Kylo Ren (
conflictedheart) wrote2016-02-10 11:19 pm
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The Hunter and the Hunted
He wasn't certain what was worse - the cold or the burning. Maybe they were feeding into one another, at this point, he wasn't sure. His face and shoulder burned, his side burned, but the rest of him was cold. The snow, a logical part of his mind reminded him, but it was a far away concept right now. It wasn't just his body broken down from the fight against a traitor and a scavenger, not to mention that damned Wookie's blast to his abdomen, but his pride, and his energy, were stripped to nearly nothing.
The planet rumbled around him, a deep bass sound that echoed around in his skull, but even as the ground quaked in the world's death throes, there was no strength left in him to get up and continue. He had given the last of it to that fight, and now he was paying for pushing his body so hard. He would pay with his life, for he knew the planet wouldn't have long.
As the cold started to seep in further, replacing the burning, his mind replayed over what had happened so shortly before, despite everything in him that didn't want to think on what he had done. He had done what Snoke hadn't believed him ready for; he had destroyed the source of the Light that plagued him deep within. Yet... he could not deny what he had felt in those last moments, at the lone truly affectionate touch he had in so many years, at the hand of the father who he had forsaken. Killed. Even as he succeeded, he had failed.
The tear that fell was nothing against the pain of the burn across his face, eyes closed as he waited for the end to come.
The planet rumbled around him, a deep bass sound that echoed around in his skull, but even as the ground quaked in the world's death throes, there was no strength left in him to get up and continue. He had given the last of it to that fight, and now he was paying for pushing his body so hard. He would pay with his life, for he knew the planet wouldn't have long.
As the cold started to seep in further, replacing the burning, his mind replayed over what had happened so shortly before, despite everything in him that didn't want to think on what he had done. He had done what Snoke hadn't believed him ready for; he had destroyed the source of the Light that plagued him deep within. Yet... he could not deny what he had felt in those last moments, at the lone truly affectionate touch he had in so many years, at the hand of the father who he had forsaken. Killed. Even as he succeeded, he had failed.
The tear that fell was nothing against the pain of the burn across his face, eyes closed as he waited for the end to come.
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The taste of failure was sour in his mouth, especially on the heels of such glorious triumph. He'd been at the top of the chain, could feel the heat of the star flaring across his face, the warmth of glory striking him to the bone. Now, even with the Hosnian System destroyed, his own is falling apart. Years of work, of struggle, what was supposed to be a crowning achievement is going up in smoke. Crumbling underfoot, collapsing inward like his own pride.
In a fit of twisted loyalty, he wanted to go down with his base, like a captain and his ship. Instead, he has his orders. Retrieve Kylo Ren and go back to the Supreme Leader, hopefully all in one piece.
His losses weigh on him enough to be numbing as he flags down two troopers, snapping at them to follow him on board a small craft. Once on, he punches in coordinates to where they'll find the stubborn, destructive idiot, tracking system still online even with the destruction around them. Hux manages to keep the troopers from panicking by sheer force of will, his own expression stony and closed off. Quicker than anticipated, he arrives at his destination and through the viewport of the ship, he can tell this won't be pretty. Sharply, he commands the pilot to land, already heading for the exit dock near the side.
"UT-804, with me. I'll need assistance getting Lord Ren onboard." Hux is relatively strong, but not enough to lift a possibly dead weight. Cold air blasts across his face as soon as the door opens and his steps are heavy in the snow. He stops abruptly at the mess named Kylo Ren, brow creasing at the sprawl of his limbs, the dark blood oozing stark against his pale face. Pulling a glove off as he kneels, he checks for a pulse, finding one weak and fluttering under his fingertips. Reaching over, he picks up the damnable lightsaber hilt, setting it atop Ren's chest. With a quick nod, he and the trooper manage to extract the Force user as gently as possible from the snow, hastily ensuring he's set on the regulation medical cot installed at the back of the ship. The ground is starting to quake apart as Hux goes to the door, palm connecting with the button to pull up the landing plank and shut the doors.
