004. THE SCAVENGER AND THE GENERAL

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THE EX-GENERAL'S EYES FLASHED OPEN AND HE GASPED FOR BREATH AS HE FLOUNDERED IN THE SAND WHILE CLUTCHING HIS CHEST. Only once the beating of his heart had returned to a normal rhythm did he start to pay attention to his surroundings. The dunes of sand went on for every direction he looked, like some beige eternal hellscape. The only change of color was the pillar of black smoke originating from somewhere beyond the closest dune.

"Miss Dangir..." he whispered, his face going pale. He scrambled to his feet, sprinting over the large dune—losing his footing more than once. More and more debris from the crashed TIE fighter appeared the closer he got to the source. His panic only grew stronger when the vessel was in range: smoking and on fire. "Dangir!"

He found what he believed to be her arm, hanging from the shattered viewport. He reached out, giving the leather sleeve a firm tug, yet that's all it was. He fell back onto the ground, holding only her leather jacket as a reminder of the rebel he'd escaped with. He grew more frantic, rising back to his feet before searching for a way through the heat and smoke.

"Koria!" he called out, yet there was no reply to his desperate cry. The ground beneath his feet shifted and the TIE began to sink beneath the sand waves. The quicksand of the sinking fields devours everything, forcing Hux to realize that if he didn't move it would consume him too. He scampered and stumbled back, still calling out to the pilot as if there was still some hope she had survived. "Koria!"

Seconds passed and the ship was gone. Hux's breath was heavy as his chest heaved. He'd just lost the one person who might actually help him survive, and she'd stranded him on a dustball that the First Order had already infiltrated. He was snapped out of his self-pity as an explosion erupted from below, shooting sand and the remaining debris everywhere.

He jumped back, clutching his chest as if one more surprise might give him a heart attack. He was disoriented with no direction of where to go to seek civilization. He was exhausted from his little escapade that had severely lacked the substance of a real plan. He was terrified as his paranoia had spiked to an all time high, believing that hidden behind each dune was a First Order trooper just waiting for him. And above all else he was utterly alone with no allies to trust, nor anyone as desperate enough as himself to offer help.

With no hope of survival remaining put, he spun in a circle with a finger extended and stopped when his intuition called out to him. Now his intuition had never been astounding when it came to direction, but it was all he had left in the galaxy aside from the course linen on his back.

And as the sun beat down from above, perhaps that was even too much. The First Order uniforms were meant to appear neat and orderly. They were military issued, but hardly meant for fighting as few leaders had actually experienced combat. They were strategists who had earned their place either as a birthright or proving they had the wit to lead armies. Now covered in sweat and sand, the cloth itched against the back of his neck and only weighed him down as he trudged through the dunes seeking civilization.

Begrudgingly, he removed his outer coat, gloves, and the top layer of his uniform shirts—leaving a trail behind him in the sand. As the rebel's leather flight jacket was actually much cooler than his military garb, he held it over his head to shield himself from the blazing sun.

With every step he took, he felt as if little progress had been made. None of his surroundings ever changed. No sign of life ever appeared. So as he lifted his head from the grains of sand and his eyes strained at the sight of an outpost in the valley below, he almost believed it a mirage. It was only after he lost his footing and rolled down the dune leading to the outpost—waking him back up to reality—that he realized he wasn't dreaming. He would've released a cry of victory if his parched throat wasn't sealed shut. With renewed vigor, he climbed back to his feet and sprinted toward the glorious sign of civilization.

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DB-17 DROPPED DOWN INTO THE SAND, FOLLOWING AFTER SETH AS THE SCAVENGER LUGGED ANOTHER SACK OF FOUND SUPPLIES TOWARD THE NIIMA TRADING OUTPOST. The droid released a few depressed chirps, causing the scavenger to set down his sack and turn back toward the rolling ball with empathy.

"Don't give up," he encouraged. "They still might show up. Whoever it is you're waiting for. Classified. I know all about waiting."

