Hey guys! Part 2 here, way longer than I even thought it would be. ^^ Hope you enjoy!
It took a long time for the Senators to calm down. It took even longer for Leia to persuade them of her own ignorance. Her throat tightened every time she affirmed that she didn’t know that Ben was here, didn’t know of his status in Hux’s army. She clasped her hands together to keep them from trembling whenever they answered with disbelieving stares. She bit the inside of her cheek to keep from agreeing with them.
How could she not know? How could she have missed this?
There was no doubt in her mind that Hux had carefully concealed that information, but still, she should have known, somehow. Should have come sooner.
Shouldn’t ever have let him go.
When the arguing had calmed enough that the Senators could all be herded into the tent, the delegates were all directed towards a large durasteel table. It was thick, sturdy, obviously heavy and Leia spared a second of thought wondering just how they managed to transport it all the way here.
“Before these negotiations begin,” Senator Telana said when the tent was somewhat silent, “Supreme Warlord, did you know?”
There was no question as what she was referring to. The matter of Ben’s presence here had to be put to rest before they could all go forward.
Hux linked his hands together, laying them on the table before him. He and Ben were an island of two on one end, surrounded by a few lower ranking officers serving as guards. The delegates were all gathered on the other side. The strategic part of Leia couldn’t help but notice that like this, they would get in each other’s way should they wish to attack, whereas Ben and Hux had distance and liberty of range on their side.
“Yes,” the warlord answered. “I was aware.”
Telana took a deep breath. “Then why did you say nothing?”
“I found it irrelevant.”
“Irrelevant?!” one of her colleagues cried out in obvious dismay. “Did you not even consider possible conflicts of interests?!”
Hux smiles pleasantly. “I assure you, Senator, any such conflict would be entirely on your part. Pasts experience have already proven that family bonds have little influence in our affairs.”
The other Senators looked puzzled, but for Leia, who had spent years mulling over her family and all the blame they shared, knew precisely what he was talking about.
“You mean Han Solo,” she said, voice flat.
She hadn’t seen Han in years. She couldn’t, not after what he did. Not after he lost Ben.
She knew that his guilt was immeasurable, knew that he would never forgive himself, but that didn’t mean she could forgive him. No matter how much she may have loved him, there was a Ben sized void in between them that would some days keep her from even looking at him.
She hadn’t met his eyes when he left on the Falcon one day. He never came back.
“He has been one of the many smugglers I have dealt with” Hux continued. His tone was casual, almost bored. “Never interacted with him personally of course, I am much too busy for that. Although…” He paused then, glancing to his right towards Ben, and smirked. “He has been fairly reliable these past few years, so perhaps a meeting is due.”
Ben glared at him.
Hux raised an eyebrow.
Ben pursed his lips, then sunk back into his seat.
“We do not mean to doubt your integrity,” Telana said after a heavy silence, slightly unnerved by the silent communication. “However, it is difficult to conceive that you would deem this information of little importance, if only for transparency’s sake.”
“I believe I was very transparent,” Hux shrugged. “Kylo Ren is mine, and that is all there is to it.”
“Yours?”
Poe voiced Leia’s thoughts as her own outrage left her speechless. She knew what happened to children who got stolen, of course she did, but somehow she thought… If Ben was so high ranked….
Her son looked at her for the first time since the beginning of the meeting, and deliberately pulled up his sleeves to reveal golden shackles on each of his wrists. Finely carved, lined with leather to prevent chaffing, but shackles none the less.
The Cerean delegate gave out a cry of dismay. “He’s a slave?!”
“Technically, yes,” Ben answered.
Leia was torn between revelling in the sound of her son’s voice - so much deeper, so much smoother than the shy, self-conscious thing it had been in the past - and ragging at the words themselves. “There is no technicality in freedom,” she said through gritted teeth, eyes never leaving Hux. “You led us to believe he was here by choice.”
The warlord was unmoved. “I assure you, his status is much more of an advantage to him than anything else.”
“How?”
Hux sighed, reclining in his chair. “Let me put it simply: if my best warrior is wounded by an ambitious competitor, he would quickly experience a fall from grace. Strongest at the top and all that.” A pause. “On the other hand, should my property be damaged…” His smile was all teeth. “Well, let’s just say that I am very attached to my belongings.”
Amidst the uncomfortable silence that had once again settled, Ben rolled his eyes and huffed. “As if anyone could wound me.”
“The scar could have fooled me,” Poe mumbled next to her. Leia didn’t want to be angry at him for it ; she knew it was his attempt at making the situation somehow lighter.
It’s just that she hasn’t been in the mood to laugh for almost twenty years.
“It just looks so wound-like,” he continued, so softly she knew only she could hear it.
Or at least, she thought so, until Ben turned to look at them sharply, eyes narrowing. “That was an unfortunate incident involving a faulty weapon.” He turned back towards the Senators, still glaring. “If we are done…?”
