Chapter 4
Three masked figures were standing in the rain looking down at a grunting, moaning heap of clothes on the ground: their fourth, injured companion. He too was dressed in black and masked, his mask amplifying his heavy breathing and moaning ten times. The Knights of Ren were soaking wet, covered in mud and blood. The Rogue snapped out of this stupefied state first. He clenched the lightsaber in his hand and quickly placed it back inside his robes, after which he crouched and reached for Armory's mask. The Jedi scum's attack was so sudden they barely realized what had happened. An old man like that, Jedi or not… managed to surprised them?
"Stop! We are not allowed to remove our masks during a mission, and our mission is not over yet!" Heavy said in a loud voice.
Rogue ignored his yelling, still searching for the opening mechanism while yelling back at him: "and you would rather watch him die in front of you? He is suffocating. Damn Skywalker cut of his leg and now you want him to suffocate? We need to regroup! We have to contact Monk and get on the cruiser."
Armory let out a sigh and tried to move. The pain was too great for him and his breathing pattern became irregular, panting then stopping and then starting breathing heavy again. The Rogue fought to find the switches that would unlatch the helmet from his head.
"We need to take him to the cruiser and get him medical care."
"You have too much sentiment, Rogue. Our orders are to capture or kill Skywalker. And if Kylo Ren sees him without the mask on a mission..."
"Well Kylo Ren is not here is he? He went after the scavenger and he left us. And I don't remember him naming you in charge while he's gone so don't presume to tell me what to do!" Rogue's high pitched voice hurt Heavy's ears but his companion was right about one thing...
"So, it all comes back to what I said, doesn't it?" Sniper moved around, clearly happy he wasn't the only one to notice Ren's strange behavior.
Monk raised his wrist to use his comlink. He tried contacting Kylo Ren for the third time since they last saw him. No response came back.
"We cannot take down Luke Skywalker. We have to get back to the cruiser" Rogue repeated.
"Now that is an overstatement. Just because Armory was stupid enough to let himself get cut doesn't mean the three of us can't take down the old man" the Sniper said pacing to and fro.
Rogue finally managed to find the opening mechanism and removed Armory's helmet. He was a man with ginger hair and green eyes. The paleness of his face made his freckles more obvious. The Rogue removed a glove to reveal a small, thin hand he placed on The Armory's forehead. Even with all the cold rain, Rogue felt his forehead colder still and sticky from sweat. His eyes were glazed with a veil of pain and he barely perceived anything happening around him. Rogue looked down at the remnants of his leg. It was cut at the middle of his thigh and smelled of burnt flesh. Rogue huffed beneath the heavy helmet. He hated the smell of burnt flesh. Armory started trembling and could barely keep his eyes open.
"We need to get to the cruiser"
"Stop repeating that, you coward. We need to catch the Jedi scum" Sniper yelled.
"What about Armory, you prick?"
"What about him? Leave him here. If he's still alive when we get back, it means he's earned it."
"You can't be serious, you sick bastard. He's our brother!"
"Our brother?" Sniper chuckled. He paced nervously around them.
"If you don't care about him, then at least take time to consider yourself" Rogue snapped back at him and when he stopped pacing he continued "it's three to one now. If we call Monk and regroup we'll leave Armory in the cruiser and take care of the Jedi bastard four to one. That's better, you oaf."
"Wasting ti..."
Sniper didn't get the chance to finish his sentence: Rogue's purple lightsaber glowed and sizzled in the rainy night just inches away from his throat.
"WE. NEED. TO. GET. BACK. TO. THE. CRUISER."
"I concur" both black clad figures turned toward Heavy. He was standing in the rain like some heavy onyx statue, immovable and insensitive. "We have more chances of catching Skywalker and the rebel scums he has with him if we regroup with Monk." He always took the lead in Kylo Ren's absence although no one specifically bestowed that honor on him. It just happened, to the utter annoyance of Sniper.
