Keeping Your Promise

Down for the Count

Summary: The Jaws theme is playing throughout this chapter, it just wasn't relevant enough to the plot to mention it.

"Let's not waste any time, shall we, officer?" Hux said, eyes concentrated on the tablet in his hands, storming past you into his office.

The night had not been restful; your back was recovering from the unforgiving exam table, its intended use not one of comfort, but necessity. Along with the incessant pang radiating at your tailbone, the lack of sleep had outfitted you with reddened eyes and an overwhelming headache, every too-loud sound and overbearing light a throb at your temple. Even as you stood to enter into Hux's lair of career-ending lecturing, you found comfort in the fact that you wouldn't have to return to your sleepless confines before the day was over.

With one last steeling breath, you pulled your shoulders back and followed in after Hux, taking in the familiar space, unchanged since your last time being here. Hux had already sat down before you'd entered, still focused on his datapad. Whatever he was looking at was no doubt aimed towards the severing of either your ties with the First Order, or the ties between your head and body – either of which he was excited to take part in.

"General," you said, taking a cautious seat across from him. "To what do I owe the pleasure of this early encounter?" The words were mostly civil, only dipped in mockery.

"And it is a pleasure, officer," he said with one final aggressive tap to the screen, staring at you in malevolent glee. "Now, I should first inform you that you are still contractually bound to Commander Ren until your official denouncement by the Board of Physicians. Other than that, this is the beginning of the end, I am disheartened to say."

"I'm sure of it." The goal was to make it through this meeting without digging a deeper hole for yourself, and that meant taking Hux's snide comments in stride and withholding your own snark.

"Although I thought it was counterintuitive, I am legally bound to tell you that you will be under heavy surveillance. Not only in your practice as a physician – which will be extremely limited while the investigation goes on, by the way – but in your day to day life as well."

"What? Why?" The words were quick and emotional, coming before you could stop them. He raised an eyebrow, the outburst only offering him more reasons to expedite your dismissal. Clicking your tongue, you regathered yourself. "I'm sorry, general. Why am I being watched?"

Keeping your stare, he slid the datapad across the desk. "The Board of Physicians has deemed it necessary to not only question your competency as a provider, but also your character as an individual."

Finding a vague familiarity in the event, you half-hoped for the door to rush open and Kylo Ren to come take you away. To your dismay, however delusional and misplaced, the room stayed quiet of the hydraulic hiss, the only sound inhabiting the room being that of the cyclic boots of patrolling stormtroopers beyond the office. With a swallow, you took the tablet into your own hands and scanned over the screen, finding another legal document. This time, though, not displaying the pointed script of Kylo Ren, but that of another familiar face; within your hold was Talia's incident report, scanned into its electronic existence from her original penmanship.

"I trust you're aware of what that is, yes?" Hux asked.

His voice was muffled, background noise to your focus on the document. Not reading a single word, too nervous to know how she told the story, you mindlessly scrolled through the pages, regarding its length even in her small script. Nearing the bottom, there was an occasional edit, a typed word among her handwriting. Looking closer, you realized the necessity of the print, noting the original penning had been defaced with interruptions, splotches of dried tears contorting her testimony.