"To the Finalizer, TR-418. Radio the ship to let them know of our imminent arrival." Command is followed, he's sure of it as he hears the communication line open with a scratch. Shooing UT-804 to the secondary pilot post, Hux takes over what little first aid he can perform in the cramped space.
"What a pathetic mess."
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His senses slowly came back to him and unpleasantly, that was the first thing he heard past the static filling his ears. Where his eyes open? He wasn't able to discern as all he saw was darkness, but the voice was one he knew. Trusted, to some small degree, though perhaps trusted might have been too strong a word. He had no strength left to fight or even move, so hearing Hux's voice was a minuscule comfort. The First Order had found him, not the Resistance.
He had killed his father. He had failed to keep or bring back the girl. His breath rattled in his throat on those twin thoughts, ache spreading in his chest that had nothing to do with his injuries. Ah- there was the beginning of the light. A spreading white that crawled across his vision second by second. He tried to tell the General to bugger off, to leave him without the realization that without Hux he was likely to die.
What came out of his house was a vague sound that was more of a moan or a mumble that decidedly weren't words.
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When no strike comes, he relaxes by a small measure. The other man's brow is creasing, mouth turning down, eyelids fluttering.
And then there's a low sound, which he guesses were supposed to be words. Hm.
"Don't waste your energy." It's embarrassing. "We'll be onboard the Finalizer soon. Medical staff will be there to hand you off."
Hux realizes he might be talking to someone who could barely understand him. That cut on his forehead is looking worse and worse. Moreover, the blood leaking from his side has him worried.
Thankfully, the journey to the star destroyer is uneventful and quick. Just as mentioned, there's a small contingent of staff from medbay, ready with painkillers and sedatives and a stretcher.
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This time, Hux would eventually get a comlink message from medical. General, there is a... situation is medical. That slight pause only indicating how serious it was, on top of being serious enough to message the General.
It started with his refusing the painkillers, startling medical personal when they started to put the dark warrior under to begin to deal with the worst of the wounds. When one got the courage to try again, he ended up pinned to a wall, listening to Kylo Ren's growl. He had long since learned to deal with pain, to convert it to power that he could use and keep going. No Knight could be titled as such without learning that lesson long ago through their intensive training. The Darkness wouldn't allow it to become a weakness, even as the nature of his body fought back against the logic of his training.
He would finally let them go at the wound on his side, eyes half lidded as he fought within himself not to flinch with any pain that flared up, but the medical team did not look happy about any of this. They were used to troops who knew their place and did as told by medical.
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They're to head towards the Supreme Leader. It will be some time, even making a hyperspace jump.
There's a fluttering of dread in the pit of his stomach as he even thinks about meeting Snoke. This was a failure. He was a failure, on some level. Ren, of course, was the worst off of them all, though that does not give him as much joy as it might've in the past.
Grimacing, he steps onto the command bridge, ensuring everything is proceeding with the minimal amount of chaos possible. And in the aftermath of his life's work being destroyed, he's doing quite well. Dimly, he's aware that he's exhausted, a humming pain of a headache settling behind his eyes. No rest for those who seek glory. Or safety, as it were. Hux is beginning to feel like things are handled, maybe even a sliver of normal when he gets a message from the medical staff.
A situation. Of course.
He leaves Captain Yrin in charge, giving strict orders to stay on course. Furiously, he heads towards where Kylo Ren is likely pitching some kind of fit. Which indeed, on his arrival to medbay, seems to be the case. His anger has only grown and by the time the doors to the Jedi Killer's room slide open, he's ready to murder with a look.
"Lord Ren, would you care to explain why I'm having off-duty medical staff come attend to the on-duty shift?"
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"Because your on-duty shift refused to listen to their patient," Ren all but growled; he was in no mood to deal with the General or anyone else for that matter. His mood was as low as it could have been, as low as any had seen it which had left the medical crew in even more of an anxious state. No one wanted to be killed.
