Chapter Text
Rose is awakened at the sound of stormtroopers outside her cell. The barrier evaporates as she sits up on her cot, but only long enough to let two of them inside.
One is carrying a tray that instantly makes Rose’s mouth water.
Food, she thinks. Actual food.
She inhales deeply as they set the tray down on the stool beside her bed. As much as she wants the food, she draws back for a moment.
“What is this ? Why the sudden change in treatment?” she asks, narrowing her eyes.
“We just carry out the orders,” the stormtrooper answers tersely, as the two of them back out of the cell, keeping their eyes trained on her.
“How do I know it isn’t poisoned?” she demands, frowning.
“It’s not.” General Hux slithers out from behind the troopers. “But, if you’d rather eat rations—that can be arranged.”
Rose swallows. “No,” she says quickly, almost too quickly.
“I thought you might be ready for a change,” he says, smiling an oily smile.
He’s up to something, she thinks, watching him warily. Her stomach interrupts her thoughts with a loud growl.
“Well.” The General eyes her expectantly. “Tuck in.”
Rose doesn’t hesitate. It feels like weeks since she’s eaten real food and she’s not sure if this change in treatment will last very long.
********
General Hux watches his prisoner eat with a satisfied smirk, he backs away slowly into the shadows and retreats back toward his quarters.
We mustn’t make the little bird suspicious. Stealth is wise in trying to win her over, not too much at once or she might resist out of spite.
He pauses in front of a door across from his own. A technician is fitting a retinal lock to the door.
“Almost ready?” Hux asks, raising a brow.
“Yes, sir,” the technician responds, glancing at his superior officer with a little trepidation.
“Very good. And it will only open for me?” Hux asks curiously.
“It’s been programmed to respond to only your retinal pattern,” the technician replies, nodding.
“Wonderful. How much more time do you need?” General Hux grins. Everything is going according to plan. With himself being the only person with access to the prisoner, she was bound to learn to trust him out of necessity.
“It’s ready now, sir,” The technician responds, stepping away from the door. “Try it out, if you like.”
Armitage Hux steps in front of the door and glances at the obsidian plate to the right of the door and, after a small clicking sound, the door sweeps open.
General Hux steps inside and surveys the rooms he has chosen for his captive bird. Everything stands ready, there is a small dining table and two chairs in a recessed area on the left side of the room. The rest of the room contains a set of shelves filled with rare bound volumes, a symbol of the wealth of the First Order, a couch and a comfy looking arm chair.
Hux nods to himself. And steps through an open door on the right, past the armchair. The bedroom is decorated in soft lavender and a dark wood armoire rests against the wall at his right. The door to the fresher is on his left.
“Everything looks perfect,” he says as he turns and exits the rooms, returning to the waiting technician. “The lock works the same way on the inside? She cannot escape?”
“Yes, sir. The lock will keep her from being able to exit. It will respond to your retinal pattern, but not the prisoner’s,” the technician answers dutifully.
“Excellent.” Everything according to plan.
**********
Rose sighs for what feels like the hundredth time in the past five minutes. Or has it been ten? She has no way of knowing. Her stomach growls.
Almost on cue, the doors to her cell sweep open and several armed stormtroopers enter.
What? Where is the food? A cold feeling of dread settles on her stomach. Am I finally going to be executed?
One stormtrooper fits her with restraints, while the others aim their weapons at her.
I could try to escape—the door is wide open, but they’d pick me off right away. Still, it might be better than execution.
Determined, Rose moves suddenly, stealing the side arm of the stormtrooper with the restraints, she fires a shot at him and takes out two more startled stormtroopers before darting out of the cell door and sprinting down the wide corridor between cells.
She dodges a couple of shots from the pursuing stormtroopers and points the blaster, firing off a few shots with barely a glance.
Turning the corner at the end of the corridor, she slams into someone nearly knocking them over.
Two strong hands grip her upper arms as the other person braces them both, keeping both her and himself from falling.
She finds herself staring at shiny boots that obviously belong to an officer.
Oh no. Rose slowly raises her eyes to peer into the officer’s face.
“Going somewhere so soon?” General Hux raises a questioning brow.
Rose scowls.
“As it turns out, we were going to show you your new accommodations. Perhaps you’d like me to show you to them instead?”
Still scowling, Rose shrugs away from him. The stormtroopers have finally caught up and are once again approaching her with the restraints, but General Hux raises a hand to stop them.
“Those won’t be necessary, right?” he asks, lightly. “Will you come quietly?”
Rose wrinkles her nose, but nods. The stormtroopers look pretty alert now and, with their General present, they aren’t likely to make the same mistake again.
General Hux extends his arm to her, and she reluctantly takes it.
“I think you are going to like where we are going,” the General says conversationally.
Rose may have taken his arm, but she draws the line at making small talk with him. Refusing to speak, she simply continues to walk in silence.
