The boy led Ben through the wreckage, deeper into the city, until they came to a relatively intact house. The boy stepped through the empty doorframe, motioned for Ben to follow him, and then led him deeper into the heart of the structure.
"Sister! I’ve brought him here, like you asked,” he called before stepping into a room and waving his arm lazily in invitation for Ben to follow him.
Sitting in the middle of the room, on a torn sofa, was a woman. She might have been pretty once, Ben thought- but the trail of blood leaking from the side of her mouth, her stringy, graying hair that fell limply in front of milky, damaged eyes, and the disgusted expression that twisted what remained of her face ruined what residual beauty she might have once retained.
As he looked at the woman, Ben realized with a jolt why the boy seemed so familiar. On the woman, it was even more obvious. She might not have had the bright coppery hair that Hux had, but the rest of her features were very similar to the man he knew. With a sinking feeling, Ben realized he must have been looking at Hux’s mother.
“Bring him closer, Nico,” she said quietly. The boy nodded to Ben, who hesitantly took a step forward. “Come on, boy, step closer. I’m not going to bite you.” She laughed bitterly. “You’d taste terrible, what with your contaminated blood and everything.”
Ben bristled, but did as she ordered. The woman reached her hand out, and Ben hesitated before taking it. Was that what she wanted?
“I should hate you, you know,” the woman who looked so much like Hux said, almost conversationally. “You are the son of Leia Organa and Han Solo, aren’t you? The proud son of the Rebellion fighters, turned Resistance? I know you met my brother Nico- they killed him. He was seven years old and they killed him like he wasn’t even human. Not your parents, of course, they were too ‘noble’ for that,” she said sarcastically. “But the rest of the Rebellion? They didn’t care who they killed, all they cared about was exterminating the rest of the Empire. I only escaped because I’d already gotten married to that worthless waste of space I called my husband,” she continued. “Not that it did me any good, I was caught in a New Republic bombing run on the refugee camp we lived in when I was pregnant, and it took my eyesight.” At this, she cackled, and pointed a long finger towards her own face. “I can’t even see a few inches in front of me. That one I can definitely place the blame on your mother, she was the one that ordered the run. But I don’t think you were born yet at that point.”
“I’m… sorry for your loss, ma’am,” Ben said, for lack of anything better to say. The woman smirked.
“That’s kind of you. But as I said, you weren’t born yet, and truth be told it wasn’t even your wretched mother who put me here. But ah, I’ve been rude, you must be confused. Allow me to introduce myself. Moa Tarkin-Hux, at your service.”
“You’re… Hux’s mother?” Ben guessed.
“Smart boy, I can see why you fascinated Snoke so much, although that’s not a fate I’d wish on anyone. But enough about me. I know why you’re here. Word gets around when you’re dead, you know. It’s not like we’ve got anything better to do. Your grandmother told you why you needed to stay alive, right? So what are you doing back here? If you’re dead and you’ve left my son on his own I’m going to beat your ass whether I can see you or not.”
“I don’t think I’m dead…” Ben replied. “Unless something went wrong with the surgery….” He let his voice trail off.
“No, you’re alive,” the boy who’d brought him to this place said. “You’re still sort of see-through. You’d be solid if you were dead.”
“Good,” Moa said. “You must live on. Your grandmother would have given you a bunch of pretty words about why you need to survive for the good of the galaxy. Truth be told I don’t care about the galaxy. I called you here because I can sense that you’re a fighter. You have to survive to kill the bastards that killed me, tried to kill you, and will kill my son if given half a chance. You’re a smart boy, you’ve likely figured it out how I died.”
Ben was silent for a moment, taking in the woman’s appearance. From the trail of blood that still leaked from the corner of her mouth and the amount of blood that splattered down the front of her dress, it looked as though she’d died of a lung hemorrhage. And then what she’d just said registered.
“The Supreme Leader killed you.”
Moa let out another grating cackle. “Indeed he did, I advised that bastard husband of mine not to trust him, and he infected me with something. I don’t know the Force works, it’s too much mystical crap for me, but I do know that I felt something physically pushed into my lung one day, and after that, I became ill. It was slow going, but I faded over time, much like you did.” She smiled bitterly. “It’s too late for me. But you survived the hemorrhage that was meant to kill you and discovered the cause of your illness. You can and you must survive, Ben Solo. Not for the sake of the galaxy- the galaxy can go hang for all I care- but for the sake of yourself and my son. You know what you have to do, don’t you?”
It was surprisingly easy once the woman put it that way. “Kill Snoke,” Ben said flatly.
“And if you can manage it, send my worthless husband down here too,” Moa replied, baring her teeth in a feral grin that was made no less disturbing by the fact she aimed it in completely the wrong direction. “I’ve waited a long time to have a chat with him where he can’t use my health against me.”