DB chirped a question, asking what the scavenger had meant.
        
"It's been so long I've forgotten," Seth admitted, shrugging away his own disappointment. "But either they'll come back for me or I'll have saved up enough to get off this dust ball on my own. One day... Come on."

The scavenger tried to force a smile, but struggled. He asked himself these questions on the daily, excusing the behavior of those who abandoned him with similar thoughts. Perhaps they'd simply forgotten about him just as he failed to remember them. What hurt the most was knowing that aside from the hope of these what-ifs was the truth that he'd been purposefully left behind and discarded. If there was anyone out there looking for him, they would have already found him. With a hidden sigh, he readjusted the sack over his shoulder and continued toward the trading post. DB-17 followed with a short series of beeps.

As Unkar Plutt reviewed the goods, he glanced down at the droid at the scavenger's side before a look of disinterest twisted his features. "These five pieces are worth... Let me see here... One half portion."

He frowned and his eyes widened with alarm. He wasn't one to normally complain, but he knew when he was being cheated past what was considered fair. "Last week they were a half portion each."

Unkar Plutt only shrugged as if to say that business was business; however, there was an additionally greedy undertone to his voice as he raised a separate question. "What about the droid?"

Seth's brow twisted with confusion, "What about her?"

"I'll pay for her," Unkar Plutt explained. He paused with a grunt before slamming several full portions onto the counter. They began to slip down over the side as he announced the amount, "Sixty portions."

Seth was stunned. His stomach growled as he rushed to the counter side, pulling the ration packets close before the cheap trader could rescind the offer. He only paused as DB chirped with concern down at his side. Guilt pulled at the strings of his heart. He couldn't find it in himself to do the very same thing that had been done to him all those years ago. He slowly shook his head, pushing the portions back as he stepped away.

"Actually... the droid's not for sale." Seth took only the half portion then glanced down at the droid with a soft smile. "Come on."

As the scavenger turned his back, he could feel the rage simmering from Unkar Plutt. Seth couldn't help the smug smile of satisfaction that crossed his lips knowing that he had something the alien wanted and would never get. The brief taste of power was electrifying, but he didn't let it distract him. It only made him more aware of his surroundings as he understood how the society of Jakku. Because if it wasn't possible to buy the thing of desire, no one was below stealing it.

However, Seth hadn't expected Plutt to try anything so soon. The moment that he and DB stepped foot inside the market place, they were approached by a pair of the trader's thugs—brainless muscle that reaped the benefits of their strength.

"Derru. Garm." Seth greeted the thugs, protectively taking a step in front of DB. "Was there something else Unkar Plutt needed?"

"We'll be taking that droid off your hands now," Garm said. It wasn't a question, but more of a fact they believed Seth would be unable to change.

DB chirped nervously, rolling back further behind Seth. However, it did little to prevent the thugs from attacking. Derru pulled a net from behind his back, draping it over DB while Garm grabbed Seth's arm to pull him out of the way.

Seth thrashed and kicked out his legs, trying to free himself as Garm lifted him by the front of his shirt so that his feet no longer touched the ground. The unwanted feeling of vulnerability invited rage and desperation to creep into the scavenger's core.

The metal urns for sale at the next stand over began to shake despite remaining untouched. After a few seconds of clinking, they fell to their side as if pushed by the wind. It was enough to distract Garm and the thug loosened his grip, allowing Seth to land a devastating kick to the groin. The thug released a whined breath before slumping to the ground.

Derru jumped in to attack where his partner had left off, but Seth had regained his footing enough to defend himself. The scavenger avoided the first two punches before snatching his quarterstaff which had fallen to the ground during the original tussle. He blocked the third incoming punch before taking his opponent's advantage and moving to the offensive. The skirmish was over once Derru fell to the ground beside Garm, equally as unconscious.

Seth exhaled to catch his breath and still the beating of his heart. He wiped away the beads of sweat that dotted his forehead then brushed the curly mess of dark hair from his eyes before throwing back the net which had covered DB.

