Ben stared down at the limp fabric in his hands, feeling as if his mind had become disconnected from his body. He looked up to see Jedi Master Ferrer Melso standing behind where his mother had just stood. He extinguished his lightsaber with a grim expression on his face, then met Ben's gaze, saying, "I knew you would fail."
Ben stared at Melso as a powerful wave of fury and hatred rose in him. Melso had continued speaking, but the thunderous rush of blood and adrenaline roaring in his ears had drowned out the man's words. As Ben's focus fixed on the man in front of him, he caught the tail end of his diatribe as Melso finished, saying, "And that is why you are unworthy of Mastery."
A curious, seductive feeling spread through his arms, fueled by his rage and betrayal. As if watching the scene from outside his body, Ben felt his hand reach for his lightsaber. The blade sprang to life, and he saw Melso through a red-tinged tunnel. Savoring the Jedi Master's fear and surprise, Ben launched himself forward, and Melso barely had time to ignite his own blade in self-defense. Ben hacked viciously and ruthlessly at his mentor, knocking the Jedi Master back toward the wall. Ben's attacks came so fast and so furiously that it was all Melso could do to keep deflecting Ben's wild swings. Ben cut into the wall as Melso ducked away, and his lightsaber plunged into the crumbling rock. Sensing a momentary advantage, Melso counterattacked, and Ben abandoned his own saber, instead unclipping and igniting his mother's blade. Melso's blue blade clashed against his mother's purple blade as Ben roared into Melso's face. The Jedi Master, unprepared for the sudden show of fury, shrank back, and Ben pressed his advantage. Hacking and slashing, Ben sent Melso stumbling backward. He fell hard to the ground, his lightsaber clattering uselessly away. Ben called Melso's saber to him, slashing it in half with his mother's blade, causing it to explode in a shower of sparks. Ben then called his own saber back to him and ignited it, holding them both aloft.
"Get up," Ben snarled at the defeated Jedi.
"Ben Solo, the Jedi Council will. . ." Melso began.
Ben roared, "I said, GET UP!"
Melso brought himself to his feet, and Ben stepped forward, crossing the two blades into an X-shape. He pushed the junction of the blades toward his mentor's neck, and he stared with vindictive pleasure and hatred into the terrified Jedi's eyes.
Melso spluttered, "Ben it is not the. . ."
"Don't tell me about the Jedi Way, you murderer!" Ben roared. This final indignity pushed Ben past his breaking point, and with a decisive movement, he scissored the blades together, severing the Jedi Master's head.
In the silence following the execution, Ben felt a shocked numbness spreading through his limbs as he looked down at what he had done. He extinguished his sabers and stared at the Master's lifeless body lying dead by his hands. He became aware of the rustling sound of somebody struggling to get up. He turned his head to the left and saw Lothor pulling himself to his feet, disoriented from his mother's attack. Ben saw the apprehension dawn in Lothor's face as he surveyed the scene.
"What have you done?" Lothor asked, horrified.
"Did you know?" Ben asked, his voice low and menacing. Lothor looked toward where Leia had stood, and his horror deepened.
"You did, didn't you?" Ben pressed on.
"I.. ." Lothor stuttered, but Ben did not give him a chance to respond. He swung his left hand outward, and his mother's lightsaber shot from his hand directly toward Lothor. The blade ignited in the space between the Jedi, and it plunged into Lothor's chest.
As the Jedi collapsed to the ground, Ben turned toward Ven, who was also pulling himself to his feet and was preparing to run. Ben reached out with his left hand, and Ven fell forward, hitting the ground hard. Ben closed his fist, and through the Force he dragged the struggling Jedi toward him. Ven grasped at the root of a tree, clinging desperately against the Force pulling him toward Ben. Ben wrenched his hand back, and the root snapped, sending Ven shooting toward him. The Jedi stopped at Ben's feet, and Ben raised his saber high before slashing downward into Ven's heart.
His heart pounding and his breath heavy, Ben extinguished his blade. He found that he could not look long at the bodies on the ground. Amidst the shame and horror of what he had done, he was surprised at how good it felt to feel so much power. It felt liberating and exhilarating, and with this taste, he craved more. But gradually, the reality of the moment pressed in, and sorrow and grief snuffed out the heady rush of power. Ben turned to the spot where he had dropped his mother's robes, which now laid crumpled in a heap on the floor. He stepped slowly to the spot and knelt, scooping the robes up in his arms. He sobbed as he rocked back and forth, cradling the fabric that was now all that was left of his mother.
