The war was over. The Empire was easily crushed when the Emperor and Darth Vader died. Some remnants of the Empire still remained but they weren't much of an issue with the newly reformed Republic. But things don't always stay dead.
Our story starts with a unnamed planet. Well if you wanted to get specific, the planet was referred to as HN341F and it was as desolate as they come and as far from any major system as it could be. The only reason people paid it any mind was for it minor source of minable resources. Well that and the fact that it had once been a planet where a cloning facility operated, but that time was long past. The planet was inhabited by a small colony of people who were mostly miners. Sometimes they would search the ruined cloning facility for salvaged technology. This is how our story started.
"Hey! Look what I found! Might bring us a good price yeah?" A man said holding up a random piece of junk he found.
"That's just junk, Sam. Forget this. This place has been picked clean by now. All the good stuff is gone. Lets go." The man's friend said as he started to head out of the ruined cloning facility.
Suddenly they hear a noise behind them.
"What was that? Hey Dar. It sounded like it came from over there." Sam said, as he ran further into the ruins.
"Sam!" Dar yelled as he ran after his friend. He found his friend at a dead end. There didn't seem to be anything there but Sam was staring at the wall like it was important.
"What are you doing Sam?" Dar said.
"Listen. You can hear it behind this wall. There's machinery still working behind there." Sam said, pressing his ear to the wall.
Dar leaned against the wall. pressing his ear to the wall too. "You're right. I can hear it too."
Dar's hand brushes against a part of the wall and that part of the wall indented like it was a button. The wall rushed open. They stand there staring at the where the wall had been.
"Yes! We found a secret area! How much you want to bet that no one has found this place yet? Imagine all the good stuff we could find now!" Sam said as he walked through the opening in the wall.
Dar reluctantly followed behind him. They entered a large room filled with cloning tanks. Most were empty but the ones that weren't were filled with what looked like dead bodies that all looked the same. Sam went up to a console that still looked relatively functional.
"Huh.. It looks like the life support failed recently. Really recently. Weird. This area must be getting power from a separate location than the rest of the facility." Sam said as he looked up some systems information.
"Who were they cloning? The bodies all seem to be different ages of the same guy." Dar said as he stared at one of the dead bodies in the cloning tubes.
"I'm not sure. That information seems to be encrypted. Wonder if..." Sam stopped as he heard a sound coming from the corner of the room. "What was that?"
He walked over to the corner of the room. He saw that several of the dead clones in the corner were child sized. He got distracted by that and forgot the noise, too effected by seeing the dead child clones. Then he looked down and saw something very surprising. There was a child shivering on the floor! One of the child clones had survived!
"Dar! Come over here!" Sam yelled. It startled the child who curled up in a ball trying to hide.
"Sorry." Sam whispered. "Its ok kid. I'm not going to hurt you."
Dar came over and stared at the child in shock. Then he noticed that the child was shivering and took off his coat and went and placed it around the boy. "Shh. Its ok. Can you talk?"
The boy just stared at him, clutching the coat tight around his nude form. Dar and Sam debate on what to do.
"I say we take him back with us Dar. We cant just leave him here. It would be cruel to leave him." Sam said, getting the boy to his feet.
"But we don't even know who he is! He could be the clone of some really dangerous person!" Dar said.
"That doesn't make him dangerous himself. He's just a kid. I'm going to take him with me. If someone in the colony asks I'll just tell them that is the sole survivor of a starship crash. We do have ships that have crashed here. People will buy that story." Sam said.
"Fine...but you take care of him ok? He's your responsibility." Dar said.
They sealed the door to the clone room back up and they walked back to the colony, Sam carrying the boy with him. They made it back to their dwelling without many people seeing them. And when people asked they believed the story that Sam and Dar told them. Sam was resolved to care for the boy and he got things from the colonists like clothes and toys for him. The boy seemed rather smart despite him not talking. Sam named the boy Gen.
Years went by. The boy grew at a normal rate which surprised Sam since he had heard that most clones have an accelerated growth. Sam taught the boy to speak and Gen picked up speaking rather quickly. He excelled at all Sam taught him. Even Dar was impressed. When Gen got older he helped Dar out with repairing the various droids and machinery that it was Dar's job to fix. After awhile Gen didn't seem to remember that he was a clone and believed the story that his parents died in a starship crash. Dar and Sam decided it was best if he didn't know.
Gen made friends with a girl about his age named Yin. They spent a lot of time exploring the ruins and dreaming about what life would be like away from the colony.
"Hey Gen. You think we'll ever get off this planet?" Yin asked one night as they were staring at the stars.
"I hope so...We will. I know we will." Gen said.
"When we go, I want to go to the greenest planet ever. One that has plants and water flowing everywhere. That would be amazing." Yin said closing her eyes imagining it.
Soon Gen and Yin had grown up. But they still looked out at the stars and dreamed. Dar tried to convince Gen that his life was in the here and now and that he should be happy with what he had. Gen couldn't help it though.
Around this time the First Order really started gaining a foothold in the galaxy. The First order was made up of remnants of the Empire and seemed to have the same viewpoints as them. And the Republic did little to stop them. So a Resistance formed to fight the First Order. One of the Resistance's leaders was none other than Leia Organa. General Organa was formidable as always but suffered from some great losses. Her child was lost to her and her brother was missing.
Recently the Resistance had heard of some rumors that the First Order was searching for something. Something that had been lost during the battle between the Empire and the Galactic Alliance. The Resistance thought it might be a weapon so were hoping to find it first. As the First Order searched, the Resistance spied and found out that the First Order had narrowed their search to a small star system on the edge of the galaxy. This confused the Resistance since nothing really seemed to be out there. Most of the planets in that system were uninhabitable and the one that was, was just a small mining planet. But they hurried to send a few Resistance members to the planet to see if they could find what the First Order was looking for.
Gen's day started out as boring as usual. He was repairing some machinery in the small starship hangar. Suddenly, a ship docks. But this wasn't the usual cargo ship. It was a Resistance ship! That got him very curious. When the two people disembarked, a cocky looking man and a pretty yet tough looking girl, and started talking to the docking supervisor. Gen wandered over and listened in on their conversation.
