Chapter 6: Only One Survived
Ren, where are you going? The voice was muffled yet clear, stressed yet calm.
Ben kept walking away, his instinct was yelling to get away but his mind was intrigued and wanted to hear more. He was split in two, and he wanted a clear answer. Why was he battling himself?
Ben Solo, why fight me? Give in to what you truly feel. Your parents are wrong to hide away your true potential with Luke Skywalker. They will never understand.
The boy was getting tired of the Voice. No matter where he turned, he heard the Voice. Master Skywalker spoke of the ability to send your voice to another who is strong in the Force. Master was able to do that with Grandfather before at Bespin's Cloud City.
The Voice was matched with a set of Eyes in the distance. The Eyes belonged to a great being, that much was clear. The Being followed his every movement. But why?
Give in to your feelings. No one will understand you. Skywalker to containing you. Solo, you have much more hatred to let out. Your mother and father abandoned you there. Can't you see it? You are more powerful than your Master…you are better than him. Let me guide you, guide you to the Dark Side, Ren.
With every passing word, it began to seep in. Ben began to listen to the Voice. It began to make sense. He was better than the rest, no one could compare to him. He was the first padawan, after all.
This was his dream, his nightmares than plagued him every night. He had been suffering from them for weeks. At first they were soft tellings within other dreams; now they were full-fledged hauntings. He was beginning to believe them, he was so advanced; nothing could stand in his way.
"Why do you keep calling me that? My name is Ben, not Ren!" The young boy was getting more frustrated; he pulled at his hair, aching for this to all end. Confusion can sometimes be more painful than pain itself.
Master Luke Skywalker had received news from Reygorgic Plorium that his daughter and Luke's student, Rey, would not be returning for a few weeks. May-lisa's baby, a little boy, was born, and the family wanted some time together. Luke was happy to extend the time to the family with his congratulations for the new life.
But Luke's happiness quickly turned into concern when he saw his own family member. Ben Solo, his sister's son, was not behaving normally. A few weeks ago he first noticed the lack of sleep on the boy's face, deep purple bags under his eyes and yawning. Now he looked rested but resentful.
Skywalker tried to look into his future, but found it clouded with black cloaks and flashes of red. Every so often he could hear a cry but could not place it. This is why the Master was concerned. Something was going to occur that he was not going to be able to prevent. This thought gnawed at him.
Ben began to excel in most of the training Luke had the padawans perform. Luke kept note of how far he was coming in such a short time. He was doing almost as well as Rey was doing.
"Ben, you are not allowing the Force to flow freely. The Force will help move your arm, don't force it."
Ben tried to relax a little more. The little machine that Luke built was designed to shoot tiny lasers out that could only bruise and sting, not burn. Once he gave himself over to the Force, he was able to block the shot easily with the staff.
"Good job. Much better. If you keep this up, you will be using a lightsaber in no time." Luke began to walk away, but not before he heard something that puzzled him.
Ben was muttering to himself.
"Of course I did better. The Voice said I was better than all these losers."
Luke almost missed it, but when he turned around to confront his nephew on these thoughts, Ben was already chatting with another student.
The Voice? What does he mean this Voice? There were no other sounds but the children talking in the distance? Were one of those little ones talking to Ben that I couldn't hear? Luke watched his nephew after that more carefully, but nothing happened. The boy acted normal; he played with the others and spoke no more of voices. The Jedi master tucked these thoughts away to ponder on later, but soon forgot in the progress of his students.
He should had have a more watchful eye out, because the Voice was something to remember.
The children were excelling so marvelously that soon Luke felt that it was time to begin training with an actual sword. He gathered the students in the training court yard to begin the next part of the lessons. He was reluctant to begin this part without Rey, but she would pick it up quickly enough upon her return.
"To be a Jedi is not to just swing around a lightsaber and kill. A Jedi means to guard others, ones who cannot defend themselves. The ancient counsel were peace keepers, not soldiers like the Clone armies of the defeated Empire. You must take control of your emotions or the emotions will take complete control of you. Do not try to fool yourself and think you can dip your toe in and still be fine.
"As a Jedi, people will look to you for help. This is that moment where you will decide if you will help or hinder. The Dark Side of the Force is strong, but don't give in to it."
Luke looked over the little faces staring back at him with complete rapture and attention. He hoped they all understood what he was trying to get at. Luke knew what the pull to the Dark Side felt like.
"Today you will all learn the mechanics of a saber by watching me. Then two days from now, we will travel to Ilum. There you will find and harvest a kyber crystal. Can anyone tell me what that is?"
Dutifully a few raised their hands. Luke pointed to a little boy with green skin, named Popalk. He stood up timidly.
"A kyber crystal, sir, is the crystal that helps power the laser sword, sir. It must be stable when constructed into the sword, sir. If not, it will result in explosion, loss of limb, or death." Popalk quickly plopped down.
