Chapter Three: Force Sensitive

A/N: As always, thanks to those who left feedback so far!

Isabeau was deeply unhappy at being back on Starkiller Base, and she made no secret of it. As Armitage and Ren discussed how things had gone with Senator Derringer, she knocked back a glass of wine. Although dressed as extravagantly as always, she hadn't even bothered to cover the bruise on her cheek from where her husband had struck her.

"Don't you like my dress, Zara?" Isabeau gestured to it. "It matches the bruise nicely, don't you think?"

"Do you get off on beating your wife, Hux?" Zara asked. It was evident that she was unimpressed with how Armitage treated his wife. She had never much liked him, and when he was unkind to Isabeau, she liked him even less.

Armitage scowled. "Shut your mouth."

"It's one of his kinks," Isabeau said, joining in on the opportunity to make a mockery of Armitage. If it hadn't been for her, they'd never have secured funding from her father. Yet he treated her like she was a mere trophy. There were things about her that Armitage didn't know, that she hoped he'd never find out.

"He seems the sort," Zara said.

"Stop drinking," Armitage commanded as Isabeau poured herself another glass of wine. "You've had enough."

Isabeau simply raised her eyebrows coolly. Wine was how she dealt with her husband. When they had first married, things had been different. He had never been kind, but he had been more considerate. Apparently irritated with all of them, Armitage turned his attention on Ren and Zara.

"Can you two go and make yourselves useful?"

"Is that an order, General?" Kylo asked.

"He gets off on commanding people, too," Isabeau piped up, unable to resist the urge to make further jabs at her husband's expense.

Armitage ignored her. "Yes, it is an order."

Ren sighed dramatically. "Do you want to beat your wife in private, General?"

Zara crossed over to Isabeau, gently taking her face in her hands and inspecting the bruise on her cheek. The woman had always been protective of Isabeau. She glared over at Armitage.

"Perhaps we should give you a bruise just like you gave her, Hux."

Isabeau shook her head. "It doesn't matter."

"Of course it does," Zara insisted, hands clenching into fists. "He needs to be taught a lesson in respect."

"I doubt you could give me any lessons in respect," Armitage sneered. "You're nothing more than Ren's little whore who follows him like a puppy."

"Enough, Hux," Ren said, his tone indicating that he was done with the conversation.

Armitage smirked, apparently pleased with himself. "Hit a nerve, did I?"

Ren shrugged. "I'm not offended by the implication a woman sleeps with me because she wants to. I know it's a concept you aren't familiar with."

Isabeau bit back a smile, and Zara openly laughed.

"I tire of this bickering," Armitage snapped, his cheeks flushing pink at the other man's insult.

"I tire of your presence," Zara retorted, glancing at her friend. "Good day, Is."

She left the room, closely followed by Ren. Isabeau couldn't say that she was surprised to see them go. She sipped at her wine, frowning when her husband took the glass from her.

"Enough."

Isabeau rolled her eyes and took her leave as well, unable to bear Armitage's presence on her own. He was cruel more often than he was compassionate, and it irked her to be married to a man who cared so little about her. It was a profitable arrangement for Armitage – but it meant nothing to Isabeau.

"Why were you staring at her?" Zara questioned the moment her and Kylo had entered their quarters. The entire evening had been tense due to Hux and Isabeau's abusive and turbulent marriage, but it didn't explain why Kylo had been so intently staring.

Kylo shrugged, beginning to tug layers of his black clothing off as Zara happily collapsed onto their bed. "I was observing."

Zara raised an eyebrow, throwing her shirt and pants beside their bed as she stretched out. "Why?"

Because I realised something that I have not before now." He explained to her as he joined her on the bed, slipping an arm around her waist she rested her head against his shoulder.

Zara let out a long yawn as she got comfortable, tugging a sheet over the two of them. "Which is what?"

"She is Force sensitive." Kylo told her, threading his fingers through her hair as she looked up at him, confusion evident on her features. Clearly Isabeau had done a wonderful job of hiding it from both of them, as he had no doubt she was aware of her own talents. "I had not noticed."