"Welcome to HN341F. What is the purpose of your visit?" the docking supervisor asked.
"We came here because we think there might be something on this planet that the Empire could have left behind that could be important. Is there anything that they might've left behind? Any buildings or anything?" the cocky looking man said.
His partner elbowed him. "Real smooth. Telling everyone what we are doing here is real smart."
"The only thing I can think of that was here from the Empire's time is the old cloning facility. But that place has been picked clean. You wont find anything there." said the docking supervisor.
"That may be where we need to go. Can you tell us where that is?" said the girl.
Gen spoke up. "I can take you there. I explore that place all the time."
They looked up at him skeptically. The cocky looking man said "Ok. Take us there. We are in kind of a rush."
As they started making their way out of the colony, Yin caught up with them.
"Hi Gen. Where are you headed?" Yin asked.
"To the ruins." Gen said.
"Oh! I'm coming with you!." Yin said as she followed behind them.
Gen just let her. Once Yin had made up her mind, there was little that could dissuade her.
As they make their way through the desolate wasteland that is the planet, to the ruins, they introduced themselves.
"I'm Gareth and that's Sara. You got names?" said the man.
"I'm Gen. She's Yin. It's not far now. Hey I was wondering. Could you take us with you when you leave? You have no idea how boring it is on this planet."
"You want to join the Resistance?" Gareth said.
"If it will get us off this planet then sure. I'm good at a lot of things. We could be useful to you." Gen said.
"Yeah. Please take us with you. I want to see the galaxy!" Yin pleaded.
"We'll think about it. We may need help getting whatever we are looking for out of here anyway." Sara said.
A building half buried in sand looms ahead of them.
"There it is. You really think what you are looking for is in there?" Gen said.
"Well we certainly hope so." said Gareth.
They make it to the ruins and Gen showed them a way inside. "You have any idea what this thing you are looking for looks like? It might give me a better idea of where to lead you."
"Sadly no. We do know it's important though. We need to find it before the First Order make their way here." said Sara.
"Ok. Well not sure if you'll find what you are looking for here. This place has been picked clean." Yin said as Gen led them.
They spent hours looking through the ruins but cant find anything that might be what the First Order is looking for. They were about to give up and leave when Gen stopped them.
"Shh." He whispered.
"What?" Sara whispered. But then she heard it. The sound of people. They weren't alone there anymore.
Sure enough as they sneak around a corner and look over an overhang, they saw them. First Order stormtroopers. They were protecting what looked like a few science officers. They seemed to know where they were going too. Walking with a purpose towards their goal.
"They know where it is. They're going to get to it first!" Gareth hissed.
"We follow them. When we see what it is we'll figure something out." Sara said.
They snuck down the corridor that the stormtroopers went down.
"Strange. That way leads to a dead end." Yin whispered.
The hid behind a corner and snuck a look at what they were doing. Sure enough, they were at a dead end. But when one of the officers pressed against the wall, an opening appeared. A rather bad smell assaulted their senses. The science officers walked into the room, with the stormtroopers following behind. Gen, Yin, Gareth, and Sara snuck in behind them and overheard the officers talking.
"Damn it! The life support systems have failed. None of the clones are viable." one officer said.
"That would explain the smell. It doesn't seem like any of them have survived. Supreme leader Snoke wont be pleased." Another officer said.
"Wait a moment. One of the tubes was opened prematurely. This happened shortly before the life support systems failed. One of the clones could still be alive."
"When did the life support systems fail? These clones seem to have been dead for a very long time."
The science officer looked disappointed at what he saw on the console screen. "About ten years ago. Damn."
"Let me check the security system records from that time period." a third science officer said. "Ah here we go. There was movement recorded around this time. Let me pull up the holo recording."
The holo recording started.
An image of a boy about ten years old appeared in one of the empty clone tanks. He's thrashing around and broke open the tube. He stumbled out and fell to the floor.
The holo images of two men appeared at the door a few minutes later.
"Who were they cloning? The bodies all seem to be different ages of the same guy." said one of the holo men.
"I'm not sure. That information seems to be encrypted. Wonder if..." the second man stopped and looked over in the corner. "What was that?"
One of the men walked over to the corner of the room. He looked down at the holo image of the child.
"Dar! Come over here!" The holo men yelled.
Gen eyes widened. Dar? He recognized that voice too. That was his father, Sam! And his Uncle Dar! Who was the kid on the floor then? He stared at the two men as they talked with the boy.
"I say we take him back with us Dar. We cant just leave him here. It would be cruel to leave him." Sam said, getting the boy to his feet.
"But we don't even know who he is! He could be the clone of some really dangerous person!" Dar said.
"That doesn't make him dangerous himself. He's just a kid. I'm going to take him with me. If someone in the colony asks I'll just tell them that is the sole survivor of a starship crash. We do have ships that have crashed here. People will buy that story." Sam said.
"Fine...but you take care of him ok? He's your responsibility." Dar said.
The holo recording ended. Gen didn't know what to think. Was he a clone?
"It seems as if some of the colonists have a living clone stashed somewhere at the colony. Let us hope it is still living." said one of the officers.
"I say we scour the colony to find it. If they try and stop us, we kill them." said a second officer.
"Let's go then." said the third officer.
Gareth, Yin, and Sara have to practically drag a deep in thought Gen away and back down the corridor as quickly as they can sneak away. They watched as the First Order soldiers leave on speeders towards the colony.
That snapped Gen out of his musings. "The colony! We have to stop them!"
He and Yin ran off towards the colony, Sara and Gareth following quickly after them.
By the time they reach the colony, the stormtroopers are already rounding up the colonists.
"We have it on good authority that two colonists named Sam and Dar have something of ours. We would like it back. Give up the location of these two men and we will let you all live." said one of the First Order officers to the crowd.
Gen, Yin, Sara, and Gareth hid behind a building.
"Why all this fuss over a clone?" Gareth whispered.
Just then two men are dragged out of their dwelling. Gen saw that they were his father and uncle and had to stop himself from running out there to save them.
"Ah. And here are the two men I wanted to see. Sam and Dar is it? Where is the clone?" said one of the officers.