"...fine" Sniper was obviously displeased. He wanted to share the praise of capturing Skywalker with as few people as possible. This mission was the kind of mission that could get him the rank of Master. Make him Kylo Ren's equal. It would allow him the right to use the Ren title and choose a worthy name for himself.
Rogue crouched back near the Armory and caressed his check. There was no sign of Luke Skywalker anywhere. No doubt he went off to search for the girl. Maybe he left after Kylo Ren, The Jedi Killer. Maybe he was calling for backup from The Resistance.
Heavy used his wrist comlink to call the Monk.
"Where are you? We need to regroup. We have one injured."
"I'll be there in 2 minutes. What's the nature of the injury?"
"Severed leg. By way of lightsaber."
""Light...Who did that? Did..."
"Skywalker"
"...I'll ready the medibay."
The minutes passed by slowly and the dark cruiser appeared and landed near the gate. The hydraulics hissed and the trap door lowered. Sniper darted inside followed by Heavy levitating Armory. Rogue could not help but notice the newest dents and holes the cruiser had from the battle with the rebels' garbage spacecraft.
Inside, the miniature medibay the cruiser had was set up. Heavy placed Armory on a metal slab and a medical droid started caring for him.
Monk was standing in the co-pilot's seat pondering the events that just transpired.
"Where's Ren?"
"He went off after his scavenger girl. Who knows and who cares? We have a shot at getting Skywalker." Sniper was eager to answer, restless and wanting nothing more than to go back out there and find the Jedi scum.
"You say that with such ease. I believe you underestimate the man." Monk said.
Rogue removed his helmet. In fact, Rogue was young woman about 25 years old, with bright pink hair, piercings in her nose and lips and numerous earrings. She had two plain black dots tattooed on her left cheek and looked fiercely at the Sniper
"We all know you hate Ren. If you think capturing Skywalker would make you a master you are wrong. Supreme Leader doesn't give away that rank with ease."
"Oh yeah? Why wouldn't he? Discipline and self-control are not required, look at our current master. He can barely keep it together. From what I can tell, the only necessary requirement is killing Jedi, and we have one right here."
"Exactly. From what you can tell. Neither of us knows what's on Supreme Leader's mind and he is above us all, a wise and just leader. And it is not your place to presume anything from him!" Rogue yelled back at him.
She was furious, throwing accusatory stares at Sniper. The other wasn't going to allow her to yell at him so he raised his blaster in her face.
"One more word..."
"And what? If you think I'll fear you because you burned worlds and took countless lives...remember I was right behind you killing the countless ones you missed."
Sniper was even madder after her provocation. He made a few steps forward and now Rogue starred down the barrel of his riffle.
"Stop it you fools! Have you made loss of your senses? We have a mission to finish and you fight each other?" yelled Heavy.
Heavy didn't wait for a response from either and used the Force to separate them, throwing them at the walls of the cruiser.
"We have two main objectives: find and catch the rebel scums and find our master. The pirate filth have alerted the Order of the presence of the Jedi, so surely someone has sent troops here. This is top priority for the Order so except Star Destroyer class and above. Our secondary objective is to clear the perimeter for the troops, make sure the pirates are all dead or gone, and establish a base of operations from which Stormtroopers can help in the search. Monk, we all saw the battle, what can you tell me about the rebels' ship?"
"They came here aboard a Correlian freighter. We fought but we locked in battle just for a brief time. I guess it left to pick-up Skywalker. Anyway, I believe I have successfully blown their hyperdrive."
"The rebel scums have no way of leaving with a blown hyperdrive so they are here and not leaving anytime soon. And we shall locate them. Tell me, why didn't you pursue the enemy?"
"The pirates used and anti-aircraft gun on me that took out the cruiser's controls. I had lost control and avoided crashing thanks to that resourceful astromech. I understand why Kylo Ren keeps it close. "
"Try and contact Master Ren on his comlink from here."
