Episode VII-2 - Relics of the Force
The Republic is in turmoil, due to the destruction of the Galactic Senate
on the Hosnian System by the First Order's terrifying STARKILLER BASE.
Although this weapon was destroyed by a band of valiant resistance fighters,
the First Order led by SUPREME LEADER SNOKE has continued to brutally conquer
system after system. Foremost amongst these evil agents are the Knights of Ren,
led by the powerful KYLO REN, who is determined to wipe out the Republic and
destroy what remains of the old Jedi order.
Recently elected Republic chancellor LEIA ORGANA along with rebel leaders
POE DAMERON and FINN are trying desperately to pull together alliances and
build a fleet to combat the looming threat.
In an effort to halt the advance of the Dark Side, Jedi Master LUKE SKYWALKER
and his apprentice REY have embarked on a quest to find a legendary relic which
can bring balance to the force.
Prologue
Kylo Ren leaned impassively on the handrail of the command platform on the bridge of the Star Destroyer Bismarck.
He could hear General Hux, who was standing some way behind him barking some curt orders to a subordinate that Ren did not recognise. He turned to see the man hastily salute and hurry down the steps into one of the many alcoves where the brightest and (most importantly) loyal officers of the First Order diligently carried out their duties.
All around him there was a hub of activity and noise… A group of officers were in heated discussion on recent test results on the laser cannons; apparently they had improved beam intensity by 10% and were anxious to improve upon this further. He could see the legs of a radar technician jutting out from a bulkhead, a toolbox full of hypo-spanners nearby and the faint light of sparks coming from within. Yes, he thought, being able to detect those irritating rebel scum ships needed to be a priority. There had been too many guerrilla raids on their ships and bases of late which could easily have been prevented if they had been detected earlier. As much as he despised Hux, he could not fault him on the plans he had made for their upcoming military strategy.
Ren turned his gaze to the operations station just below the command platform. The young private who sat there was busily keying in codes on the console. The private's eyes darted left and right as he was reading the data on his screen. Ren smiled to himself as the private suddenly looked upward and realised he was being monitored. Alarm darted across the man's face which quickly turned back to the console and Kylo Ren could feel the fear coming off him in waves.
He could sense the fear of the entire bridge. His skill using the force allowed him to tap into the psyche of the entire ship when it came down to it and he enjoyed the delicious feeling of power this gave him.
He knew the military wing of the First Order did not agree with the special favour bestowed by the Supreme Leader to himself and his order of knights. High ranking officers usually took years to earn their insignias whereas the Knights of Ren were relatively young and not bound to the strict hierarchy enforced by General Hux. Strangely Hux himself seemed to be the exception to that rule as he was not much older than Ren. He absently wondered how he had managed to rise so high in such a short space of time.
Anyway, nobody here was going to argue the point of the Knights' privilege when they could summarily be impaled on a lightsaber or have their neck snapped with the wave of a hand. His reputation preceded him and Ren had learned that this was sometimes all that was needed to get what he wanted. He was confident in his reasoning, for he had learned from the example of his revered grandfather and he experienced a feeling of pride from this. It was said that Lord Darth Vader had leisurely choked even high ranking imperial Admirals and Moffs as their crew looked on dumbstruck. If what he had heard from the older surviving imperial captains could be believed (and he was sure it was true) just the sight of Vader's domed helmet and flowing cape alone could make even the most hardened stormtrooper piss in his armour.
"You were wise grandfather," he thought to himself and sighed. Would he ever be able to live up to Lord Vader's legendary status? Ren hated his self-doubt which had been plaguing him ever since the destruction of Starkiller Base… ever since that wretched scavenger girl… he could not even bring himself to think her name had bested him in that duel. He could hear his own angry breathing reverberate through the mask that he wore.
The mask was metallic with an elongated front-piece and a black visor framed by sleek silver ridges. He knew it was terrifying to behold and reminded everyone he dealt with that he was the grandson of a powerful Sith. Of course it was a replica and not his original mask, which had been lost on Starkiller Base along with a great deal of other artefacts and equipment thanks to that girl and her rebel friends!