"Are you alright?"

DB rolled her head as if to nod with a short series of beeps. The droid froze though as her eye focused on an individual behind Seth with a less than inconspicuous lean. Seth's brow furrowed as he turned to see what had caught the droid's attention.

The only being that looked out of place was the ginger staring right back at them. His hair was matted to his face with sweat and it was evident he was far from native as his fair skin had already begun to burn.

DB went insane, beeping and chirping in panicked tones which Seth almost couldn't interpret. He tried to get her to slow down, only understanding every other word. "Who? Him?"

DB chirped to confirm that he understood properly. Seth bristled. He'd already fought off two of Unkar Plutt's droids, surely this gangly man he could handle. Without much additional thought, the scavenger charged. It took a moment for the ginger to recognize that the scavenger was approaching to confront him. And sensing that Seth had no intention of stopping, he sprinted off through the marketplace tents with a look of abject horror painted on his face.

Only Seth knew these markets better than any foreigner and quickly cut him off, slamming the stranger to the ground with his quarterstaff. The scavenger pressed the staff against the other man's chest as if threatening him. "What's your hurry, thief?"

"What? Thief?" the ginger sounded outraged as he tried to get back onto his feet. Seth jabbed his quarterstaff against the man's chest while DB rolled up to his side, shocking the accused thief with one of her welding arm telescopes. "Ow!"

"The jacket!" Seth reiterated. "This droid says you stole it!"

"I've not stolen anything!" the man protested. "I'm pretty sure I've just endured the worst day of my life, so I'd appreciate it if you'd stop accusing—Ow! Would you stop that?!"

DB had elected the shock the man once more, refusing to believe his lies when she knew who the jacket's owner was.

"Where'd you get it?" Seth asked. "It belongs to her master."

The thief looked between Seth and the agitated droid. He appeared just as confused as they did before a look of realization crossed his features. He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose before trying to explain the situation in which he'd found himself. "It belonged to Koria Dangir. That was her name, correct?"

DB chirped with surprise, rolling back an inch—which Seth interpreted as an invitation to let the thief continue his explanation.

"She was captured by the First Order. I helped her escape but our ship crashed," he explained. He shuddered with hesitation and his voice cracked with an empathy that almost sounded unfamiliar. "Dangir didn't make it."

DB released a low, depressed hum before slowly rolling away.

"Look, I tried to help her," he insisted. "There was nothing left that I could do..."

Seth's features softened as he watched how upset the small droid had grown. He slowly turned his head back toward the thief, looking him over. A spark flickered in his eyes—a moment of eager hope. "So you're with the Resistance?"

Several emotions flashed across the other man's face before he quickly nodded his head. "Obviously. Yes. I am. I'm with the Resistance."

Seth studied him as if he didn't fully believe him. However—after a moment of tense silence—the scavenger lowered his staff and helped the man back to his feet. "I've never met a Resistance fighter before."

"General," the man corrected, perhaps a slip of the tongue with the way he almost tried to backtrack before reaffirming what he'd said. "I'm a general."

Seth's eyes widened and his smile grew larger. "Then you must know all about DB-17's secret mission."

The general nodded his head, absently checking their surroundings as if he believed they were being watched. "Apparently she's carrying a map that leads to Fulcrum, and everyone's after it."

Seth's brow furrowed with confusion. "Fulcrum? What's a fulcrum?"

"Who, not what," the general corrected again. It was almost like a favorite pastime with how often he was beginning to do so, a trait that somewhat irked the scavenger. "Fulcrum is an old rebel spy that supposedly knows the whereabouts of the last Jedi."

"The Jedi?" Seth's confusion turned to elation. "I thought they were all but a myth anymore."

DB had apparently slipped out of her depressive state as she began beeping madly about something she'd detected.

"And what's wrong with your droid now?" the general asked with exasperation creeping into his tone—either that or paranoia that she might turn and shock him again.

