Starkiller Base was never not bustling with noise. Troopers were walking and occasionally marching down the main corridors. Officers were talking in the hallways or at their designated stations. Maintenance workers and technicians were using various equipment to repair damaged tie-fighters, carriers, command shuttles, even fix parts of the base itself. No matter the time of day, it was always full of life. The sole exception was when Kylo Ren was anywhere in the vicinity.
When he was walking down the halls officers would stop talking, some even closed their eyes and held their breaths. They did everything in their power to appear invisible to him, not that it would ever work. Stormtroopers would keep moving, for they lacked the free will the officers possessed, but not all their instincts could be eradicated. He could sense the fear in them as he brushed past them. The only person on the entire base that ever acted superior, who challenged him head on without any fear of repercussions was General Hux. And it wasn't just because of their relations. Hux genuinely believed that he was the superior man and that no person, not even one taught in the ways of the force could ever surpass him. It was that headstrong persona that drove him to being the general of the base. But such perverseness could ultimately be his downfall.
Ren finally made his way to the private communication chamber and bowed respectfully. "Supreme Leader." He said before rising. Despite his hologram image being massive, towering meters over him, Ren knew in reality he had no such stature. Still, the power his commander could emit, in both hologram form and reality could not be match. Well, not matched yet. "The identity of the man that possesses the last piece of the map has been discovered."
"Good." the Supreme Leader bellowed as he leaned forward.
"It's Lor San Tekka." Ren was thankful he had his mask on because he knew not what face his was making. If it was one of fear, anger, or a calm collectedness. Either way, he didn't want his commander to sense any hesitation in him and the mask provided some protection from that. "His current location is unknown."
"This is but the first of many tests you shall face." Leader Snoke spoke slowly and methodically to his young knight.
Ren hesitated for a moment. Tests. His whole life has been a test. But the one that laid before him. The one that his grandfather set for him. That was the one that mattered the most. All he faced now was just mere stepping stones to that end. "With your guidance, I will not fail."
"Search yourself and bring the map to me." While those words sounded familiar, akin to the ones spoken throughout his childhood. The feeling he got from them was not the same. When his mother and father abandoned him at the Jedi training school, his uncle used such phrases to evoke moments of serenity. In his lessons he would preach meditation as a means to become stronger with the force. The Supreme Leader taught it in a different way. Meditation was a way for one to channel their anger, sadness, and fear into one point. Once that point is created it will become the sole source of rage that fuels them in any situation. So with his wrath, he should be able to find Lor San Tekka and the map.
The hologram vanished and Ren was alone. The clicking of his boots echoed as he headed back to the rustling hallways of the base. He headed in the direction of the living quarters, and he only slowed down when he approached Hux's room. There was no doubt in his mind that the general was fast asleep. He needed as much rest as he could get when dealing with his daft officers. When Ren was right in front of the door, he didn't turn and wait for the body scan to approve his access, but pushed himself forward and took a sharp left.
He continued walking and eventually made his way to his own room. The dim lights flickered on and he immediately sat down in his stiff black chair. On the table in front of him was his most prized possession, his grandfather's helmet. He took off his own and it fell to the floor with a loud clunk. His grandfather. The most powerful Sith. Defeated his own master, Darth Sidious. A practitioner of The Rule of Two. Just speaking his name invoked fear in even the bravest of men. How he craved for power such as his.
He heard many stories about his grandfather but at times they felt like rumors more than actuality. His mother barely talked of him, but his uncle incorporated Vader into many of his personal lessons. However the majority of the stories that he disclosed were ones he was told by his old masters, Obi Wan Kenobi and Yoda. So who knew how true they were?
Ren elected to believe that most of what he was told was true. There was only one story he refused to believe in, and that was the reason as to why and how Vader became strong enough to kill his master.
"Grandfather." Ren spoke earnestly to the melted mask. It was as if the mask was not just some object, but a real person. A grandfather that listened to him and understood him. Didn't try to change him like his parents and uncle. But a person who accepted him for who he was. "I heard stories that your affinity with the force was so great that when you dreamt, you had visions. That the force was so strong with you that you could see what had not yet come. The Supreme Leader once told me such abilities had been lost. I refuse to believe that it is true. Guide me as you have so many times before."
Ren rose from his chair and headed over to his bed. He crossed his legs and closed his eyes. He focused on his point. The place where he kept all his rage. He breathed slowly and allowed the point to grow inside him as opposed to suppressing it. He could feel it. The force was all around him. He thought about his childhood and the hatred in him began to overflow. He remembered the times when he was a boy and Lor San Tekka would visit his uncle, showing him the latest jedi artifact he had found. Artifacts that he was not allowed to touch. He was too young. Inexperienced. But that wasn't the real reason. The truth was even at that age his family feared what his would become so they coddled him instead. Restricted his powers as opposed to letting them flourish.
And then it happened, the memories he was reliving vanished. Instead he saw a tannish colored planet and an X-wing flying towards it. His vision jumped, showing the X-wing flying over endless dunes of sand, a broken Star Destroyer, and finally landing near a village. It jumped once more and this time, he saw him, Lor San Tekka. He couldn't see the face of the resistant pilot he was talking to, but it didn't matter. He now knew where to go. "This will begin to make things right." Were the words Ren heard as his eyes snapped open.
