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Ren flies the Interceptor back, and I kneel in the back, head ringing. The voice hurt, it always did, but looking at Ren's back hurts more. He'd been seduced by the promise of power, and no longer served the First Order. He no longer served us. The Sith had taken him and twisted him into a monster.
Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, oh my god"
"Shade, you're back!" Hux sounds relieved to hear my mental voice.
"It's on Exegol!" I tell him. "The Sith, an Emperor Palpatine."
"What?"
"They have a fleet, millions of Star Destroyers, and Palpatine can control them, Hux, they made Snoke. Snoke was a puppet, and they were growing them-"
"Slow down." Hux says quietly, and I calm my breathing. My fingers feel numb and cold.
"Palpatine has a fleet of Star Destroyers on Exegol, and he promised them to Ren if Ren could kill the Jedi and the girl Rey."
"Okay." Hux says. "What about Snoke?"
"He was a facade. Palpatine grew him, acted through him."
"So Palpatine has been in control the whole time? He knew about you and Ren?"
"Just... Ren."
"Oh?"
I wrap my arms around my knees, tucking them to my chest.
"I was just a beast to him."
"You're not." Hux tells me softly.
"Ren is doing it. He pledged himself to the mission. He's joined with Palpatine."
"He isn't safe anymore."
I swallow, looking up at Ren as he pilots his Interceptor with newfound intensity. I feel very small in this moment.
"No, he's not."
"We need to talk more when you get back." Hux says. "Can you handle that after Exegol?"
"Yeah." I lean my head against the rear wall of the ship, the hum of the engines filling my ears."I can do that."
~~~
Hux is waiting, hands tucked behind his back, standing near the doorway of the hangar bay when Ren lands the Interceptor. I follow him out of the ship and he stalks away. I watch him leave before I run to Hux's side.
"You're safe." He tells me quietly, and then leads me out. We walk into a side room and Hux shuts the door, pacing before it for a moment.
"Okay, we can agree that this Palpatine issue is turning Ren into something we cannot work with anymore... right?" He turns to face me.
"He agreed to Palpatine's arrangement without hesitation." The terrible sound of the lightning echoes in my ears.
"He needs to lose. We need to take down Ren."
"But how? If I kill him, I'll be hunted by both the First Order and Palpatine's fleet for treason." I shiver, and my wings arch into existence.
"We need to make it look like an accident." Hux says softly. "Like just another battlefield kill." He looks away for a moment, and then turns, and all at once I see the pieces of the Hux I'd seen after the destruction of Hosnian Prime. Shattered.
"The Rebellion."
"What about them?" I drop my voice to a whisper, stepping closer.
"They need intel. Weapons. Resources. We can provide that to them." He looks down at his hands, fingers trembling. "We can be spies."
"I'll go to them. They know what I am, they know I am serious."
"It could be dangerous."
"I am not afraid of the Rebellion."
He meets my eyes again, and there's light in his gaze.
"I have been thinking about this for a long time." Hux breathes. "I am glad to find that you agree."
"What Ren said... what Ren did on Exegol..." I shake my head. "He was going to kill Palpatine, before he knew it was him. Once the Emperor was revealed, Ren instantly switched, lowering his weapon. Immediately submissive."
"Ren idolizes Darth Vader." Hux says. "Palpatine is Vader's Master. It is no wonder he was swayed so easily."
"So it's sentimental." I say, and Hux nods.
"We need to act soon, when the time is right. We can disguise it as an intel gathering mission, send you off of a shuttle."
"I have no trackers, no transponders. He cannot watch me."
"The perfect crime." Hux looks up to the ceiling, and bares a smile. "I never thought I'd be discussing high treason against the Supreme Leader."
"Snoke saved me - I owed him that. To Ren, I owe nothing."
"We agree then. He must be stopped." The intensity that fills Hux as he speaks these words is like new power. He stands straighter. His eyes are more focused. His hands steadier.
...This is the future of the man you grew to care for...