"Don't tell them, Dar!" Sam said. A stormtrooper hit him across the face.
"What is he to you anyway? Just leave him be!" Dar said. struggling in the arms of two stormtroopers.
"Troopers, shoot one of them. Maybe then the other one will tell us." said an officer.
"What?! No!" Sam yelled.
"He's not here! He died years ago!" Dar said.
"You're lying. I can tell. Kill him."
"Wait!" Gen yelled as he revealed himself. Gareth and Sara tried to stop him but had to duck behind a wall to not be seen themselves. Yin just huddled the corner scared.
The stormtroopers aimed their weapons at him and were going to fire when one of the officers stopped them. "Hold your fire!"
"So you know where the clone is? Hmm? Or are you wasting our time?"
"I do!" Gen said holding his hands up.
"Gen stop. Don't!" Sam yelled, catching the look on Gen's face.
"Well then where is it?" said an officer.
Gen stared at his adopted father Sam. "I'm sorry."
"Scan me. I'm fairly certain that I am the clone you are looking for." Gen said looking down.
One of the science officers got out a device and did a scan of Gen. He nodded at the other officers. "He's telling the truth."
"Surprising. I would've thought the clone would be a mindless shivering mess." The officer shrugged. "Anyway. We have what we came for then." He gestured to two troopers who go up and grab Gen's arms.
They placed cuffs on Gen and dragged him to a speeder. As they sped away towards the First Order shuttle, Gen watched as the troopers executed both Dar and Sam. Gen struggled in his seat but a trooper held him still.
When they get to the ship Gen jumped out and started to run. A trooper caught him and slammed him to the ground.
"Gently! We don't want him damaged!" yelled an officer.
"You monsters! You didn't have to kill them!" Gen snarled as he was dragged inside the shuttle.
As Gen struggled, an officer went up to him and placed an injector to his neck. Whatever was injected made him pass out.
Sara's PoV
She watched as the First Order dragged away the man that had helped them. He was a clone? That's what the First Order was looking for? Why? She didn't know. But she did know that they had failed. Not only did the First Order get what they wanted, they hurt innocent people to do it. There didn't seem to be a way for them to help Gen at the moment.
The girl named Yin wanted to go after him and they had to grab her to stop her. They pulled her back behind the wall.
Sara watched as they shot dead what seemed to be Gen's family. When it seemed as though the stormtroopers had left, Gareth and Sara left their hiding spots and went to see if they could help the wounded. Yin followed behind them crying. They helped the wounded as best as they could. Then they headed to their ship.
Yin ran up to them. "Wait! Take me with you! I want to join the Resistance!"
Sara sighed. "It's a dangerous life. Are you sure?"
"I just watched my closest friend lose his family and get dragged off by the First Order. I've never been more sure of anything."
"Ok then. Come on." Sara said as they headed into the ship.
Yin strapped in as they took off. She still had tears streaming down her face.
"We should've helped! We should've shot all those damn troopers!" Gareth said angrily.
"We were outnumbered Gareth. There's nothing we could've done." Sara said, piloting the ship back to the Resistance hideout.
"We could at least follow the shuttle!" Gareth said.
"And do what? Shoot them down? There's an innocent man in there, remember?"
"Yeah. An innocent man that they are probably going to do horrible things to. It would be a mercy killing." Gareth said.
"You're not going to kill Gen! He's resourceful. He could find a way to escape!" Yin said.
"We're not going after the shuttle. That's final." Sara said.
"Why all this fuss about a clone anyway? What are they going to do with a clone?" Gareth said.
"I don't know. Maybe they're going to create clone troopers again. Who knows. I'm not sure I want to know. I hope Gen will be ok though. Maybe he'll be able to escape."
Gen PoV
Gen came to slowly hours later. Groggily he looked around. He was strapped into a chair inside the First Order shuttle. He could feel that they were in space. He could almost laugh at that. His dreams of going out into space have turned into nightmares.
"What are you going to do with me?" Gen said to an officer who was sitting nearby.
"We are going to take you home where you belong. You are important to us. Well your body is. Strange that you even have a mind. Your line of clones was designed to be empty. No mind, no competition. We'll have to run some tests when we get back to ship."
"Empty? What use is a mindless clone?" said Gen, very confused. "what do you mean, no competition?"
"Never you mind. It won't matter to you soon anyway."
Eventually Gen fell asleep again and is shaken awake by a trooper. They had arrived at a bigger ship apparently.
"Stand up. We have orders to take you to medical." the trooper said.
Gen got up and let himself be led out of the shuttle and through the bigger ship. When they get to medical he was hit with an injector yet again, and woke up strapped to a table this time. There was a droid scanning him.
One of the officers from the shuttle was standing off to the side reading a datapad to another officer. "Well it seems as though the colonists at least kept the clone healthy, that is if these scans are correct. The tests on its brain don't reveal anything abnormal despite it not being in the mental condition we expected. Odd. Perhaps Commander Snoke will have some insight into it."
"Stop talking as if I'm some inanimate object." Gen weakly snarled at them.
"As far as we are concerned, you should be. But you are not. You have a mind." the officer shrugs. "Oh well. Commander Snoke will be able to figure it out. Put him back under."
Gen grimaced as he got injected again.
When he woke again it was in a shuttle as they were landing in a hangerbay on a planet that for some reason made him nervous. It was if the very air was infused with something not right.
He was being dragged off the shuttle still groggy. A officer walked up to the troopers holding him. "Commander Snoke wishes to see the clone. Bring it to the throne room at once."
They led him to a very austentatous room with a throne. An old and scarred alien was standing in the middle of the room. He looked up as they entered the room. Gen looked up at him defiantly.
"Ah yes. They did say that you weren't mindless. How odd." the alien glanced at the troopers holding Gen. "Leave us."
The troopers leave. Gen tried not to fall over as he was still a little groggy. The alien went up to him and stared him in the eyes. Gen stared back confused at the alien's behavior. Then the alien pressed his hands to Gen's head. Gen screamed as a searing pain tore through his head. After a few moments the alien dropped his hands and stepped back.
"Of course... This makes sense now. But this poses a different problem."
