A.H A Star Wars story (English version)©

𝓒𝓱𝓪𝓹𝓽𝒆𝓻 𝟑𝟎

Hux turned suddenly to the source of this voice. The little girl was now hiding behind him, frightened by the man dressed in black who had just appeared a few meters away. It had taken only a moment for the angry expression on Ben's face to turn into incomprehension. When he lowered his dark eyes, he saw ten small, lifeless bodies lying on the ground. One could swear that tears were threatening to fall.

- What happened? Ben asked, his voice low and trembling, he wasn't addressing anyone in particular.

Armitage walked towards him, his hands trembling, followed closely by Jaessa trotting behind. The little one grabbed the fabric of the young man's pants from time to time, to make sure he didn't abandon him.

- It all happened very quickly... A child stepped out of line, she wanted to run away. General Hux tried to get her back in line...

- It's about that child, isn't it? Ben asked Ben, nodding his head to young Jaessa. At the same time a stretcher had been brought in to pick up Brendol Hux, who was still unable to stand up.

Armitage nodded briefly and looked down at the little girl, still firmly attached to his leg. The young user of the Force moved a little closer to bring himself to the height of the young child.

- My name is Ben. Can you tell me what you did?

Jaessa huddled a little closer to Armitage's leg. She was terrified of his powers, and the way she'd used them. She hadn't controlled anything at all. She nodded her head and then buried her tear-soaked face against the young redhead's pants. The young man then felt compelled to answer the question:

- She knocked down all the stormtroopers, the officers, without the slightest difficulty. She threw the general to the end of the corridor.

- I see. Ben replied, particularly intrigued by the power of this young child. I must lead her to Snoke, he will know what to do. he added after allowing himself some time to think.

- What's Snoke? asked Jaessa, who had suddenly stopped crying but whose face reflected all her fear.

- Snoke is my master, he's teaching me how to control my powers... The very ones you possess. He will help you, too.

- But... I don't want to go! Armitage is the only one who is kind to me here... I want to stay with him. She exclaimed, staring alternately at Armitage and the man dressed all in black.

- Someone has to teach you to master the Force, your power is too unstable. Come with me. Ben insisted, holding out his hand wrapped in dark leather.

- All right, now... But Armitage is coming with us. said the young girl, arms folded around her chest.

- Listen, he's not like you or me... He can't understand the Force, you have to go it alone.

Armitage frowned, he was insulted by the words used against him.

- So I'm staying here. Jaessa became indignant as he took a step backwards to return to Armitage, dismayed by the conversation he had just witnessed.

Ben straightened up, his long arm falling softly down his body. He was annoyed, as could be felt in his gestures. He clenched his fists and stared at the son Hux before giving the command:

- It seems she's listening to you, tell her to come with me at once.

- By what right are you giving me orders? She doesn't want to follow you. The young man objectified the young man by casting a black look at his interlocutor.

- And, uh, I assume you know exactly what to do with her? Asked Ben, the menacing, angry voice.

As he was about to open his mouth to answer, he fell silent. No, he had no idea what was going to happen to that child. She was supposed to be in the stormtrooper training program before the incident. Brendol Hux was an idiot, but not so stupid as to risk his life or the lives of other children. And he certainly wouldn't have time to take care of that little girl. Right now she was dead weight for the First Order.

- That's what I thought. Ben sliced him hard with a scornful grin.

Little Jaessa gently looked up at Armitage and held out her little arms to him. He felt a pinch in his heart as he understood that she wanted to be carried. He couldn't resist her innocent face for long and bent down to gently lift her up and take her in his arms. He challenged Ben with his eyes.

- You can see. She won't go anywhere without me. If you want to take her to the Supreme Leader, you'll have to deal with me.

- You're bordering on insolence, Hux. Ben mumbled, staring him straight in the eye, bubbling with rage and impatience.

- And you, you are incapable of forcibly removing this child from me. Otherwise you would have already set sail with her for Snoke's ship. Armitage replied provocatively.

He won that round. Resigned and short of arguments, Ben swung to leave for the hangar. The red-haired officer followed very closely, with his little protégé curled up in his arms.

It had taken several hours to reach Snoke's battleship. The imposing Supremacy stood out from the vacuum of space by its impressive dimensions: 60 kilometers wide and 13 kilometers long. It was a gigantic machine, the power base of the First Order, but also an industrial complex very useful for assembling and repairing all kinds of vehicles.

This ship was like a large floating megalopolis, tens of thousands of living beings lived here. It was here that the throne room of the Supreme Snoke Leader had been installed. A place where the dark side reigned supreme. Armitage had had a unique opportunity to contemplate this temple of evil on the day he met the master of the place. He had a very bad memory of it. The evil that emanated from Snoke was perceptible even to someone as Cartesian as he was. The discomfort that one felt when entering these places remained ingrained for hours on end.

The transport shuttle landed in the middle of the huge hangar. And as they descended the landing ramp, a squad of stormtroopers greeted them. The officer in charge presented himself to them:

- Welcome aboard the Supremacy. We've been informed that you've requested an interview with the Supreme Leader.

- Please escort us to the throne room. Ben simply replied.

The officer quickly acceded to his request and placed several soldiers at their disposal. All of them made their way to Snoke's antechamber. Little Jaessa held Armitage's hand firmly, struggling to keep up with the pace of the adults' march. However, she remained strangely silent, observing every corner of the immense cruiser with curiosity. They took the turbolift to reach the upper part of the ship. The ascent was relatively fast, and when the doors opened, Armitage was overcome with an uncontrollable shiver.

Before entering the room, young Hux stood up to the little girl to give her advice:

- We're going to meet Snoke. Be respectful, bow down before him, and above all, speak only if he speaks to you. Do you understand?

Jaessa nodded shyly as Armitage stood up. This scene strongly reminded him of his first meeting with the Supreme Leader, his father's warnings still echoed in his mind. She quickly took his hand in hers and squeezed it as tightly as she could. She was nervous. And that was perfectly understandable.

The doors opened wide to reveal a huge room with garnet-red hangings. The floor of glossy black tiles traced an invisible path to the huge throne, on which the leader of the First Order sat proudly.