Chapter Text
It was cold out here in the dark. Cold enough to see your breath leave from your lips. The lower decks of Hanna City were built to keep the light out. It was a deal between the Republic and the White Worms. They mostly kept to the sewers, but after the war, they had emerged with a vengeance. Lady Proxima’s gang of miscreants had only become more severe, keeping Crimson Dawn away from the lower levels.
Everything had changed after the war had ended. There was a power vacuum only the most vile could fill. With the destruction of Hostinian Prime, many of the officials from other planets were placed on the planet before its destruction for that reason. Even the lathsome Resistance couldn’t take much of a stand against the Syndicates. Crimson Dawn had taken most of the Core World, the Hutts keeping their Outer Rim territory like they had for the last thousand years.The Mid Rim was a bit harder to break up, the Pyke Syndicate and Ashiga Clan both wanting a piece.
Armitage had predicted this, right when he had made Captain. They had come across the Pykes on one of the standard destroyer refueling operations. They were a vile species, but mostly kept their word compared to the other low lifes. Gorrack had forced his hand for an in-person meeting, and had forced his hand once more in requesting special interest points for trade with the First Order and her allies.
It wasn’t his brightest moment. If he could do the whole thing over again, he would shoot the fish right where he stood. The counsel had laughed at his reluctance to bow to these gangs. They had no true power, only connections. Young Hux would soon learn that the more pockets full of credits, the more you tended to get away with.
Armitage pushed his respirator over just a bit, trying to adjust the angle. It was too big for him, but it would have to do. He was not going to destroy his lungs with the toxic gasses of this horrid planet. After this, he would have to invest in some actual gear, after most of his had been stolen on his last planetside stroll.
In a perfect world, with the new Republic turned to ash, the Resistance disbanded, he would be a free man, and yet surprisingly, many people still wished for his head. He felt eyes on him no matter where he went. He yearned to return to Arkanis, but resigned himself to being in constant motion to throw off his bounty.The last time he checked his bounty was around the thousands, which he thought was still a bit too low after it being almost five years since, since-”
Armitage turned into an alley, leaning over with his hand touching the wall, gripping his respirator tightly. He needed to get a hold of himself. This ‘mission’ as he was calling it was too important to fuck up. So what if he thought too much about the past his mind would start spiraling and he would turn into a heaping mess. If you can suppress something for as long as thirty something years, then you can do more.
He closed his eyes, hoping the world would stop spinning, just for a moment. After this, he could finally get his revenge. Everyone who had been ‘lost’ would be found again, just so he could make sure they stayed lost, or worse. He needed to know, so he could rest easy at night again. And after this, who knows, maybe he would finally be content, and finally be really to end it all.
Then he heard it, a cry. His initial reaction was to venture over to see what it was, but stopped himself just as he was about to move.
You're vulnerable right now. It could be a trap. Scout it out first.
Noticing iron bars that led up to the rooftops, he decided to take the climb. His original plan was going to high ground anyway, as many of the little shops and buildings littered across the blanch city were not easy to enter without a reservation.
He noticed an open slanted window up top of the building next to him, and decided to just take a quick look. With his luck it was probably someone enjoying the pleasures of the underworld. He had passed by many of those shops on the walk down. In his younger years, he would have happily found the time to enjoy what little time he had planetside. And yet now, with all the time in the galaxy, he could never bring himself to enter.
As he came upon it, he moved down on his stomach as quietly as he could and looked in. It was a small bar, sabbacc table set up in the corner with a couple of men who were drinking the day away. Definitely a front for something, he just didn’t know what for. He looked around for any clues, but then noticed a small pale blue Twileck on the ground, picking up something he couldn’t quite see.
“Boy I swear you better clean that up! This is why you were only worth a couple credits.” Armitage immediately scowled, and glared down at the man behind the bar that was doing absolutely nothing of importance.
“Bandi! Just tell the kid to lick it up. Can count for his water ration for the day.” Both men laugh, and as Armitage looked closer he saw the broken glass, some liquid scattered about. His body physically jolts, and he goes to reach for his blaster before he can stop himself. He tries to will his mind to relax, that he's not in danger. That there is no glass in his own mouth, cutting his tongue so he could taste blood.
He moves back, forcing himself to look away. There was nothing he could do. The boy could handle himself, just like he had. It wasn’t his fight, and he had more pressing matters to attend to.
The informant is late, as perusal. He ends up staying on the rooftop, looking down at the barren street, definitely not glancing back at the window every now and then as he waits. He hasn’t heard from the boy or the men since then, and he tries to push it out of his mind.
Originally, Crimson Dawn was supposed to have the files. Not to say that other syndicates did not keep track of First Order and Resistance members, just that this list was updated by the hour, and encrypted to change once the person was dead. It didn’t just have high Imperials or Resistance personnel, but everyone who had ever worked for either side. It would take years to get through the list.