"That's right. So when we get to the planet, each of you will go into the Caves and retrieve your own kyber crystal. Choose wisely because we will not be going back. Let the Force guide your choice." After the introduction, the padawans asked questions, and Skywalker instructed them on how to make a saber. Most of the materials could be found on the planet they were on now, but the trip to Ilum would be remembered most by one in particular.
That night the Voice returned. Ben was ready.
"We go to Ilum tomorrow. To retrieve our kybers, sir."
Good. Good. Let the Dark Side guide you. I have foreseen that you will choose a great crystal that will allow you to rule the galaxy. I will help you rule it.
Ben did not know what to think of ruling something, but if the Voice said it was to be his, he would take it. The little boy had stopped fighting it; now he let everything rush at him. It became his high, the power the Dark Side gave him. But the Voice had instructed that he play along with his Uncle for now. Soon he would break out from under his crippling grasp and be his own person.
The excitement was infectious on the small craft, the children bouncing in their seats, each itching to finally get to their destination. Luke was also excited for them. This was the first time he had been back since he had made his last saber.
His first saber was lost to the Cloud City, so he had traveled to Ilum to make his next one. This saber had become his pride and joy, his work of art. He helped defeat the Emperor with its green light, next to his father's red laser sword.
Master Skywalker had received news from an old friend of Han's a few years ago named Maz Kanata, that a lightsaber had come into her possession. After much debate with himself, he instructed her to keep the old sword for safe keeping. Something inside his soul said that she would need it sooner than he would.
The small class and their teacher arrived on the ice planet of Ilum with a small bump. The children filed out into the cold, some even quietly voicing their discomfort. Luke took a moment just to look that them; he was so proud of them. All of them had grown while learning at Dicio, some more than others. Today was the day of the Gathering, a rite of passage from years ago. These children are the first to complete this test since before Darth Vader joined Palpatine.
Ben and the others set forth in heavy robes to the Crystal Caves of Ilum. The Caves were not just some holes in the rock, but tunnels and mazes. Their master had strongly pushed them to be in tune with the Force in order to find the right kyber, and then to get back out.
Since the battle of Hoth, some engineers had developed a handheld heater in case someone was out in the cold over a long time period, like Luke and Han had been. All gathered around the heat source while one went in to the mouth of the cave. As a group the children decided to go in one at a time to really let the Force push them. Luke remained silent during their debate, letting them be mature and figure this out on their own.
One by one they all went through the trial, some taking longer than others, until it was Ben's turn. Ben Solo stepped forward out of the heat's grasp and into the cold, black hole. When the dampness overcame him, he turned off all other distractions and focused on the Force entirely, letting the Force move his feet.
Deep he went, into the heart of the maze, passing many good kyber crystals. The kyber crystals of Ilum are white, but when placed into the correct saber hilt a color will emerge, usually blue or green like Luke's; on rare occasions the kyber and the Force would decide on another color such as yellow or purple, like that of an ancient Jedi master who fought in the Clone Wars by the name of Mace Wendu. Even rarer times the light was white or black. But if the color was red, then the Dark Side was present.
Ben walked for a long time, climbing over ledges and sharp rocks, following the Force. Finally after his patience had worn out and almost grabbing any old kyber, the pull became strong, over a white crystal that was about the size of a small walnut. Ben studied the stone for a quick moment before taking out a knife to carefully extract it from the bedrock.
Once it was free, the kyber crystal glowed for a moment before setting in Ben's hand, notifying him that the stone and the Force were in sync. With a sigh of relief, the young boy turned and headed back to the others in waiting. When he returned, Ben proudly showed the others his prize. Though it was not big like Linlar's of Naboo or Crepu of Kel Dor, his kyber was perfect for him.
"Now that you have your kyber crystals, take good care of them til' they are safely put in the hilts. They may look strong but can crack easily, causing them to become unstable," Luke instructed each child who tightened their hold on the stones.
The moment the space craft landed back on Dicio property, the padawans raced to their chambers to begin the painstaking process of building their very own lightsabers. Ben had run to his room and shut the door when he noticed a parcel on his bed, with a note attached. He placed the crystal on the side table so he could read the parchment:
Good job picking an excellent crystal. Inside are the materials to make a proper lightsaber, from ancient times. I can't wait to see what you create.
Your True Master.
He opened the gift with tentative hands, excited yet apprehensive. Inside lay metals and gears that would one day form a mighty weapon. Next to it were plans and instructions on assembling the device. Emotion was shooting through his veins, once again his high. Without taking his eyes off the mechanics of his new treasure, Ben reached for the key that would make it work.