Seth didn't reply. He moved to the droid's side, peeking around the tent corner. The general also moved closer, rolling his eyes as if bothered by the inconvenience. His frustration didn't last long though as his face paled the moment his eyes focused on the pair of stormtroopers speaking with Unkar Plutt's thugs. Said thugs pointed in their direction without hesitation.

"I think we should go—" Seth's words caught in his throat as he turned to see that the general had abandoned them, sprinting through the marketplace as if only his own life was worth preserving. It was only after several laser blasts ripped past him and DB that Seth considered running too.

He and DB quickly caught up to the general, proving that they were more conditioned for the sudden outburst of action as the general gasped with every breath he took.

"What the hell?!" Seth questioned, his features twisting with outrage. They briefly paused their escape while concealed behind another tent. "You just left us behind?!"

The general took a deep breath, gasping as if he'd never run a day in his life. "I assumed you would be smart enough to follow. What did you want me to do? Take your hand? That would only encumber both of us and slow one another down."

"A simple warning would've been appreciated," Seth retorted. "Maybe a 'Hey, they're going to shoot at both of us' or 'Run for your life'."

"What did you expect?" the general scoffed. "They saw you with me. You're marked."

Seth frowned. "Well, thanks for that!"

"I'm not the one who chased you down with a stick!" the general snapped. "Now do you have anything useful on you like a blaster?"

Seth shook his head, opening his mouth to speak, but the general held out a hand to keep him quiet. The general's pallid face paled even more—if that were possible—then he took the scavenger by the hand and pulled him away from the tent where they had sought refuge. Several alarms blared as if warning them of a greater danger to come.

Although the general had started in the front, Seth proved himself to be faster and took the lead. Overhead, a TIE fighter screamed into view, firing down on them without hesitation. The sand behind them kicked up with a large explosion, taking the ground out from under their feet. Debris and scrap parts flew at least fifty feet into the air... and they flew further forward.

Seth's vision blurred as he pulled himself back onto his feet. A chill gripped his heart with a memory that was trying to pry itself free. He'd heard the screech of those vessels more than once before but never here on Jakku. He'd heard them somewhere much darker and much colder... a place that instilled fear and preyed and the darker side of his emotions. A place of pain...

"Hey! We need to go!" the general snapped, shaking him out of his thoughts. However, the ginger paused and a genuine look of concern flickered across his face—as if he either understood or had experienced those memories wrestling with the scavenger's conscience. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah..." Seth's voice cracked. He nodded his head, blocking off those thoughts—allowing them to be his problem another time. He extended his hand. "Follow me."

Even though he'd previously taken his hand, the general was hesitant. Rolling his eyes with a short huff, Seth took the general's hand anyway and continued their sprint before any additional complaints could be voiced.

They crossed beneath the arches of the spaceport where Unkar Plutt had locked away several ships which had unpaid debts and fees. A second TIE fighter had joined the first and together they dive-bombed after the insurgents.

"We can't outrun them!" the general shouted.

Seth pointed toward a parked, four-engine ship at the end of the port. "We might in that quad-jumper!"

"Aren't you forgetting something?" the general asked.

"What?"

"We need a pilot!"

"I'll figure it out!" Seth called back over his shoulder. He might not have been professionally trained, nor did he have much experience; however, he was observant. The pilots that drowned their problems in liquor at the bar liked to talk. He'd listened to enough flight speech to pick up one or two things. He might not understand everything, but he knew enough to get the scrap metal of Plutt's shipyard up into the skies.

"That's hardly reassuring!" the general hollered back.

"Well I'm the best shot we've got unless you feel comfortable going back to look for one!" Seth countered.

"Well, what about that ship?" the general gestured to one of the larger vessels off to their right.

Seth wrinkled his nose. "That one's garbage!"

"All of these ships are garbage!" the general snapped. "Just pick the closest one so we can get out of here!"