Still, with his upper chest bare, Hux would see that he had been wounded at the shoulder, side, and face along with a surprising amount of older scars - the thin white lines of blade slices, the gnarled white flesh of burns, the ragged lines of questionable origin. A warrior's body, and now one weakened by its injuries.
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Unfortunately that's not the case. Hux is furious with the—in his very important opinion—idiot sitting up in the medical bed. Why does he have to deal with someone who doesn't even want to be attended to? Resisting the urge to roll his eyes (or break something), he stands up a little straighter at the sweeping glare from Kylo Ren.
"On duty staff was following my direct orders." He starts in, expression starting to darken and return gaze particularly icy. "I can see that even in your compromised state you still refuse to, so I'll repeat myself for this occasion: I don't care what your obsession with pain is, let medical do their job or I'll have them knock you out for the duration of our trip."
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"No matter my injuries, how dare you threaten me!" Without the mask, the voice was so very different in its promised threaten in kind, but unlike the calm that Ren liked to try and convey that made his threats so much more likely to stick, this was full of anger as unstable and red as his destroyed lightsaber.
He didn't stand, but his hand did tighten as his breathing picked up.
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Briefly, so briefly, the shocked look on Ren's face is absolutely worth it. There's a strange thrill of triumph. It doesn't last long though and he can feel the beginning of the Force pressing against his throat. A threat if there ever was one.
"If you'd allowed medical to do their jobs to begin with, Lord Ren, I wouldn't need to." The last of his words are strangled, the pressure closing in. Hux can feel the beginnings of panic set in and it's difficult to fight against what his body naturally wants to do.
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Killing Solo had not removed that feeling of the Light within him, and it confused him as much as it enraged him. On top of that, what should have been his greatest triumph had become his greatest failure, and in turn, had been compounded by being defeated by two untrained fools.
Hux had failed as well. Heard through the murmurings of the medical staff, through what he had been able to glean before, the Resistance had won. They had managed to destroy the great weapon of the First Order, but not before it had been fired. It had brought huge destruction to the New Republic, but Ren still thought it a foolish notion all together. They would come together again, angry and ready to fight, instead of merely the Resistance. The two feuding sides might see a more common enemy than each other.
Snoke would not be happy with either of them.
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Clearing his throat, he resumes his imperious stare at Kylo Ren, not willing to be intimidated even in the face of being choked on his own ship.
"Then stop getting to a point where I need to." This is ridiculous. It should be common sense. Cooperate with medical and be on your way. Except that seems to be such a difficult task– he wants to scream. Hux already has enough stress to deal with in the face of Starkiller being destroyed. He's spent what little time he's had to think about his words to Snoke. To consider the best course of action.
He's even gone so far as to think about the repercussions the Force user will be met with. It doesn't seem like either of them will be let off easy. Though, he's mostly concerned with getting out alive. Ren seems to be too valuable to be disposable and it's a fact that grates on his nerves.
My phone tag didn't go through >.< Sorry! Was wondering why there was no response... gdi.
"Tell your staff to go." The voice is nothing more than a growl, edged with exhaustion and tight with pain. "You're not helping, either." Their snarking had always been a form of entertainment while waiting for news on Skywalker or the few Jedi that might remain, but right now everything felt like it was grating on his own last, raw nerve.
it happens to the best of us smh phone behave pls
"Just because you want to suffer tragically does not give you permission to terrorize my staff, Lord Ren." He takes several steps closer to the man, stopping just short of the one side.
"I'm not expecting thanks for dragging you off the collapsing planet when I could've left you there to die, but I would appreciate your cooperation."
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"I'm somewhat surprised you would make the effort," Ren said tightly, though it occurred to him that if Hux had left him to die, Snoke would well know quickly enough and been everything less than pleased. He wouldn't let that comment about suffering get under his skin, he wouldn't-
"It has nothing to do with being tragic!" Too late. "I want my head clear, not muddied up with painkillers." At least he kept it from being a snarl as he watched the red haired General closely.