But since he was not paying attention, he accidently knocked the little stone off the table. A tiny clink could be heard throughout the silent room as Ben looked down at his mistake. Luke's warning ringing in his ears. Delicately he picked up the kyber, sliding it along the pads of his fingers searching for any flaws.
And there, on the long side of the crystal, was a crack. Ben felt his spirit sink.
"What have I done? It is practically useless."
No, it is not useless. It is more powerful now. Don't let Skywalker delude your mind thinking that you can't use that.
The Voice was in the back of his mind now, urging him on. The Voice showed him that with though the cracked kyber sword might be somewhat unstable, with the correct dimensions and precise application it would become a mighty sword. Ben spent days crafting the sword to the Voice's command.
Ren, I will lead you, you will be great like your grandfather, Darth Vader. But first you must rid everyone else. They will stand in your way if you don't.
Get rid of them all.
When the time arrived to show the creations to the Master, Luke had everyone demonstrate in the courtyard. Ben chose to go last, his true master's words swimming through and around him. He was great, he would be the greatest in the galaxy.
One by one the padawans came forward to show off their swords. A few were quite good, one or two sputtered before coming to life; more work needed to be done before someone got hurt. Finally it was Ben's turn.
He stepped up to the center, with the others surrounding him. With a steady breath, Ben raised his hilt for all to see. It was dark with two spouts on the sides. Popalk stepped forward to look at the odd sword. Crepu snickered behind his hand to another standing next to him. Some joined in to laugh at the boy.
Skywalker looked on the group from a distance, grading each sword on its efficacy. Ben's sword concerned him. It was not a usual design or something he had seen before. It radiated a darker feel, something he had not felt in a long time.
But before the laughter became to loud, the shink sound of a lightsaber being turned on could be heard. All talk stopped instantaneously. Ben stood as a statue with a blazing tri-blade lightsaber. The main light blade was long, while the two side spouts served as vents to allow the saber to balance, creating a crossguard.
But Ben Solo's lightsaber was red.
Crepu tried to make a move to look at the device when Ben violently drew the sword down, slicing the boy's hand off. Crepu clutched his severed hand to his chest, trying to pull away from the crimson weapon, but Ben was too quick for him. He cleaved the plasma beam down across the boy's torso, killing him instantly.
Others tried to get away from him, but failed. Ben felled a small girl next to him with a single swipe. Luke tried to get to his nephew in the center of the chaos, but could not reach him. Suddenly amid the terror, a large boom could be heard close to the property of Dicio. Someone or some thing was attacking the school, using Ben as a distraction.
Suddenly the front door was thrown open and blaster shots were coming in. White clad Stormtroopers could be seen though the dust. Luke immediately turned his attention to the attack, trying to save as many children as he could. Most were too scared to move, some hiding behind their master. Others lay dead on the ground.
Ben struck several of the padawans down before he felt his body freeze. Luke was outnumbered, and only two children remained. He could move his eyes but the rest of him was still.
"Good job, Ren. With your help I was able to find Luke Skywalker and his pathetic school for mini Jedis. Now it is time to complete your mission." A deep throaty voice came from behind him. A voice he had heard for so long, now he could finally see who it belonged to. The Voice released Ben from the body bind.
Luke looked over at his nephew and saw a tall being with a bald head and scarred face. The being was tall and pale. He could hear him talking to Ben. The Jedi master tried his hardest to get over to his nephew to help in any way but was pinned down by the onslaught of laser blasts.
"After today, you will no longer be known as Ben Solo. You will now be called Kylo Ren. I will lead you to the Dark Side, and with my guidance you will lead the Knights of Ren. But first you need to finish the mission." He pointed to the remaining padawans in the far corner.
With little remorse, he struck them both down with murderous strikes.
Skywalker, seeing that all the padawans had been killed, fought off the troopers in his way and fled through the side door, heading for Loro's department. Once through there he escaped Dicio to his old X-Wing Fighter and took off to unknown regions.
As space enveloped him, Luke Skywalker pondered on what had just happened. In a matter of mere minutes, his entire legacy of padawans were destroyed, a generation killed right in front of his eyes. The Master could not save the students. A student killed the students.
As he looked back over the few weeks and months, the Jedi saw a pattern. He could have prevented this; it was all his fault. Because of him, all his students were dead.
"What am I going to tell their families?"
Families! Wait, there is still one left. Rey Plorium is still alive! I must ensure her safety… but I cannot do it myself. I must speak to Lor San Tekka.
A/N - Hello Beautifuls! Thank you so much everyone that has stayed with me this far. I can't believe I have made it to this point. I look forward to posting every week and I hope you all look forward to those posts. As a reminder I only own this story not the Star Wars logo. I do own a few characters but none will ever hit the big silver screen. As always I love comments and reviews! Have a great week. See you all next Thursday. Next week we will meet up with Rey once again and get deeper into her life.