Ben was not sure how to respond to that. But he was saved from having to come up with an answer by Moa continuing on. “I really shouldn’t approve. After all, you’re the spawn of the scum who killed my family and blinded me, but even so I still hate you less than Snoke and my husband. And my Tarkin seems to care for you. Everyone tells me what he’s up to, and ever since he heard your voice that night from the computer, you’ve given him something productive to focus on. I suppose I approve. My sister-in-law was telling me that when he found your cot empty my poor son panicked. Live on, kill the Supreme Leader and that useless lump I called husband, and look after my son, will you? And if I find you back here before that’s done I swear I’ll figure out how to force a soul to be reincarnated and I’ll send you back to be born on some wretched desert planet or something.”
“Yes ma’am,” Ben replied quickly, not wanting to upset her. He was dubious as to whether or not she would actually be able to hurt him, but he assumed it was probably in his best interest to not annoy the deceased, especially given that the deceased seemed to be watching him all the time. Moa laughed loudly.
“Boy, I’m dead. I’m not a ma’am anymore, if I ever even was. Call me Moa. Or Mama if you’d prefer,” she said with a grin.
“Oh, ah… no, that’s alright ma’am. Uh. Moa,” Ben said uncomfortably. Moa smirked.
“Oh you poor thing, I wish you’d been born to me instead of to Leia Organa! You’re a good boy, Ben Solo. Now it’s time for you to wake.”
“Wha-?” Ben didn’t have a chance to react before he felt himself drift away from the room, fading in and out like a badly malfunctioning holodisk.
Once he was gone, the boy turned to Moa. “Do you think he’ll be able to do it, sister?”
Moa nodded. “We already knew he was strong in the Force. Tarkin is attached to him, and I think Ben is attached to Tarkin as well. I think at the very least, if he survives what’s next he has a very good chance of killing Brendol, at least.”
“And Snoke?”
“He’ll have to kill my bastard husband in order to get close to Snoke. If he can kill him, there’s a good chance he will be able to at least wound Snoke. If he accepts Tarkin’s help, I do think they’ll manage it.”
“Do you really want your son involved?”
“Tarkin has been involved since he went to the Academy, whether I like it or not,” Moa said grimly. “Those two boys are each other’s’ best chance for survival. I just hope that they’ll recognize that before it’s too late and solidify their union, no matter what form that happens to take.”
I love Hux's mother, she's a lot of fun to write. But I feel like I should probably mention- it's important to remember that Moa Tarkin-Hux died carrying a lot of grudges, it's probably not a good idea to take everything she said as 100% true. She believes it's true, but it may or may not actually be what's really going on. Thank you to everyone who has continued to read!
Re: FILL: Ghost in the Machine [16/?]
"Sister! I’ve brought him here, like you asked,” he called before stepping into a room and waving his arm lazily in invitation for Ben to follow him.
Sitting in the middle of the room, on a torn sofa, was a woman. She might have been pretty once, Ben thought- but the trail of blood leaking from the side of her mouth, her stringy, graying hair that fell limply in front of milky, damaged eyes, and the disgusted expression that twisted what remained of her face ruined what residual beauty she might have once retained.
As he looked at the woman, Ben realized with a jolt why the boy seemed so familiar. On the woman, it was even more obvious. She might not have had the bright coppery hair that Hux had, but the rest of her features were very similar to the man he knew. With a sinking feeling, Ben realized he must have been looking at Hux’s mother.
“Bring him closer, Nico,” she said quietly. The boy nodded to Ben, who hesitantly took a step forward. “Come on, boy, step closer. I’m not going to bite you.” She laughed bitterly. “You’d taste terrible, what with your contaminated blood and everything.”
Ben bristled, but did as she ordered. The woman reached her hand out, and Ben hesitated before taking it. Was that what she wanted?
“I should hate you, you know,” the woman who looked so much like Hux said, almost conversationally. “You are the son of Leia Organa and Han Solo, aren’t you? The proud son of the Rebellion fighters, turned Resistance? I know you met my brother Nico- they killed him. He was seven years old and they killed him like he wasn’t even human. Not your parents, of course, they were too ‘noble’ for that,” she said sarcastically. “But the rest of the Rebellion? They didn’t care who they killed, all they cared about was exterminating the rest of the Empire. I only escaped because I’d already gotten married to that worthless waste of space I called my husband,” she continued. “Not that it did me any good, I was caught in a New Republic bombing run on the refugee camp we lived in when I was pregnant, and it took my eyesight.” At this, she cackled, and pointed a long finger towards her own face. “I can’t even see a few inches in front of me. That one I can definitely place the blame on your mother, she was the one that ordered the run. But I don’t think you were born yet at that point.”
“I’m… sorry for your loss, ma’am,” Ben said, for lack of anything better to say. The woman smirked.
“That’s kind of you. But as I said, you weren’t born yet, and truth be told it wasn’t even your wretched mother who put me here. But ah, I’ve been rude, you must be confused. Allow me to introduce myself. Moa Tarkin-Hux, at your service.”
