The Cruellest Thing

The Clearing

Shortly after, they reached the shuttle and started to walk along the swath of destruction. Soon they had found the first wing – it was burnt out.

Then they came across a large clearing. On the distant side, they spotted large animals. Rose and Hux let themselves quickly fall. She hissed in pain when her right arm hit the ground.

After a few moments she cautiously lifted her head and looked closer at the animals: They looked like nerfs, but their horns were bigger and their fur was green instead of brown. They were eating plants; Rose didn't see any calves.

"Nerfs. I guess they're herbivores," she whispered.

"Nerfs?" Hux lifted his head above the high grass.

"What? Have you never seen a nerf?"

"Don't be ridiculous," he hissed.

Rose just scoffed.

Slowly they got back on their feet and walked quietly across the clearing. One of the jungle nerfs watched them while chewing grass, but it didn't move, only its ears twitched nervously. Rose exhaled when they reached the tree line.

"We'll rest here," said Hux and sat down with a pained expression on his face.

She noticed that he looked sick, and his eyes were glassy. The infection was starting to take its toll. She had to stay alert to seize the opportunity when it presented itself – it was only a question of time until he would slip up. She would grab the blaster and force him to-

Come to think of it, what would she do if she had the blaster? She would have to guard him as he guarded her until she fell asleep, until he could wrestle the gun away from her.

Rose sat down across from Hux and pulled at a few blades of grass. She started to play with them.

She glanced again at the man in front of her. She didn't like that he was in control. This was the man who had destroyed the Hosnian system; he wouldn't hesitate to kill her too. She remembered the speeches she had seen from him, full of spittle and venom. A madman. Yet he seemed surprisingly sane. On the Supremacy he had been cool-headed and calm. A killer nonetheless, but if he wanted to kill her he would've done that already without as much a blink. He needed her and he knew it.

They were already doing what she was planning on doing anyway – call for help with a resistance comm. There was no way that he could fix his own comm without her ... in a way she was in control of the situation ...

She pulled so hard at the blades of grass that they ripped. She scrunched them up and threw them away. He could still shoot her on a whim. Kylo Ren certainly would from what she had heard.

Rose picked up another fistful of grass and shot Hux a glare. His hands were slightly trembling when he took a gulp of water. When he noticed her watching him he quickly rearranged the pained expression on his face in a neutral one.

She pulled more grass from the ground. Even in front of her he wanted to appear calm, in control and superior. This wasn't a man who acted on impulses or on whims. He hadn't killed billions of people in a fit of rage. He had done it because it suited his plans. He was cold, calculating and distrustful.

She lowered her gaze and attempted to braid the grass while contemplating her options. If she managed to fix her comm the resistance would show up and rescue her – and capture Hux. All she had to do was to reason with him until help arrived.

Her thoughts returned to Finn, for a brief moment she imagined how he would arrive with a ship, he would storm down the ramp and hug her with all his might. Perhaps Poe and Rey would accompany him? They would be impressed how she had managed to fool Hux into calling for help ...