video » @red.star

[fhux]

[ Hux is seated at a desk with his chin resting on curled fingers, not quite at ease but in a stylised sort of contemplation. Black blazer (donned just for the broadcast) over an immaculate white shirt; civilian clothes because he can't exactly wear his uniform all the time, his meagre handout of credits having been put to tasteful use. It means nothing on this moon whether he wears FO insignia, anyway. Won't leave an impression. No, that's all down to him and a smooth introduction. ]

Good Evening. This is an appeal to anyone who may have access to a shuttle, the kind commonly used for interstellar purposes. Should it be possible to procure an adequate pilot, I'm willing to pay for a private aerial viewing of the Abandoned City. Your craft ought to have defensive measures and attack capabilities, of course, as a standard precaution. I'd rather not take chances.

Other than that, I'm ... flexible on price.

[ But not so much that he'll let himself be robbed by a scam artist, says the glint of a green eye. ]

Any amenability to this proposal is appreciated.

[ He dismisses the broadcast without another word but a curt nod that he intends to signal some measure of gratitude. Not that it matters unless someone actually responds. Having deliberately snubbed approaching Ren prior to this, Hux is also prepared to hear some loud, nasal complaints and Rebel scum whining from the eaves. ]

Comments

[fhux]

[ Sedately sipping his caff. The last time Ren went after this girl he was obsessed to the point of blind mania, so why is he now languishing in some seedy motel with a musclehead instead of eliminating his One True Enemy? Maybe he just wanted to get laid. Ren is awfully base in all things, it's a distinct possibility.

Hux arches a brow. ]

You're looking well for one of the most wanted individuals in the galaxy.

[talentedscavenger]

[Bringing up Ren right now would not be the wisest idea.]

I'll wear that title proudly.

You seem to be doing well for someone who lost their leader.

[fhux]

[ And yet, ]

Evidently, he's right around the corner. Ah! But you must mean Snoke, whom you murdered via bisection.

[ Ren threw her under the bus; will she deny his claims and do the same to him, giving Hux a reason to officially certify Ren's treason? Or pretend to be a murderess?
Two glowing options. ]

[talentedscavenger]

[Rey doesn't let it show on her face but...her murdering Snoke?

...Ben. There isn't a reason to protect him. Not at all. After all the shit that's happened, he had the nerve to say she did it?

Well, two can play at this.]

Of course you'd bow down to whoever was next in line, but I'm not the only one who had a hand in Snoke's death.

[TECHNICALLY, if she hadn't gone to Ben, Snoke would be alive, but she didn't deliver the killing blow.]

[fhux]

[ More like his neck was crushed into obedience. Anyway. It's a shame she doesn't outright acknowledge Ren being a shitheel but, that's fine, Hux can work with what he gets. ]

He was not a beloved leader, Snoke. No one mourned his passing. [ That will hardly surprise anyone in the Resistance, it isn't exactly news to those in the FO. People simply never voiced their opinions out loud, wisely enough. ] You came here directly from Crait, then?

[ After Ren attempted to waste as much firepower as possible on a fucking illusion. ]

[talentedscavenger]

[If push came to shove, she would throw Ben under the bus, but trying to have moral high ground here...and maybe see how far Hux was willing to go for the information.]

Yet, you let him control you like puppets. Or, are you jealous the position didn't get passed down to you?

[No surprise that no one would mourn Snoke's passing. People would probably be rejoicing....for a split second or so.]

Yes, and I take it you are too.

[fhux]

His power was an asset. [ Hux didn't enjoy having a Force-sensitive as the Supreme Leader but, when push came to shove, it was satisfying as a young man to witness the Order climbing out of the Outer Rim wastelands and into true ferocity. No longer a joke to the haughty Republic. ] As is Ren's.

[ Unless another opportunity to assassinate Ren in his sleep comes around, which he very much doubts, that avenue is done with. Still, Ren is a shoddy leader and he requires Hux to actually organise the entire fucking fleet, so it isn't as if Hux can't fix things to his pleasure out of Ren's sight ... or could, if he were home. It's horribly jarring to be on this moon, away from everything he ever grew up with, and so he cleaves to the directives of whoever takes him in; the Perimeter Guard HQ. ]

The salt melted on my boots this morning. [ A muscle tightens in his jaw. ] Are you a resident of the apartments?

[ Awkward, if so. ]

[talentedscavenger]

That power could easily turn into a liability, I'm sure you've seen it first hand with Ren.

[Just planting the seeds of doubt there, as if there need to be more seeds, but all is fair in love and war. It's weird though, to call Ben by Ren, but it's something she'll get over. He drew the line in the sand, so now they both have to deal with the consequences of his actions.

..How did they get on the topic of the apartments?]

Which apartments are you referring to?

[....are they neighbors?!]

[fhux]

[ He's seen it. Ren is a wreck, yet he's FO and a thin, enduring line of loyalty prevents Hux from insulting him in front of their enemies. In any case, admitting where Hux lives isn't such a blow to take when it is public record. Unfortunately. ]

Communal housing. The first floor, of course.