He might have remained that way for minutes, or hours – he could not tell as his grief consumed him. He regretted his anger toward his mother - his inability to forgive what now seemed trivial. His grief toward his father swelled, too, and the recognition that he was an orphan made him long for Kira. Distantly, he could feel her own muted grief, but it was muted by fear and concentration. A small part of him wondered if she was okay but mounting dread over the reprisal for what he had just done pulled him away from her.
Ben stood, cradling his mother's robes in his arms as a light, greasy rain began to fall. As he stared at the Millennium Falcon, his mind numb and his body leaden, he felt a peculiar tingling along his spine. The tingling set his senses to alert, and anticipating more danger, he stashed his mother's robes in the pocket of his own robe and pulled his lightsaber from his belt.
At first, he could see nothing and only felt a presence. The presence was familiar and unfamiliar at the same time. He heard a strange, mechanical breathing sound. . .kooooh-perrrrrr. . . kooooh-perrrrr, and emerging out of nothingness, the outline of a man, towering and powerful with a domed, fringed helmet, emerged in the mist. The figure was shrouded in mist, but through the mist Ben could see a tinge of red aura surrounding him. Ben had experienced an aura like this before when he met Master Yoda's ghost, but that aura had been blue. As Ben regarded the shape and listened to the sound of the breathing, a sudden recognition dawned.
"Grandson," spoke the deep, filtered voice of Darth Vader.
Ben stepped forward to get a closer look, and he could see the figure standing before him, as still as his mother had been when she waited for him to approach. Ben could see the skull-like mask, the black cape, the jet-black uniform, and he could hear the mechanically assisted breathing. The surreality of the vision made him question whether he was losing his mind, and he voiced his doubt, saying, "But you're dead."
"Indeed," said Darth Vader, inclining his head to confirm the truth.
"Then. . ." Ben began, but Vader raised a hand.
"I do not have long," Vader said, interrupting Ben's questions. "There's much I wish to tell you. Things I should have been able to tell you long ago. I found you through your mother's death. Your anger. . . your hatred. It has made you powerful."
"I murdered them," Ben said as he looked back toward the trio of bodies, feeling a surge of shame and disgust in himself.
"Such is the price of vengeance," Vader reassured him, and before Ben could argue, Vader continued. "I cannot remain, but you must learn the truth."
As Vader spoke the sentence, his form grew hazier and indistinct, as if he were evaporating. With only a trace of red aura remaining, Ben could hear his grandfather's voice say, "Find me where my body rests." The order echoed in the darkness, and Ben's sense of his grandfather vanished as quickly as it had appeared.
Ben glanced at the spot where the ghost of Darth Vader had stood, his thoughts racing and his heart pounding. The Council had been clear about the absence of the Departed Masters for the past year, and the sudden appearance of the ghost of Anakin Skywalker, which inexplicably took the form of Darth Vader was baffling, arousing his suspicions. His lifelong longing to know his grandfather awoke despite his suspicions and gazing at the bodies of the Jedi whom he had murdered, and feeling the rising desire for vengeance against the man who had killed his father, he clenched his fist. With misgiving contrasting against hatred, he turned, stalking toward the Falcon as he searched his memories for the name of the planet where Anakin Skywalker's body lay.
The Kimogila's flaming wreckage had dropped away to the surface of Nal Hutta as the Amaya, Aldera, Phoenix, and Harpy streaked into the coldness of space. The weight of grief settled on Kira as the last of the fighters exploded, clearing their path out of Nal Hutta toward the awaiting Republic fleet.
"Kira, what the hell just happened?" Kit asked in confusion and concern.
"Leia," Kira gasped, the only word she had the will to utter.
"Leia what?" Kit shot back.
"She's. . . she's dead." Kira said, the words landing with the mass of a black hole.
"That's impossible," Kit replied in disbelief.
"I felt it. Ben was there. He. . ." Kira paused, trying to ascertain what had happened. She had the briefest vision of Leia disappearing and Ben holding her robes. She could not see what surrounded him or if anybody else had been there. As she strained to reconstruct the vision in her mind, she thought she could see that his lightsaber had been extinguished. However, Leia had been in pain, mortally wounded when she saw her, and she could not know for sure if Ben had extinguished his blade moments before. It seemed impossible that Ben would have murdered his own mother, but with what she had seen from him and from the Jedi in the past year, her doubts about what was and was not possible grew exponentially.
Before Kira could begin to explain, her comm registered an incoming message. Kit was receiving the same hailing, as she asked, "Are you getting this?"
The message flashed on Kira's screen, reading, "Incoming connection from Admiral Antilles of the First Republic Fleet."
"Oh piss," Kit cursed through the intercom.
