Moment of Weakness

You're Fired

Monday morning, the office is busy and most people are oblivious to the emergence meeting that Ben called with Hux and the tension that is present as a result outside of Finn, who seemed suspicious of any movement that they made. Ben who is at the head of the table taps away at his phone as usual, most like responding emails, with Rey next to him organizing files on her tablet to keep busy.

Hux comes into the conference room a minute late and sits across from Rey, sizing her up with suspicious eyes and a small smirk. His hair is slicked back with too much gel-like normal, and he wears a turtleneck shirt under his suit coat that isn't at all season appropriate

"You look different Ms.Palpatine," he observes with a sour tone to his voice, raking his eyes over her black button-up silk shirt that is open at the top paired with her slimmest black pants she owns.

"I'll take that as a compliment," Rey says as she crosses her arms and sits back in her chair, revealing the thin chain bracelet that Qi'ra had sent her home with donning the Galatic insignia that is nearly invisible to the untrained eye. Hux's eyes travel down to it almost immediately and he stares at it, swallowing visibly and shifting in his seat.

"So what is this meeting about Solo?" Hux asks noticing how Rey isn't taking notes, her tablet closed on the conference table in front of her.

"We have sources that have informed us of your disloyalty to the company and to me Hux," Ben explains, sitting forward and holding Hux's eyes, challenging him to dispute it.

"How have I betrayed you?"

"Rey, do you have the file?" Ben asks without looking at her, and she pulls out the same red folder Palpatine had given to them from under her tablet and pushes it into the middle of the table wordlessly. Hux looks down at it, his hands not moving from his lap as he studies the small black circle in the top corner.

"So that's what this is about," he mumbles and looks up at Rey.

"I trust you'll pass that message on to Snoke and Jabba for us?" Rey asks, her head cocked to the side and her eyebrow raised while Hux's blue eyes dodge her intense gaze, looking back down at the folder.

"You're fired Hux," Ben says bluntly and Hux looks up at him, his cheeks quickly pinking.

"On what grounds?" Hux spits back.

"Do you want to argue with me? You're a lowly informant, disposable by the first order, you hold no real power, but Rey and I? we can snap our fingers and have you dealt with before you step foot out of this building."

"You so much as try to come after us, you'll regret it," Rey adds, and Hux swallows hard again as he looks between the two of them.

"You have until 8 pm tonight to remove your belongings, then I don't want to see or hear from you ever again," Ben orders but Hux doesn't move, just continues to stare them both down in disbelief and anger. "You're dismissed," he snaps and Hux stands up abruptly,  his skin even paler.

"This won't stop them you know," Hux says, readjusting his jacket and neglecting to push his chair in. "Destroying my career won't stop them, there are more eyes than you are aware of."

"We don't doubt that," Rey says calmly, playing aimlessly with the bracelet on her wrist with her finger, drawing Hux's eyes back to it.

"But one less snake in the grass is the step in the right direction," Ben adds, sitting back and folding his hands in his lap. "You were a good editor Hux. It's a damn shame it came to this."

"You'll regret this," Hux sneers, holding the back of the chair and leaning forward.

"You're dismissed Hux," Ben says coolly and stares at him, blinking slowly, watching Hux turn an even darker shade of red in his anger.