew closer, slowly growing in focus.

They must have launched a series of tug ships, the engines couldn't possibly be operational.

Hux leaned against a solid portion of the melted blast door, another handful of troopers rushed past him.

The silence seeping from the ruined base was palpable. The general didn't mind it as he kept his gaze skyward.

He needed to get back to the Supremacy.

He needed to check on Lori and Ardis.

.***.***.***.***.

Lori was standing. Then running. Then being half way dragged along as all the dry light from the hole in the blast door vanished; swallowed by a hungry cave that she didn't even recognize as such.

The ringing in her ears was a hiss, her legs little more than dead weight. Exhaustion seeped from her bones and slowed even her thoughts.

Dak was there, a familiar face that brought a shattered memory of a backwater bar and a hastily accepted job.

Then there was nothing. A dark tunnel that offered some relief and some primal fear. Lori couldn't move. Her arms might have turned to stone, stuck into a position that held her daughter.

Ringing, then light, then a sudden commotion from a crowd that seemed so much larger just seconds ago.

Mitaka was there, a broken man that pulled forward a jagged memory of a shuttle and an explosion that had torn the life from her.

Lori felt her back hit a wall.

A shuttle? Some crowded place, filled with frantic faces and a suddenly lurching to the side. Lori wasn't sure if or when she stood, but something primal within her clutched Ardis closely as she suddenly fell to the floor, landing hard on her knees.

Something touched her shoulder. Lori's body shook with a sob.

She had taken a knee on the floor, scarce inches from a gunners cradle. Through the transparasteel she saw Crait's scarred surface shrinking to nothing.

Her chance of slipping back to the First Order, shrinking to nothing.

Defeated, broken, shocked into and out of action, Lori tried to bite the sudden grief back.

Brixie held her hand firmly on Lori's shoulder. Despite knowing that Lori couldn't hear her, Brixie she sunk down and cradled her friend, "Shh… It's okay. It's okay, we're safe now."

Lori shook her head, body jolting in anger and fear and so many unamenable things.

She needed to get back to the Supremacy.

She needed to check on Armitage.