Both Kit and Kira saw the Admiral appear on their holoprojectors, and he began to speak. "Katraine Antilles. This is Admiral Vax Antilles of the Republic Navy. You are hereby ordered to stand down and prepare for apprehension. Lower your shields so as not to damage your ship."
"Now's not a great time, uncle," Kit spat back. Kira watched as Kit banked her ship, changing her vector to approach the left-most Interdictor cruiser.
"The Interdictor cruisers will prevent you from jumping to hyperspace, as you very well know, Katraine," the Admiral began, but Kit interrupted.
"Don't call me Katraine," Kit barked. Kit changed her vector to follow Kira's as she swerved toward the interdictor on the right flank of the Republic fleet's formation. She muted the conversation with the Admiral, and she switched to a secure frequency to speak to Kira.
"Kira, please tell me Jax is going to be able to pull this off," Kit implored.
"Trust me, Kit," Kira said, feeling full of uncertainty. "They're gonna be there." She wondered if the uncertainty had broken through her attempts to sound confident. From the silence on Kit's end, she suspected it had.
Kit switched back to the frequency the Admiral had called on, and he was mid-lecture about violating Republic law. Kit interrupted him, saying, "Listen, uncle. She's dead."
Admiral Antilles was caught unprepared for the interruption, and he paused. Despite having worked up a full head of steam with his lecture, he asked, "Who's dead? The Palpatine girl?"
"No," Kit shot back venomously. "Leia."
"What?" said the Admiral taken aback, his practiced authority faltering slightly.
"You heard me. She's dead, and I'm pretty sure the Jedi killed her," Kit accused.
"That's. . . impossible," the Admiral responded. Kira listened in to the transmission and hearing the Admiral's reaction deepened the finality of Leia's death. She knew that Kit's anger toward him had grown as Admiral Antilles had taken an increasingly aggressive and unforgiving approach in confronting Resistance cells as they attempted to disrupt the Order of Ren's activities on the Outer Rim. Vax Antilles had been a staunch ally of the Rebellion, a supporter of Leia Organa's, and upon taking over the military, had worked tirelessly to reform and reconstitute the fleet from a wide array of sources and personnel. He had been so effective at doing so, especially in rehabilitating former Imperial officers and pilots, that he had risen to the head of the Navy. Kit's disgust at his adherence to Bolsko's party line had been growing for the past year, and Kira had the sense that Kit longed to savage her uncle in front of his own command.
"Oh, it's possible. But you've been so busy being Bolsko's lap dog that you didn't notice," Kit raged, venom in her voice.
"Enough! I will not be spoken to. . ." the Admiral began.
But Kit was not going to continue the conversation. "Piss off," she spat, killing the transmission. Kit then switched back to the secure frequency and spoke directly to Kira. "What are we gonna do about our third wheel back there?"
"Panga's trying to help," Kira argued.
"Wonderful. But she's not coming with us," Kit replied. Their four ships picked up speed toward the Interdictor cruiser, which was looming larger directly ahead. The readout on Kira's scopes indicated three squadrons on A-wings on an approach vector, and they were rapidly closing the distance from the heart of the Republic fleet.
"We've got two minutes before those A-wings get here. What now?" Kit asked.
"Kenlo has the coordinates, and Jax is on standby," Kira explained. "If we leave Panga here, she dies."
"Fine by me," Kit said.
"Kit, she's trying to help. I emancipated her from the Hutts. It's a life debt thing. . ." Kira explained, but the proximity alert on her ship signaled fighters incoming.
Kit started to argue, but Kira cut her off. "Kit, you gotta trust me on this one. We can't leave her to die."
"Kira, I get it. We left Leia behind, but we…" Kit began
Kira interrupted her, feeling a wave of anger, and she shouted, "Kit, don't argue with me."
Kit's end of the conversation went silent in response to the sudden ferocity from Kira. Kira checked the calculations on the timing, knowing that she was seconds away from needing to reach out to Jax. Timing would be crucial, as his arrival only seconds late would affect the entire timing of the operation.
"If we get out of this alive…," Kit said, and Kira could hear her venting her frustration by pounding her fist into the dashboard of her freighter as she plugged in the coordinates for the jump to hyperspace. Kira relayed the same coordinates over to Panga, and the Harpy's nav computer issued an affirmative on Kira's screen. Satisfied that everybody was in position, she closed her eyes, reaching out into the Force. Pain, anger, and fear coursed through her body and mind, clouding her connection to the Force and muting the connection. Fighting through the haze of grief, anger, and pain, she called through the Force, Jax.