"We need a ship that stands a chance against those TIE fighters!" Seth hollered back. DB emitted a high-pitched whine of warning, but it was little too late as the TIEs passed overhead and blew up the jumper in a huge ball of flames. Seth blinked. He then switched gears, turning back toward the ship he'd initially dismissed. "The garbage'll do!"

They boarded the Corellian model freighter without delay, scrambling to get the vessel up and running before they too met the fate of the demolished jumper. Seth slammed his fist against one of the controls and the ramp behind them closed as he raced toward the cockpit.

"Gunner's position is down that way!" Seth called out, gesturing vaguely down the hall.

"You want me to figure out how to operate the weapons system?" the general's brows knit together as if he were incredulous to be ordered around.

Seth nodded his head. "It's either that or fly. And considering you insisted we needed a pilot, I'm going to assume you don't know how."

"I don't know how to operate this weapon system either!" the general countered.

"Well, I trust you'll figure it out," Seth replied with little care as he made his way toward the cockpit. DB rolled around Seth's feet, following the scavenger to the cockpit as if there wasn't really a choice to be made. Once he arrived, he tossed his quarterstaff aside then slid into the pilot's seat. He frantically flipped a few switches, but he quickly realized how limited his knowledge of the ship was. He took a breath to still his nerves. "I can do this."

He bit the edge of his lip, debating which switch to flick next as one wrong move would certainly end whatever thrown-together-escape-plan they were initiating. DB chirped and he sighed with appreciation. "Thanks... I knew that."

He, in fact, did not know that, but the charade of false confidence was getting him over the otherwise freezing fear. He'd take all the help he could get. He pulled the yoke and the engine whined with life. A few more guided moments of instruction and the ship slowly rose into the air before wildly taking off at an unanticipated speed.

The fighters were quick on their tail, pursuing relentlessly. However, the general was quick to correct the scavenger's mistake of taking for the skies, shouting instruction from the gunner position. "Stay low!"

"Why?" Seth questioned.

"Stay low!" the general repeated. "Stay low! It confuses their tracking!"

"Alright!" the scavenger agreed. "I'm going low!"

Acting on a gut feeling, Seth released the yoke. He stretched over to the co-pilot controls—reaching almost out of his own range to flick another pair of switches before returning to the yoke. The ship stabilized after a moment, but not before the general voiced his displeasure with a frightened shout.

The ship banked upward in a dramatic arc, flipping upside down before swooping perilously low across the sand. The TIEs screamed as they flew past, but not without creating some damage. The ship rocked as the laser blasts careened against the side paneling.

"What are you doing back there?" Seth called over his shoulder. "Are you ever gonna fire back?!"

"I'm working on it! This system is more complex than most!" the general sounded off-balanced as if he were sitting on one of those mechanical bucking happabore found in the marketplace bars. "Are the shields up?"

Seth strained, reaching for the switch that he hoped would turn on the shields. Said switch turned on the interior lights. "Not so easy without a co-pilot!"

"Try sitting in this thing!" the general countered. The ship rocked with another blast. "If you can't get the shields up, at least find cover!"

"A little help, please, DB?" Seth requested. He then continued shouting to be heard. "We're about to get some!"

DB rolled down the corridor to locate the nearest plug-in. Unfortunately Seth interpreted the action as the droid abandoning him. Acting on instinct was only getting him so far, frankly it was a miracle they were even in the air.

The ship took another hard bank, grazing the nearby rock formation before zooming toward the ship graveyard ahead. Laser fire from their own ship narrowly missed the TIE fighters, forcing Seth to considerably question the skills of the general. However, he did eventually hit something as one of the TIEs screamed on its descent from the sky before crashing on the sand below.

"Nice shot!" Seth congratulated the general.

"I'm getting pretty good at this!" the general seemed to congratulate himself.

"Don't get cocky!" Seth replied. "There's still one more."

The ship slalomed through the massive wreckage, grazing the old ships as they flew by. A lucky shot from the TIE fighter connected with the lower turret. It jammed up with no sign of loosening anytime in the near future. The internal alarms blared while smoke hissed around them.

