The following is a direct continuation of the events of Star Wars: The Last Jedi, attempting to honor and continue the thematic throughlines and the character arcs established in said movie, which are themselves a culmination of the previous installments. This will be a serialized story not necessarily meant to emulate the structure of a film.

PART I OF III

Fragments in itallics are used to dive into specific characters' heads throughout the narrative.

Chapter 1: "The Coup"

As I approached my shuttle to depart Crait, all I could sense around me was distrust, mockery, and disrespect. Some of our troops aren't coming back. Shouldn't have mocked what happened between me and Skywalker. Inevitably, though, the First Order was fractured, and there's no way I'll be in power for too long if I don't change the way they see me.

With the Supremacy and most of our Fleet torn to pieces after the pathetic Rebel hyperspeed maneuver, I have to decide where the First Order will meet next… What we will be after Crait and Snoke's death. I'm not sure I am totally prepared for such tasks. My place is in the battlefield, in the shadows. Was this the wrong decision? Did I act too impulsively?

This is all her fault. I'll destroy her. I'll destroy anyone who could dare challenge my power…

Hux was still inside of Kylo Ren's command shuttle, and Ren himself was about to board the ship after the Rebellion had escaped. Hux felt this had been a terrible and humiliating defeat for the First Order.

"We should leave him here", Hux says to Major Shuffe, "we had the scum in our grasp and we lost them to Ren's childish rage. Leave him here. Being alone in a deserted planet will do him well"

"General, I'm not sure I can obey you. Are you suggesting the betrayal of our Supreme Leader?", Shuffe asks.

"He's not meant to be the Supreme Leader. He's on target, you can blast him now and end this. Someone else will take power, no matter."

"General…", Shuffe attempts to argue.

"Get your hands off the controls, Major. That's an order. Anyone want to try to stop me?"

"General, the Rebels have a Jedi with them, maybe more! How will we fight them without someone like Ren by our side?", Officer Breb says, nervously.

"We're nothing against the Jedi!", says Captain Aardu.

"The Jedi are no more! This girl is nothing but an obsession of Ren himself. We kill him, and if we run into her, we kill her as well. We destroyed the New Republic. What is some untrained, uncivilized, pathetic girl going to do?"

"We can't kill the Supreme Leader", a Stormtrooper says, quickly returning to his standby posture.

"How dare you stand up against me? Eliminate him!", Hux howls at the three Stormtroopers standing beside him. Two of them remain nervously motionless, and the third one loads his gun, gets in position slowly, and aims at his fellow trooper.

"Hey, don't, come on! I was just-", he attempts to beg for his life.

"Why are you listening to him? Listen to me and only to me. Kill him. Then, come here and kill Ren", Hux barks.

"Please, sir, don't do this-", he keeps begging, but his cries are suddenly interrupted by the betraying sound of a former friend's blaster.

"Good work. Now, come here and follow my order", Hux says, smugly.

Hesitantly, as if wishing that Ren himself would hear them from the ground and stop Hux, the loyal Stormtrooper walks toward the controls.

"You're a Stormtrooper. You are here to obey. Obey me. Kill Ren", Hux says, arrogantly. Officers and soldiers surrounding him look at each other and at the General himself, nervously. The loyal Stormtrooper locks the shuttle's targets on a distant Kylo Ren figure slowly walking toward the ship.

"Fire, now", Hux says, growing frustrated.

"Yes, sir", the loyal Stormtrooper says, turning around to see Hux and taking a look at the armored man he killed mere seconds ago, a man he'd known his whole life. He slowly turns back and prepares to shoot. Never before has he felt so much conflict within himself. Where do his loyalties lie? He's supposed to follow the Supreme Leader, so why then, is he obeying Hux over him? And yet, he will surely be killed if he disobeys. Killed by someone who's also supposed to follow the Supreme Leader yet intends to have him killed. Is Ren even the legitimate Supreme Leader? If no one obeys the Supreme Leader, why should he? Why has he been following him his entire life? Who should dictate his will? His mind crosses all kinds of unexplored questions in a matter of milliseconds, before finally deciding his fate. The Stormtrooper discretely grabs his blaster, preparing to shoot, but then a deep voice through intercoms stops him.

"I know how we can track down the Rebels", Ren's voice mouths.

The loyal Stormtrooper sighs in relief and lets go of his blaster, having been noticed by no one.

"I'll tell you on the shuttle", Ren's voice is heard again.

Hux grabs his intercom, "Good work, Supreme Leader. We are expecting you. Soon, the Rebellion will be no more". Hux looks at the Officers around him. "We will have another chance, but it's fortunate to know we have soldiers who are willing to do the right thing even when it isn't easy. Trooper, what is your designation?"

"RX-2008"

"I will look forward to your performance in the future, RX-2008. Loyalty is valued above almost all else in the First Order. And, regarding Ren…", Hux says, now more explicitly addressing everyone else present, "… another opportunity will come. Without the Supreme Leader, the First Order will be a mess if we have no plan on how to move forward, but this will be resolved, and soon, the galaxy will be ours!"

RX-2008 salutes General Hux and returns to his guarding position. Then, the shuttle opens its gate, and the Supreme Leader walks in.

"You seem scared", Ren tells Hux as he walks in.

"How could I not be scared? Our leader was just bested by a lightshow!", he responds, subtly mocking him. Ren slowly turns to face the General. He says nothing, but there's a burning frustration beneath his eyes.

"Supreme Leader, where to?", asks Captain Aardu. Ren takes a few seconds to think.

"What is it that you found, Ren? To track down the Rebels…", Hux asks him.

"It's not an object. I can find them with the Force… and, Captain, we're going to Bespin"