The Supremacy
Luke Skywalker and Artoo reached the doors outside Snoke's throne room. Their stormtrooper escort stepped back as the doors slid open. Inside, a flat expanse of austere, reflective ebony floor led to Snoke's throne. The curved walls of the chamber were covered by floor to ceiling, blood red curtains. Strange, hooded creatures worked at computer consoles of unusual design in the far corners. The throne was ringed by eight crimson armored Praetorian guards, each armed with a unique weapon.
"Luke Skywalker," Snoke said, his voice echoing off the room's domed ceiling. "At long last, we meet again."
"Supreme Leader Snoke," Luke said, walking across the vast expanse of floor. The heavy curtains rippled in the breeze of the air circulation system. "Or whatever you're calling yourself these days."
The clack of his boots on the hard floor echoed in the still air.
Unnoticed as the door slid shut, Artoo rolled into one of the room's shadowed corners.
"The Witches of Dathomir named me the Empty and Hollow Heart. The Sorcerers of Tund called me Zeeminir Quasar. To the Jedi, I was Jeramiaeh the Traveler. Many names for many places. Many places for many forms of knowledge. You, however, have only ever had one name. Does that mean you are less traveled, or simply that you have learned less?"
Luke came closer to the throne. The Guards each took a single step forward. Luke stopped.
"I've come to negotiate your surrender," Luke said.
"There will be no negotiation, Luke Skywalker, and there will be no surrender. You will find I have prepared for every eventuality. My First Order will burn across the galaxy like a raging and righteous fire and bring an end to the gasping remnants of the Republic."
"This isn't the Empire and you know it. It's a sham made out of flimsiplast and paint. And this," Luke gestured at the austere room. "This isn't you. Not at all. What twisted game are you playing this time?"
"Hmm," Snoke said, leaning back in his seat. He gestured at the stormtroopers by the door. "Leave us."
The stormtroopers filed out.
Snoke visibly relaxed in his throne, his posture slouching. "I don't know why you're so cross with me, Luke. I only gave everyone what they wanted."
"Excuse me?"
"The aging, failed, remnants of the Empire huddling in the Unknown Regions after the War wanted nothing more than a pleasant dream. Another Empire, or better yet, an Empire that had never ended. They wanted another industrial war machine to slave themselves to, and give up the rest of their wretched lives playacting Stormtroopers and Moffs at the foot of a false Emperor. And, of course, to raise a new generation of bright eyed sycophants pledged body and soul to those old Imperial ideals. And the Republic… it was founded by Rebels. What else could they do but rebel? Leaving their cradle of power in the Core, abandoning the legal system they themselves fought and bled to create to fight a guerrilla conflict they had no hope of winning, far away in the depths of space. Reenacting their old battles because a life of peace is the one thing no soldier can stomach. And you… you were the easiest to please of all. Luke Skywalker. Present an impossible situation to you, and you will run headlong into it, with no backup, no plan, no hope of survival. My only question is what took you so long? Where have you been all this time, Luke?"
"Remembering who I was."
"Oh, yes," Snoke leaned forward, "We really haven't seen each other since that day, have we? You remember. The last day it all made sense. By the river under the hanging lilies. You stared up at the suns in the sky, and held your wife close with one arm, and thought everything was good in the world. And me, I was playing down by the river, and whenever I looked up the hillside and caught sight of you, I smiled. Because I knew I was safe. And loved. And nothing was ever going to hurt me."
"Those aren't your words. They don't belong to you," Luke said.
"They do now. And to think, it's all happening all over again. Can you feel it, Luke? I know I can. Your old student and your new one are about to kill each other."
The Conqueror
Rey and Kylo Ren landed in darkness. They had fallen a long way.
"Rey…" Kylo groaned, rolling over. "Are you okay?"
All he heard in the dark was a low growl.
"Rey, you need to calm down." Kylo said to the dark, struggling to his feet.
Rey ran at him, making claws of her fingers as she reached for his eyes.
...
"All that transcendent rage," Snoke said. "All that beautiful hatred. I'd almost think she had Skywalker blood. She knows how to hate like one."