"Neither had I." Zara sighed heavily, grinning when Kylo let out aloud yawn. Usually she was the more dramatic of the two when it came to tiredness. "Perhaps you should sleep."

"I intend to."

Kylo Ren knew that he would have to make public the news that he'd realised Lady Hux was Force sensitive. It wasn't much – not enough to train in the Jedi or Sith arts, but it meant that she was more perceptive than most, and realised more than her husband gave her credit for. General Hux was on the bridge when Kylo approached him.

"Ren."

"I take it your wife hasn't told you." Kylo was aware that Isabeau certainly had not. Perhaps she had not even realised herself, although Kylo sensed her avoidance of having a child with her husband was partially to do with her Force sensitivity.

"Told me what?" Armitage frowned, growing impatient. "What is it, Ren?"

"She is Force sensitive."

Armitage's astonishment was obvious. It was clear that he viewed Isabeau as useful due to her father's wealth, but other than that she was a trophy to be displayed and then shelved when she was not needed. Kylo had the feeling that the woman was cleverer than she liked to let on.

"Have you informed Snoke?" he asked.

"Not yet," Kylo admitted, although he knew it was only a matter of time. "You should speak with her first."

What Armitage would say was anyone's best guess. It was clear he was wary of the Force, and the fact that his own wife was more proficient than any of them had believed was enough to turn the tables in their relationship. Kylo couldn't resist the opportunity to taunt him further.

"Four years, and you didn't even know."

"Should I have?" Armitage snapped, irritated by the implication that Kylo might know Isabeau better than him. The General had never cared about her past – she was simply a pretty woman he'd married because it benefitted himself and the First Order.

"Probably." Kylo shrugged his shoulders. "It doesn't surprise me. You lack perception."

Armitage waved him away. "I have more important matters to concern myself with."

Judging by the General's tense posture, there had been a distinct shift in his mood. Kylo knew that he was annoyed something of this magnitude had been kept from him. Perhaps it had been unfair to Isabeau to tell him, however he knew that Snoke would eventually find out, and it was likely better for the General to hear it from someone other than the Supreme Leader.

Zara tapped on Isabeau's door lightly. She could sense the other woman's unease from the other side of the door, and could hear how tired she was when she called out to her. "Come in."

"Is." Zara smiled at her friend, sitting down on the corner of her bed as she watched her friend run a brush through her hair. "How are you?"

Isabeau shrugged, placing her brush back down on her vanity and turning to face Zara. "Well enough."

"Why did you never tell us?" Zara questioned, never one for small talk or to avoid a situation. She wanted to know why her friend didn't trust her with the information.

Isabeau frowned. It was clear she was unsure what Zara was asking about, and she couldn't think of anything that was important that she kept from her. "Tell you what?"

"You're Force sensitive." Zara saw the realisation dawn on Isabeau's features, followed by a flicker of fear and an impassive expression. She wasn't strong enough for Ren to want to train her, so Zara was unsure as to where her fear was stemming from. "Ren knows. I thought you should know that he does."

"Armitage will know." Isabeau raked a hand through her hair, and Zara suddenly understood her fear. It was just another thing Hux would use against her, and there was a risk if they had a child that their child would be strong with the Force.

"He will now, yes." If Ren knew then Snoke would also know, and she highly doubted that the topic would avoid Hux for long. "Are you worried?"

"Yes." Isabeau sighed heavily, and Zara couldn't blame her. It was just another thing that Isabeau could be abused for by her husband.

"You've been lying to me," Armitage accused as he stormed into the rooms he shared with Isabeau. His wife turned to face him, raising her eyebrows. So finally, he had discovered the truth. It had only been a matter of time, but she was slightly amused it had taken him four years. "I know you're Force sensitive. Why did you never tell me?"

"Because I didn't want to," she responded honestly, "I didn't want to be trained."

Armitage scoffed. "You are not strong enough to be trained, or else Ren would have realised before now."

"I didn't want to have a Force sensitive child," she murmured. The true reason why she'd been reluctant to have a baby was out in the open now, and for a moment, Armitage was stunned into silence. The last thing Isabeau wanted was a child that would be taken from her and trained.

