Rage was all he felt.

His cross-guard saber like the wind, he tore through metallic walls, ignoring the agony searing through his shoulder, side, leg, and facial wounds. Scrap, leaving ugly burn scars in its wake, clanged against the chamber walls and floors, reverberating throughout the building. The Stormtroopers assigned to watch over him had already fled in terror after he bisected one of them, and were currently seeking out Master Snoke, in a desperate attempt to calm his fury. He didn't care.

Thoughts of her filled his mind. How she had defeated him, unlocked her connection to the Force, with no formal training. Her power was incredible, and she had refused his offer to show her the Dark Side, reaching serenity with the Force in the midst of their battle. It wasn't fair! That power belonged to him! He was the grandson of the great Darth Vader! He was supposed to be the most powerful Force wielder in existence! Why?! Why had she surpassed him?! She was unworthy! She was inferior! She-

Kylo Ren's rage was cut off as he was forcibly frozen where he stood. His lightsaber was forcefully yanked out of his grasp by an invisible hand, and he was turned to face Master Snoke, accompanied by a dozen Stormtroopers, all of whom had their blasters trained on his face. Snoke waved his hand, signaling them to lower their weapons.

"My apprentice," sneered his master, clearly displeased with the current chain of events, "Your anger is of no use to you at the moment. Save it. You have more training to-"

Ren cut him off with a roar of fury, ignoring everything his master said. It didn't matter. All that mattered was destroying everything in his path, before he went after the girl. Even immobilized, he was still able to reach out with the Force, crushing the metal table he'd been placed into a cube, as he would crush the girl the next time they met. The Stormtroopers immediately raised their weapons once more, obviously terrified. Good! Let them fear him, like she would! She would pay! She would-

Snoke sighed, and applied pressure to Kylo Ren's mind with Force, knocking him unconscious, and causing him to drop to the floor with a thud.

"Get him to another chamber," he barked to his terrified soldiers, "And make sure to sedate him properly this time."


After awakening the second time, Kylo Ren sat calmly in his isolated room. He was strapped down this time, his lightsaber take from him, and all guards stationed outside the door. He had not even been allowed the return of his mask. His rage was still present, although dampened by the drugs coursing through his system. Instead, he took this time to reflect.

How had he arrived at his current conditions? He recalled his childhood, where even then it was apparent he was strong with the Force. His father and mother were both aware, despite having no way to harness it themselves. They were proud of him, and had high hopes for his future.

Bits of his rage begin to bubble to the surface once again. His parents had lied to him, telling him Master Snoke was a serpent, who would lead him down the path of self-destruction. They'd feared his power, oh yes! They'd feared all he could've become, all the things he could've done with all his power! They wanted him to be weak, complacent! So they'd abandoned him to Luke Skywalker, the self-righteous Jedi scum.

If there was anyone that Kylo Ren hated more than his parents, or that girl, it was Luke Skywalker. The pompous fool, preaching the Jedi propaganda against the Dark Side, claiming how much better it was to lie down like dead womp rats, taking all the chaos the galaxy spawned. He had no vision, no idea how to utilize his great power, to bring order and safety to the galaxy! He could not see how the destruction of the Empire had ruined everything, how the First Order was the only safe path for the galaxy! He'd tried to poison Ren's mind with his lies, but Ren had fought back. His Knights had slaughtered all of Skywalker's brainwashed, lost students. Kylo Ren's only regret was that he had not killed Skywalker on that day as well.

His uncle's greatest sin was against his grandfather. Luke had seduced the great Darth Vader with the Light Side of the Force, keeping him from completing his righteous mission to bring order to the galaxy. Vader had come so close, eliminating all Jedi in the galaxy, slaying Obi-Wan Kenobi with his own hands. But just as Darth Sideous had prepared to end the Jedi once and for all, Vader had turned thanks to his son's manipulations. How dare Luke Skywalker! How dare he sully the flawless mission of his father! Vader had understood the power of the Dark Side, but Luke, and those mindless masses who hated the Empire and the peace it had brought them, had persisted, eventually destroying him. They were ungrateful scum, clinging to a foolish idea of freedom in a galaxy that would destroy itself without the guidance of the First Order! They had torn Vader down, but Ren saw through their lies, oh yes!Vader's mission was just, and Ren would finish it!