Kylo threw out a hand, freezing Rey in place. She snarled and took a single step towards him.
"It's no wonder you didn't help Rey," Snoke said. "I'm sure you have no idea how. I mean, you couldn't help the other one, could you?"
"That's enough," Luke said.
"It's never enough!" Snoke shouted with suddenness. "Do you have any idea how much she hated you? She trusted you! You were supposed to protect her. You were supposed to protect them all. And what did you do?"
"I know what I did."
...
Kylo released his hold and Rey stumbled forward. He grabbed her as she did so, one arm wrapped around her body, the other hand clamped firmly to the side of her head.
"Calm. Down." Kylo said, his words reverberating with the Force.
Rey's eyes cleared. Her tense muscles slackened.
Then she shook her head rapidly. "No," she said, and slammed her forehead into Kylo's nose. His head snapped back and blood leaked from his nose.
"Calm down," he repeated, holding her head still and looking right into her eyes. And as he did, she saw…
Rey was by a river. Lilies hung down from the trees. Two suns blazed in the sky, making the water glow gold. The grass was thick as a cushion under her feet. On a rock by the water, a young man sat. He was studying a datapad. His face was unlined and his eyes were clear.
"Come on, Ben," the girl splashing in the shallows said. "Put that thing down and get in here."
Ben held up a finger. "I'm just getting to the good part."
"You're such a Tesh," she grumbled, splashing water on him.
He yelped and held the datapad out of the way. "Stop that!"
"Make me."
"You asked for it." Ben put aside the datapad and thrust his hands at her, sending a wave swamping over her. She laughed and crooked a finger at him, yanking him off the rock into the water.
Luke stood at the top of the windswept hillside. He was clean shaven and his robes were white. He had one arm around a woman's waist. Her long, red hair fell over his shoulder. Luke was pointing at something in the distance. The woman whispered something in his ear and they both laughed. Rey leaned back against a tree and watched it all. She listened to the sounds of laughter and splashing water.
Suddenly, a change came over the vision.
Luke's head jerked down towards the river. As he did so, the sky blackened with clouds, blocking out the twin suns. A look of determination came over his face. He began walking down the hillside. The woman with red hair grasped at his arm. He shook her off. Beneath Luke's feet, the grass withered and died. He took his lightsaber from his belt.
Down at the river, Ben and the girl looked up from their play.
"Uncle Luke?" Ben said.
Luke kept coming. Leaves died and fell from the trees around him. Ben looked between Luke and the girl.
"No…" he said.
Luke kept coming. His feet touched the water's edge. Ben rushed at him. Luke gestured minimally and Ben was blasted back across the river. Luke faced the girl. She stood waist deep in the water. She just looked at him. Luke activated his lightsaber. The green glow fell over them both.
Rey tried to move. Her feet seemed stuck to the ground. She could only watch.
The girl shook her head, sadly it seemed. Luke advanced on her.
Suddenly, they were elsewhere. Stone was under Rey's feet, and all around. The interior of a temple. The walls were scored with burns and the floor was scattered with rubble.
Luke was facing the girl again. This time, the emitter of his unactivated lightsaber was pressed to her stomach. She looked at him.
"Luke," she said. "Please."
Luke activated the lightsaber. The green blade speared through her.
Rey gasped.
Across the chamber, Ben shouted. He ran for the girl, pulling her body to him.
He looked up at Luke through his tears.
"Why?" he said.
Luke turned and walked away.
Ben held the girl's body in his arms, face buried in her hair. Rey tried to reach for him. But she was somewhere else again.
She stood in a field of long grass and flowers blowing in a warm wind. Twin suns fell low on the horizon. Ben stood beside her. In the distance, a temple burned under the light of the setting suns.
Rey turned her head. Behind them, an impossibly tall figure in dark robes loped through the flowers. It's long, skeletal limbs swung as it walked.
It placed a hand on Ben's shoulder.
"I can help you," Snoke said.
Rey pulled away from Kylo. Her feet came out from under her and she hit the floor.
...
"You never should have let me into your temple," Snoke said.
"I taught my students everyone deserves a second chance," Luke said. "Even the darkest of souls."
