Kybersong Is So Powerful, It Can Get Even General Hux To Fall Asleep
Read on Ao3.
FN-2187 is almost done with his rounds, which is sad, because he was assigned the kyber storerooms this shift, which everyone knows is the best assignment in Sanitation. Low-stress work, the hyperdrive techs are friendly, and, best of all, you get to listen to kybersong for the whole shift. ‘87 envies hyperdrive technicians so much. Everyone does.
He’s only got a couple more storage closets to go, though, which makes him sad. Would it be bad for him to hope that there’s some kind of spill so he can stay here longer? Probably, yeah. Would mean someone spilled their drink or something bad happened, and ‘87 doesn’t want to wish misfortune on anyone, even if it’s fortune for him…
…is that caf leaking out from under the next door?
An illicit thrill of excitement thrums through him as he goes to inspect the mess. Caf isn’t too dangerous here, no exposed electronics to short out and no crazy chemical reactions with kyber to worry about, and it’s also not used for anything important, which probably means that this is an inconvenience at best for whoever spilled it and an excuse to listen to the kybersong for longer for ‘87. What he doesn’t understand, though, is why someone has caf in a kyber storage closet—hyperdrive techs don’t tend to take their drinks or food with them when they need more kyber, and people who don’t work with the hyperdrives usually end up in kyber storage closets to sleep—kybersong is a known remedy for insomnia, after all, ‘87 himself has been down here plenty—not to work, and usually people don’t drink caf while trying to sleep.
He leaves his cart near the door he was at before to remind himself of where he was and cautiously opens the door above the caf spill to see inside. The motion-activated closet light switches on as it opens. Inside is an officer, it looks like, hat fallen off near their feet, short red hair visible from where their head is laid on their drawn-up knees.
‘87 does a double take. Is that—is that General Hux?
At least the caf had, miraculously, avoided all of his clothing, and the datapad he must have been using was on the other side of the sleeping General. But—that didn’t make sense. General Hux didn’t sleep—everyone knew that! He just chugged more caf and kept going! Or perhaps that had been the plan, ‘87 muses as he eyes the caf spill on one side and the datapad on the other. The General must have had work to do, and for whatever reason, he’d come down to the kyber storage rooms to do it.
Could the General even hear kybersong? He had to be able to, right? It was practically impossible to get promoted if you couldn’t. And besides, he looks like he’d fallen asleep almost involuntarily, like the kybersong had lulled him to sleep. This is, after all, a storage room for green hyperdrive-quality Kydian crystals, and ‘87 can feel their calming and regular kybersong wash over him, soothing down his shock and reminding him of his purpose.
Right, his purpose here. Which is to clean. Not ask questions. He rights the overturned caf cup and grabs the disposable towels from the sanitation cart to mop up the spilled caf, careful not to make too much noise or to accidentally touch the General and wake him. ‘87 will have to wake him later anyways, once he’s finished the rest of the storage closets and has to clean that one too, but the General probably needs his sleep, and also ‘87 is kind of hoping that he’ll wake up on his own so he doesn’t have to risk the General taking out his anger at being woken on him.
But still. Weave and Slip are never gonna believe this, he giddily thinks to himself.