“You’re… Hux’s mother?” Ben guessed.
“Smart boy, I can see why you fascinated Snoke so much, although that’s not a fate I’d wish on anyone. But enough about me. I know why you’re here. Word gets around when you’re dead, you know. It’s not like we’ve got anything better to do. Your grandmother told you why you needed to stay alive, right? So what are you doing back here? If you’re dead and you’ve left my son on his own I’m going to beat your ass whether I can see you or not.”
“I don’t think I’m dead…” Ben replied. “Unless something went wrong with the surgery….” He let his voice trail off.
“No, you’re alive,” the boy who’d brought him to this place said. “You’re still sort of see-through. You’d be solid if you were dead.”
“Good,” Moa said. “You must live on. Your grandmother would have given you a bunch of pretty words about why you need to survive for the good of the galaxy. Truth be told I don’t care about the galaxy. I called you here because I can sense that you’re a fighter. You have to survive to kill the bastards that killed me, tried to kill you, and will kill my son if given half a chance. You’re a smart boy, you’ve likely figured it out how I died.”
Ben was silent for a moment, taking in the woman’s appearance. From the trail of blood that still leaked from the corner of her mouth and the amount of blood that splattered down the front of her dress, it looked as though she’d died of a lung hemorrhage. And then what she’d just said registered.
“The Supreme Leader killed you.”
Moa let out another grating cackle. “Indeed he did, I advised that bastard husband of mine not to trust him, and he infected me with something. I don’t know the Force works, it’s too much mystical crap for me, but I do know that I felt something physically pushed into my lung one day, and after that, I became ill. It was slow going, but I faded over time, much like you did.” She smiled bitterly. “It’s too late for me. But you survived the hemorrhage that was meant to kill you and discovered the cause of your illness. You can and you must survive, Ben Solo. Not for the sake of the galaxy- the galaxy can go hang for all I care- but for the sake of yourself and my son. You know what you have to do, don’t you?”
It was surprisingly easy once the woman put it that way. “Kill Snoke,” Ben said flatly.
“And if you can manage it, send my worthless husband down here too,” Moa replied, baring her teeth in a feral grin that was made no less disturbing by the fact she aimed it in completely the wrong direction. “I’ve waited a long time to have a chat with him where he can’t use my health against me.”
Ben was not sure how to respond to that. But he was saved from having to come up with an answer by Moa continuing on. “I really shouldn’t approve. After all, you’re the spawn of the scum who killed my family and blinded me, but even so I still hate you less than Snoke and my husband. And my Tarkin seems to care for you. Everyone tells me what he’s up to, and ever since he heard your voice that night from the computer, you’ve given him something productive to focus on. I suppose I approve. My sister-in-law was telling me that when he found your cot empty my poor son panicked. Live on, kill the Supreme Leader and that useless lump I called husband, and look after my son, will you? And if I find you back here before that’s done I swear I’ll figure out how to force a soul to be reincarnated and I’ll send you back to be born on some wretched desert planet or something.”
“Yes ma’am,” Ben replied quickly, not wanting to upset her. He was dubious as to whether or not she would actually be able to hurt him, but he assumed it was probably in his best interest to not annoy the deceased, especially given that the deceased seemed to be watching him all the time. Moa laughed loudly.
“Boy, I’m dead. I’m not a ma’am anymore, if I ever even was. Call me Moa. Or Mama if you’d prefer,” she said with a grin.
“Oh, ah… no, that’s alright ma’am. Uh. Moa,” Ben said uncomfortably. Moa smirked.
“Oh you poor thing, I wish you’d been born to me instead of to Leia Organa! You’re a good boy, Ben Solo. Now it’s time for you to wake.”
“Wha-?” Ben didn’t have a chance to react before he felt himself drift away from the room, fading in and out like a badly malfunctioning holodisk.
Once he was gone, the boy turned to Moa. “Do you think he’ll be able to do it, sister?”
Moa nodded. “We already knew he was strong in the Force. Tarkin is attached to him, and I think Ben is attached to Tarkin as well. I think at the very least, if he survives what’s next he has a very good chance of killing Brendol, at least.”
“And Snoke?”
“He’ll have to kill my bastard husband in order to get close to Snoke. If he can kill him, there’s a good chance he will be able to at least wound Snoke. If he accepts Tarkin’s help, I do think they’ll manage it.”
“Do you really want your son involved?”
“Tarkin has been involved since he went to the Academy, whether I like it or not,” Moa said grimly. “Those two boys are each other’s’ best chance for survival. I just hope that they’ll recognize that before it’s too late and solidify their union, no matter what form that happens to take.”
I love Hux's mother, she's a lot of fun to write. But I feel like I should probably mention- it's important to remember that Moa Tarkin-Hux died carrying a lot of grudges, it's probably not a good idea to take everything she said as 100% true. She believes it's true, but it may or may not actually be what's really going on. Thank you to everyone who has continued to read!