[chapter one: a darkness on the edge]
Defeat was palpable when General Hux reported to Supreme Leader Snoke about the extent of damage done to the First Order. The first real blow to the Order by the Resistance was considerable, and Kylo Ren was hidden away in his private quarters, wallowing in self-pity for losing against the scavenger girl in a lightsaber duel. General Hux knew Snoke wasn't pleased, and neither was the general himself. All this happened because of that rogue stormtrooper that rebelled against the Order, and since then everything was going to hell. How could the Order establish absolute rule over the galaxy with such damage, and knowledge that the Resistance intended to strike again while they were down? Hux was beside himself with a boiling rage, heating up his pale face so it matched his ginger hair.
"What are we going to do now? There's no way we can rally together before the Resistance strikes again, and there's certainly no way we can build another Starkiller Base in time to do anything that enforces our strength and authority. Supreme Leader, what options do we have left?" Hux asked, frowning up at the large hologram of Supreme Leader Snoke.
Snoke nodded his head and tapped his chin with a long, thin finger.
"Perhaps the Knights of Ren would be up to the challenge of personally slaughtering a system's population to send a message to the Resistance," Snoke initially suggested, which received a snort from Hux.
"Good luck getting Ren out of his quarters and out of his…..feelings," Hux spat in disgust, "it's times like these when the Sith would actually be useful, rather than that little gang of misfits."
"Watch yourself," Snoke warned, taking apparent offense to Hux's words on the Knights of Ren.
"Apologies, Sir, but it's the truth. They pale in comparison to the Sith. The Sith have strength and passion and are considerably disciplined. The Knights of Ren are not as capable as you believe, Sir. I admire how much you believe in them, I do, but-"
Snoke abruptly cut Hux's spiel against the Knights of Ren by holding up a hand. Hux immediately stopped speaking, his face still read disgust and displeasure.
"General, what you do know about the Sith in this galaxy?" Snoke asked.
Hux shook his head, racking his brain to remember the little knowledge he had of the Jedi and Sith.
"That they're virtually gone, just like the Jedi."
Snoke remained silent for a moment, his hollow eyes gazing at Hux.
"Yes. In this galaxy. That isn't to say they aren't wreaking havoc elsewhere, General. There are Sith, and unfortunately Jedi, outside of our own galaxy. I know of them, I've seen them in action. A power-hungry legion of them, with established hierarchy, a leader, and lots of momentum. Imagine that for a moment, General. An entire legion of Sith lords, hordes of them slaughtering entire systems to be claimed under the rule of an empress. If you thought we were determined to establish authoritative rule, you can only imagine what their Dark Lady is like. They reside in a galaxy over eighty light-years away, but they are gaining momentum, General. They want absolute, intergalactic rule. They would have no problem wiping us, and the Resistance, out to get what they want. Their leader, as much as I am hesitant to admit, is far more powerful than I. The Sith Legion, as they are known, are too unpredictable and immersed in their own personal agendas to align with us. Forget bringing them into the equation. I trust you and Commander Ren will get our operation up and running again. In the meantime, send in Captain Phasma. I would like an overview on the training of the new stormtrooper recruits," Snoke drawled out slowly, his voice growing darker the more he spoke about this so-called Sith Legion.
Hux swallowed his pride, a permanent lump resting in his throat, and bowed to the Supreme Leader before striding out of the dim room. For the time being, the Order was staying on Coruscant, currently residing in the remnants of the former Jedi Temple. Everyone made their own quarters, established locations for each department, and was making do with what they had. Fear was instilled in the residents, knowing the sinister First Order was building up the sacred Jedi Temple to do their evil bidding. Hux served as the overseer of construction, which operated morning, noon, and night. By this time next month it will be done, completely customized to serve the damned deeds of the Order. Hux was mulling the entire exchange between Snoke as he surveyed the progress on the west wing of the Starkiller Base II.
For the first time since the destruction of Starkiller Base, Hux saw Ren walking about the Temple, his strides long and gait deliberate. He was cloaked in his usual black garments, hood up so it obscured the direct view to his scarred face. Since his helmet was destroyed along with Starkiller Base, he's been shut away and hiding himself from everyone. Hux strode over to him, matching his pace with ease.
"What a displeasure it is to see you out of your room, Ren. Run out of tissues to wipe away your tears of defeat?" Hux taunted the tall, ill-tempered man.
"The clone army, General, I have discussed with Supreme Leader Snoke last night. You may be angry all you want, but Snoke agreed to consider it. Our options are limited and your troop's skill level has proved inadequate…..and after FN-2187's act of treason, I refuse to entrust the security of the Order with them. Unless you prefer battle droids?" Ren countered Hux's taunting arrogance, immediately shutting Hux up and making him turn red to match his hair.
"Look here, Ren, I will not have you-"
"I don't see you offering up any solutions. What kind of general are you? You are far too unprepared, too caught up in your own misgivings to realize what impact you're having on the Order-"
"Enough! I am your superior officer and I will not have you speak to me in this manner!" Hux roared, a vein in his forehead now prominent. His hands were clutched into fists underneath the jacket draped across his slight shoulders.
Kylo Ren simply pulled his hood tighter around his head, holding its frayed edges as a small squadron of stoormtroopers aided a flustered construction worker.