"Is that why you've come to me now, then? To save my soul?"
Luke shook his head gravely. "No."
Snoke looked more closely at Luke. "You have changed. But it matters not. You've come here, to the secret heart of the First Order. The truth behind the pageantry and fiction. Behold, my Praetorian Guard. Each a master of his weapon. Each trained in the unparalleled crucible of my home country beyond the Veil."
"Neat," Luke said. "But I expected the Knights of Ren."
"The Knights have better things to do. Even now they are scouring the galaxy for what's left of the Light. The wayward students, the dropouts, errant knights. They will die. And you will die. And no one will even know Luke Skywalker ever returned." Snoke raised his hand and bits of machinery came floating from a compartment in the wall. Emitter shroud, diatium power cell, mountings, gold plating. The parts began to assemble themselves beside Snoke's throne.
"This is your last warning," Luke said. "Surrender, and order your forces to stand down. Or I will have no choice but to destroy you."
"You have no weapon," Snoke said. He gestured to his Guard and the weapons came out.
First was armed with an Adumari Blastsword, Second with a Vibro-Voulge polearm, Third with an oddly segmented sword that cracked with crimson electricity, Fourth a heavy Ultrachrome shield and a vibrosword, Fifth with a heavy, glaive like Electro-bisento, Sixth with an Electro-flail, Seventh with a double ended Vibro-arbir staff, and Eighth with a pair of spiked, electrified gauntlets.
"And you have no hope." Snoke said.
"There's always hope," Luke said. He raised his hand slowly. The Guards flinched. Snoke went stiff in his chair. Nothing seemed to happen.
In the corner, by a computer terminal, a panel slid open on Artoo's dome.
Luke continued to slowly move his hand upwards.
The Praetorians looked back at Snoke. He nodded once.
Second and Eighth hefted their weapons.
Luke held his hand still above his head.
The two Praetorian's charged at Luke.
Luke twitched his finger slightly.
Artoo fired the object from his dome.
The Guard's feet pounded on the floor.
Luke caught the object just as they reached him. He ignited his lightsaber. He dipped under Second's polearm and slashed the green blade through a wide arc at waist height.
Two pairs of legs hit the ground on either side of Luke. Two severed torsos skidded across the floor.
Luke straightened and assumed a ready stance as the Praetorians fanned out around him.
The materials continued to assemble beside Snoke's throne. The crystal, a gold gem came last, fitting inside. The gold plated casing closed around it. Snoke reached out and took his lightsaber from the air. He stood to his full height of three meters and activated the gold blade.
For a moment, all of them were still as the room was suffused with the hum of many weapons.
Then they all moved at once.
Luke slashed his blade up diagonally from his waist, catching and turning aside First's Blastsword as it stabbed for his chest and blocking a blow from Fifth's glaive above his shoulder. He parried Third's sword as it came at him from behind on the backswing, then brought his blade back across his body to intercept one, two blows from Sixth's flail. He rotated his wrist to the right, parrying a stab from Fourth, then to the left, blocking another blow from First, then brought his blade up over his head to catch Seventh's double bladed staff. Luke took one step to the side, avoiding Seventh's following straight thrust, and shoved him on the back as he went past, sending the guard stumbling forward. Luke twitched his head to the side minimally, avoiding a decapitating slice from Fifth's polearm, then parried First's sword thrust blade-to-blade and turned the guard's momentum to the side with a turn of the wrist, sending him stumbling past Luke. Seventh regained his balance and rushed back in. Luke blocked Third's hard two-handed blow from the right, then angled his blade across his body to the left, catching Fourth's shortsword before it stabbed into his flank, while thrusting his left hand in the opposite direction, holding back Third's following strike with the Force. First found his balance and came back around. Luke tumbled forward, rolling over a swipe from Seventh at his ankles. He smacked aside a blow from Sixth's flail from one knee, reversed his blade behind his back to block a stab at his spine from Fifth. Luke came up into a crouch, lightsaber held above his head as First, Third and Seventh all slammed their weapons down on his guard. Luke held all three of them back one-handed for a moment. Then he thrust his other hand up at the meeting of their weapons, hitting them with a blast of the Force that sent all three Praetorians reeling backwards, struggling to hold onto their weapons. Luke straightened, catching Seventh's staff on his guard and forcing the tip to the ground. Fifth came in low, lashing his polearm's haft at Luke's legs. Luke jumped over that, turned the jump into a Force assisted spin that took him over Seventh's head and ended with Luke's boot coming down on Sixth's helmet, knocking him to the ground. Luke landed in a crouch, slamming his palm into the floor and releasing a wave of the Force that blasted Fourth and Seventh off their feet.
