Author's Note: Hi guys! So I know that some of my plot twists are not necessarily in line with SW canon but I hope you can enjoy the possibilities of all that could be, in a Star Wars world with limitless potential ^_^ And for those of you reading my TFA prequel, please note it is not directly related to this story, my three fanfics are separate, which is kind of important for my prequel, because in that one Kylo and Hux are not cousins lol. Anyway, thanks for reading!!! And now onto today's segment...

REY

"You look very... determined today," Poe says to me with a curious look in his eyes.

I lift my chin. "I'm heading to the Otomok System today."

Poe reaches across me to push the elevator button and my breath catches as he leans in. What's wrong with me? Is the unfinished business Kylo Ren started with me last night making me hypersensitive to Poe being close?

"I hate him," I say, not meaning to say it out loud.

"Is it safe to assume that you're referring to Kylo Ren?" Poe asks.

"It is very safe to assume that," I respond.

Poe bounces on his feet, full of pent up energy. I wonder if he could even sleep last night, with all the excitement of today's upcoming battle. I smile. He lives for this kind of thing, having a mission, going to war, saving the Galaxy. I managed to sleep about five hours, having passed out from physical and mental exhaustion. Kylo Ren never came back, thank goodness. I wrap my arms around myself now, remembering what occurred before he left. Did last night really happen?

"You alright?" Poe asks.

"I'm okay."

He doesn't pursue it any further and I'm grateful. Kylo Ren's words still haunt me, you're nothing, but not to me.

"I am not nothing," I whisper. With or without Kylo Ren, I still have worth.

Poe's grin fades and he sets his hands on my shoulders. "Rey," he says. "Why would you ever think that you're nothing?"

I shake my head. "Sorry."

"It's because of Kylo Ren, isn't it? He's a lying sociopath. You can't listen to anything he says."

Poe lets go of my shoulders and clenches his fists at his sides. "If it weren't for Hux and General Leia, I wouldn't be fighting alongside the First Order."

"Hux?" I ask, surprised.

Poe adjusts his jacket. "He's not as irrational as I'd first thought. He seems... logical."

I laugh and Poe smiles, trying to turn away so I don't see it. The elevator door opens and we step out and head down the hall.

A little boy in a sergeant's uniform walks towards us, followed by BB-8 and another round robot of the same shape and size. For a second, it's as though I'm seeing a childhood version of Hux, his hair combed back and wearing a First Order uniform; maybe because we'd just been talking about him, but the resemblance is a bit uncanny. Then I realize it's Temiri, the Force sensitive boy from Cantonica, who I once thought was my brother. When he sees Poe his face lights up.

"Hey bud!" Poe says, spreading his arms wide. "Look at you! Looking good! And BB-8!" Poe gets down on his knees to greet his robot buddy, drawing the attention of a group of officers passing by at the end of the hall.

"He's all fixed now!" Temiri says.

I step back, letting them talk to BB-8 and watching their playful conversation. Yesterday the small scene would have made me sad, as though I was on the outside again, but now it warms my heart to see it. Something has changed. Kylo's rejection to us having a friendship hurt, maybe it was intended to. Maybe it was his way of taking advantage of my lifelong need for acceptance, but it did the opposite. I'd had enough.

"Rey!" Poe says, standing up. He puts his hand on my shoulder and holds his other hand out to Temiri. "Meet Temiri, grandson of the great Luke Skywalker."

Temiri stands straighter, his expression becoming serious. I hold back a smile, not wanting to make light of his proud stance at this introduction.

"Very nice to meet you, young Skywalker," I say. The words cause a lump in my throat and I suddenly feel sad. Luke should have had the chance to meet him. Life is so fragile, so easily snatched away. I hold out my hand to Temiri and he looks at it, as though unsure what to do.

"It's a handshake," Poe says, but before he can continue, the elevator door down the hall opens and Kylo Ren steps out. I step away from Poe and his hand slides off my shoulder.

BB-8 and the other robot roll out of the way for Kylo to walk past. He takes long strides, ignoring us, his head facing forward and cloak trailing behind him. I can't see his face behind his mask. My heart races, as though my blush alone will expose to everyone what happened between us last night. But Kylo says nothing to me as he passes by, his cloak hitting BB-8 who shakes his little head in protest.

Hux follows after, walking slower and with a distressed expression on his face. He doesn't even seem to notice we're there, but then he stops. His eyes land on Temiri and he takes in a sharp breath, as though stricken.

"General Hux," Poe says. "Ready for the big speech?"

Hux doesn't look away from the boy and makes no indication that he's heard Poe. Temiri stays against the wall to let him pass, and keeps his eyes down. I tense. Why did Hux stop? He's taller than I realized, taller than both Poe and I. We exchange a glance at this odd behavior. Then, without a word, he walks away and disappears around the corner.

I let out a breath. "That was weird," I say, at the same time as Poe says. "What was that about?"

Temiri takes Poe's hand. "Can we take the same shuttle together, to the other ship?" he asks.

"Of course," Poe says. "I wouldn't want to go to the send-off speech for the most important mission of all time, without my two wingmen," he says.

"Me and BB-8?" Temiri asks.

Poe takes my hand, still facing Temiri. "Yes," he says. "Now let's go save the Galaxy."