"Until you prove yourself and your troops worthy of upholding the First Order and destroy the Resistance, I will push for a clone army. I'm a man of my word, General. You're playing with the darkest elements, Hux, and you're about to reach the end of your tenure as general for the First Order."
No one paid attention to the two tall men, who were face-to-face and seething with an inner rage that shook their bodies. The relationship between them was tense and volatile, and now with Ren threatening Hux's position and authority, the tensions were at all time high. Ren started stomping away, his boots slamming against the hard floors, when Hux shouted out at him:
"You're not as strong in the Dark Side of the Force as you think you are, Ren! The Sith are alive and well! The thought scares you, doesn't it? The strongest Dark Side users are out there, and you're not in their ranks! An entire legion of them! Their leader is stronger than Snoke, he said so himself! And you know what that means? She's stronger than your beloved grandfather! Darth Vader can't hold a candle to this Dark Lady of the Sith, and neither can you!" Hux bellowed out at Ren until his face was redder than his hair, and the vein in his forehead began pulsating.
Ren stopped and stood still for a moment. Hux's face twisted with satisfaction. He loved nothing more than to get under the brat's skin. But before Hux could relish in a verbal victory against him, Ren continued on, leaving Hux to be beside himself with rage.
Poe Dameron carried a load of necessities, an aid and nutrition kit, blankets, blasters and even his favorite comb. He had to take all of this to his X-wing fighter, ignoring the continuous stream of beeps from his beloved droid, BB-8. BB-8, an orange and white BB unit that was one of a kind, was asking too many questions that Poe just couldn't answer. One of them being a question about when Rey would return to D'Qar.
"I don't know, Beebee-Ate, I really don't. She's off training with Luke Skywalker, you know that. I've got to say, it's a relief to know at least two Jedi are in this galaxy, isn't it?"
BB-8 responded with a series of beeps and boops in a ridiculously adorable manner before stopping. The droid swiveled its smaller, spherical head around, and beeped excitedly when Finn came dashing out of the base. Poe hurriedly tossed all the items inside the X-wing, and jumped down to greet Finn with a hug. Poe smiled inwardly seeing Finn still wearing his jacket. Poe was almost willing to bet Finn slept with that jacket on, and that only made his heart swell and contract rapidly.
"Hey buddy, how's it going? You good?" Poe asked, pulling away and clamping a hand on Finn's shoulder.
Finn was all smiles when he greeted Poe and BB-8.
"Yeah, yeah. I'm great. Just got out of the med bay this morning. All the Resistance leaders are inside, waiting for a message from Luke and Rey. You coming?" Finn asked.
Poe, ecstatic to hear that Luke and Rey were making contact, also felt slightly deflated. Was Finn interested in Rey? In more than the sisterly way, or even friendly way? Whatever Finn's feelings were, Poe made sure to keep him at arm's length.
"Oh, yeah, sure. Is it happening now?"
Finn nodded excitedly, his wide, toothy smile was infectious. Poe couldn't help but stare at Finn's face before he returned the smile.
"Well come on then!" Finn urged, slinging an arm around Poe's shoulders. Poe did the same and the two laughed as they walked back to the base entrance. "Come on Beebee-Ate, you need to come too!" Finn called back to the BB unit that was slowly rolling along behind them.
"We need to come to the base, Leia," Luke spoke to the whole Resistance base through holographic form. He was in a blue hue of holo and his face, partially obscured by a gray beard, was wrought with worry. The worn lines on his face were deep, and for some reason seemed deeper now than they did when Rey initially found him.
General Leia Organa shook her head, confused. "And why is that? You said the two of you would be perfectly safe training ion Dagobah, and now you're suddenly not?"
"I feel a darkness on the edge, here. I fear the worst, Leia, and I don't want to stay to find out I was right. Rey and I aren't capable of taking on this…..this anger. I fear the Sith have returned, Leia, and they know where we are. It sounds crazy, but I felt it. I felt them when they felt Rey. I can't explain it, but I know they want her. The Sith only want the most powerful, and since she's still so undecided in fighting with the Light Side and Dark Side of the Force, she's vulnerable to their influence. There's so much power coming from them through the Force, it's overwhelming. And they know I'm here and definitely want me dead," Luke's holo stated to complete silence.
"It seems like a lot of people want you dead," Leia muttered, her weariness showing through her tough exterior.
"And you, Sis. Don't forget you're taking on this First Order on your own. Send your best pilot to come and get us," Luke ordered, and Poe immediately straightened his posture up, pushing his chest out proudly. Finn squeezed Poe's shoulder, causing Poe to flush slightly.
"Why do we need to do that? You've got the Falcon and Rey there."
"Yes, but it's kind of sunk into the bayou and we can't get it out or else the Sith will be able to find our exact location. Please Leia, just send us-"
A blood-curdling, high-pitched scream in the background froze Luke's holo in place. The scream came from Rey, which put everyone in the room on edge, with Finn being the most worked up of the group.
"Rey!" Finn shouted, starting toward the holo, but Poe held him back.
"Leia send help immediately. They're here, there's only two of them, and they're going after Rey. I need you here as soon as possible."
Luke ignited his lightsaber, the hum echoed throughout the room before he disappeared.