Kylo Ren also wore the flowing black robes which his knights as well as the Supreme Leader's acolytes clothed themselves in as a testament to their devotion to the dark side of the force. His attire exaggerated his already tall build and with the hood of his robe hung over his mask, he cut a very striking and intimidating figure.
"You're a monster!"
The memory of those words came unbidden as they always did. "Curse that little bitch!" Even now she continued to haunt his thoughts. He had feltcompassion for her and had offered to teach her the ways of the force. Instead of accepting, she had responded with disgust and tried to kill him.
He could not recall a time that had been so humiliating that he could compare to that day. To have that bastard Hux stood sneering over him laying bloodied and broken in the snow as the ground cracked and the base exploded around them. He remembered the venomous quips very well.
"Drag this pathetic shit on board the shuttle quickly and prepare to evacuate the base. Someone pick up that broken lightsaber too, the Supreme Leader will want it repaired."
Ren believed that Hux thought he was unconscious at the time. It was true his vision had been cloudy, but he had heard him. He had also felt that boot that kicked his side just before he was carried away by a group of stormtroopers and blacked out.
His thoughts jerked back to the present. "Enough!" he admonished himself sharply. He must not dwell on the past. His wounds had now all healed and he had rebuilt his lightsaber using a more powerful configuration. But most importantly of all by slaying his foolish and weak father Han Solo, the Supreme Leader had finally deemed him worthy of receiving the most advanced and deadly Dark Side teachings. He was now in possession of force techniques that he could scarcely have imagined existed prior. He particularly favoured the skills he had perfected relating to torture and pain, which he'd thought himself a master of before, but oh how wrong he had been there! He let out a small laugh, which through the mask sounded low and menacing. A few of the bridge officers looked hurriedly at their feet.
Ren was eager to test out his new skills on Hux… and on the girl as well!
He turned to the large viewport windows on the bridge, he sensed through the force that they were about to come out of light speed.
Sure enough the mottled space turned to starlines and abruptly a large orange-coloured globe filled the bridge with a hazy glowing light. It was the planet Jakku.
Seeing the desert planet again stirred up more troubling memories which gave him the urge to ignite his lightsaber and smash the glass to smithereens. His leather-gloved hands clenched tightly and he calmed the passions welling inside of him. "Not yet," he told himself. "Focus!"
The Jakku system was the first port of call in a complex plan that would allow the First Order to crush the remaining wretches on the Galactic senate and destroy Luke Skywalker's precious Jedi order once and for all. Supreme Leader Snoke had formulated the strategy personally and given explicit instructions to Kylo Ren and General Hux on what was required of both of them. The Supreme Leader was well aware of Ren's past weaknesses, he could not afford any further perceived failures; otherwise his master might decide that he has outlived his usefulness and replace him with one of the other knights or worse yet… give favour to General Hux!
He heard a robotic voice address him and turned away from the viewpoint to face the speaker. It was a silver protocol droid. "Lord Kylo Ren the imperial shuttle KOR2017 is due to dock in landing bay six in approximately fifteen minutes, 0800 hours standard Jakku time." it said politely.
Ren nodded. "They are punctual as always," he thought.
He briskly descended from the command platform, the soles of his tailored black leather boots clattered against the metal stairs and clicked upon the smooth polished floor of the bridge. When he reached the blast doors, a nearby stormtrooper quickly pressed the release so he could smoothly glide through unhindered. He smirked under his mask as the blast doors closed and he subsequently felt the collective relief of the bridge crew.
Droids darted in and out of the doors and connecting passageways as Kylo Ren walked down the central corridor of the ship. He had often lamented that he could not control the intricate electronic minds of these constructions with the force in the same way as most organic creatures. He had encountered some droids which seemed to have distinct personalities and almost seemed to be alive. How useful it would be for example to take control of the cybernetic brain of a certain BB unit and have it eviscerate its hotshot x-wing pilot master? He allowed himself another cracked smile. He would muse on that thought more later on he promised himself.