Vader's mistake had been keeping true to his family ties. Even as a god, Vader had still loved his son, and Ren admired that in him. But Vader should have seen that Luke Skywalker was too foolish, too weak, and too corrupted to turn to the righteous path of the Dark Side, and killed him immediately. Ren had learned from this mistake, severing all ties with his lost parents. He was almost ashamed to admit that he'd nearly broken on that catwalk on Starkiller Base, nearly gone back to Han Solo, crying like a lost infant. But he'd proved stronger, better than their tricks! He'd slain Han Solo, reaching true enlightenment, given his utter commitment to the Dark Side! He'd succeeded where Vader had failed, rising above family, above the love that would've kept him from the full power of the Dark Side! He was free at last! Free!

These thoughts brought Kylo Ren some comfort, soothing his rage. That was how the girl had beaten him! He was unfinished with his training, incomplete, and had not reached the nirvana of the Dark Side, of course! How had he been so foolish to miss that?! All he needed was to unlock his true potential! She was no match for him! He'd just been weakened by his wounds! He'd return, with more power, more than she could ever hope to gain!

Kylo Ren laid on his back, smiling through the pain of his wounds.


After he'd rested up, Kylo Ren was finally released from the isolation, though the Stormtroopers still kept their wary gazes on him, never letting go of their weapons. It didn't matter to him, though. He'd had his mask returned, along with his lightsaber. Master Snoke had immediately sent for him, telling him they had much unfinished work to do, and Ren agreed. However, there was one task he could not go on without accomplishing.

Strolling into his personal quarters, Ren removed his mask, sitting down in front of Darth Vader's melted helmet, thankfully retrieved before the loss of the Starkiller Base. Normally, he would ask the spirit of his grandfather for council, but today, all he needed was to reaffirm his promise.

"I will not fail," he repeated to the crumbling chunk of metal, "I will kill your traitorous son. I will bring true balance to the Force..."

"No..." whispered a hushed voice.

Kylo Ren spun around, his cross-guard saber igniting as he did so, terrified at the familiar voice. The figure he saw, that of his father, Han Solo, was impossible. Kylo Ren had killed him! He was dead! Han was one with Force!

"Ben..." Han pleaded, no trace of contempt in his voice, despite all that Ren had done, "You don't have to take this road. You're a good person, don't-"

"SHUT UP!" screamed Ren, charging forward with his blade, "YOU'RE WRONG! YOU'RE WRONG!" He swung the lightsaber like a berserker, cleaving through Solo and into the metallic wall once more. Kylo Ren was blinded by showers of sparks and chunks of twisted scrap, finally coming to a stop to observe the body.

What he found was that there was no body. Instead, he had merely torn up another section of the wall, attacking a nonexistent enemy. Ren looked at the destruction for a long time, before he finally picked up his mask, setting it on his skull once more.

"Ben Solo is dead," he reassured himself, "Han Solo is dead. I am Kylo Ren."


So I got to go see the Force Awakens on Christmas, and I just had to come home and write this. I loved the movie, and I loved the way it brought back the magic of Star Wars. If I absolutely had to complain about anything it would be three things. 1. The whole R2-D2 thing at the end. 2. The fact that the plot is mostly a rehash of A New Hope, except this time, the Death Star can blow up five planets at once. There are differences, of course, especially with Fin, Rey, and Ren's character arcs. Fin and Rey resist the call for longer than anyone else did. With Han, his heart was never really set on leaving the others. 3. Rey skirts a little close to Mary Sue territory. Don't get me wrong, I like her. She's tough, she works well with Fin, and she's a likeable character. While you can reason her beating Ren in the end, I find it hard to buy that she can use the Jedi Mind Trick without any training, especially since she's never even seen it before. Then again, if she is Luke's daughter, like I suspect, it might be a bit more excusable. Anyway, reviews are appreciated.