General Author's Note: WHO CARES IF I'M WORKING ON, LIKE, TEN OTHER FICS? WHAT'S ANOTHER ONE?

Behold, something I can't regret. I had to write it, because a) the plotbunny wouldn't leave me, b) the plotbunny wouldn't leave me, and c) the plotbunny wouldn't leave me. Tbh, I didn't really try all that hard to get rid of it.

Dedicated to my dear Shaky, for putting up with my writing crises, and for being a fantastic friend and Beta and frequent co-author and so much more! Love you, darling, hope you enjoy. C:

Pairings (currently): Kylux, Obikin, Skysolo

Hux was right about him. He was going insane, slowly, steadily, and surely.

To Kylo, the Force was a guiding hand. It never lied, it never misled him. It stood firm where nothing else ever could. And yet, now, it was falling, and Kylo realised there was no debris to hang onto in this shipwreck.

He was seeing things. Things that shouldn't, by any means, have any place on Starkiller base. Hearing things, feeling things. As if a consistent presence trailed him like a lost puppy, and insisted on dumping its problems onto his own shoulders.

Snoke had told him much of the Force, had talked reverently about joining it as one, upon an honourable death. In his subtle way, he'd hinted that the Force's dead weren't as inanimated and cold as the corpses he'd climbed like ladders to achieve his rank.

But the Ghosts of the Living Force were supposed to offer coherency. They weren't elusive. But this one was, hiding in shadows, eyes searing him like brands, knowing his every hope, his every failure and success. It unsettled him.

Considerably.

Perhaps the only person who remained in their right mind was General Hux himself. The bridge was empty. Kylo was there for research, oversight. Hux was there for... pride? Pleasure in sailing through the stars on his great many living weapons, surveying the galaxy and choosing where to stick the pins on the map.

Hux was refreshingly impolite. His orders were perhaps the only thing on the ship that kept them all from killing themselves in awful accidents. Kylo was not so unaware of himself as to think he was not half-responsible for most of the Finalizer's equipment destruction. Of course, to Hux, Kylo was an annoyance. An acute annoyance, a sharp piercing headache, a rock thrown into a stream's smooth flow.

"You look ill," Hux said, casually.

"I'm fine."

"You know the Supreme Leader doesn't take well to-"

"I said I am fine."

Hux didn't believe this. It was clear in his eyes, sharp and judging and digging into his skin like knives.

He was right, of course. Kylo could no longer trust his own senses, when flickers of light hovered at the edge of his vision, and faint laughter trailed down the hallways of the Finalizer's emptiest wings. He could taste earth on his tongue, and there was this smell, of smoke and metal.

He hadn't told Snoke. He couldn't tell Snoke, unless he wished to see his neck snapped swiftly and his body paraded around like a trophy. Failure wasn't tolerated, and this was undoubtedly failure. To keep his sanity, to remain calm, to work in spite of his rapidly deteriorating mind.

"Cease that," Hux snapped, and Kylo tilted his head, bird-like.

"Cease what, General Hux?"

"That awful, self-pity wallowing, Ren. You're affecting the ship. Or have you not noticed the recent failures in the Finalizer's lighting?"

"So you've noticed it as well?"

"Of course I've noticed it. It's my job to keep this ship in working order, and you are interfering."

"I'm only curious." Kylo hummed. "I'm not the one causing this, General, and I've been spending quite some time trying to figure out who is."

"You thought you'd gone mad," Hux said.

"I would never doubt the messages the Force chooses to send me-"

"You were sure you were imagining it. Well, Ren, I can assure you, you most certainly are not sane, but you're not hallucinating, either. Whatever, or whomever, is toying with the ship is very much real."

"And you're not concerned?"

"Oh, I'm concerned, but up until just a few minutes ago, I was convinced you were the one behind all this, Ren. I hadn't thought to attribute it to anyone else, you see, considering you're the reason for over half the damage on this ship."

"I'm going to find out who's doing this," Kylo said, suddenly. "It's... bothering me. And interrupting my work."

"Excuse me, did you just say you have work to do here? Consider me shocked." Hux huffed. "I'll accompany you. I intend to throw whomever's behind this in the medbay where they belong."

"Fine," Kylo said. "Don't get in my way."

"Your way? Whose ship is this exactly?"

It wasn't his ship. That much the Ghost made very clear. Nothing about this was his ship, from the way the Ghost slithered through its every hallway and led them in circles they didn't realise were circles until it was too late.

"I get the impression we're following something," Hux said.

"You're getting the correct impression. There's somebody here."

"That would take an immense amount of luck, dedication, and sheer effort. I hold this ship's security to prison standards."

"I recognise that. No, it's not an intruder." Kylo hummed. "No, something different. The Force."

"The Force is leading us on a wild goose chase? For what purpose?"

"That's what I'm trying to find out, General."

"Oh, by all means, then, endlessly trail after it like a lost child. Or you can help me track it on our scanners, and save us from making complete fools of ourselves."

"And you believe this is a better option than 'endlessly trailing it like a lost child'?" Kylo tilted his head, in genuine curiosity. Hux fascinated him. What Hux did forwards, Kylo did backwards. But where Kylo went right, so did Hux. And up, and down. Different approaches to the same goal.

"Can you see the Force?"

"Let's find out," said Kylo, and strode forward. "This will get us nowhere."

"I have, in fact, brought this topic up before."

The scanners showed something, but not anything Kylo could truly make out. A flash of blue, here and there, outlined by thick, hooded robes. A Force Ghost, he had declared, and Hux had accepted it because Kylo was here, and what other terrible things could Kylo bring on board at this point? What more could catch him off guard?

"Force Ghosts it is," Hux said, sounding as if the words were sharp glass, cutting his lips on every uttered syllable.

"I promise you I am correct, General."

Hux was silent. He ran a hand over his cap, then across the buttons of his greatcoat. It looked somehow warmer than Kylo's own garments. "Whose ghost?" he asked, eventually, slipping cold hands into warm pockets.

"I'm attempting to piece that together now."

"You don't know."

"Why should I? Snoke is my relay. My messengers do not come directly, General. At least, not until now."

"And this concerns you?"

"We may have an unwanted guest."

"I see."

Hux paced the control room, hands tied in knots against his back. "We'll have to find them, and soon, unless you want the Supreme Leader finding out about our little problem?"

"He musn't."

"Then work with me." Hux flicked a dismissive hand. "We will find this 'ghost.' They cannot run forever."

They could not. Kylo was more worried about what they'd do when Hux and he found them.

Author's Note For Chap 1: Hi. You may know me as that one chick who has no idea what the fuck she's doing, ever. I'm working on this fic even though I shouldn't be. I'll try my absolute damndest to update (I do actually enjoy following through and not abandoning things, I swear), but if I don't, uh. Uhm. I'm trying, I promise.

I usually write crack. Well, okay, crack treated oddly seriously. Please tell me if I accidentally forget what serious means. Or if I fuck up characterisation, or if there are plotholes, or if something is dumb as fuck, or, y'know. Like, if anything.

Sorry for the shortness! It's just a quick push-start to get this raft down the river of hell that is writing for your OTP. I'm not the only one who feels this, right? I'll try to lengthen them up, cross my heart. Though I really do hope not to die. I have a life of trash to fulfill D:!

Enjoy :)!