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For someone who has never been an actual battle, Hux moves quickly, his hand whipping out and curling into the front of Kylo Ren's medical-issue smock. Leather from his gloves creak with the pressure and he leans in, every line in his expression etched with a cold fury.
"Let me make this perfectly clear. I do not care what you want, Lord Ren. Supreme Leader has given me strict orders to bring you to him alive and I will do everything in my power to ensure you're in one piece when you stand before him."
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Pale fingers came up and wrapped brutally tight around the wrist of the hand holding him, holding nothing back as his thumb dug into the soft veins and tight tendons of the underside of the wrist. His words in return matched in tone to the General's, but there was nothing about Kylo Ren that was cold. His anger was always fiery hot, meant to sear and scald and burn in its path. "I have no such orders to make sure you do the same," he said in threat, staring Hux in the eye. His nerves thrummed with the rush of anger-adrenaline, Hux close enough he could make out every detail of his face, smell him as he leaned in to bring their faces closer together.
The cocky little cardinal that had dared to insult him before the Supreme Leader. He would make Hux pay for the loss of face many times over.
gomen this week has been something else
This is who they are. Two men vying for power and a similar goal but disagreeing on the method. Fingers curl around his wrist (he's certain it will bruise) and they dig into flesh, bone. Even if he wanted he can't pull away and he's faced with the scorching fury from Ren.
"Try it and see where it gets you, Lord Ren." They've failed together and if Ren decides he's going to maim or murder him, well, he supposes he'd be spared the disappointment of Snoke. It's fatalistic, he knows– with the destruction of Starkiller, it's difficult to keep his head up.
No worries <3
Yet he had never gone deeper. He wouldn't think of himself with any kind of respect for Hux, no.
"Every man and woman on this ship could rise up in your defense, little General, and that still would be no threat." There was absolute certainty in Ren's threat, one that allowed him to make it without blinking or hesitation. His thumb dug in harder, and his order was as precise as anything Hux had given his troops. "Let. Go." If Hux released his garment, he would release the wrist under his fingers.
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Slowly, he releases the other man, fingers uncurling from the fabric. The dig in his wrist is more noticeable now and he's sure it's going to leave a deep bruise. Figures, can't even get through a conversation with the Force-user without him flying off the handle. This is how he's repaid.
"I suppose if you want to be a masochist about it all. Don't blame anyone but yourself if the pain drives you mad."
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Matching Hux in speed, Ren's fingers release Hux's wrist, feeling the flex of tendons as he does so against his fingers until he drops his hand back into his lap. His tone changes as he does, leaning back against the wall and giving Hux a look that burns under dark curls. "If you think this pain is enough to drive me mad, you are sorely mistaken." No, he has suffered worse in the past, but trying to explain the details to Hux is both fruitless and unwelcomed.
"Have you come to berate me for my lack of pain killers, or is there a reason?" His eyes clearly slide up and down Hux's body, checking the General for any signs of damage. Seems like most likely, the other survived the destruction with minimal issue except for the wound to his pride. Doesn't even sound like a loss of confidence; Ren wonders if his men that remain feel the same.
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Stupid, he's decided.
Kylo Ren is an idiot. A masochistic one at that. If this is something he's supposed to suffer through for his training, Hux finds it to be lacking. He doesn't understand the Force or the Dark Side or all this mystical nonsense. It's precisely that to him: nonsense. As it is, he barely sleeps– he doesn't have time for this.
Some part of him wonders if it's Snoke who demands this of Ren or if the other man has twisted it in a way. Or maybe it's entirely his own way. If it comes from Snoke, he lets the indiscretion slide even less. In order to hone a weapon, one doesn't continually push it to the breaking point. Sharpening a tool takes time and care and effort. There shouldn't be a reason for this.
But then, that's his failing here, isn't it? He's a creature of logic and none of this conforms.