Monk tried two times but he only received static.
"It seems…his comlink is out of range."
"We experienced this problem outside as well. Can you determine the cause?"
"There are only two situations: if Master Ren was far away or deep underground. I believe it is more likely he is underground."
"This is troublesome my knights…" Heavy started addressing the others
"We are not yours; we are Kylo Ren's" Monk said in a flat way, as if he was announcing the next cruiser to leave from a busy docking bay. Somehow, that made him sound so much more threatening.
"…We need to search the old fashion way. Meter by meter, comb the aria. We leave now" Heavy continued unfazed.
"What happened with Skywalker?" Monk asked Rogue
"He came out of nowhere and attacked Armory. Armory fell down immediately. I guess Skywalker would have killed him, but Sniper and I stopped him. He left afterwards and we regrouped. Now we can hunt him down and make him pay."
Rogue donned her helmet again and they all checked their lightsabers, securing them to their belts. They rarely used them as primary weapons but this situation was special. They were not hunting down measly Force users or inanimate holocrons. They were hunting down a Jedi Master
Outside the rain would not relent. The Temple was dark and silent, looming over the swampy terrain. Even with all the rain and with the mask Monk could still feel the stench of death. The Dark Side of the force filled their minds and hearts.
They decided to split in two parties, Rogue with Monk and Heavy with Sniper. Each took one half of the courtyard to check and sweep. Any man still living was killed on the spot whether by Force choke, blaster shot or lightsaber it mattered not. That night they were the bringers of death. They were the bringers of eternal darkness.
They went on like this for hours, checking each building and room, killing and destroying. No sign of the Jedi Killer or the scavenger anywhere.
"We should check inside the buliding, Rogue."
"Aye, we should".
Monk and Rogue entered the two stories temple with their lightsabers ignited. They did not want any surprises. The only light came from their lightsabers, glowing purple in the dark. A sound from another room made them turn slowly and walk without noise toward it. They broke down the door and killed the people inside, men and women. They spared the children, they would be useful for the Order, fresh blood for the Stormtrooper program. The air filled with the smell of burnt flesh and fear.
"One would think the Jedi scum might actually try to stop us for once." Rogue broke the silence as they were sweeping the second floor.
"You shouldn't call him scum. He is our enemy and I will fight him to death, but he deserves respect."
"Why? He is scum, and the Order will eradicate him and his kind from the Galaxy"
"Because he is a formidable enemy. Calling him names will make you dismiss him, and we should not underestimate him."
The continued their sweep, checked every room and killed every man or woman.
"So...what is your story?" Rogue asked sudenly
"My...story?"
"Yes. Why did you join the Knights of Ren? I believe order and discipline are lacking from this Galaxy. The weak Republic and the Jedi scums are useless. I found that out on my own skin. My family was killed by bounty hunters, paid by Rotta the Hutt just because they established a fair trade route to Tattooine. My father asked the Republic for help but they did nothing. I still have it, you know? The Tattooine tattoo. I was on Lothal, some bounty hunters found me. I killed them all. Kylo Ren found me there and recruited me. I owe him. He gave my life a purpose."
Silence fell on them again. Monk was checking the last rooms of the floor.
"So..."
"Why are you telling me this, Rogue? We have no need to know each other stories."
Rogue was a bit set back by the edge in his tone. Monk was never the one for many words. Her tone betrayed nothing of her worries: "we should leave and continue our sweep of the courtyard."
"Agreed"
Even with all the mystery Rogue did not regret joining the Knights of Ren. She had found wisdom in Supreme Leader Snoke's words and a much better sense of belonging with the group. She had found a purpose with the First Order and was adamant to carry on the legacy of the Galactic Empire.
Heavy and Sniper completed the sweep of the courtyard and proceeded to enter the old building. They saw it immediately: the aftermath of the battle. Lightsabers marks covered the walls. Heavy bent down and picked up the helmet. It had a lightsaber mark on its side, cold and not too deep.