"Thank you grandfather." Ren said in the direction of the mask.
He put his own helmet back on and quickly made his way to General Hux's room. He checked each direction and made sure no one was heading in his direction before standing in front of the body scanner. The door opened and he marched into the room. He waved his right hand in front of the sensor and the dim lights turned on.
Hux was curled up in a ball and the grey sheets were tightly wrapped around his body. The pillow that Ren would sleep on when he spent the night was firmly secured in the general's arms. The body slowly started to straighten and the grip he held on the pillow lessened. A groan escaped Hux's lips and he rubbed his eyes. "You need to prepare the Finalizer." Ren said when Hux started showing signs of consciousness. Hux began to sit up in his bed and blinked a few times as he adjusted to the light.
"Will you take off that infantile helmet." He groaned and rubbed his face with both hands.
Hux was never a morning person. It meant that more migraines were to come even though he had just finished recovering from the ones induced the day before. Since he couldn't kill all his staff for their asininity, he just accepted that the vicious cycle would never be broken. All that led to his great dislike to waking up in the morning.
Ren took off his helmet but gripped it firmly in his hands. "You need to prepare the Finalizer. Lor San Tekka is on Jakku."
"Did the Supreme Leader tell you this?" He crossed his arms against his chest and leaned his back against the wall, refusing to get out of bed.
"I had a vision-"
"A vision?" Hux scoffed with disbelief. "You wish me to prepare the ship because you supposedly had a vision?"
"I asked my grandfather for guidance and during meditation I saw him on Jakku."
Hux rolled his eyes. "Of course it was your grandfather that led you to such revelations."
"I know what I saw." Ren shot back bitterly. "And you know my grandfather has assisted me before."
Hux bit his tongue. This was one argument the two could never find middle ground on. Ren's grandfather, Darth Vader, he is dead. The rumor was that he was killed by the rebels. There was no possible way he could be communicating with Ren. Even though he heard the same story from Ren dozens of times. That his Uncle Luke had seen his father and masters as "Force Ghosts". So, his grandfather's ghost could be guiding him, but through the mask as opposed to a bodily entity. To Hux it sounded like utter nonsense. While he does admits he knows little of the force, his only source of knowledge is what Ren had told him and stories from former officers who lived during the time of Darth Vader; ghosts that could communicate with you was where he drew the line. "I have seen you read and briefly control people's minds. You have thrown tie fighters across a room with just a wave of your hand. Once you jumped from the highest level of the base all the way to the bottom without so much as a bruise. And I can't forget to mention all the times you have choked me with just your mind during our more private affairs. But visions of the future?"
"Lor San Tekka was not the only thing I saw." Ren shot back coolly. He knows Hux's triggers. What will rile him up. He knows exactly what needs to be said to get Hux to do what he wants.
Hux rose an eyebrow and said nothing. Ren knew this meant he was giving permission for him to continue. "A Resistance pilot."
Hux bit his lip so hard that blood began to trickle. He was conflicted. He found it hard to believe that just by talking to his grandfather's helmet, Ren had developed a new power. But the prospect of catching a rebel. The thought of that aroused him. Capturing a member of the Resistance. Torturing them. Learning the location of their base and cleaning the galaxy of such scum. He licked his lips cleaning away the sweet blood as his dream progressed.
"You're sure of what you saw. That it was Jakku." He knew what would happen if Ren was wrong. If they sent troops to Jakku only to find nothing then it would be his head on the line, not the knight's. But if they did succeed. It could lead to his greatest moment. Ridding the galaxy of the Resistance and the New Republic. The risk could well be worth the reward for both of them.
"I saw the wreckage of an Imperial Class Star Destroyer."
"The Inflictor." Hux spoke wistfully. His dream was beginning to feel more and more like a reality with each revelation.
Hux finally slid out of bed and paced around the room for a few minutes. "We should consult the Supreme Leader." He said as his pacing came to a stop.
"If we waste any more time we could miss our chance. We need to get the Finalizer ready now." Ren spoke forcefully.
Hux approached the Knight and took the heavy helmet from his hands. He tossed it on the bed and for once it didn't make a loud thump. He placed a hand on the back of Ren's head, wrapping his fingers in the dark tendrils and moved in close. He gazed into dark eyes allowing himself to get lost in them for only a moment. "We have a plan. And I will not allow either of us to be blinded by illusions of grandeur. If we do anything that even remotely raises suspicion among the Supreme Leader or the officers all our work these past years will have been for naught. If we are going to Jakku, then we will do it properly."
"You know how important this map is to me." Ren's voice calmed down but it still had a bit of venom behind it. "I cannot finish what I started without it."
Hux leaned forward and pulled Ren into a kiss. It was short and simple. The opposite of what they were. But anything too forceful would work both of them up, and now was not the time for that. "I will use every weapon and trooper at my disposal to get that map. You have my word." He said the moment they parted.
"Good." Was Ren's only response.
Hello all, thank you for reading Chapter 2 and I hope you all enjoyed. I know the plot is moving a little slow, but I promise it will pick up. Hope you will keep a look out for chapter 3 withing the coming weeks! See you then.