Gen shook his head to clear it. Then he looked at the alien in confusion. "What are you talking about?"
"The reason you aren't mindless. The clone served it's purpose as it was intended to. But something went wrong. Perhaps it was just how you died...Regardless we need to find a way to fix our new problem."
"...How I died? What are you talking about?" Gen said.
The alien huffs annoyed. "You will regain your memories in time my lord. In the meantime I will have someone escort you to your quarters."
"Tell me what you are talking about! Don't ignore my question!" Gen yelled.
The alien smiled at Gen's anger. "Very well, my lord. I will explain it to you. Advancing age and failing health made you concerned that you would die before you found and trained a suitable apprentice. So you researched a way to inhabit a new body after your death. But you were not satisfied with just any body. So you had yourself cloned. In order to hide the existence of your clones you hid them in various out of the way places. Only one facility survived after your death and it took quite some time to find it. It would seem you found one of your clones on HN341F and inhabited it. But retained none of your memories. I assure you we will remedy that for you soon. It will take time and will be painful but we will bring your memories back."
"Who am I?" Gen asked quietly.
"Your name was and is Sheev Palpatine. Emperor Sheev Palpatine. You were and are my master and I your loyal acolyte, Snoke. I created the First Order in order to protect the remains of your Empire and I served as steward to your throne in your absence."
Gen let out a shocked gasp. He knew that name. Everyone in the galaxy knew who the Emperor was. It couldn't be true. He couldn't be that man!
"It can't be." Gen whispered in dismay.
"I assure you it is true. What I saw in your head proves you are indeed my master. When we went searching for the cloning facility we assumed we would retrieve an empty clone body for you. I was to help guide your spirit to this new body. But it seems you found your way to it on your own. Very clever my lord."
Gen didn't know what to think about all of this. He still couldn't believe it. He was on the verge of fainting. Perhaps Snoke noticed this because he had some red robed guards lead Gen out of the room. "We will speak more later my lord. For now please rest."
The red robed guards led a rather dazed Gen to some very nice quarters and then stood at attention outside the door. Gen ran to the refresher and threw up. He just sat there for a bit. Then he picked himself up and found the bedroom. He sat down on the luxurious looking bed and put his face in his hands.
He had always thought he was a semi decent person. He had never done anything too bad. But to find out that he was that man. A man that he had heard had done terrible things. He didn't know what to think. If he got his memories back would he still care? Or would he just be that man again? He eventually lay down on the bed, he was exhausted both physically and mentally, and quickly succumbed to sleep.
He woke up the next morning to a protocol droid placing a tray of food on a table in the other room. The protocol droid noticed he was awake as it was placing a pile of clothing in the bedroom.
"Oh. Pardon me, my lord. I was ordered to bring you clothing more suitable. I also brought you breakfast. It is how you prefer it made, my lord."
"How I prefer it made?" Gen sighed. He knew they meant how He preferred it made.
"Yes, my lord. If you require anything else please ask." said the protocol droid said before bowing.
"You can go." Gen said uncomfortably.
"Very well, my lord." The droid left the rooms.
Gen eyed the clothing set out for him dubiously. It didn't seem too terribly fancy. Just trousers, a top, an undershirt, and some boots. They were very good quality though. And they were all in black. He was starting to see a theme here. Almost everything in his quarters was black. It certainly seemed to be the favorite color scheme of his former life. He wasn't sure he wanted to put the clothes on but he was rather grungy. He decided to head to the refresher. Which he noticed was very nice looking. He took a long shower and then dressed himself in his new clothes. He looked at himself in the mirror. He had to admit that the clothes were rather nice, even if they were a bit too black. He walked to the other room and eyed the breakfast which was still warm despite his long shower. He supposed that the fancy looking tray kept it warm. He tried a few bites and found he rather liked whatever it was. And the tea that was there was also good. Of course it would be. Damn. They said it was made exactly how he liked it. Exactly like He liked it. This was just too surreal for Gen. He lost his appetite. He pushed the food away and sat there thinking. Maybe it would just be better to give in and get those memories back, becoming that man again, he thought. Maybe if that man came back, Gen would cease to be and he wouldn't have to feel bad about being that man. But he wasn't sure he was ready to just stop being himself.
Then there was the fact that the people who raised him, Sam and Dar were brutally gunned down as he watched. That hurt. A lot. He hadn't even really had time to think about that until now. A vicious thought ran through his head that he could have Snoke order the people responsible killed. That thought scared him.
He spent his morning wallowing in self pity until a First Order officer entered the room. The man bowed nervously.
"My lord. Commander Snoke believes that it is time to begin the procedure to regain your memories. He requests that you join him in the medical wing. I am to lead you there."
Gen stared at the man. Was this man afraid of him? That was a weird feeling. "Ok. Lead me there."
Gen followed the man out of his quarters. The red robed guards at the door followed behind him. Gen knew he really didn't have a choice. If he didn't consent to getting his memories back, they'd probably restrain him and do it anyway. That's why he followed the nervous man down the corridors to the medical wing without complaint. Commander Snoke was there waiting for him.
"I trust you slept well, my lord? May we begin?" Said Snoke.
"I know I don't really have a choice in the matter and that you'll do it anyway if I don't consent..so why not. Let's get this started." Gen sighed.
He was led to a chair and was strapped down. Technicians placed sensors on his forehead and he was hooked up to machines that monitored his vitals. The sensors on his forehead, he guessed, monitored his brain activity. Snoke placed his hands on Gen's head again. And as before, a searing pain tore through his head. He tried hard not to scream. After a few minutes he could stop himself and started to scream and thrash around. After awhile, visions of places he'd never seen before and people he'd never met ran through his head. It was all disjointed though and he couldn't make sense of any of it. Plus his head was killing him so it was hard to concentrate. Not too long after the machines monitoring his vitals started beeping in alarm so Snoke stopped. Gen slumped in the chair, promptly losing consciousness.