"You were terrorizing my crew, in case you'd forgotten in the last span of minutes. Whatever issues you have, you can take them up with me first. Is that clear?" He has a damn ship to run and re-hiring competent staff is difficult.
"Moreover, I won't have Leader Snoke blaming me for your pain or your possible death from a wound like that."
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Ren snorted rudely, hardly cared. "He will hardly blame you for my pain." No, the blame would solely be on himself. A part of the price of his pathetic failure. "Your medical staff has handled the wound enough. I won't die from it." His head shifted, just enough to run his gaze over Hux again. "Be careful, General. It almost sounds like you were worried."
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Hux resists the urge to shake him.
"The Supreme Leader tasked me with retrieving and bringing you to him, Lord Ren. As you've probably noticed, he doesn't take well to failures." He doesn't mention that he also doesn't allow himself to fail either. Even if most of him wanted to leave Ren in the snow, he's duty bound enough that he never would.
"I'd much rather not swap places and walk in your shoes, in that regard." After all, he's worried about pretty much one thing and that's keeping himself on top of his game. One day, he'll hold more power. One day, he won't have to think about this, won't have to keep checking to make sure Ren hasn't chewed his leash straight through.
(But maybe, maybe he was concerned about the welfare of this person who tries and tries and tries despite the odds being stacked against him).
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"You've retrieved me and are bringing me to him, I presume, so you've followed your commands." Like a dog on a leash, forever bound by the restraints of the First Order and his own pride. Hux was often incredibly predictable in how he would respond to a situation, though he did occasionally manage to catch him off-guard. Maybe that was part of why he enjoyed returning the favor ten-fold.
Still, he watched Hux carefully, then snorted again. "I would be more worried about your own hide." But even the fact that Hux had been sent to collect him was an interesting one, leaving him again with two different possibilities. Either the General's failure had been taken in stride (he imagined still would be punished severely for) or Master Snoke wished to punish him in person. So, cautiously, Ren relented a step. "Neither of us have a place to be envied when we arrive."
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Normal people shouldn't be caught in the pull of the Force. It's not right.
"You even less so." That much was probably true. The scar that runs across Ren's face is proof enough of this, he thinks. "I did what I set out to do. It was a failing of holding back certain members of the Resistance that caused Starkiller to crumble."
His words are delivered near-monotone, no inflection even if he feels the failure sit heavy on his shoulders. But to betray that would mean weakness.
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Beyond the bandage across his face, trying to keep the wounded flesh healing as smooth as possible despite the burn, Ren studied Hux for a time before giving a rude snort. "Really? Is that the line you plan to deliver to the Great Leader? I'm sure he'll take to that concept fantastically well."
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Staring at him flatly, he doesn't even deign to raise an eyebrow for the question.
"Of course not. I don't take issue with being straightforward with all of the reasons, including any that may have come from my oversight." In other words: he takes his responsibility very seriously.
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"Mm." A flat sound, watching the General for a long moment before looking away. "He may call us apart or separately. Privacy or humiliation." The snort that followed said much because he knew it had an almost equal chance to be both as much as either.
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As the other man speaks up, he tries to hold his gaze, to see if there's something he can find there. Some kind of answer. Normally, he's not a very nervous person, but with the veritable blade hanging above their heads, he can't help it.
"Judging from how poor both of our results were. Are. I have doubts he'll be willing to grant us peace through a private session." Humiliation is a driving factor in how much they compete with each other. Suffer enough shame and it roots itself in a strange sort of ambition. Do better than the other, always. Don't go through that all over again. Too bad they're both on the chopping block here.
(He has no illusions that he'll be the one kept, if it comes to eliminating the "weaker link").
"We'll be facing his wrath together, most likely."
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"Unfortunately," Ren murmured with a displeased agreement in his tone, "you're probably correct." Neither would be given that dignity and it would hurt them that much more, drive spikes deep into already wounded egos, even as much as it would give them another push forward... if either of them survived. "Yet..." He hesitated, brows knitting as he became momentarily more thoughtful. "He could have told you to remain and sink with your ship, or left me behind. He chose for us to come to him."