While the Praetorians were all unbalanced, Snoke stepped in. He brought his golden blade down in an overhand slash from the apex of his gargantuan height. Luke parried high, turning his body to the side and slipping Snoke's blade past him into the floor. Luke thrust his hand at Snoke. Snoke threw his shoulder into the Force push. He slid back a scant few meters across the floor. Luke went at Snoke, lightsaber raised. Fourth threw himself between them, blocking Luke's blade on his ultrachrome shield. Snoke stepped back as the Praetorians rushed back at Luke.
Luke backpedaled towards the computer terminals as the Praetorians fanned out around him. They came in all at once. Luke backrolled over a holotable, slicing through its supports as he did so. He came down on the other side, Force pushing the table. It slammed into First, bowling him off his feet. Then the others were on him. Luke rolled his wrist, sending his blade through an arc that caught Third's segmented sword and turned him and his momentum aside, sending him stumbling past Luke. Luke continued the swing to the side, blocking Fifth and Seventh's weapons and holding them both in a lock. Luke shoved them both back, stepped to one side as Sixth lashed his flail at him from behind. Luke slashed at the flail's chain, knocking the mace head to the side, and slammed his lightsaber's hilt into Sixth's faceplate. He stumbled back. Fourth blocked Luke's blow on his shield.
Third, meanwhile, flicked a switch on his segmented sword's handle. The segments unlocked and separated, revealing the weapon to be a chain sword. Luke slammed his blade down on Fifth's polearm just below the blade, driving the tip into the floor. He ducked under a sweeping slash at his neck from Seventh, whirled and placed a spinning kick into Seventh's back as he passed by that knocked him off his feet. Luke ended the spin with his boot planted on the tip of Fifth's weapon, keeping it pinned to the floor as Luke slashed at Fifth's face. Third lashed out his chain blade, wrapping it around Luke's lightsaber before it could land. Sparks hissed as the chain's electro-plasma filaments touched the lightsaber. Third tugged hard on the blade, pulling Luke off balance. Luke skipped backwards as Fourth slashed at his stomach. He Force pushed Fourth back several steps, the Praetorian's feet struggling for purchase on the floor as he was forced back. Third yanked on the lightsaber again. Luke stumbled, narrowly avoiding a blow from Sixth's flail. He kicked Sixth in the shin, knocking him down on one leg. Fifth rushed at him, spearing his polearm at Luke's gut. Luke spun to the side at the last second, away from Third, extending the chain around his blade taut. Fifth ran into the chain, hitting it at neck level and slamming to the ground. Luke ducked under another blow from Sixth, struck him in the gut with his metal hand, doubling him over. Third yanked on the chain again. Luke pulled back, crouching and levering the chain over his shoulder, briefly catching Third off balance and yanking him towards Luke. Then Luke deactivated his lightsaber. Third stumbled forward, the chain blade falling slack. Luke reversed the hilt in his grip and reactivated it. The blade speared out behind him, impaling Third through the gut as he stumbled towards Luke. Luke, still crouched, slashed his blade reverse grip through Sixth's leg, severing it at the knee. Luke came to his feet, flipped his lightsaber back around and slashed cleanly through Sixth's throat. He dropped to the ground.