When he arrived at landing bay six, the largest hangar area on the Bismarck, he was pleased to see that a suitable reception had been arranged. There were 12 rows of stormtroopers on both sides of the bay in pristine white combat gear. All perfectly aligned and standing to stiff attention with blasters held respectfully upright against their left shoulders.
He could see the shuttle approaching from the blackness of space at the end of the bay and he heard the controller call for the shield to be lowered to allow shuttle KOR2017 to land. Ren started to calmly stride across the clear space between the silent stormtroopers to the reserved landing pad. He saw the large frame of Captain Phasma standing just beyond the front row, dressed head to toe in gleaming chrome plate. She did not normally attend the arrival of visiting transports, but the importance of the visitors coming aboard demanded that the head of the garrison be present on this occasion.
The First Order shuttle touched down on to the landing pad perfectly, hardly making any noise at all. The design was similar to his personal ship. It had long bat-like wings which were now starting to rise vertically as the craft started to power down. Steam hissed from the engines as a hatch opened and a ramp slowly lowered to the deck.
Kylo Ren stood still and waited expectantly. Out of the steam stepped three dark figures. The light shining from the ship interior behind them cast long and imposing shadows across the floor of the landing bay. "How ominous," he thought dryly
They were dressed in similar black robes to himself albeit with slightly individualised cuts and tailoring. They too also wore masked helmets like his, but these were much more unique in style. They confidently marched down the ramp towards him and he started to approach the trio in turn.
The four of them joined together almost at the centre of the giant hangar.
One of the three newcomers stepped forward and inclined their head to him. "Well met, Lord Kylo Ren, we are honoured to serve the Supreme Leader with you once more." The voice was deep and masculine with the familiar baritone sound that their masks created. Ren nodded back to the man who was called Marek Durran. He didn't know what Marek's real name was, but he did know that he was fanatical in his devotion the Dark Side and their shared master. One of the other two also spoke now, but they did not give such a respectful greeting.
"I'm surprised to see you here Ren… I heard you were severely crippled by what was it now?... Oh yes!… A sanitation worker and some upstart scavenger girl?" Although the mask disguised it slightly, the voice was clearly female and very clearly mocking him. Llselle Antilles was a competent force user and accomplished fighter, but he trusted her as much as a jawa in a droid factory. Given half the chance she would stab him in the back and steal his position within the First Order in the blink of an eye. He dismissed her with an equally mocking gesture of his hand. "The desire to see your disappointed face ensured my survival Llselle." He would not let her bait him into a fit of rage.
The third robed figure remained silent, but then Corin had never talked much. He was a large Twi'lek and his two long tentacles hung from the sides of his mask. He just stood there hearing all, but saying nothing. A Cold Calculating killer.
These three were members all of the Knights of Ren, the deadly force-wielding unit of the First Order. Dealers of death and destruction with the Dark Side as their ally… and he Kylo Ren was their master.
"We have a mission to complete on Jakku," Ren said briskly. He unclipped his lightsaber from his belt and ignited it. The blade came to life with the unique droning sound he loved so much. It crackled with an unholy glare. He had reconstructed it with a larger cracked kyber crystal this time and the blade was slightly wider than it had been previously. The plasma flared out of the side vents on the hilt, which created a deadly cross guard. "It is our duty to seek out and destroy the Jedi," he continued.
Reverantly, the other three Knights drew their lightsabers. Each weapon complemented the force affinities and fighting style of the bearer. Marek slashed the air to produce a scarlet curved katana. Llselle deftly pulled the hilt of her lightsaber in half creating two crimson short blades. Corin had a long staff rather than a sword-hilt, but out of one end shot a thick fiery diamond of ruby light, which resembled a spearhead. "It is our duty to seek out and destroy the Jedi," they repeated in unison and raised their lightsabers above their heads together causing the entire hangar to glow eerily red.
Kylo Ren finished the ritual with the old Sith litany: Peace is a lie, there is only passion . Through passion, I gain strength. Through strength, I gain power. Through power, I gain victory, Through Victory, my chains are broken. The force shall set me free.