When Gen woke up he was back in his quarters, lying on the bed. He slowly sat up. He didn't feel immediately different. But when he tried to think about certain things like where he was born and things like that he had new memories that were connected to that. A planet called Naboo. A vibrant and beautiful green and blue world. That's where he was born. He remembered that. He also remember other things if he tried. But it didn't feel like his own memories. They felt distant. Like someone else's memories. And many things were still fuzzy. Some things he couldn't remember at all still. He did know he couldn't escape this. He was that person. These memories proved it. If he tried hard enough he could see himself looking old and weak. Sitting in a throne. Laughing cruelly. The thought made him shiver.
The procedures continued. Another acolyte performed them when Snoke was not on the planet. Gradually more and more memories became clearer. They still felt distant though. Like they weren't his own. There was still much he couldn't remember though. And so the procedures continued.
Gen spared a thought for Yin once in awhile, hoping she was alright and wondering what she was up to. Maybe those Resistance people took her with them. That wasn't as pleasant a thought as he thought it would be, considering that he would be her worst enemy in that case.
One day he remembered enough of his force training that he spent the rest of the day moving things around his quarters with his mind. It still felt weird to him that he could do that.
After awhile Snoke didn't feel like his jailer anymore. He felt more like an ally. Gen supposed he should feel horrified by this change but he didn't. Snoke kept him informed about what the First Order was up to. Soon Gen was making suggestions on things he felt needed to be handled differently.
Without even really noticing it, Gen's accent changed. It was now more of a cultured Nubian accent. When he finally noticed it he found didn't really care that much.
After a particularly bad procedure that left him remembering just how he had died, in great detail, he felt particularly irritated. He destroyed the protocol droid that served his quarters. He used the force on it till it imploded.
He still thought of Yin. He missed her. He wondered what she would think of all this. She'd probably be horrified.
One day he felt bored so he decided to make a new lightsaber, since he remembered how to do that. It was red of course. After it was complete, he mindlessly practiced with the blade. Even though Gen himself had never held a lightsaber, Sheev had. And it showed. Without even thinking about it, Gen movements were fluid and precise. It should disturb him that he seemed to be so comfortable with memories of the sith training he had now but it didn't. It was just fascinating to him now. He figured that if he had to be Sheev, he might as well make the best of it.
Despite the fact that he was making more and more decisions regarding how the First Order was run himself, both he and Snoke believed it was best for now if no one off the planet knew about the fact that he was alive. Not yet anyway. He believed that the commanders of the First Order probably could be trusted with the information but didn't want to reveal himself yet. Which was a shame since he thought he'd rather enjoy speaking with General Armitage Hux. Kylo Ren was a different matter. He didn't know how he felt about the man.
"So Kylo Ren is really named Ben Solo. The son of Leia Organa and the grandson of Darth Vader?" Gen said one day as he was speaking with Snoke.
"I believed he would make an excellent apprentice for you, my lord. He was betrayed by his uncle Luke Skywalker. He is quite powerful. Perhaps even more powerful than his grandfather. He is very much like his grandfather." Snoke said.
"And why would that be an advantage to me? Having someone exactly like Vader? Keep in mind that man killed me."
"He wishes for no connection to his past. He is totally devoted to the cause."
"As was Vader until the end. We will see." Gen said.
Gen also wasn't sure yet if he wanted to pass on the knowledge that ran through his head. He was still unsure about having it in the first place. Some of that knowledge had driven the man that he was quite mad. He could feel that. He didn't want to lose his mind.
He didn't hate the man that he used to be. Far from it. The more that he learned about him the more he respected him for all that he had accomplished. He had actually managed to hide the fact that he was sith right under the noses of the jedi order. The schemes he accomplished were truly amazing. But once he started losing his rational thinking, the less things seemed to go his way. In the end, he set himself up to be killed without even knowing it.
He was a little bit concerned about the giant monstrosity of a weapon they had created called Starkiller base. It seemed just a little too much like the two Deathstars he had had built. Ultimately those failed. They had the opposite effect than they should have. They had been intended to demoralize the rebels, but all they had done was motivate the rebels more. He saw no reason that this incarnation of Deathstar would have any different effect. But Snoke was convinced it would work.
It was no surprise to Gen when the Resistance managed to blow up Starkiller base. It did manage to get used to completely dismantle the new Republic so he supposed it wasn't a total waste. It was a shame that those planets had to die for it. The new seat of the Republic was destroyed as well as several other planets. It was a bit of overkill. And he was surprised that Kylo Ren was able to convince himself to kill his own father. He had Snoke bring him to the planet so Gen could observe him in person. As a precaution he had his red robed royal guard dress as regular stormtroopers when Kylo Ren arrived so Kylo would not realize who he was.
Kylo PoV
Kylo Ren seethed as he was kept on planet Byss. After he was healed from his injuries he had little to do there. He wondered why Snoke brought him here if he was going to ignore him. He could be doing so many more things than languishing here. Admittedly, the First Order was still recovering from the loss of Starkiller base but he still could be doing something! Yes he had failed to stop the girl but that doesn't mean he needed to be punished like this!
He was stalking down an outdoor corridor, when he passed a man sitting in a chair with a good view. He was reading a datapad ignoring the view. There were two stormtroopers that seemed to be guarding him. The man glanced up at Kylo Ren as he stalked past and smirked. Kylo Ren noticed the man smirk and turned around to confront him.
"What are you smirking at? Do you know who I am?!" Kylo yelled at the man.
The man continued to smirk as he placed his datapad on the table.
"There's that infamous Skywalker temper. Tell me Ben, why do you feel the need to be exactly like your grandfather?" The man said looking up at him.
"How dare you use that name! I'm Kylo Ren!" Kylo grabbed his lightsaber and turned it on, threatening the man with it.
The stormtrooper guards pointed their weapons at him but the man held up a hand to stop them.
"Are you going to kill me? Go ahead. Try it." the man said smirking even wider.
Kylo Ren was so angry that he actually did try to strike the man with his lightsaber. But the lightsaber never connected with the man. It stopped just before the man's chest. And he found he couldn't move. His eyes widened. The man just stood up and calmly removed the lightsaber from his hands, turning it off.
"Careful. You could hurt someone with this." the man said mockingly. The man inspected the lightsaber and didn't seem impressed. Kylo was still stuck in place as the man turned it on and pointed it at him. The man just smiled and then turned it off again.
