04. mental link

[exhuxperation]

COMMAND over oneself and others	AMBITION nothing will stand in my way
ORDER chaos will not be tolerated	MANY over the individual

( CODE BY WHAMBAM )

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[exhuxperation]

[ Instead of getting more impressions of his father, he starts to think of Snoke instead. How frail he seemed on the slab of a throne. And yet so powerful that he would have anyone lesser scrabbling for his favor. Still, Hux sits a little straighter in his chair, as if he were reporting to another officer. ]

I would see the Order's machinations through. If it meant following Snoke, then so be it. [ There's something unspoken though and it glints in his eyes. If Snoke had gotten in the way, he would have found a way to remove him. ] Ren's decisions were his own. Following Snoke seemed to have some worth to him.

[snaphiss]

How noble. [She says it without approval or disapproval, a rather banal statement.] And very loyal.

[But she sees she'll get no more information from him on this subject, so she turns the interrogation to something else. The thought is soothing, and her posture relaxes slightly. The pressure in her mind subsides.]

Tell me, General; what did your father tell you about the Empire?

[exhuxperation]

[ Noble? Maybe. An exercise of his willpower? That's a little closer to the truth. He had too much pride and investment to just let it all slip through his fingers. Snoke had proven to be useful, regardless how irritating he could be. ]

That during its height, it brought organization and law where it lacked. Standardizations, open trading routes, better transport. The power no longer resided in waiting for the Senate to make up its mind through tireless politics. Most of the documentation left behind seemed to support these notions, though I believe some parts my father saw through rose-colored lenses.

[snaphiss]

[Mara quirks a brow. If you have nothing good to say, Hux, come and sit by her.] So you have criticisms?

[Mara loved the old Empire. But after the betrayal she found from the Emperor, she longs for a metered, rational discussion of it, neither fanatical nor condemnatory.]

[exhuxperation]

Enough of them. Without acknowledging the past faults, there isn't a way to move forward efficiently. [ That's strategy talking, even if there's a part of him that still twinges when he disagrees with anything Brendol taught him. But, he would not be weak-willed, nor would he be seen as useless. He'd proven it to the galaxy in one fell swoop that the First Order would be taken seriously.

That's all a distant dream now, but it's something to turn over in his head when no one is looking. ]

It was fractured. The growth was enormous and their recruitment couldn't keep pace. Not to mention there wasn't any indoctrinated loyalty. Non-specialty troops didn't have enough training, there weren't enough resources to keep up with the expansion–

[ There are so many criticisms. All small things that lead up to something larger and contributed to the end. ] Though foremost issues came from rapid expansion, arrogant leadership, and the divisive decision making.

[snaphiss]

[And Mara can't argue with any of that.] You've clearly studied your history. Too many officers and not enough people looking after corruption in the ranks. Did you ever hear of the Hand of Judgement affair?

[exhuxperation]

Everyone wanted a piece for themselves. It was rampant among the Imperial ranks, especially with the possibility of becoming the next Grand Moff Tarkin or Admiral Thrawn.

[ He can't say he wasn't as inspired as the rest. His path took him a different way, without so much underhanded activity. ]

I haven't heard of any such thing. If the information is in any Imperial records, it's limited access.

[snaphiss]

[At the mention of Thrawn, Mara actually rolls her eyes. There's a little groan, there. Thank the Force he's dead.]

[But onto more important matters-] It happened the year the first Death Star was destroyed, and honestly I wouldn't be surprised if the entire thing was covered up, considering Imperial Intelligence's involvement. [That's what Mara was always called in official records. Imperial Intelligence, nothing more or less.] A group of Stormtroopers were told to fire on innocent civilians based on bad information, so they defected.

[exhuxperation]

[ Not a fan of Admiral Thrawn then. Unsurprising. His strategies were either loved or hated. No in-between as many of the Imperial officers seemed to inspire. ]

They defected. [ He echoes, mind monetarily distant. FN-2187 had been on that mission alongside Ren. Sniffing out Lor San Tekka and information about the droid. Afterwards, he'd defected alongside that rebellion pilot, Poe Dameron. Awful. ]

How much trouble did they stir up?

[snaphiss]

That's just the start of it. Then they went around calling themselves 'The Hand of Justice' and rooting out corrupt Imperial generals and Governors. [She speaks of it fondly, despite the subject. She has the look of someone recounting some youthful triumph, a memory long passed.] Imperial Intelligence had to hunt them down to make them stop cleaning up their messes. It wouldn't have happened in the perfect world the Emperor wanted, but perfection is... admirable, but unlikely.