As he continues to scan, Armitage spots a Crimson member covered in black and gold. There are two bodyguards posted on either side of him as they stop in front of the building he's posted at. Of course it had to be this one. Call it luck or karma, he didn’t care.
He moved back to the window, moving to his stomach as he once was. The boy was nowhere to be seen, and the bar man had just as quickly taken them through a door to the back, the two bodyguards guarding the door.
Moving away from the window once again, he grabbed his pack and scrounged around for one of the smoke detonators. They ran for a hefty price nowadays, especially the First Order kind. Thankfully his younger self was smart enough to have little ‘hiding spots’ as he called them hidden all around the galaxy.
He checked himself, making sure everything was intact. His respirator was snug, he had his viroblade in his sleeve, his blaster on his side. Carefully, he rumaged through the pack once again, bringing out an object Hux hadn’t used in a long time.
He moved back up to the window, setting the detonator and throwing it toward the men. Before sporadic blasterfire could go off Armitage jumped through the window, landing on one of the patrons. Knowing he would be knocked out from the fall, Armitage then moved onto one of the Crimson guards who was coughing, trying to remove the smoke from his lungs. He pressed his blaster to the lackey's side, but before he could pull the trigger, the other one had wrapped his arm around his throat pulling him back.
As the other tried to get his bearings, Armitage kicked him in the face, giving him enough time to let his virobalde drop to his hand. Finding a good angle before being choked out, he jammed the viroblade into the guard's legs, making him stumble over and release him. Breathing out a quick sigh, he grabbed his blaster which had fallen to the wayside and stunned them both before they could regroup.
It wasn’t the hardest fight he had been in by any means. He was just distracted, out of practice. That's what he told himself as he placed his viroblade back up his sleeve and moved the blaster back to his hip. He paid no mind to the bodies as he pushed open the door, only to find a long staircase that led into darkness.
Maybe in a distant reality, Armitage would have turned around and headed back up and out into the slimy underworld, go back to his ship and fly as far away from the Core as he could. In that distant reality maybe he had never been taken from his mother, or maybe was never trained in the art of killing. Maybe the First Order would still be standing. Maybe he wouldn’t be alone in this mess, maybe-
He stopped at a single door, and placed one of his detonators above it, setting it to five minutes. He would get in, shoot the Crimson informant, threaten the representative of the White Worms, and then get the hell out with a minute or so to spare. He pushed his ear to the door, unable to hear any talking on the other side. It was now or never.
Talking out a dataspike, he hacked into the door panel with a few clicks then pushed open. Pulling out his blaster, he took a step inside, only to see the informant's body laying across the floor, blood spilling from his chest. His eyes were wide with fear, and that was the moment Armitage knew he was screwed.
“General Hux, I was expecting you.” He hears the voice, but doesn’t see them at all. He looks for trap doors, vents, and then a false wall. He goes over to touch, and just as he does a large stinger slashes his hand, making him drop the blaster and clutch his hand. Maker, how could he be so stupid.
“I’m sure you were. You have what I want.” Armitage stumbles back as the worm comes into the room at full scale, leaning its bug-like head into his space. “And what oh great General do you have to offer?”
Back during the war, Armitage had many opportunities to harbor connections. Either with old Imperials, syndicates and pirates alike, and even some of the most annoying New Republicans of the lot. He had never liked favors, always wanting to hold the upper hand, and yet sometimes you had to play the long game if you wanted the prize.
“Security. Security for your great nation. I've heard the White worms are being killed by remnants of the old war. I could guarantee your safety.” He said, moving away from the creature. He had about two minutes before all this went to hell.
“And how would you guarantee my safety when you can’t even guarantee yours?” He had now just noticed the beating of his heart, the pounding of his head. Looking down he noticed the red part on his hand was now green and glowing. Poison.
Armitage does the only thing he can think of, and moves to where the worm is between him and the door. He’s lost feeling in his mouth, and his tongue feels like cement. “Poor General, tookacat got your tongue? You are exactly like all the other Imperials who think they rule the galaxy. It’s so sad to see your rein over so soon.”
He feels the room spin, but his mind can’t make out if it’s because of the detonator, or the poison. There are alarms, and metal falling, he fades in and out.
He sees Kylo, like in his dreams, smiling down at him. He's so there and present. Armitage just wants to melt in his embrace, have him take all the pain away like he used to. Then as he stares off, he feels something in his mouth, then down his throat, then-
Armitage jolts awake, and then promptly turns over and lets it all out. He sees blood, but closes his eyes as he lets it pass. There is a hand gripping his shirt, and he suddenly realizes his respirator is off. The smoke, gravel, and alarms are still present, but his heart isn’t beating as much as it was, his eyes are starting to focus, and his brain is still-
As he turns to a sitting position, he sees the blue twileck boy stare at him, eyes wide holding a vial that was now empty. “Where-who. We have to get out of here.” It pained him to say it. This would put him back months, but he figured it was better to walk free than to slave away to some worms in the undercity of Chandrilla.