There had to be a reason he wanted them still alive beyond his own dark pleasure in killing them, Ren was certain of it.
Sorry for the confusion
He also knew he was no longer held in high regards by their Supreme Leader and needed to work fast to regain his favor. This had been his project and one he was so ready to use. He had never guessed that the damnable Resistance would find a way to destroy it and blamed a lot of it on the traitor, the storm trooper that went rogue.
He would have had them --the traitor and the girl, but the Supreme Leader had stressed that he only retrieve Kylo. Perhaps, he should have ignored such orders and gotten them as well. Then he could have regained some favor.
Hux walked over to his own desk and looked at his computer screens, studying the new strategies and possible weapons to use. In the end, he deleted everything finding them not worthy. The hours spent on them were wasted.
He decided instead to go pay a visit to Kylo and see how the young man was doing. It hadn't been too long since he had retrieved him and he knew those wounds would take some time to heal. Hux knew that the young man was probably taking the defeat harder then he was and wondered briefly what their Supreme Leader had in store for him.
Hux reluctantly admitted that he got a thrill every time he got the young man riled up knowing that he wouldn't meet the opposite end of the saber. At the same time, he felt that Kylo was the only one who matched his intelligence and wit. He never knew what to expect with their conversations. Was he ever going to openly admit it? No. Instead, he sat down next to the beside where the brooding young man was resting and knew that eventually he would be acknowledged.
Works for me!
Kylo Ren didn't react when Hux first walked in. He was nude from the waist up, with a bacta patch across his shoulder, a long, thin one across his face, and bandages wound around his middle. The normally pale dark warrior was almost grey, but given that he had been as white as the snow around him when Hux had found him, it was an improvement. Without his mask or frayed robes, there was something less impressive about the Knight, but his body still bore the muscles and the vivid scars of a man who had spent many years in training.
The silence grew heavy, becoming a silent contest of who would break it first.
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After battling the silence for a while, Hux gave in and released his hold on Kylo's hand. "You can choose to hide or or do something about it. The man I knew wasn't afraid and could strike terror in anyone's hearts. What I'm seeing now is an empty shell of that person. You can't give up now. We got too much to do. This is just a minor set back."
As he spoke he studied the man before him, hoping to see some kind of signs of life. He wasn't great with being supportive, but he was being straight forward in trying to push him to do something.
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"When did things become 'we'? You have your own goals, pathetically self indulgent ones, and I have my own." Normally, he enjoyed a bit of banter with Hux, but his rage and self-pity was currently boiling just beneath the surface.
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Self indulgent ones?! They were all for the First Order. "What caused part of the minor set back is the fact tat we aren't working together. We're too busy worried about our own goals." Hux curtly replied.
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Oh yes 'Emperor', completely for the First Order. Hrmp. "Our goals are not the same." A snap in his voice, as if Hux hadn't been there for many of his sessions with the Supreme Leader. Already this conversation was starting to vex him. What was Hux getting on about? The fact that they had both failed was miserable. Lost the traitor and the girl, lost Starkiller Base and a large amount of troops.
The only small victory was in the destruction of his foolish father. He would never admit it kept haunting his sleep.
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"I expect you out of here by the end of this week. If you don't listen to what they have to say I will personally supervise what's going on. I will be more then happy to sedate you, if necessary, and it won't be pleasant." Hux warned and continued to speak in a brisk manner.
"No more wallowing in self pity. I will have new strategies and plans set up by then and they will involve us working together whether or not the Supreme Leader agrees."
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He did, however, raise a brow. "Has losing your impressive little toy made you lose all of your senses? That would explain you coming to threaten me and why you'd let your tongue suggest such a thing as going against /his/ choices."
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Loosing his weapon had been a major blow to his ego and he was desperate to try and find control again. He knew that immediately as he uttered those words it would come back to their Leader and he would be reprimanded.
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