If Hux minded at all the initiative, he didn’t show it. Instead he nodded, and addressed the assembly. “I must admit, esteemed Senators,” he said, the irony in his voice barely concealed, “I was surprised to receive a message from your Republic. It has been some time since you have shown any interest in our fate.”
That the warlord would raise such a point was more than predictable. Telana gave the prepared answer. “It is true, the New Republic has been preoccupied as of late. The rise of Lord Snoke has caused many long lasting conflicts all the way into the Core Rim, and that situation has only been recently resolved.”
“Resolved,” Hux repeated thoughtfully. “A gentle word for “murdered”.”
“Master Rey Antilles acted in the best interest of the Galaxy, during a time of war,” the delegate from Naboo replied. “Her actions can in no way be considered criminal.”
Leia looked at Ben, hoping to spot a reaction to the name of his cousin. It was only through careful scrutiny that she spotted his slightly clenched jaw and squared shoulders.
Hux’s expression turned more somber as well. “Of course not, Senator. Believe me, I am as pleased as anyone that the man is dead.” His left thumb came to rub against the palm of his right hand, even as his words gained an aggressive tone that put several Senators on edge. “He has been a… threat, in the past. In fact, I humbly ask that you transmit to Master Rey my most sincere gratitude.”
“Of course,” Telana responded, before clearing her throat. “To return to the matter at hand, now that the Republic has regained its stability, we are ready to discuss your integration to the Senate.”
Hux didn’t answer right away. His eyes were on Ben, who stoically kept his eyes trained on some detail on the tent walls.
No word was spoken, but when Hux looked away his hand he took a deep breath and began toying with the shackle on Ben’s left wrist. Ben relaxed visibly.
No one commented.
“That discussion is simple,” the warlord finally said, looking back to Telana, “it will not happen. We will not put ourselves under the Republic’s boot.”
“The Senate strives for equal representation for each planet. It will not…”
“Care about the Outer Rim, nor about our input,” Hux interrupted. “Moreover, if you truly wished to have each planet of my Empire represented, you would have to build a bigger building.”
The negotiations continued that way for quite some time. Telana and Hux led the discussion, while other Senators occasionally added their input. Leia tried to invest herself in the proceedings as much as possible, but her eyes kept darting back to Ben, who was pointedly not looking back. Her son hardly said a word during the two hours they sat there.
Throughout it all, Poe was a silent support behind her, one she was growing increasingly grateful for.
FILL: Kylux - Lords of Wild Space 2a/4
Hey guys! Part 2 here, way longer than I even thought it would be. ^^ Hope you enjoy!
It took a long time for the Senators to calm down. It took even longer for Leia to persuade them of her own ignorance. Her throat tightened every time she affirmed that she didn’t know that Ben was here, didn’t know of his status in Hux’s army. She clasped her hands together to keep them from trembling whenever they answered with disbelieving stares. She bit the inside of her cheek to keep from agreeing with them.
How could she not know? How could she have missed this?
There was no doubt in her mind that Hux had carefully concealed that information, but still, she should have known, somehow. Should have come sooner.
Shouldn’t ever have let him go.
When the arguing had calmed enough that the Senators could all be herded into the tent, the delegates were all directed towards a large durasteel table. It was thick, sturdy, obviously heavy and Leia spared a second of thought wondering just how they managed to transport it all the way here.
“Before these negotiations begin,” Senator Telana said when the tent was somewhat silent, “Supreme Warlord, did you know?”
There was no question as what she was referring to. The matter of Ben’s presence here had to be put to rest before they could all go forward.
Hux linked his hands together, laying them on the table before him. He and Ben were an island of two on one end, surrounded by a few lower ranking officers serving as guards. The delegates were all gathered on the other side. The strategic part of Leia couldn’t help but notice that like this, they would get in each other’s way should they wish to attack, whereas Ben and Hux had distance and liberty of range on their side.
“Yes,” the warlord answered. “I was aware.”
Telana took a deep breath. “Then why did you say nothing?”
“I found it irrelevant.”
“Irrelevant?!” one of her colleagues cried out in obvious dismay. “Did you not even consider possible conflicts of interests?!”
Hux smiles pleasantly. “I assure you, Senator, any such conflict would be entirely on your part. Pasts experience have already proven that family bonds have little influence in our affairs.”
The other Senators looked puzzled, but for Leia, who had spent years mulling over her family and all the blame they shared, knew precisely what he was talking about.
“You mean Han Solo,” she said, voice flat.
She hadn’t seen Han in years. She couldn’t, not after what he did. Not after he lost Ben.
She knew that his guilt was immeasurable, knew that he would never forgive himself, but that didn’t mean she could forgive him. No matter how much she may have loved him, there was a Ben sized void in between them that would some days keep her from even looking at him.
She hadn’t met his eyes when he left on the Falcon one day. He never came back.
