glory and gore | a Star Wars story

Glory and Gore

In a galaxy far far away

Prologue

It was not during those occasions when Ren wore the witless helmet, which was so obviously inspired by the similar helmet Vader had kept that it merely caused the tall man to seem ridiculous, that he bothered the General the most. At those times he chose to hide his face, it was much simpler for Hux to ignore him. Then he could witness the man as nothing but the mask, to hear the deformed voice, it dehumanized him and turned him into something which he could see pass more easily. Most people found the helmet intimidating, which was most likely the effect the wearer wished it to have on the foes he happened to meet, and all together the other members of the Order. For Hux it was when Ren wore nothing over his head that he found it most difficult to concentrate, the dark, keen eyes that observed him he thought much more alarming than the impersonal, black mass the mask was made of. The deep, but flat voice caused shivers to run up along the slender man's spine far more often than the contorted breaths that came from behind the mask. To him it wasn't the person Ren attempted so ambitiously to become that frightened him, it was the face behind the mask that did.

Therefore it was with great displeasure the young General had been told to befriend the man, which in truth meant to look after him, he needed no further explanation to see that. Hux was not a very patient man. He was short tempered and quick witted, but after years in the military of the Order he had, as many others before him, come to learn how to bite his tongue and remain calm and collected no matter how much he wished to argue. Instead he would swallow the bitterness and nod shortly. Ren could also be described as short tempered, but he had not learned how to hold his tongue, something the General considered himself an expert of. Of course, he also lost his temper on certain occasions, commonly those involving Ren. Yet when he did, it was only for a brief moment, before he straightened his uniform once more and returned to being apathetic, professional, impassive. The dark haired man, on the other hand, did not come back to his senses as quickly. The tantrums he threw were dreaded by the generals, Hux included, and the First Order had begun to feel cost of the damage on the many control panels, corridors and elevators in the Destroyer either made by the man's bare fists or his lightsaber.

That was the reason, they had informed him, that they needed someone to prevent these outburst from occurring, and they saw no one better adapted for this task than him. Hux had not been flattered, if that had been their intentions. To him this honourable task was more of a punishment. The few arguments the management had were about whether or whether not he was capable, that he and Ren were about the same age. Hux had felt a strong urge to disagree with the men, with a thought on that he was at least several years older than the man who often acted as nothing but a child when not getting what he wished for. Clearly they had either not realized or chosen to see past the plain loathe the tall man bore for Hux, which was mutual for the record. Hux was convinced their unspoken rivalry had not gone by unnoticed by the elder generals of the Order. At first, he had intended to decline, he would blame on his already busy schedule, that he had no time to act babysitter for a fully grown man. Of course the last part he would leave unspoken. Yet something had changed his mind. A way, not entirely effortless, but quick if he played his cards right, to rise in the military hierarchy of the Order. Because that was what they would reward him with if he were to succeed.