Luke faced the remaining four Praetorians. They fanned out around him again. Fifth snapped his double bladed staff apart into two short swords. As they rushed at Luke, Snoke extended his hand. Lighting swirled in his palm. He unleashed a blast of Force lightning at Luke. Luke caught it on his lightsaber, the blade crackling with energy. Luke lashed his lightsaber at First, throwing the absorbed lightning at him. The Praetorian was blasted off his feet. Luke smacked aside Fifth's thrust with a spinning slash, brought his blade around to slam against Fourth's shield in a shower of sparks. Luke stepped to the side as Seventh rushed at him with his dual blades. Luke grabbed Seventh's leading arm in his metal grip, held the arm still as he brought his lightsaber around, severing Seventh's hand at the wrist. Luke waved a hand and Seventh's severed appendage, still gripping its glowing blade, was Force pushed into Fifth's forehead, embedding there. Seventh fell forward, clutching at his wound, while Fifth dropped to the ground.
Luke parried a straight thrust from Fourth's shortsword. Fourth lashed out with his shield. Luke blocked, but the weight of the shield knocked him back a step. First rushed at him. Luke blocked the blastsword's crosscut at his neck. First fired the blastsword's blaster barrel against Luke's lightsaber in a shower of sparks, forcing Luke back a step. First fired again. Luke deflected the shot. Seventh regained his feet and rushed at Luke with his remaining hand and blade. Luke sent First's next shot into Seventh's chestplate, knocking him off balance. Luke tugged Seventh to him with a pull of the Force and stabbed him through the heart. He stepped to the side as Seventh's body slid to the floor.
Fourth and First advanced on Luke. Luke parried one slash from First, two, then deflected a point blank shot from the blastsword. He levered First's blade aside with a turn of the wrist and slashed at his face. Fourth smacked the blow aside with his shield. First came at Luke head on while Fourth circled behind him, using his shield as a wall to force Luke towards First's sword. Luke looked between them. First rushed at him while Fourth pressed in from behind. Luke threw his lightsaber into the air. The blade winked out as it left his grip. Luke spun to the side, First's thrust slicing through the narrow space between Luke's arm and body. The lightsaber hilt tumbled through the air over Fourth's shoulder. Luke ducked under First's horizontal slash, one hand outstretched. The lightsaber stopped behind Fourth. Luke twitched one finger. The lightsaber activated, spearing through Fourth from behind. First brought his sword down. Luke rolled forward, past Fourth's falling body. He caught his lightsaber out of the air. Luke spun, slashing a burning line across First's stomach, then slashed up through his neck as he fell forward. First's head bounced across the floor.
Luke faced Snoke across the body strewn floor.
Snoke raised one hand and two computer terminals were torn out of the floor. He gestured and they both flew at Luke. Luke waved the first aside, sending it crashing into a far corner. He thrust his hand at the second, meeting Snoke's Force push and crushing the computer between them. It hung in the air briefly, then fell to the ground. They circled each other for a moment. Then they both moved.
Snoke slammed his blade down from his great height. Luke blocked with both hands, the force of the blow nearly knocking him off his feet. Snoke thrust a hand at Luke. The Force push sent cracks spider webbing across the floor between them. Luke's robes blew back and his feet skidded on the floor. Luke planted his feet, halting himself. Then he took a step towards Snoke. Snoke let go of his lightsaber, leaving it hovering in the air beside him, and thrust his other hand at Luke. The wall behind him caved in as though it had been hit by a cannon blast. Luke held up one arm in front of himself. He took another step towards Snoke. As he pressed towards Snoke, Luke gestured with his other hand. The computer terminal lying in the corner shot at Snoke, slamming into his back. Snoke fell forward onto his hands and knees. As soon as the Force push cut off, Luke lept, the Force assisted jump taking him over Snoke's head. Luke slashed down at Snoke's skull at the apex of his leap. Snoke's lightsaber returned to his hand as Snoke rolled onto his back, parrying the blow an inch from his face.
Luke hit the ground, sliced at Snoke's knees. Snoke parried, brought himself to his feet with a tug of the Force. He caught Luke's next blow and forced it aside.