Far from causing any apparent discomfort or insult to General Hux, he seems to prefer the silent treatment, or at least to expect it because he shrugs and continues to lead her along, without further attempts at conversation.
Rose’s scowl deepens. She has lost track of the turns and the different lifts and now they have come to a stop in front of a set of double doors which seem to slide open at a mere glance from the ginger General.
He escorts her inside, withdrawing his arm and bowing to her as if she were an honored guest and not a captive while the doors slide shut behind them.
Rose suppresses a snort. “What’s all this?”
“These are your new rooms,” General Hux replies pleasantly. “I hope you find them to your liking.”
Rose’s Jaw drops. She draws a breath, but the General speaks first.
“I’ll leave you to explore. Dinner has been laid out for you, I will return with a servant in a while to see that the table is cleared.” With a slight bow, the General retreats through the doors that seem to slide open with only a glance from him, leaving a flabbergasted Rose to stare after him.
***********
“Dinner is laid out?” She repeats aloud and then she smells it.
There are all sorts of meats and vegetables laid out, even fruit and sweets. Things she hadn’t had in years or ever at all.
Her mouth waters. I might as well eat. No need to go on a hunger strike, especially since that really harms only me. I’m going to need all of my strength to escape.
**********
“You wanted to see me, Supreme Leader?” General Hux says, his lip curling slightly.
“Yes, any word from the prisoner on the possible location of the Resistance?” Kylo Ren asks without looking at Hux.
“No. I don’t think she knows anything anyway,” Hux brushes aside the Supreme Leader’s question. “I have a better plan.”
“Oh?” the Supreme Leader finally turns to look at Hux.
Unperturbed, Hux continues to stare out of the viewport before him. “I have taken the liberty of creating a trap of sorts. When the rebel scum arrive to rescue our hapless prisoner, they will find her more of a— willing guest ,” Hux pauses to smile at his own genius. “The rebels won’t know what hit them.”
“You think to turn her?” Kylo Ren asks sharply.
“I do,” Hux responds, lightly.
“And what if she won’t cooperate?” Kylo Ren muses.
“Either way, the girl is mine and her peers will fall into my trap. Whether she turns today or one year from now, I can afford to wait.” Hux shrugs.
The Supreme Leader scoffs, but says nothing more, turning back to gaze out into space and Hux knows he’s been dismissed. He bows, lip curling once more, turns and walks away.
His little bird must surely have eaten by now.
**********
Finishing her meal, Rose wanders the rooms, running her hands over the soft fabric of the armchair as she cautiously enters the adjoining room, searching for the fresher that must surely be somewhere nearby.
She barely glances at the furnishings of the bedroom, spotting the open door to the fresher almost immediately.
She gratefully enters and glances around it. There are towels and she spots a small chute, too small for her to fit inside through which she supposes she should send dirty laundry.
She turns the faucet on and warm water streams over her hand. Quickly washing her hands she pushes aside a glass door and gapes.
There are actual shower heads in here. Water, not sonic.
She turns abruptly and exits the fresher, walking until she once again comes face to face with the soft armchair and she sinks into it to think.
What is that General up to?
She can’t quite figure it out, but she can tell that this might not be all bad. If General Hux is making her comfortable, then he must not be thinking of executing her.
I need to get to the bottom of this, Maybe I should play along for a bit. Act the well behaved, perfect captive, he won’t know what hit him when the time comes.
Settling on that thought, the doors sweep open and Hux enters with a few servants who immediately begin to clear the table.
“I trust that your accommodations are to your liking?” Hux smiles, as the doors sweep closed behind him.
“Yes,” Rose replies, smiling sweetly. “Thank you,” she forces herself to say.
The General smiles wider and bows slightly, “I’m pleased that you like them. I’ll leave you for the night. Sweet Dreams.”
The General and his entourage exit the rooms, leaving Rose alone once more.
*********
Rose returns to the bedroom and, for the first time, notices the armoire. She pulls open the doors and growls. It’s filled with various dresses. She finds that the drawers are filled with silken underthings she would never have chosen for herself. She pulls out a simple night dress, disappointed that there are no pants.
Taking the night dress and some underthings to the fresher, she sets them aside and steps into the water spray. It feels a little extravagant and luxurious and she enjoys every minute, pushing back more than a little guilt.
Stepping out and drying off, she quickly slips on the new set of clothes.
It’ll have to do, she thinks, staring at her reflection in the large mirror.
She stares at her old clothes and the wet towels, and, shrugging, sends them down the laundry chute. She’s pretty sure she’s not going to see those clothes again.
She is grateful to find an automatic dryer for her hair and a set of combs and brushes and for the toothbrush she spots in another compartment.
Finally, she sinks into the bed and closes her eyes. She’ll need her rest if she’s going to figure out a way out of the First Order’s clutches, or, at least, figure out what the General has planned for her.