"Shody work. The blade is not stable at all." The man sighed and placed the lightsaber back on Kylo Ren's belt. He picked up his datapad and walked away with the stormtroopers trailing after him, the smirk never leaving his face.
The man turned around and stared at Kylo. "You're right. You are just like Darth Vader." he said mockingly. He then turned and walked away.
When the man was out of sight, Kylo found he could move again. He just stood there in shock. How was that man able to do that to him? He eventually recovered and stalked away in anger.
Gen PoV
Gen found the encounter with Kylo Ren to be very amusing. He passed Snoke and stopped to talk with him.
"You saw that I assume." Gen said.
"I did, my lord." Snoke said.
"You still think I should have that man as my apprentice? His resemblance to Anakin is uncanny. Uncanny enough to disturb me. I am still not convinced." He sighed. "Send him back to his duties Snoke. I have seen enough for now."
"Very well, my lord. I will continue to keep an eye on him." Snoke said. "I must return to my ship. We must crush the Resistance while we still know where they are."
"Do that then. Take care of them while they are fleeing and at their weakest." Gen said.
"It will be done, my lord." Snoke bowed and walked away.
Gen didn't hate the Resistance. He understood why they were rebelling. They believed in a ideal. That democracy could work. But since the Republic had been re established, crime had been running rampant throughout the galaxy, leaving the Republic's forces stretched thin. And the petty squabbling between the politicians had resumed, making even small things almost impossible to resolve. Just like before. If a system was that flawed why back it time and time again? If Gen had to be the Emperor, he might as well do it right and fix these wrongs. He didn't really want power like his former self wanted. Not really. But he wanted to fix things in the galaxy. If he had to do it by force then so be it.
Gen watched on a secret holo feed as Kylo Ren betrayed Snoke and slaughtered him. All for that girl. He watched as they both made short work of Snoke's guards. Then Kylo proclaimed himself the new Supreme Leader, which he saw disappointed the girl quite a bit. Gen was amused that Kylo thought he had all the power now. After they had finished the Resistance, he would have to call his three pawns to him. The girl predictably refused Kylo's offer of joining him and escaped.
Some of the Resistance managed to escape. Including General Organa. They would be a problem soon he knew it. But for now they were mostly defeated and posed little risk. He would let them live...for now.
He gave encrypted orders, with a channel only Snoke used, for General Hux to disarm Kylo Ren and bring him to Byss. General Hux was suspicious of the orders but he disliked Kylo Ren and so he followed them. With Captain Phasma's help, she had survived the impossible yet again, they were able to catch Kylo unaware and knock him unconscious. They brought him with them to Byss.
Kylo Ren's PoV
When Kylo slowly woke up he was in a shuttle docking on Byss.
"Wonderful. He's waking up." Hux said sarcastically.
"Did you knock me unconsciousness?! I'm the Supreme Leader!" Kylo yelled.
The shuttle door opened and a young officer walked up. "Your presence is requested in the throne room."
"By who?! Snoke is dead!" Kylo asked.
"I'm sorry but I was told not to say." the young officer said nervously.
"Out of my way!" Kylo said as he stalked past the officer on his way to the throne room to confront whoever had the gall to order him around.
When Kylo made it to the throne room, there were two red robed guards at the door. They stepped aside to allow him to enter. He saw that the room appeared to be empty at first but he saw that the throne chair had been swiveled backwards. Hux and Phasma appeared behind him.
"Excellent. You actually managed to drag him here. I'm impressed." A voice coming from the throne said. The throne swiveled to face them. They saw a unfamiliar young man sitting there smirking at them. Unfamiliar to Phasma and Hux anyway. It was the same man that had humiliated Kylo. Kylo bristled.
"Hey! You happen to be sitting in my throne! I'm the Supreme Leader now!" Kylo yelled.
The man laughed. "Oh I know. I could see quite clearly when you cut Snoke in half and then proclaimed yourself the new Supreme Leader."
"What?!" Hux yelled, staring at Kylo in disgust. "You killed him?! Traitor!"
"Indeed. I happened to find Snoke quite useful and was disappointed when he died. It made me have to reveal myself ahead of schedule." The man said.
"And just who are you?" Hux said curious.
"Snoke was just a steward. Protecting my position until I was able to return. A loyal acolyte of mine." the man said.
"I don't care who you are! I won't be ordered around!" Kylo powered up his lightsaber and rushed the man. The man raised an eyebrow and just held up a hand and force pushed Kylo across the room.
"My dear Ben. Didn't you learn your lesson the first time? It would seem not. Now pay attention!" The man throws force lightening at Kylo who was slumped on the floor. He screamed. The man smirked and stopped the lightening, leaving Kylo trembling on the floor.
Hux stared with widened eyes at what was happening. The man turned his attention to Hux and Hux involuntarily flinched.
"It's good to finally meet you in person Armitage Hux. You have certainly followed in you father's footsteps. Just as formidable as him."
"Thank you?" Hux said nervously.
Gen PoV
Gen was getting quite annoyed with Ben Solo. He may have gone a tad overboard with the force lightening but 'Kylo' needed to be taught a lesson. He got up and paced a bit.
"What I am about to tell you may be hard to believe, but evidence can be provided if you are still skeptical. I am Sheev Palpatine. Emperor Sheev Palpatine."
Hux didn't know what to think. Was this man telling the truth? His father had said that the Emperor would use force lightening on those that disappointed him.
Gen continued. "I was getting old. And weak. I found a way to transfer my soul to a new body. So I cloned myself."
"I don't know if you are Palpatine or not. You are powerful. And you put Kylo Ren in his place. You have my troops at your back...my lord Emperor." Phasma said as she kneeled. Hux stared at her.
"The First Order was created to preserve the values that the Empire set down. If you are indeed the Emperor...then I will follow you loyally until the end." Hux said as he kneeled.
Gen smiled. "Good. I'm pleased. Go now and tell your subordinates that I have returned. That the Empire has returned. You may leave us now."
Hux and Phasma got up and quickly left the room, not sparing Kylo Ren a glance as they left. Kylo Ren was still twitching from the after effects of the force lightening. Gen walked up to him.