"The cannon's stuck in the forward position, I can't move it!" the general announced. The ship rocked both from the enemy fire and the brief collisions with their surroundings. "You're going to have to lose him! But I'm sure if that fighter doesn't take us out, you're doing a fine job yourself!"

Seth grit his teeth and set his jaw, muttering a few choice words under his breath before taking a breath to calm himself. His mind raced as he sought a solution. A soft tingling sensation tugged at his being, an intuition that he subconsciously opened his mind to. He nodded to no one but himself as he made up his mind. "Get ready!"

"For what?!" the general cried out.

Seth didn't reply. He focused all of his mental energy on piloting the ship up into the rear of the decaying star destroyer. The TIE fighter took the bait, following close on their tail. Seth ignored the surprised gasp and incredulous shout that echoed from the gunner position.

As they were quickly running out of space, even a split second distraction would be enough to crash. At the last second, Seth yanked back on the yoke and the ship made a hard right out of the star destroyer. He cut the power and flipped the ship so that the underside now faced the front. A single blast was all it took to destroy the TIE fighter and Seth was pleasantly surprised to see that the general had succeeded under the pressure of possessing only one shot. Seth gunned the engine, flipped the ship, and they flew off while the TIE fighter crashed into the remained of the star destroyer.

Victorious, the ship disappeared into the clouds before breaking through the atmosphere into space. Once certain they'd gotten away, Seth unbuckled from his seat with excitement as he hurried down the corridor toward the gunner position. The general met up with him in the lounge, equally as invigorated with adrenaline from their escapade.

"Good shooting," Seth complimented the general.

"Thanks, but it was your flying that got us out of there," the general returned the compliment. It didn't take long for their excited ramblings to overlap the other. "How'd you do that?"

"I don't know!" Seth exclaimed. "I've never flown, but I had this gut feeling—"

"You've never flown?!"

"Your last shot was dead on," Seth continued. "I now see why they made you general. You got him with one blast!"

"You set me up for it," Hux admitted. "It was perfect."

Their laughter and excitement quieted as they stared at one another with a mutual respect. There was an air of camaraderie that was unfamiliar to both, but neither was entirely opposed by it. DB nervously chirped, interrupting the moment.

Seth smiled as he kneeled beside the droid. "You're ok. He's with the Resistance. He's going to get you home. We both will." He paused before looking back over his shoulder at the general. "I don't know your name."

"Armitage Hux," he introduced himself, extending his hand for a formal shake.

"Armitage?" Seth's brow furrowed and his lips twisted with a playful smile. "Is that really what you prefer to go by?"

Hux sighed, almost as if that hadn't been the first time his name had been questioned earlier. "Hux will do. And yours?"

"I'm Seth," the scavenger introduced himself, accepting the general's hand with a firm shake. "It's a pleasure to meet you, General."

Hux's eyes flickered with doubt as they trailed down toward the droid beside the scavenger. Even though she had no distinguishable features, the droid seemed to look at Hux with more than distrust as she knew the truth behind his lie. He almost considered explaining himself, but was never given the chance as a pipe beneath the grates behind them burst with a shoot of steam.

DB rapidly chirped and Seth rushed toward the problem with a look of growing concern. "Help me with this! Quick!"

Together they pulled back the grating, allowing more steam to fill the air. Hux frowned. "What's going on?"

"It's the motivator!" Seth exclaimed. He might not have been the most experienced pilot, but he understood the inner workings enough to know this couldn't be good. A lifetime of scavenging could come in handy when searching for critical components such as life support or the motivator. "Grab me a Harris wrench—check in there!"

"How bad is it?" Hux asked, checking the storage box while Seth disappeared below.

"If we wanna live, not good!" Seth replied.

"They're hunting for us now, we gotta get outta this system!" Hux exclaimed.

"DB-17 said the location of the Resistance Base is 'need to know'," Seth explained. "If I'm taking you there, I need to know!"