[ Vaguely amused. ]

[talentedscavenger]

[Well, she's happy she's moved out of the housing building. She's not neighbors with him at least. SMALL SILVER LININGS!]

Funny, I'd thought you would want to be at the top and sneer at those beneath you.

But no, I don't reside there.

[And whatever game Hux is playing, she knows the others can see his post. They're all going to have to group together at some point. It was one thing to have Be--Ren here, but with Hux coming into the picture, they'll have to figure something out.]

[fhux]

Everything on a planet stands at a same height, the same goes for a moon. [ He raises his caff, a thin smile not touching green eyes. ] Such a shame to be deprived of your excellent company.

[talentedscavenger]

[ Oh, there’s a sly smile on her lips. ]

You mean you didn’t have enough of it when I was board your ship? Or did I over stay my welcome after aiding in Snoke’s down fall?

[ She will not threaten to kill him. No, she won’t. She won’t act like Ren and turn her anger on Hux. Even if the man deserves it. ]

[fhux]

[ He thinks of the Finalizer, always does whenever someone says 'your ship', but of course she means the Supremacy. He wonders if it's already being salvaged back home, it ought to be. If only he could get hold of a craft of his own on this moon, then he wouldn't have to endure barracks like a common Stormtrooper. ]

I think Ren's made it clear you've been overstaying your welcome since before it began.

[ A diplomatic non-answer. ]

[talentedscavenger]

[ Beat of luck getting anyone here to get them to pilot the shuttle. Poe wouldn’t do it and she can’t imagine Jim would either. Surely Jim would see right through Hux and see what an ass he is.

The answer Hux gives her isn’t much of one, but it makes her wonder what else Ren has told him. She can’t imagine Ren would give away all the details of their...interactions with one another. Then again, he did throw her under the bus, so nothing should come as a surprise. He probably has.]

That doesn’t sound like him, last I recall he was wanting me to join your side even after Snoke was killed. Believe that’s more or your opinion, which is odd considering you find enjoyment in my company.

Though if you kiss my company that much, I’d be more than happy to visit you and destroy something of yours for old times sake.

[fhux]

[ He knows intimidation techniques and hers, well, it doesn't rank highly. She's too invested in it, too passionate. ]

So violent. Perhaps that's the only strength you have going for you.

[talentedscavenger]

[ Ooc: miss not “kiss,” damn you mobile phone. ]

Whereas you like to hide and have your men fight for you. Too weak to fight on your own, or do you hate getting your hands dirty?

[fhux]

[ If none of the resistance members try to kill him by the end of the week, he will be genuinely surprised. ]

My men are trained from birth, they know who I am and what they fight for. They aren't lied to.

[talentedscavenger]

[Rey narrows her eyes at Hux, as anger seeps into her words.]

Your men are kidnapped from families, brainwashed, and forced to fight a cause because they know nothing else.

Your men don't realize they're nothing more than canon fodder--at least we mourn our dead, you only look to replace them within seconds..

[fhux]

Many would be dead if they weren't taken in by the Order. There they have purpose, they have a designation, they rise through the ranks if they work hard enough. That's what the Order rewards in its soldiers, toil and commitment. I value every one of my men, rebel, or do you think they sit on the bridge of my ship lashed to their chairs with rope? [ His chin tips up with pride. ] No, they want to be part of something greater than themselves.

[talentedscavenger]

Assuming they survive whatever fight you send them to, assuming they still want to fight after killing dozens of people.

The conditions they were in before were because of the Order! Because of the devastation caused by the Empire!

[The Hosinian System, Alderan...thousands of lives lost because of the First Order and the Empire's need for power.]

You value them by giving them letters and numbers, not actual names--no identities, nothing for them to call their own. [A shake of her head.] You give them two options: either die in a fight they don't want to be in, or be executed by the First Order for disobedience.

What kind of life is that?

[fhux]

[ It grates on him to have his legacy, his father's legacy (even though he hated the man) summed up like a horrific fairytale, expression twisting into an outraged sneer that he controls with visible effort. He thinks of the Commandant's Cadets, his personal trove of warrior-like children when he was a boy. Their strength was such an asset that under his command they reshaped a little of the old Empire's Imperialist leadership for the better. Stormtroopers can't compare but their basic training is a gift from the lessons Hux learned from the Academy and Gallius Rax's child-assassins. ]

The resistance must operate on a very whimsical tone if this is the worst you can think to throw at me. Heartsick Stormtroopers? You don't know what you're talking about.

[talentedscavenger]

[Oh, Rey got under his skill with that. It's a pressure point that she could press, or work a new angle. She thinks back to Jakku, the sands littered with Imperial ships. The broken parts and material that was cheap and easily broken. The Empire had all the credits, but they didn't spend enough of it into their people, into their fighters and having them come back alive.]

No, I can think of far worse. You don't send your men in prepared. Their ships are meant to defend, only attack, with one blow your men are dead. They're canon fodder, nothing else to you.

They're not fighting for you. Their loyalty isn't to you or to your cause. If given a choice they would abandon you--or better yet, kill you. I wouldn't put it past any of them.