32 ABY

FN-2187 can substitute the instructor and only the most observant of his fellow troopers would notice. Honestly he's bored stiff of the droning repetition. He's aware of the importance behind their past. The First Order is all that stands between the feral Resistance the New Republic chose to Rebel predecessor had kept a paper-thin tactical advantage by digging up forgotten battle strategies from the Clone Wars. Should they overlook any masterminding, however feeble it may be, then all will be lost. To prevent this from happening, every member of the First Order's army must commit Old Republic and Rebel Alliance profiles to memory. Their names, tactical strenghts and weaknesses, etc. To truly defeat your enemy one must understand them. He wonders if he's allowed to respect them or simply hate them mindlessly over warfare carved out by the previous generation.

His file states he was born eleven years after the battle of Endor. At five years standard he had laughed at the thought of the Empire's finest crushed by a ragtag group of soldiers and primitive life forms resembling plush toys, baffling trainees & supervisor alike. Enraged, the supervisor had dragged him to a room where he was stripped down, whipped and beaten within an inch of his life. They said it was an act of kindness to purge the malice from him. All it did was ensure all future laughs regarding victories were confined to his head. Over the years, different officers have formed opinions on him. Some have stated that he is destined for glory, that his insight and loyalty shall further the path of righteousness erected by Palpatine, armored by Vader, continued by Snoke. Others have claimed he is too compassionate, unnecessarily benign, that his skills are wasted in a trooper so prone to sentimentality. FN-2187 cares little for the assumptions of men who play at war. The Knights Of Ren are nothing short of despicable but at least they always go where's the fighting's thickest. He doubts any of these these highbrow bureaucrats have the guts to pull the trigger if push comes to shove, except for General Hux, that man could kill a planet without blinking.The rest see this war as a prize to be won, blind to the cost of triumph.

So far, their history has been taught orally. Holovideos depicting the Death Star, Empire Day parades and Darth Vader being the exception. Today a limited number of people, himself included, have the privilege of meeting a survivor of the first Death Star. His companions are buzzing with excitement, just as he should be. But FN-2187 can't summon forth any giddiness. It only gets worse when the wizened old man is brought before them and every bone in his body clamors get out of there! Something deep inside the youth tells him that the man before them has gaily plunged in mortal sin. That his words are poison, sweet and succinct but toxic all the same. Their most honored guest regales them with tales of Imperial grandeur. From the scrupulous execution of Order 66 (why does he wanna throw up when he hears that?!)to the height of The Galactic Civil War. FN-2187's endeavor to silence fails after hearing of Alderaan's destruction. To make matters worse, he utters the word his superiors hate most.

"Why? I mean, wasn't it more logical to set a blockade around the planet? Alderaan was one of the richest worlds in the known sectors of the galaxy, yet we eliminated those resources to subdue a bloodthirsty princess, a plan which backfired on Moff Tarkin, giving the rebels a propaganda tool and facilitating our demise".

Every head in the room turns to face him. If looks could kill, he'd be obliterated. Questions are not encouraged, he knows this. But whatever reason justifies blowing up millions is beyond him. He steels himself for his termination. Captain Phasma snaps her fingers and two soldiers grab him. His gut tells him they want him to scream, he won't give them that satisfaction. A voice, the same voice that kept him alive when he was sprawled out in the floor so long ago calls out to him. (Kyleeeeeeeee!)* . A man, dressed in black and tall as a steeple emerges. His chocolate eyes stare intently at the situation, clearly enraged at the following outcome. To FN-2187's surprise the troopers release him without a sound. The strange silhouette beckons him to walk beside him, he follows immediately. His unlikely rescuer strolls next to General Hux just to piss him off. This can only mean two things: this man is either highly influential or set on inventing a new type of stupid. Please be the first option. Oh, karabast he's speaking to me. He's going to say it's a trick to lull idiots into a false sense of security. I should have known...

"So tell me trooper, what gave you the nerve to publicly shame your whole regiment? " "Also stop thinking I'm going to kill you, it's very distracting, not to mention rude".

It's official, he's suffered a mental collapse. Might as well go along with it and ask mystery man his own questions." Well then sir, why did you help me?"

"Smart and analytical. Aren't you a rarity?" "Let me show you something trooper".

They stop walking. Mystery man puts his hand against the wall. Out of nowhere the corridor opens before them. He's led to Spartan chambers with a bunch of ashes that look way out of place. Mystery figure then starts digging through the cinders, looking to the trooper like a man on a mission till he unearths a weird metal cube.

" Go on, click it. I'm not getting any younger over here ".

What the hell, he's made it this far. He's met with the image of a baby-faced blonde holding hands with a red-headed, hazel-eyed lady. The woman giggles sofly as the blonde man whispers into her ear. An antique protocol droid begging a group of pilots dressed in orange jumpsuits and a scruffy faced Corellian bumping shoulders with the blonde man to recalibrate his circuits after " Master Ben and young Dameron" switched his settings to Huttese. The hazel-eyed woman running playfully after two dark haired boys. Beyond the shadow of a doubt, these images are the most beautiful thing he's ever seen.

"The blonde man is Luke Skywalker, the redhead is Mara Jade".

"Is this a joke, sir?"

"I don't have much humor these days. Honest answer: what do you think about them?"

"Honestly? Your holovids don't match with their profiles. "There's more than all of you are showing".

"That's why I spared you trooper. The order will never survive without variety. Hux swears by his troop's lack of individuality but sheep only travel so far. We need adaptable men and women, capable of grasping different points of view".

His strange companion stares longingly at the image of the woman. His slender hand ghosts over her azure face. As if he missed her, needed her like a blind man wandering hopelessly in search of the sunlight. As if there were no words to hold her brilliance, describe the undecipherable value of her life

"Did you know her?"

His enigmatic companion closes the box & smirks dolefully. That's it, I crossed the line. I'm done for. Slips can have my good pair of combat boots.

"I belong to her, the best of me is hers and always will be. She had no reason to love me but she did. From the moment we met, our souls intertwined. She was a force of nature to say the least. Unconquerable in the battlefield, incorruptible in conscience, unforgettable in life, irreplaceable in love" (His pallid fists clench and FN-2187's pretty sure the room turned colder.) "The New Republic stole her from me, so in return I played their foolhardiness against them. My revenge isn't done yet though. It ends when Darth Vader's legacy is fulfilled"*.

The rest of the afternoon is spent in silence. This is not someone he wants to anger. After Captain Phasma's retired for the day the pale man leads him back to the barracks. Slips is there waiting for him, looking awestruck for unknown reasons. Some of his roommates slide ration bars to one another. Oh come on! I disappear a few hours and they bet on my death, seriously!

Slips breaks his concentration by rushing him apart from the others to ask excitedly " What was he like?"

Now he's confused. Didn't his screwup spread through the dorms? He asks his friend to elaborate.

"Kylo Ren, you just spoke with him!"

So this is what the end of logic feels like...

Notes:

*You didn't think Mara was the only EU character I would bring back through reincarnation, did you guys?
*This will be further explained later on. For now, let's just say things are not what they appear.
* Hands out tin cup: please read and review. Comments are often the best part of a writer's day so please write what you like, what you don't like, what you'd like to see, etcetera.