Blinded by the Dark | General Hux

XVII

"Armitage."

He turned, standing on the bridge of Starkiller that was empty save from himself and the man in front of him who he walked toward, grasping his hands that became clammy.

"Yes, sir," he nearly whispered, meeting the gaze of his father who only looked down on him with disgust and disregard, ashamed of him.

"I cannot express enough how disappointed I am in you."

"I know, sir."

"Do you? You know just what you've done this time?"

His son shook his head timidly, looking down at his feet and the elder Hux's face curled into a sneer of disgust, the harsh lines of age and work cracking into place, the grey of his hair shifting when he raised his eyebrows, ghosts of red strands still lingering. Armitage was his father's son only in appearance to him. How else could he have produced such a snivelling wreck?

"No...sir."

"A woman...You have let your guard down to the extent you have allowed a woman to influence you, to wrangle with your emotions and lead you down a path of self-destruction!" Brendol Hux shouted, his words bouncing back against the metal walls of the bridge and his son flinched, closing his eyes knowingly as if that might make this less painful. "And I thought I had finally drilled some sense into you, boy."

He hit him so hard he stumbled, breathing heavily at the shock, with the pain lingering well into the next few minutes.

"I'm sorry..."

"'Sorry' does not cut it, Armitage. You do not cut it you pathetic excuse of a man."

"I'm sorry...but she is wonderful. She's smart; intelligent, she can help win this war. And she's beautiful. She's...I just wish she could be mine."

"She's not," his father snapped. "She is not 'yours', she never will be 'yours'. she doesn't love you. You think an apprentice to your Supreme Leader, with so much power and influence, could ever have so little respect for herself that she would want to be with a pitiful scab such as yourself?" Armitage nodded in agreement at this, knowing him to be right. He was always right... "You were only meant to work with her, barely even that, not whatever his pathetic mess is..."

"General." A flash of fluttering back fabric flew past him and Amelia stopped between them. She noticed her interruption and stepped back, radiant and glowing, knowing full well she could bring planets to their knees with just the snap of her fingers. She had certainly bent Armitage to her will. Her dress was revealing but sophisticated and when she met her colleague's eyes he froze, paralysed by her beauty. "I'm sorry. Excuse me."

"No, do stay," Brendol said and she nodded. "Come closer...You are her if I'm not mistaken...the apprentice."

"Yes, sir," she replied. He jerked her head upward and held her chin, making her look at him and with this, as was consistent with his father, an act of aggression rather than respect or care. "Amelia..."

"Ah, a beautiful name for a beautiful woman." His hand trailed down her arm to her waist but stopped when Armitage aggressively muttered for him not to touch her. That didn't stop his eyes from wandering. "Defending your lover, how very grown-up of you."

"Hardly." Amelia looked between the two of them with a look of astonishment. "I'm only a colleague of his, forced to work together. We don't love each other."

She turned to look at her acquaintance for an agreement but he sighed guiltily with a pained look in his eyes so she scoffed.

"Really? You've fallen for me, General? How pathetic." Her words sliced through him, burning his soul with hurt and when she laughed a patronising laugh he only felt his heart sink deeper. "After everything we've ever said, how we hate each other. How I hate you. I am so much more than you, more than you will ever be. You know I could never love you in return. Who could? Whining to me about your childhood, what your father did, how much you wished you could please him? Grow up! You know you deserve everything."