"So that just leaves you... My new little Skywalker. What should I do with you? Hmm?"
Kylo pulled himself slowly to his knees. He had heard all that Gen had said. "Teach me my lord. Make me your apprentice. I will show you that I am just as good as my grandfather."
"Your grandfather..." Gen sneered. "Was a weak sentimental fool. Who saw fit to betray me in the end. Why should I take that chance again?"
Kylo stared at him with wide eyes. He hesitated before he spoke. "I will be better than him. Loyal, to the Dark Side. Loyal to you."
"Truly? Just like you were loyal to Snoke? Don't think I haven't forgotten about that."
"The girl distracted me. Seduced me. I will be loyal. I wish to learn the true power of the Dark Side. Please teach me!"
Gen stared at the man for a bit. Then smirked. "You want to learn the true power of the Dark Side?...Alright. I will make you my apprentice. But I will not tolerate any disrespect. Any disloyalty. What happened with Snoke will not be repeated."
"I promise master. I will be loyal." Kylo said, kneeling as low as he could.
"Good my apprentice. Now go. I will call you when it is time to begin your training." Gen said. He watched as the man got to his feet and walked out the door. Gen was still a bit leery of making him his apprentice. The man was a whiny little child. Very much like his grandfather had been before he had become more machine than man.
As for the whole revealing himself as Emperor thing. Well, he supposed he should start thinking of himself as Sheev now. He still didn't feel entirely like that man. But his subjects didn't have to know that.
Yin's PoV
Yin had quickly settled into her new life in the Resistance. As it turned out she was a pretty good pilot. Not quite fighter pilot material but she could fly a ship. She also learned to do various other things, wanting to be as helpful as possible. Gareth taught her how to use a blaster and she was a pretty good shot. She ended up going out with Sara and Gareth a lot on their missions. So she did get to see the galaxy. She wished Gen with there with her though. She hoped he was alive out there somewhere.
It had been devastating when most of the Resistance had lost their lives when they were trying to escape the First Order ships. Gareth and Yin survived but Sara had been on one of the ships that was shot down. Yin and Gareth escaped onto the Millennium Falcon with the other survivors and they all headed for a little known former Rebel Alliance base. When they got there they started to recover. They started to rebuild.
General Organa learned through the force that her brother Luke Skywalker was dead. They all mourned his passing and gave him a big funeral. Leia was never the same after that. But she endured.
The force sensitive girl Rey, went off to search for other force sensitive people. She found a few and started teaching them how to use the force. It wasn't quite a jedi order but it was a start. As it turned out, Yin was force sensitive. Not to the degree that Rey was but still force sensitive. So she started training with her.
When they started hearing rumors that the Emperor had returned from the grave, they were very nervous. The First Order only grew as this information was revealed. Several groups that had once been part of the Empire rejoined the First Order and they started calling themselves the Empire again. Coruscant allied themselves with the Empire again and became the Imperial capital again. Whether or not it was true that the Emperor had returned, the Empire believed it and that made the Resistance very concerned. Several planets who had been allies of the Rebel Alliance secretly allied themselves with the Resistance in response.
Yin made herself a lightsaber. It was green. She wished Gen could see it, could see her. She missed him. She vowed that if he was still under the Empire's control she'd save him someday.
Gen PoV...or should it be Sheev PoV?
Gen strode across the landing platform towards the former Coruscant Imperial palace, his royal guard following behind him. He was wearing a black hooded cloak, with the hood pulled low over his head. The restoration of the palace was well ahead of schedule and so he felt it was time to leave Byss and become a more public face of his Empire.
The officer in charge of restoring the palace nervously walked up. "Your highness. It is a pleasure to see you. We weren't expecting you so soon."
"I felt it was time to show the public that the rumors were true. I trust my quarters are ready for me?" Gen said.
"They are, your highness. When we heard you were coming we rushed to get them ready."
"Good. Continue with the good work." Gen said dismissively as he strode through the palace to his rooms. He remembered exactly where they were. Ben's rooms were ready as well and he had already gone to them sulking.
Gen had started to train Ben Solo but Ben seemed to be impatient. He wanted to learn at his pace not Gen's. He was also upset that Gen refused to call him Kylo Ren. Gen didn't feel he deserved a different name yet. One of the first things he did when training Ben was to cut his shoddy lightsaber in half and had him make another one. Ben's new lightsaber was much more stable. He wasn't as agile with it as Gen wanted to see from him though. So he had him practice more.
Yin PoV
Finally Yin and Gareth were given an important mission. They were to gather intel about the Empire's presence on Coruscant. Yin's jedi training had progressed quite a bit but it wasn't over so Yin wasn't allowed to confront any of the Imperial forces. Just observe. She was more worried about Gareth trying something then herself. They were just supposed to sneak into the city and gather intel, nothing more.
"This is so exciting! Flying straight into enemy territory without them knowing it!" Gareth said excited, as Yin flew their ship to Coruscant.
"Calm down Gareth. We have to act normal. If anybody were to suspect us of being Resistance, this whole mission will be a bust. Not to mention the fact that we'll likely get captured and interrogated." Yin said.
"Alright alright. I'm calm." Gareth said before making a wild suggestion. "Hey why don't we try to sneak inside the Imperial Palace? That would give us loads of intel."
"Are you crazy? We'll get caught!"
"No listen. We could steal some uniforms and explore. No one would know we weren't supposed to be there." Gareth said determined.
Yin sighed. "We'll see, ok? Now try to act natural."
They made it to the planet where they were allowed to land. Their story was that they were visiting friends on the planet.
After landing and making their way into the main part of the city, they started to observe the Imperial forces comings and goings. They gathered intel from random people, trying to be discreet. They found out that the Imperial Palace was under restoration. And that the Emperor himself, or the person referring to himself as the Emperor, had arrived there. Sighing Yin conceded to Gareth that exploring the Palace would give them a lot of intel. But they'd have to be careful. Yin had a bad feeling about this.
Gen PoV
Gen felt a tremor in the force. Someone who wasn't supposed to be there was in the Palace. Resistance members most likely, Gen smirked to himself. He was sitting outside on a veranda reading when he felt it. And one seemed to be force sensitive. The force sensitive one was very close. He dismissed his guards, wanting to be alone. Not long after he felt the presence of the force sensitive one passing by. He stood up and acknowledged a passing technician.
