Into the Fray

Chapter Six

It was almost time for Kylo to meet up with his mother and Rey. Instead of being happy about it though Kylo felt annoyed. A mix of things plagued him.

Sadly he had next to nothing to show for his time back on the Finalizer. Furthermore, he still hadn't been able to get in contact with Rey. Healing also had been slow-going.

In desperation he had finally gone back to the infirmary, demanding to know why he was so weak still. They reminded him it hadn't been that long since his encounter with the Resistance and Rey had left him with a blaster wound and several lightsaber wounds. Essentially, it was a lot for his body to recover from in a relatively short amount of time.

"You are only human after all, Sir," the medic droid had told him.

Reminding Kylo of his own mortality at that moment had been the wrong choice the heap of circuits had algorithmed out. The infirmary was down a droid, it's remnants scattered around the infirmary.

The last thing bothering Kylo--really the main thing (although he felt his priorities were screwed up)--were his newly discovered feelings towards Hux.

He had spent days trying to reason himself out of them. He had already decided he wasn't ready for romantic feelings towards anyone since Rey had kissed him. Then there was the fact he hated Hux. They didn't get along, never had since literally the day they had met.

Yet his brain kept spewing counter-arguments at him. Who did he spend most his time with? Hux. Who did he go to when he needed help with something? Hux. Who was probably the most competent man on the ship, besides himself? As much as he hated to admit it, Hux.

Who saved your life? Who stayed with you and covered your tracks as you bled out into your own lung?

He counter-argued his counter arguments. Who did he regularly take out his frustration on? Hux. Who had he made a punching bag out of more than anyone else on the ship? Hux.

But all that is done and over with now...

Right. Just like it was done and over with when you threw him to the ground and smashed his face against the floor. You were supposedly good then, too.

The anger and darkness inside of me isn't a switch; I can't just flip it on and off. It's going to take time--a work in progress!

And what then? He's going to run to you with open arms? Wake up Kylo, he's still loyal to the First Order. You're not. It's never going to work, get your head out of your ass!

It was then he had destroyed his table with his lightsaber.

Days later, Kylo couldn't sleep. He tossed and turned for a bit, finally resigning himself to the fact that sleep was going to elude him this night. What made it even worse was the one thing keeping him up was the one thing he didn't have an answer to. He hated not having answers.

Kylo dressed himself and moved out into the hallway. Any time he couldn't sleep he had always stayed in his room. This was his first venture through the Finalizer in the dead of night and it was eerily empty.

A skeleton crew was up. It appeared to consist mainly of stormtroopers. For the first time Kylo was able to hear the ships massive engine, a low hum that followed wherever he went.

It followed him all the way to General Hux's closed door. Looking around himself to make sure no one was around, Kylo pressed the entry button. No answer. Looking around again, he pressed it a second time. Still nothing. Annoyed now, Kylo pressed and held the button.

Finally the door slid open. Hux flinched at the dimmed light that came in from the hallway. He blinked several times, and then squinted at Kylo. He was wearing black silk pajama pants and nothing else.