“He has been one of the many smugglers I have dealt with” Hux continued. His tone was casual, almost bored. “Never interacted with him personally of course, I am much too busy for that. Although…” He paused then, glancing to his right towards Ben, and smirked. “He has been fairly reliable these past few years, so perhaps a meeting is due.”
Ben glared at him.
Hux raised an eyebrow.
Ben pursed his lips, then sunk back into his seat.
“We do not mean to doubt your integrity,” Telana said after a heavy silence, slightly unnerved by the silent communication. “However, it is difficult to conceive that you would deem this information of little importance, if only for transparency’s sake.”
“I believe I was very transparent,” Hux shrugged. “Kylo Ren is mine, and that is all there is to it.”
“Yours?”
Poe voiced Leia’s thoughts as her own outrage left her speechless. She knew what happened to children who got stolen, of course she did, but somehow she thought… If Ben was so high ranked….
Her son looked at her for the first time since the beginning of the meeting, and deliberately pulled up his sleeves to reveal golden shackles on each of his wrists. Finely carved, lined with leather to prevent chaffing, but shackles none the less.
The Cerean delegate gave out a cry of dismay. “He’s a slave?!”
“Technically, yes,” Ben answered.
Leia was torn between revelling in the sound of her son’s voice - so much deeper, so much smoother than the shy, self-conscious thing it had been in the past - and ragging at the words themselves. “There is no technicality in freedom,” she said through gritted teeth, eyes never leaving Hux. “You led us to believe he was here by choice.”
The warlord was unmoved. “I assure you, his status is much more of an advantage to him than anything else.”
“How?”
Hux sighed, reclining in his chair. “Let me put it simply: if my best warrior is wounded by an ambitious competitor, he would quickly experience a fall from grace. Strongest at the top and all that.” A pause. “On the other hand, should my property be damaged…” His smile was all teeth. “Well, let’s just say that I am very attached to my belongings.”
Amidst the uncomfortable silence that had once again settled, Ben rolled his eyes and huffed. “As if anyone could wound me.”
“The scar could have fooled me,” Poe mumbled next to her. Leia didn’t want to be angry at him for it ; she knew it was his attempt at making the situation somehow lighter.
It’s just that she hasn’t been in the mood to laugh for almost twenty years.
“It just looks so wound-like,” he continued, so softly she knew only she could hear it.
Or at least, she thought so, until Ben turned to look at them sharply, eyes narrowing. “That was an unfortunate incident involving a faulty weapon.” He turned back towards the Senators, still glaring. “If we are done…?”
If Hux minded at all the initiative, he didn’t show it. Instead he nodded, and addressed the assembly. “I must admit, esteemed Senators,” he said, the irony in his voice barely concealed, “I was surprised to receive a message from your Republic. It has been some time since you have shown any interest in our fate.”
That the warlord would raise such a point was more than predictable. Telana gave the prepared answer. “It is true, the New Republic has been preoccupied as of late. The rise of Lord Snoke has caused many long lasting conflicts all the way into the Core Rim, and that situation has only been recently resolved.”
“Resolved,” Hux repeated thoughtfully. “A gentle word for “murdered”.”
“Master Rey Antilles acted in the best interest of the Galaxy, during a time of war,” the delegate from Naboo replied. “Her actions can in no way be considered criminal.”
Leia looked at Ben, hoping to spot a reaction to the name of his cousin. It was only through careful scrutiny that she spotted his slightly clenched jaw and squared shoulders.
Hux’s expression turned more somber as well. “Of course not, Senator. Believe me, I am as pleased as anyone that the man is dead.” His left thumb came to rub against the palm of his right hand, even as his words gained an aggressive tone that put several Senators on edge. “He has been a… threat, in the past. In fact, I humbly ask that you transmit to Master Rey my most sincere gratitude.”
“Of course,” Telana responded, before clearing her throat. “To return to the matter at hand, now that the Republic has regained its stability, we are ready to discuss your integration to the Senate.”
Hux didn’t answer right away. His eyes were on Ben, who stoically kept his eyes trained on some detail on the tent walls.
No word was spoken, but when Hux looked away his hand he took a deep breath and began toying with the shackle on Ben’s left wrist. Ben relaxed visibly.
No one commented.
“That discussion is simple,” the warlord finally said, looking back to Telana, “it will not happen. We will not put ourselves under the Republic’s boot.”
“The Senate strives for equal representation for each planet. It will not…”
“Care about the Outer Rim, nor about our input,” Hux interrupted. “Moreover, if you truly wished to have each planet of my Empire represented, you would have to build a bigger building.”
The negotiations continued that way for quite some time. Telana and Hux led the discussion, while other Senators occasionally added their input. Leia tried to invest herself in the proceedings as much as possible, but her eyes kept darting back to Ben, who was pointedly not looking back. Her son hardly said a word during the two hours they sat there.
Throughout it all, Poe was a silent support behind her, one she was growing increasingly grateful for.