"What are you doing around here? Are you lost?" Gen said.
The technician jumped. "Sorry I... wait, Gen?"
Gen's lost his smirk. "Yin? What are you doing here?"
"Gen! I found you!" Yin, wearing an obviously stolen technician uniform ran up and hugged him. She was confused when Gen didn't return the hug.
"Yin, I asked what you were doing here?"
Yin pulled away awkwardly. Gen pulled her out onto the veranda and closed the doors so they would have some privacy.
"I suppose saying that I worked here wouldn't be believable would it?" Yin said with a small laugh.
"Not really. Those clothes don't look like they fit well. Almost like you stole them."
"What's with the accent Gen? You sound so different."
"That's a long story. Why are you sneaking around the Palace?" Gen said.
"Gen I went with the Resistance! I had to, after what they did to you. Gareth and I, remember Gareth?, came here to gather some intel. I thought it would be a bad idea to sneak around the Palace but doing it let me find you!" Yin said. "What did they do to you by the way? Are you being held prisoner? We can help you!"
Gen smirked a little at his friend saying that they could 'help' him. Yin didn't notice this though and kept going on about how they could sneak him out.
"Yin. Yin stop. You need to leave now. While you still can." Gen figured since it was Yin, he'd let her go. He was more than a little surprised she was a force sensitive though. That was something to think about.
"I'm not leaving without you Gen!" Yin said.
"You have to. Now."
Just then an officer opened the doors and a was about to say something about their being intruders before he noticed Yin. She did look very out of place. The officer made the connection and yelled for guards.
"Oh no! I can fight them off Gen! You can leave with us!" Yin cried out as the royal guards returned as well as a few stormtroopers. She had turned on her lightsaber and had it out, ready to fight them. Gen sighed.
"You should've just left, Yin." Gen said before knocking her unconscious.
Yin PoV
Yin slowly woke up. She found herself strapped down to an interrogation table. She felt that she wasn't alone in the room.
She yelled to whoever would listen. "Let me go you fascist nerfs!"
She heard a small laugh from a corner of the room she couldn't see. "Fascist nerfs. That's a good one."
"Gen? Gen get me off of this thing before they come back!" Yin cried out.
"I'm afraid I can't do that, Yin." Gen said, revealing himself. He had a sad smile on his face.
"What? Why not? Gen get me out of here!"
"You brought this on yourself, Yin. You should've left when you had the chance."
"But I was trying to save you!"
"I don't need saving." he said with a small laugh. "You're force sensitive and yet apparently not very observant. You were shocked to see me. I understand that. But that shouldn't have made you ignore the obvious."
"And what is the obvious?"
"There was no one guarding me. Strange if I was being held here against my will, huh?" Gen said.
"But, you'd never join them would you? You're not on their side?! They killed your family Gen!"
"They did. And those responsible were punished. Painfully."
"The Gen I know would never join the Empire!" Yin yelled.
"I'm not the Gen you know. Not exactly... Shall I tell you a story? You're not busy are you?" Gen smiled. Yin turned her head away not wanting to look at him.
"Once upon a time there was a man. A man who seemed to have achieved everything he wanted. He had knowledge. He had power. And he thought he had the perfect person to pass that knowledge and power onto. But that person was gravely injured and despite all the machines that were attached to him to help him live, only his master could keep him alive, with his will alone. Now this presented a problem to the man. If the man were to die, then his apprentice would die as well. The man's knowledge and power would be lost. So he searched for another apprentice. Unfortunately the man grew old in that time. He was not long for this world. If he didn't find an apprentice quickly, all would be lost. So he made a plan to extend his life indefinitly...by using clones."
"...Clones? You're not saying...?"
"Yes. I am saying. I'm that man, Yin. I have been all along. I just didn't remember. Until my acolyte Snoke gave me back my memories."
"Who...who are you?"
"Search your feelings. You already know. You just don't want it to be true."
"You're...the Emperor." Yin said quietly.
"Indeed." Gen smiled. "I am. I apologize you had to find out this way. I truly hoped you would escape. But that time has passed."
"Why would you care? You're a heartless dictator." Yin said defiantly.
"I'm not heartless despite what they might say about me. I may have been quite ruthless at one point but I am not sure I was in my right mind at the time. Plus it's you. I didn't just forget my time on that planet when I got my memories back. We were close. I do remember that."
"Then why am I strapped down? Why won't you let me go?"
"If I did, what would you do?" Gen asked.
Gen stared at her for a bit, and then pressed a button to undo the straps making her fall to the floor. He smiled and reached into this cloak and pulled out her lightsaber.
"This is a good quality lightsaber. Well done. Would you like it back?" He held it out to her. She just sat there on the floor thinking it was a trick.
He dropped it to the floor. She grabbed it and activated it, pointing the blade at him. He just smiled in response.
"Are you going to kill me, Yin? Go ahead. Do it. Strike me down."
She hesitated. This was the Emperor! If she killed him now, the Empire would crumble. The Resistance would win!...But it was Gen. Her friend Gen. He just stood there waiting, watching her with a smug smile on his face. That smug smile made her angry. He thought she couldn't do it! She raised the blade and moved to strike at him but before she could cut his head off with the blade, he had activated his own lightsaber and blocked her, laughing while he did it.
"Good, Yin. Give in to the Dark Side!" He looked thrilled that she had acted aggressively towards him.
She looked at him defiantly. "Never! I'll never turn to the Dark Side!" She snarled.
He just smiled at her like he was proud of her, proud of her anger. And then he force pushed her to the floor and disarmed her. He then called some stormtroopers into the room to take her to a cell.
Gen PoV
"Your highness. The other Resistance operative escaped." said a stormtrooper as Gen stalked away to his rooms.
"I know. Let him go. We have his partner."
Gen had been surprised to see Yin at the palace. And a little disappointed that she was a member of the Resistance. But he thought, with time, she could come to see the advantages of the Dark Side. The advantages of being with him rather than against him. He would let her think on it for now.