"So, the Master has lost his head?" Sniper said, chuckling. "We should all go find ourselves such marvelous scavenger girls."
"No, it is just the helmet. By the looks of it I doubt this swing touched his skin."
"Your sense of humor continues to amaze me."
"I do not appreciate yours."
"Obviously" said Sniper. He was pacing around, analyzing the marks on the walls and columns. "They fought viciously. Both of them."
"Have you started to doubt your earlier words? Maybe our master has a plan?"
"You know I don't. We've been in this long enough to know each other well. They fought like crazy but I see no body. It looks more like a lover's quarrel to me"
"Lover's quarrel? Are you out of your mind?"
"Just look. Does this look like a true fight to you? They hit the wall more than they hit each other. I just feel that this wasn't a fight to the death…"
"Master Ren wants them alive for interrogations"
"…on either sides. What is it with you and him? We have been knights for far longer than Ren but we are not yet masters. I hate the man for it. I would not cry for him if I found him dead. I'd be happy. Why are you defending him Heavy?"
"It is our duty as knights to pledge our lives to the masters and the Supreme Leader. I am doing what is right."
"Right…always bowing in front of them"
Heavy did not answer Sniper, passed him and went on to search the basement. They searched for hours but they were unable to find any trace of the two missing youths.
At the crack of dawn they assembled again in front of the main gate.
"Anything?" Heavy asked the other two.
"Nothing on our end." Rogue said. "You"?
"We discovered lightsaber marks inside one of the buildings. We also found Master Kylo Ren's helmet there with a lightsaber mark on it. It's clear our master fought the scavenger but there is no body, be it his or hers. We checked and double checked every level of the place and found nothing. It's like the ground swallowed them." Heavy grunted, obviously displeased by his failure.
Sniper was fidgeting behind him "No sign of the bastard and that wookie either. They left the Temple and its grounds. Now that the sun is up we could use the cruiser to overfly the aria, find that garbage of a ship"
The Heavy nodded his approval. They had to locate the rebels.
Loud, screeching sounds made them look up in the sky and wait for the TIE fighters to appear. And they did in the next minutes, circling the aria before heading back were they came from. The Order was here.
Several shuttles appeared and grew larger and larger as they approached to land. When they finally did dozens of Stormtroopers descended. They automatically acted out their protocol, securing the perimeter and putting labor droids to pile the bodies. The new day's light made the carnage that more visible, that more shocking. Hundreds lied dead at the feet of the Temple, all slaughtered by just six men.
From the largest cruiser a chrome armored Stormtrooper descended. It was Captain Phasma and she came to them directly.
"Where is Master Ren?" she addressed Heavy
"He is missing in action Captain, we lost track of him during the battle."
"That is not good news knight. I'll contact General Hux about this. He might want to...take special actions to locate Master Ren. What about this place?"
"It belonged to the Kasinja Warrior Clan. It now belongs to the Order."
"Anything else, knight?"
"Skywalker, captain. We followed a lead that brought us here from the moon of the Selax system. We need to find these rebels. Master Ren's direct orders."
"Leave that task to me. General Hux wants a word with you"
"I won't leave that task to you, shinny. It's our task. I'll talk to your General and then I'll come back to finish what I started." Heavy grunted at her in a low, threatening tone.
"Then we shall have a joint task force, knight. We are under direct orders from Supreme Leader Snoke to locate Luke Skywalker."
The knights left Phasma without saying another word and headed back to their cruiser to contact the general and debrief him. Phasma started marching toward her men to dispense orders and prepare the temporary base. She was seemingly unfazed by the meeting with them but, truth be told, no one liked working with those black clad reapers.
Phasmas' and Hux' presence meat the Finalizer was looming above them. Everything was dropped when the news of Skywalkers' location reached the First Order. The Supreme Leader deployed one of his most efficient generals and one of his deadliest battlecruisers in a heartbeat.