Their blades flashed emerald and gold as they forced each other back and forth across the throne room. Luke parried another slash from Snoke, slipping aside and letting it hit the floor rather than taking the full brunt of it. Snoke dragged his blade across the floor into an underhand slash. Luke blocked, but the force of the blow knocked his lightsaber spinning from his hand. Luke thrust his hand out towards it even as he pushed his other at Snoke. Snoke slid back a few meters as the Force push hit him. Luke's lightsaber stopped and flew back towards him. Snoke rushed at Luke again. Luke Force pushed him again. Snoke braced his feet, stopping dead but not being moved back. Snoke brought his blade down at Luke. Luke raised his bare hand in the motion of a parry. His lightsaber hit his palm and activated a second later, just in time to block Snoke's blade. Luke jumped back as Snoke's next blow slammed into the ground, jerked his hand at one of the fallen Praetorians. First's blastsword came to Luke's left hand. Luke caught Snoke's slash on his lightsaber, fired the blastsword at Snoke. The shot hit him in the shoulder. Snoke grunted and waved his own hand at the corpses. Fifth's polearm speared through the air at Luke. Luke smacked it aside with his lightsaber, brought the blastsword up to parry Snoke's lightsaber. Snoke brought his blade crashing down on the sword once, twice. The third blow snapped the weapon in half. Luke dropped it, took his lightsaber in both hands and brought it around at Snoke's waist.
Fourth's shield came to Snoke's off hand. He caught it in time to block Luke's blade. Snoke released the shield, catching it suspended in the air between them with the Force. Snoke kicked the shield hard. It slammed into Luke's chest, sending him flying the length of the room.
Snoke lept, augmenting his jump with the Force, and pointing his blade downwards with both hands to pin Luke to the floor. Luke rolled aside at the last moment, Snoke's blade sinking up to the hilt into the floor and the floor itself buckling under his impact. Luke slashed at Snoke even as he rolled to his feet. Snoke pulled his blade up halfway out of the floor, enough to catch Luke's blow, then yanked it out fully in a shower of melted stone. Snoke parried Luke's slash at his neck from one knee, shoved Luke back and came to his feet. Snoke thrust his hand at Luke. A brilliant bolt of Force lightning blasted from his palm. Luke raised his lightsaber. The lightning bolt hit his guard. Sparks flew from the blade, electricity crackling up and down its length. Luke's feet slid backwards under the force of the lightning. Snoke slid as well, as he applied more power. Stray bolts of lightning shot in every direction from Luke's blade, several hitting the crimson curtains encircling the room. They were set ablaze. As flames ate their way across the walls, Snoke and Luke were pushed further apart by the force of the lightning. The floor between them began to char, then melt. Lightning coursed down Luke's blade. Towards the hilt. Electricity hit the metal. The blade flickered.
"Stang," Luke said. Then the lightsaber shut off.
Snoke thrust his other hand at Luke at the same time. Both bolts of Force lightning hit Luke in the chest, blowing him across the length of the room. He hit the wall hard. It buckled, raining rubble down atop him.
"For all your power," Snoke said, lowering his arms and breathing heavily. "You are still ignorant of the manifold weapons of the Dark Side. And thus defenseless."
The rubble began to levitate off of Luke. He stood slowly, electricity crackling across his body.
"Not anymore," Luke said, and fired the Force lightning back at Snoke.
Snoke threw up his hands in front of himself, catching the lightning on a barrier of the Force.
Luke extended his hand towards Artoo again and motioned with his fingers. The machinery inside the droid's dome rotated, and he fired another lightsaber hilt into the air. Luke caught it with the Force and pulled it towards him. He activated Vader's blade while it was still in the air with a flick of his finger. The crimson blade hit Snoke from behind, carving a burning gash through his flank before coming to Luke's hand. Snoke fell forward, one hand clasped over the wound, the other catching himself before he hit the floor. Luke called his other lightsaber to his off hand. The green blade flickered and sparked as it activated.
Luke advanced on Snoke, both blades humming.
Snoke forced himself back up, brought his lightsaber down on Luke. He blocked with the green blade, drove the red into Snoke's shoulder. Snoke reeled back, smoke leaking from the wound. Luke slashed the green blade at Snoke. Snoke parried, and Luke stabbed the red blade into Snoke's thigh while his blade was occupied. Snoke dropped down on his other knee. Luke slashed the green blade at Snoke's neck, which was still higher than Luke's head. Snoke caught the blade on his own. Luke drove Vader's lightsaber into Snoke's gut.