[exhuxperation]

[ Hux's eyebrows go up at the mention of the name. Hand of Justice, hmm? How ridiculous. Though he's torn on their actual actions. Sniffing out the corrupt would've been helpful in terms of an internal thing, but to have so much freedom. Well. Problematic. ]

Perfection is not realistically attainable, no. Were you part of the intelligence force, then, Mara?

[snaphiss]

I had reason to keep an eye on their behavior. [Which is all she'll say. She doesn't want condemnation or congratulation for her actions, her training, her capabilities. What she wants is understanding, and until she's sure she'll get that, she's happy to leave this General in the dark.] The group was eventually convinced to disband, and they became mercenaries. They dropped the 'Hand of Judgement' name as well-- it up that Hand of the Emperor rumor.

[Silly thing, rumors.]

And you seek to bring that Empire back, without all its nasty flaws?

[exhuxperation]

Considering they defected, that's reason enough to keep an eye on things. [ She's being evasive but they hardly know each other, regardless of the understanding they seem to be reaching. He's not about to spout every secret of his, nor his life story either. ]

Still, it seems as though it worked in the Empire's favor. Perhaps not so much for those who were lining their pockets. [ There's a twitch of a smile. Routing out the greedy is admirable. ]

The Order was built on many of the Empire's precepts. Bringing organization and communication to as many places as possible. The Senate made decisions very slowly and many of those negatively affected the less fortunate, especially in the Outer Rim, where trade has been so limited over the years.

[ This is getting too specific, so he'll leave it there. ] I suppose it doesn't matter much now, myself and Ren are all that remain of that dream.

[snaphiss]

The Order. That's the group you and Kylo Ren belong to? [But Hux's final comment brings a Mara to pause. Her hard expression draws together into a frown, confused and-- more than she'd like to admit it-- disappointed.] And now it's over.

[It's a statement and a question. It's very familiar.]

[exhuxperation]

First Order, yes. [ He's just as disappointed by it as her. Moreso, honestly. Hux stares down into his caf, tries not to think of the Starkiller, how he had everything in the palm of his hand. Doesn't want to think about the Finalizer and all of the crew. Phasma and her precise walk. It feels like something shook loose when the oscillator failed; parts of him went with the planet. ]

It's gone. [ And more open than he's been with most anyone else: ] Adjusting has not been easy.

[snaphiss]

[Something about that vulnerability catches Mara's sympathy as well as her attention. He's telling her story, though he can't know it. This man is an ally; there's truly no reason to ponce on his weaknesses.]

It won't get easier, [she says, calm and collected, but in her mind, the memories of hiding, running, explosions and screaming, all flare into a fever pitch.] You'll have to... rebuild yourself.

this sure is 100 years late

[exhuxperation]

[ Her words sound too much like pity at first and he wants nothing to do with it. But, after the rush of shame and failure, he collects his thoughts– she's merely understanding. Only a few moments before, she mentioned that she had seen the Death Star destroyed. Old enough to remember it. Young enough to feel as though her entire foundation crumbled underfoot.

They have a similarity. Maybe even moreso than he and Ren did. ]

Where does one even start. [ Being thrust into the Nest hadn't been an ideal way to start all over. He's still too defensive, too closed off. ]

fffff

[snaphiss]

[Mara considers how to answer. Being too truthful would show her hand, reveal more of herself than she cares to. Instead, Mara makes a deliberately misleading statement.]

[Dryly,] I started at a bar, myself.

[exhuxperation]

[ He turns his gaze to her, eyebrows raising slowly and in fractions. ]

Didn't get enough of poor souls pouring their miserable stories at your feet while you served? [ Is that a hint of a smile??? ]

[snaphiss]

[Mara snorts.] I never said I served. [She grins, bitter.] How observant of you.

[A lifetime of training in combat, espionage, slicing, mechanics, engineering, the Force, all to become a waitress.]

[exhuxperation]

You'll have to forgive me, having a Commandant for a father has made it easier to know what to look for.

[ Both of them– a lifetime dedicated to an Empire that has crumbled into dust twice over. Years of his life climbing the ladder with only his mind as a weapon. It means nothing here. ]

Either way, I do hope I was able to give you the information needed regarding your original query.

[ They don't have to talk about the past. ]