His grip on my hand is tight and I blink back tears of gratitude. Kylo Ren was wrong. I'm not nothing. I'm just like everyone else, Temiri, Poe, even Hux, trying to do my best in the place I'm in. We're all connected and we're all part of a whole, one that we're too small to understand; connected through the Force. We head to the launch bay together. We'll make it through this. Together we'll win this war.

HUX

Hux took a moment to control his breathing. They were all gathered down below now, representatives of all the groups that had assembled here from across the galaxy; commanders, pilot captains, officers and generals. For the first time ever, he felt unsteady before an important speech. His hands trembled slightly.

There were a few others with him in the small room, which opened up to the stage overlooking the gathering area below. The leaders of the remnant of the galaxy were down there, waiting for his address, but he couldn't think straight, not after what Kylo Ren had told him.

"Ben told you, didn't he?" General Leia's voice broke Hux's reverie. It took him a moment to connect the words and make sense of them. She set her hand on his arm and he flinched, not accustomed to being touched.

"Genevive came to the Temple to see Luke, claiming that he had a son which he knew nothing about, a son who'd been given away because his mother did not want the boy to be involved in wars and Jedi training, a son whose child she claimed to be carrying, Luke's grandson.

"He wasn't sure whether to believe this young woman," General Leia continued. "But the timelines lined up to when he'd once fallen in love. Then the girl died in the Temple fire, or so we thought. She had been in the Temple at the time the fire broke out. 

"We promised never to speak of it, because we had no way of knowing for sure if the girl's claims were true. Luke believed he lost his daughter-in-law and his grandchild that day, along with his only chance of finding out who his son was, a son he never knew existed. So he went into hiding.

"I know this is all a bit overwhelming. But there are ways to check bloodlines and matches for these sorts of things."

Hux took a seat on a nearby bench, and General Leia leaned in and gave him a hug. He didn't push her away, nor did he hug her back. He let his Aunt hug him. She was surprisingly frail, her aging body as fragile as he felt inside at that moment.

"You're a good general," she said, pulling back to look at him. "Now let's tell these people we're going to win this war."

Hux nodded, unsure of what to say.

"General Hux," the official from Fort Anaxes said. "We're ready for you to make your address to the crowd."

Hux got up. The crowd outside of the room was quieting down as the announcer made the opening introductions. Hux couldn't remember who the man was, and he couldn't focus on his words. He waited for his introduction and when he heard his name he stepped out. There were no applause, just silence. They were all still skeptical of the First Order's sudden intergalactic alliance with them.

General Leia stepped out too, alongside Hux, and they approached the podium together. Everyone watched him. The open space below was so quiet could hear his own breathing, his own heartbeat.

"Today," he began, clearing his throat, "marks a new era in the history of the Galaxy."

He looked out over the crowd, so many faces of all kinds. He was used to addressing a sea of stormtroopers whose faces and expressions he couldn't see. But these people represented the many planets and cultures spread across the galaxy. There should have been more than this. How many civilizations had been wiped out already by this robot army?

For the first time, Hux was truly moved at such a loss. His awaking Force sensitivity was making him feel too much. He avoided using his powers, afraid that each time he did, they would stir things like empathy and despair inside of him, which were not only inconvenient but made him feel unbalanced and unfocused. But it also made him feel a righteous anger that he wasn't familiar with, one that flooded him now as he saw the remnant below.

"The First Order," he said, his voice stronger now. "The Resistance. The Space Pirates and every remaining system across this galaxy, have come here to unite in the battle against this new threat to us all."

There was a stirring in the crowd and Hux felt their need to be lead and be given permission to hope, to be assured of their victory in the end.

"It is not by one super weapon," he continued. "Nor by one military regime alone, that we will fight and win this war, but together, with strategy, stealth and bravery.

"Today will be the end of the plague which has spread across our galaxy, destroying your home planets, killing every living being regardless of their station in life, alliance or planetary race. This 'Ruling Order,' as they have named themselves, these mindless machines and robots, do not discriminate in their destruction and massacre across the galaxy. And now, the First Order also does not discriminate in its alliance, with all who want to fight back."

There was a scatter of applause and some cheers. Hux had their attention now. Their tired eyes were becoming more hopeful.

"We have come together as one, to win this war, a war unlike any in all of time and space, a war to save our Galaxy. Together we will bring an end to this corruption that has shattered not only the order and structure of our lives, but destroyed entire planets formed millions of years ago, throwing our Galaxy into chaos. Today, we fight back! And we will succeed!"

The crowd cheered and the sound filled Hux with more emotion than he'd never felt before. He was proud of the bravery of this new alliance, not because they were perfect and capable as storm troopers, but because they were willing, despite all the odds. Maybe this was what he'd always wanted. Not the way Snoke had ruled over the Galaxy, a dictator lording his rule over resistant masses that had no choice but to comply, but like this; a leader ruling with other commanders, over all the systems coming together as one mighty power.

He turned to General Leia and nodded, then stepped away from the podium so she could step forward. The crowd became quiet again.

"You heard my Nephew," General Leia said proudly. "Let's crush this Ruling Order once and for all!"

The crowd roared and Hux had never felt more powerful in his life.