Snoke looked down at the red blade piercing through his body, seeming more surprised than anything else. Then he thrust both hands at Luke, unleashing a massive blast of the Force that sent Luke skidding away across the floor. Snoke sagged. He gestured weakly at the doors. They slid open. He made a tugging motion and one of his female attendants stumbled into the throne room. She was a Zabrak. She also had no less than three high explosives strapped to her body. Snoke flicked a finger and all of them armed. Then he stumbled for the door.
Luke looked between the woman and Snoke.
He went for the woman.
"Idiot," Snoke muttered. He flicked his finger again even as he stumbled through the doors.
Luke thrust his hand at her just as the bombs detonated. They didn't explode. Luke kept his arm held up. His fingers were shaking.
"Hi, there," Luke said as he approached her slowly. "I'm Luke."
"I…" Her voice faltered as she looked down at the bombs. "I know."
"Don't look at those. Look at me."
Her hand moved towards one of the bombs.
"Don't move, please." Luke said, continuing to walk towards her. "The bombs have already detonated, I'm just containing the explosions."
A look of horror came over her face.
"Stay calm. You're going to be fine," Luke said. "What's your name?"
"I-Illena."
"Nice to meet you." Luke reached her. Light began to leak from one of the bombs through cracks forming in its casing. Luke clenched his fingers tighter. "Where are you from?"
"Iridonia. J-just off the Scalen Falls."
"Nice place. I broke up a band of marauders near there once." Luke circled her, examining the bombs.
"Am-am I going to die?"
"Of course not." Luke came to a stop. He took a deep breath. "Okay. I need you to close your eyes and cover your ears."
She nodded shakily and did as he said.
"Ready?" Luke said.
She shook her head.
"Here goes." He flicked his finger and the bombs unclasped. He flung them across the room with a push of the Force, put himself between Illena and them in the same motion. Then he let go of the bombs. The explosion shook the room. Shrapnel bounced away from them as Luke held his hands towards the blast.
He lowered his hands.
"You-you're really a Jedi," she stammered.
"On a good day. Now, listen to me carefully. Very shortly this ship is going to come into orbit around an inhabited planet. When they start evacuating this ship, get planetside and find the first transport going to Republic space. Don't look back. Got all that?"
"I guess. But… why would we evacuate the ship?"
Luke smiled slightly, "Leave that to me. Come on Artoo."
Luke and Artoo left the Throne room.
"Well, was that enough of a distraction?" Luke asked Artoo.
Artoo warbled at him critically.
"It's not my fault he started throwing the computers around," Luke said defensively. "Did you get Snoke's command codes?"
Artoo whistled an affirmative.
"Well done. Can you believe he really thought I came all this way just to pick a fight with him? I'm not twenty years old anymore."
Artoo rolled over to a terminal and plugged in.
"Everything set up?" Luke said.
Artoo beeped yes.
"Good. Then let's take this ship down."
The Conqueror
Rey sat up slowly in the darkness. Close by, Kylo Ren was sitting up as well, one hand to his head.
Rey threw her arms around him before he could fully rise.
"I'm sorry," she said close to his ear. "I didn't know."
"It's not your fault," Kylo said. "Now let me up."
Rey let him go.
"Are we done fighting?" she asked.
"I am if you are."
They sat in silence for a moment, cataloging their respective wounds.
"You don't have to do this, you know," Rey said. "I'm sorry she's dead, but that doesn't mean you have to be a Sith. You don't have to be like Luke."
"You think Luke's a…" Kylo chuckled. "Skywalker's a lot of things, but he isn't a Sith. Neither am I."
"But… Red lightsaber. Dark side."
"That doesn't make me a Sith. Snoke isn't one either. A Sith is something… Very specific. Something you don't ever want to meet. You must already know that."
"But… then why did Luke…?" Rey trailed off. "What do you mean, I must already know that? I don't understand any of this."
"I told you before, it goes both ways. While you were in my head, I saw into yours, Rey. I saw everything. I'm so sorry."
"What are you talking about? What did you see?"
"You… you really don't know? You don't remember?"
"Remember what?"