"Snoke will be informed."

She had guessed as much, but it didn't make the prospect of the Supreme Leader knowing - although perhaps he already did - any easier. She had held her silence, realising quickly she was not strong enough with the Force to be trained. She sensed things, but that was about the extent of it.

"Anything else?" Isabeau demanded, folding her arms over her chest. "It was none of your business."

Armitage's eyes narrowed. "I had every right to know."

"You have no right!" she exclaimed, her temper getting the better of her, "Just like you have no right to command me to have your children!"

"You are my wife!" Armitage shouted. She clenched her jaw at the statement. Just as she had suspected, her husband viewed her as a possession. Being married to him was a mutual arrangement, not one where Isabeau constantly had to be at Armitage's beck and call. He had no control over whether she chose to have his child or not.

"Your wife," Isabeau agreed, "Not your whore. Not your slave."

"You are mine." Armitage marched over and gripped her arms. "I will tell you to do what I want, when I want to."

"You can't make me do anything," she snapped, wrenching away from him. "All you had to do was treat me with respect and kindness, and maybe I might have agreed to have a child. Why is that so hard?"

"Because all you ever do is defy me!" He raked a hand through his ginger hair. For a few moments there was a tense silence, before Isabeau turned and marched from the room. She would not be treated as though she had no control over her own future. Armitage might have power in the First Order, but he needed her, and her father's money.

Zara ran a hand through her hair as she stared down at the warm drink in front of her. She had found herself in one of the officer's break rooms, desperately needing a place to hide away from the politics of the base. She could feel her anger bubbling and had decided on a quiet corner and warm drink was what she needed to reset her mind. She looked up when she heard the door slide open, one of the young female officers wandering in.

"Hey." Zara greeted. She hadn't made many friends on the ship, but she counted the young woman, Shailene, as one of them. They often ate together when she was sick of Kylo.

"Zara." Shailene offered a small smile as she grabbed herself some food, sitting across from the other woman.

Zara sipped the drink she'd been clutching onto, enjoying the sweetness that washed over her tongue. "How are things coming along with building the weapon?"

"Quite well." Shailene answered, beginning to dig into her food. Zara assumed it had been a few hours since her last meal. Everyone on the base was busy getting the weapon up and ready. "How is Ren?"

"Same as ever.' Zara sighed heavily, although her partner was infinitely more irritable currently due to Hux. "He's always so much less patient when he's around Hux."

"Both of you are." Shailene pointed out. There were few who were comfortable approaching Zara when Hux was around, and even fewer who were comfortable with approaching Ren when Hux was around.

"He's irritating." Zara scowled, nudging Shailene lightly when she started laughing. "You know it to be true."

"He can be alright." Shailene reasoned, leaning back in her seat.

"Hux?" Zara snorted. She couldn't imagine how anyone could like Hux, although she supposed he must have some kind of friends. "Even his wife does not like him"

Shailene shrugged, sipping at her own drink. "I've heard she is spoilt."

"Somewhat, but that doesn't mean Hux should treat her with any less respect." Zara reminded her. Just because Isabeau had lived a sheltered life, didn't mean she deserved a husband who treated her like his property.

"I suppose so." Shailene couldn't disagree with her statement, but she also didn't think Zara didn't have the healthiest of relationships either. "Ren is little better."

"He doesn't abuse me, nor does he try to control me." Zara countered. Kylo may have been many things, but he had never hurt her, outside of training, and he didn't stop her from doing things. "How have things been with you?"

"Well enough." Shailene didn't have much to report of her own life. It was consumed by work and she often didn't get recreational time. It was the only downside to working on such a large product. "At last this base is almost complete."

Zara got to her feet, having been relaxing for too long. She did have duties to take care of. "It's taken a long time, but it would be worth it."

"I hope so." Shailene mused, watching her friend. "Off to yell at some people?"

"That's Ren's job, but I do have things I need to do." Zara laughed, shaking her head. She was definitely the kinder Force user of the two. "I'll see you around."