The boy tries, and fails to help him up, but no matter. The boy will be his ticket out of here. “Okay, okay. You need to tell me how to get out.” There's a pause, and for a moment Armitage thinks he doesn’t speak basic, but then the boy nods and leads him through that false wall. They both take one last look at the crushed worm under the debris before leaving the horrid room.
He knew of the elaborate pipe systems they had in the lower levels, but never at this scale. It maybe goes on for hundreds of miles, and Armitage can’t see the end of it, but the boy seems to know where he is going.
They turn to a vent system, and Armitage loses all hope. All this time walking down here just to find out that there is no way out, they are trapped. All this work just to die down here in the mud and dark and-
The boy pulls him over to what looks like his own little hideout of sorts. There's a small cot in the corner, little pieces of yarn and things hanging from a smaller pipe that was above the cot. The boy grabbed a few things, specifically taking care of a small plush toy and holding it tightly. He didn’t have time for this.
“Kid, I need you to-” The boy comes closer and shows it to him, still a bit hesitant. “Yes I see it child! I need you to focus. You can either show me the way out and come with me, or I will leave you here. Do you understand?” The boy looks afraid, and a part of Armitage wishes for once he could be a bit kinder, but there was no time.
As he turns to leave, those tiny hands are on him again, pulling him back again. Before Armitage can ask, the boy nods and grabs his hand. There are more doors, and yet the boy only stops after they pass the first ten or so. He waits, ear to the door, checking for something.
The boy then stands before him and motions with his hands, one in a fist and the other one palm open as they join together. There may be a fight. “Don’t worry kid, I'll protect you, I promise. Just stay with me. And don’t do anything stupid.”
He steps in front of the kid, using his dataspike once again to hack the door. There’s a standard room, seemingly for supplies. If his body didn’t feel like it was hit with a Star Destroyer he would take time to scrounge up something of substance to sell in the market.
He keeps the child behind him, pulling out his blaster just in case. He didn’t know if he really could protect the child, if it would even be worth it. Armitage could just run, jump in his ship and get the hell of this painfully Republic planet. Or he could do the right thing for once in his life.
“Hey what the-” He doesn’t even look to see who is there before he blasts them in the chest, then moving onto the other person who long forgotten their drink. Before he could shoot someone comes up behind, and all he can think of is the child.
Without thinking, he slams his head back to connect with whoever was behind. The arms leave him, and finally he gets a clear shot on the person in front of him. Before he can turn around to deal with the last one he sees the boy come up and punch the man in the face. The boy is small, so it's almost luck that the lackey was leaning over, perfect for the boy to sock him right in the jaw.
Armitage pulls the kid away, but not before letting out a sigh, the adrenaline slowly running out of his system. They needed to leave. He sent a quick comm to 9E to get the ship ready.
He keeps pulling, but notices the boy hasn’t moved from the body, and Armitage realizes its shock. It's the man, the one from before. The one who had laughed behind the bar, and Armitage understands.
“Child, we must leave. They can’t hurt you anymore.” They don’t move, still holding the stuffed toy and something else in his hands, and Armitage has started to lose patience. “Do you want to be killed? End up like your abuser? Maker I don’t know why I care, I don't even know your name-”
“Punch.” Armitage stops, eyes wide looking at the small child in front of him. It’s the first thing he’s spoken. His name perhaps?
“That’s your name? Punch. Well I’m Armitage, and if you want to live, you should come with me.” The boy turns, and finally he can see that he's holding the data chip. The boy looks between the chip and Armitage, testing to see his reaction.
Armitage slowly moves his hand towards the chip, and thankfully the child lets him take it. “You snagged this? How did you-Maker I thought, you did it, uh Punch.”
“Go, go with you now?” His voice is so small, and something constricts within his chest. This was a bad Idea. He knew it, had known it for years, which is why he kept the young troopers at arms length. But he had snatched the chip, somehow. If anything he could do the right thing and take this kid away from all of this, drop him off on some Midrim planet.
“Yes! Yes, let's leave this place. I’ll get you a meal and you’ll tell me how you got here okay?” It might have been pushing it, but the child seemed to be content with the answer. It took all his will to not flinch when Punch grabbed his hand, holding it tightly.
This was a bad idea, Armitage knew. His entire life was filled with bad ideas with even worse outcomes. And yet, when walking with this kid, the lists of all who wronged him, and his body still functioning, he couldn’t fathom how this could end badly.