Kylo opened his mouth to answer. Then he clutched his stomach. He pitched forward.
...
Snoke staggered into the wall in one of the Supremacy's corridors, hand on the wound in his stomach. He reached for his commlink. It fell from his slackening fingers. Snoke slid to the floor, scrambling for the commlink. His breath came in ragged gasps.
"No…" he muttered to himself. "No… Not like this."
He took the commlink and held it to his mouth.
"This… this is the Supreme Leader…" he shook with coughs, "I… I require… Require… Help..." he dropped the commlink.
Then Snoke died.
...
Rey caught Kylo in her arms as he fell.
"What is it? Did I hurt you?"
"Snoke," Kylo said tightly. "Snoke just died."
"Good riddance. I don't care if he's a Sith or not. He's evil."
"No! You don't understand." Kylo pushed her away. "I need him alive!"
...
Han Solo ran into the hangar. The Millennium Falcon was waiting for him.
"There you are," he said, smiling.
...
Leia, Hera, and their soldiers burst onto the Conqueror's bridge.
"Hands in the air," Leia ordered, keeping her blaster trained on the officers. "You're being hijacked."
"Madame, I don't know what you think you're playing at," the Conqueror's captain said as Leia trained her blaster on him. "There is no possible way out of this. You can't just steal a Star Destroyer."
"We just did." Leia motioned with her blaster. "Step away from the controls."
The captain looked at Leia's gun. He looked down at the controls. He took a deep breath.
"Don't," Leia said.
"For the Supreme Leader!" The captain shouted. He shot the controls.
Leia stunned him.
"What's the damage?" Leia asked as Hera ran to the control panel.
Hera looked up, stricken. "He shot the navi-computer."
Leia sighed. "That's going to complicate things." She activated her commlink. "Admiral Ackbar, are you aboard?"
"Only just," Ackbar said. "Shall we remotely detach the New Hope?"
"Negative. Leave it where it is. I think we're going to need it."
"Princess," Hera said. "I don't think you understand."
Leia held up a hand and switched the commlink to another channel. "Honey, are you on the Falcon?"
"Leia, what did they do to my ship?" Han shouted over the comm. "When I get my hands on that hairball-"
"Not now, honey. I need you to take the Falcon out of the hangar. It's going to get bumpy and that's the last place you want to be."
"If I can get her off the ground. All the controls are in the wrong-"
"Han, please. You remember the old Alliance base in the Crait System? Meet us there."
"You got it."
"Princess," Hera cut in. "The navi-computer is wrecked. It can point us in the right direction but it can't plot a course. We're not going anywhere. I'm sorry. We can't get out."
"Don't be ridiculous, Hera. There's always a way out. A direction is all we need."
"Princess, space is full of stars and asteroids and planets. If we don't plot a course we'll fly right into something. We'll fly into everything."
"I'm well aware." Leia gestured at a First Order officer. "You. You're the commanding officer now."
"That-that isn't the command structure…" the officer stammered.
"Hush. Does this ship have manual controls?"
"Manual…? All ships do but… No one's ever used them. That would be completely insane, even with a working navi-computer."
"We're rather desperate," Leia said. "Show me."
The officer brought up the flight stick from a console in the corner.
Leia looked it over. "I can work with this."
"Princess," Hera hissed. "You can't fly a Star Destroyer manually through hyperspace without a navi-computer. You'd have to avoid hundreds of thousands of stars and planets coming at us at the speed of light. I don't care who you are. We're all going to die. It just isn't possible."
Leia sat down at the controls. She placed her hands on them. "Hera, among other surnames, I'm a Skywalker. Impossible is what we do." Leia pointed at the main controls. "Give me the engines. Point us at Crait."
Hera sighed deeply, "I need to take up drinking." she activated the engines, "Okay, we're as ready as we're ever going to be."
Leia took a deep breath. Her hands tightened on the controls, "It's just a few hundred thousand stars and planets. How hard can it be?" she closed her eyes. "Everyone please be quiet. I'm going to need complete concentration."
The bridge went silent, save for a few First Order officers praying quietly to the Emperor.
"Punch it," Leia said.
The Conqueror jumped into hyperspace.