KYLO

Kylo stopped. Rey wasn't responding to his touch. But she wasn't objecting either. His hand rested on her waist. Her skin was warm and smooth. He let his eyes travel over her again. She was beautiful. It had been a while since he'd taken the time to bring a girl into his bed. They were usually a lot more responsive than this though, whether willing or putting up a fight, either way he knew they wanted the same thing, he could read their mind after all.

But with Rey, he couldn't tell. She was submitting to him for the first time ever, but it felt more like she was defeated, rather than willing. He didn't usually need to analyze a girl's willingness, when she was already lying half undressed beside him and not objecting. So then why did he feel so hesitant now?

He ran his hand over Rey's stomach and she shivered, still looking out the window and not at him. She'd said she wanted friendship, a kind of intimate connection that he couldn't give her.

"I can't give you what you're asking for," he said finally.

She looked at him then and her searching gaze made him feel too exposed. He looked away.

"Perhaps the pilot," he said. "Or FN2187 can offer you that."

"Friendship, yes. But not this," she replied. 

He was quite certain they'd be more than willing to give her this too, if she asked them. But there was no point in mentioning it, since it was not an option, regardless. Rey was his and his alone. He'd allow her to have friends, if he was feeling generous, but not lovers. Now she was asking him to be both, but that was something he couldn't do.

"You want too much," he said, getting up.

"I don't think I do."

She sounded sad. Kylo got out of bed and grabbed a shirt. He'd forgotten to get the details of tomorrow's departure and find out which crew he'd be flying out with. Hopefully not that Resistance pilot's crew.

"Kylo?" Rey said, as he grabbed clothes from the washroom.

"Get some sleep," he shot back, picking up his lightsaber and mask on his way out. 

He set the door to lock behind him and left. He didn't feel like sleeping anyway.

GENERAL LEIA

"Perhaps you should take some rest," Hux said to General Leia. She sighed and sat down for a moment. Their plan would work. It had to. Although, there were so many things that could go wrong. They had to attack all the space stations at the same time, so the others wouldn't be alerted and be prepared with a counterattack. It had to be a surprise. That would be tricky and they needed a bit more time to plan, but there wasn't any more time.

"I'll see you in the morning, General." Leia got up, her muscles aching. She'd been so engaged in their planning that she hadn't noticed the time pass, nor now tired she was, until she finally stopped to take a break. At least they'd found a planet to set up their base on. It was made almost entirely of an alloy which could scramble all scan readings and would keep them cloaked from the Ruling Order while they were there. Unfortunately, the atmosphere wasn't suitable for humanoids, but they could land their ships and simply have their gatherings onboard them.

She headed for the door then remembered what she'd wanted to ask Hux.

"Tell me," she said, turning back. "Who were your parents?"

Hux hesitated for a moment. He looked tired as well, and slightly less composed than usual.

"My father was Commandant Brendol Hux. I didn't know my mother."

"So she left you with your father, claiming that you were his child."

Hux frowned and Leia immediately regretted her choice of words. Her tiredness was making her less tactful. She turned to leave again but her curiosity got the best of her. She had to know.

"Do you have any children, General Hux?"

"Children?" Hux smirked. "No. Of course not."

"And, you've never had... a lady friend?"

Hux blinked, the only indication of his surprise at her words. "If you mean someone I wanted to spend my life with in some sort of union, then no."

"How about just one night?"

This time Hux did look surprised and Leia held back a chuckle. First Order commanders were so easily embarrassed. "I was just curious if you knew a young lady named Genevive."

Hux's jaw dropped and he quickly closed it. "I hadn't realized my brief relations with women were public knowledge."

"They're not, but I think you just answered an important question for me."

"Has she contacted you?"

"No. I'm sorry to say she died in a fire, at the Jedi Temple. The one my son burned down."

Hux looked confused. "Why was she there?"

"She was there to see Luke."

"Luke?"

"She knew of your mother. Her mother worked with her as a kitchen maid." Leia stopped, her mind reeling.

"She never told me about this," Hux said.

"No, I suspect she kept a lot from you." Leia shook her head. "A conversation for another time. We have a lot on our plate for tomorrow as it is. I'll see you in the morning."

"Until then," Hux said.

"Good night." Leia walked down the dark halls, her tiredness already forgotten. She had to talk to Ben.

HUX

"Your Supreme Leadership?" Hux said, barely concealing his surprise at seeing Kylo Ren in the elevator. "You're up quite early."

"I didn't sleep," Kylo replied through his mask. Hux couldn't tell if he was angry, tired or in a good mood, if such a mood were possible for the Supreme Leader.

The hum of the elevator grew louder as they passed each floor on their way down. The ship had landed on the unnamed planet they'd chosen for their base, only ten minutes ago. Hux had managed to get five hours of sleep before he'd been woken and notified that they'd arrived. Word had already spread throughout the Galaxy of their unified front against the Ruling Order and a fleet of Space Pirates, along with other vagabonds and survivors of the attacks, had come to join the fight. They were already on planet and waiting for Hux's speech that morning. He loved a large audience. 

The elevator door opened, but Kylo Ren didn't step out. Hux moved to step around him, eager to get to the gathering space of their newly acquired Eclipse-class dreadnought, stolen and now donated to them by the Space Pirates, where he would be giving his speech. Kylo blocked his way and Hux's jaw tensed.

A group of officers made their way to the launch bay, their conversation drifting down the hall and into the elevator. They were headed toward the shuttles that would take them to the dreadnaught for the morning meeting, where Hux was trying to get to as well. 

Hux frowned. He wanted to be there before everyone else arrived. Now that the Space Pirates and others had joined alongside them, he'd have to go over his speech and change it a bit to include them.

But Kylo was blocking the way. He closed the elevator door with a wave of his hand.

"I spoke with General Leia," he said in his monotone, metallic voice.

Hux held his breath. The elevator suddenly felt like it was closing in on him. Would Kylo try to kill him, right then and there? He had his lightsaber. All Hux had was a power he didn't understand. Had he overstepped his bounds by working so closely with Kylo's mother? He didn't dare say anything as he waited for Kylo to continue.

"Hux," he finally said, his breathing audible through the mask he wore.

"Yes?... Your Supreme Leadership?"

"Luke..." Kylo said. "Was your father."