"This?" Hux asked, holding out one of the tools. Once Seth nodded confirmation, he tossed the tool over. As the scavenger ducked down beneath the grate once more to correct the issue, Hux desperately turned toward the droid with a hiss. "You have to tell us where the base is."

DB chirped.

"I don't speak whatever language your beeps and chirps translate to," Hux admitted, entirely frustrated. He huffed. "Alright, between us, I wasn't entirely truthful. I'm not a Resistance General. I'm not with the Resistance at all, okay?"

DB stared at him blankly, almost as if to say 'duh'.

"I'm just trying to get away from the First Order," Hux explained before resigning to making a deal, "But you tell us where your base is, I'll get there first, deal?!"

DB cocked her head as if thinking his offer over.

"Droid, please," Hux hissed, but placed the fakest smile on his face as Seth popped up again.

"Pilex driver, hurry!" Seth requested. Hux moved for the tool while Seth continued the conversation. "So where's your base?"

Hux cleared his throat. "Go on droid, tell her."

DB glanced between Hux and Seth. She chirped quietly to herself before emitting a louder beep which Seth had no problem interpreting.

"The Ileenium system?" Seth questioned as Hux handed him the tool.

"The Illeenium system? That's where you've been hiding?!" Hux also questioned. However, he quickly corrected himself as Seth popped his head back up with skeptical curiosity. Hux cleared his throat. "Yes, the Ileenium system, that's the one—get us there as fast as you can."

Although she didn't receive anything in return, DB extended her welding torch—turning it upward as if to give Hux a thumbs up before retracting it.

"I'll drop you two at Ponemah Terminal," Seth offered. "I need the bonding tape, hurry!"

"Why not just take us all the way?" Hux questioned, searching for the tape.

"I need to get back to Jakku..." Seth sounded unsure.

Hux frowned, knitting his brow incredulously. "Back to Jak—Why does everyone want to go back to Jakku!"

"No, that one!" Seth exclaimed as Hux picked up the wrong thing. "No. No. The one I'm pointing to! No. No. No! If we don't patch it up, the propulsion tank will overflow and flood the ship with poisonous gas!"

DB chirped a sighed, rolling over to the tool that Seth had requested—only since she recognized that if these two humanoids operating on their last idiotic brain cells killed themselves, she'd be stuck drifting through space on her own.

"This?" Hux skeptically asked.

"Yes!" Seth agreed.

"Seth. You've got a ship, so you can quite literally fly anywhere—not necessarily well, but you can still fly anywhere. Why go back?" Hux asked. "You have some attachment to the planet? A family or torrid affair?"

The steam stopped and so did the internal alarms. Seth popped up, annoyance plain as day on his face. "If you must know... something bad usually occurs whenever I try to leave. This is the furthest I've gotten and I'd rather not push my luck—"

Suddenly the ship's power shorted out. DB released a soft whine, only adding to the nervous tension of the air.

Hux swallowed. "That can't be good."

"No," Seth quietly agreed. "It cannot."

Seth climbed out from below the grates and jogged toward the cockpit. Hux and DB followed only a step behind. They took their seats in the pilot and co-pilot position, equally failing to mask their anxiety about the entire situation.

"Someone's locked onto us," Seth announced after pressing a few buttons and receiving no response. "All controls are overridden."

Hux frowned, and after debating it for a moment, he chose against his better nature to clumsily climb on top of the console for a better view. Using Seth's head for support, he peered through the viewport for a better overhead look.

Seth swatted at his hand as it applied an unpleasant pressure to his neck. "Get off!"

Hux gasped, but his breath caught in his throat as the red light from the incoming hangar bay reflected in his eyes. He'd been too late to see the vessel as a whole, but there was only one reason anyone would be interested in scooping up their trash heap of a ship, especially so close to Jakku.

"Well?" Seth asked. The annoyance was wiped from his face when Hux finally replied.

"It's the First Order."

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