The Cruellest Thing

The Rank

Hux sat beside the fireplace. He was empting his pockets and making small piles of fabric, metal pieces and berries. He looked feverish and pale.

Rose didn't talk to him, she just set down her spoils and noticed with satisfaction the somewhat shocked and awed expression on his face when he saw how much she had gathered. Hux eyed the snake but of course he didn't ask.

She bent the plate into a pot-like shape, which was laborious with only one good arm. She didn't ask for his help and he didn't offer it.

When she was finally done she noticed that Hux had also gathered stones and had put them around the fireplace. She rearranged the stones until she could put the pot on them, then she left to gather fire wood.

About an hour later she had roasted the larvae. She picked one out of the still hot pot and blew on it before she took a bite. It didn't taste like much, she studied the larva for a moment before she put it completely in her mouth.

She reached into the pot and took another one. She thought about the possibility that they were poisonous but then she dismissed her worries – she was hungry and there wasn't any other food available than this or the reptile meat. She simply couldn't afford to be cautious.

Hux observed her, just when she thought he was too stubborn to eat larvae, he scooted closer and reached into the pot. At first he only nibbled but after a while his hunger seemed to win out and they both ate in silence until the pot was empty.

Rose filled the pot with water and put it again on the fire. Then she used the knife to cut the snake into small bits that she put in the water. After a while she checked the meat, when it seemed like it was well done she fished a small bit out of the water and bit in it. It tasted surprisingly salty, it reminded her of chicken.

"It could use Shiso Leaf, but at least it has a little more taste than the larvae," she said.

Hux lifted the pot from the fire and put it between them. "I'm not familiar with Shiso Leaf."

"It has a musky, earthy taste and goes well with soups and fresh rolls." Rose sharpened two twigs with the dagger and handed Hux one of them.

They sat across from each other and ate out of the pot. The sun was setting, and the warm light painted everything orange. For the first time in days Rose wasn't hungry or thirsty anymore. She felt good for a change – apart from the dull pain in her right arm.

She leaned back and watched Hux fish for the last pieces of meat. He still looked sick but at least he ate well. If his fever broke they could start trying to get up that tree. It perplexed her again how young he looked when he didn't frown, especially now when the light accentuated his red hair and his stubble.

"How old are you?" she blurted out before she could stop herself.

He set his mouth in a thin line. "Why do you care?"

She rolled her eyes. Why was she even talking to this guy? Rose picked up a forked twig and started to whittle it. She thought about the next day. They could eat berries in the morning ... she had to find more larvae ... then she could return to the shuttle and check if there was a rope or at least some cables they could use ...

"I'm 34."

She lost her train of thought and turned her attention back on Hux. He was still chewing. He glared at her as if she had insulted him somehow.

One of her eyebrows rose. "I've never heard of a general that young."

He gave her a smug grin and drew breath – no doubt to make a speech at her about the many virtues of the First Order. But then she saw a strange twitch in the corner of his mouth and his expression darkened. "It's not uncommon in the First Order," he just said and put the rest of the meat in his mouth.