A quarter of a lightyear away, Jax sat in a chair on the bridge of the Resistance cruiser Alabaster, sinking deep into his awareness of the Force. He had trained and practiced this moment for months alongside Kira, Zhey'la, and Leia. Through the Force, he could feel the command crew of the frigate along with Captain Kenlo watching him intently. He was keenly aware of the doubts and the suspicion they harbored toward him. Even with Leia's assurance, Jax still had the feeling that everyone in the Resistance military still secretly saw him as the son of Thrawn – a dangerous, walking time bomb who would turn on them the second it suited some nefarious plan. He reached into Jedi calming techniques to push away the psychic noise out of his awareness to focus on the one job that he must see through for his friends on Nal Hutta.
Through the Force, he could hear the echo of a familiar voice calling his name – Jax. Kira was calling him, and as he settled into his practiced response, he became aware of the emotion swirling through his contact with Kira. She was scared, angry, but most of all filled with grief. He called back, What happened?
Jax, you need to jump now, came Kira's response. But Jax was still struck by her grief radiating from her presence through the connection. Jax was about to ask for clarification, but through the connection, he had a vision of Leia's body vanishing in Ben Solo's arms.
"No," he whispered aloud as the connection with Kira broke. He looked around the room as he snapped out of his meditation. The crew of the Alabaster watched him in anticipation of his command. His voice caught in his throat as the vision played inside his mind again. Kira was full of grief. He saw a vision of Leia vanishing. His mind connected the dots, leading to the confirmation that Leia, his hero, and mentor – the one who saw the good in him and trusted in him despite having every reason not to do so – was dead.
"Was that the signal, Jax?" came Captain Kenlo's urgent voice.
Jax snapped out of his reverie. Five seconds had gone by, and as he fought through his shock more seconds drifted past. His sense of responsibility bore down on him, bringing him out of his shock. Jax called aloud, "Captain Kenlo, we need to jump!"
But Kenlo had noticed Jax's shock, and his own concern hindered his immediate action. He asked, "What did you see?"
Jax bellowed into the tense, poised stillness of the command deck, "Now!" He reached out through the Force and pulled the hyperspace lever back, and the Alabaster shot forward as the stars stretched into lines.
Kit watched her scanners expecting the Alabaster to arrive on the Interdictor's port flank. They had pulled this stunt a dozen times in the past, and the Jedi communicated with each other through the Force to maintain the precise timing. The Republic had come to expect the maneuver, but without any way to gauge the timing, they were unprepared every time. According to her calculations, the Alabaster should arrive. . . now!
But no Resistance cruiser appeared. Space remained blank where the ship should be, and now a squadron of A-wings was bearing down. Fear and anger surged in Kit, and she called into the intercom, "Our buddy just blew it!"
Kira's response came a second later, and Kit was surprised to hear the emotion in Kira's usually stoic voice, "It was both of us," Kira said. "I couldn't get a clean connection."
"Damn it!" Kit called out. The A-wings had arrived, and the Adera shuddered as it took an indirect hit. Horrified, she realized that the A-wings weren't using ion blasts. They were shooting to kill.
Admiral Antilles frowned into the viewscreen, and he keyed a command into his console. Seeking to revise the squadron's actions, he said, "Green leader, do not use deadly force on the Aldera or the Phoenix. Reserve deadly fire for the Amaya."
A quiet voice whispered into his ear as he sensed Secretary Specks leaning in to advise surreptitiously, "Admiral, it is imperative that we stop them from escaping. You know their tendency to time an outside ship to disrupt the interdictors."
"I do," the Admiral replied, his voice stony. "But Captain Rogers is a decorated war hero, and my niece is on the Aldera. I will not. . ."
But the Admiral's defiance died in his throat. To his surprise, he felt a pleasant sense of relief steal over him as a separate part of his mind appeared to make his decision for him, sparing him from the complicated nuance of having to pursue and attack a friend and a family member. He heard his voice saying, as if from afar, "Green Leader, authorize use of deadly force on all targets."
Green Leader's voice came back uncertainly, saying, "All targets, sir? Please confirm."
"Confirmed," said the Admiral with finality. "Do your duty to the Republic."
"Affirmative," came Green Leader's reply, the note of uncertainty still present in her voice.
"Kira, they're shooting to kill," Kit called through the intercom. Kira's ship had shuddered under a few blows. She knew to expect deadly force, as the Republic did not seem to have the same qualms about killing her as it did Leia, Kit, or Rogers. But now, with Leia dead, all bets were off. Jax had not arrived yet, and Kit and Rogers were under fire. She knew that she was the priority for the Republic, what with the ongoing smear campaign about her being an Emperor-in-training. Only one thing to do, she thought.
"What are you doing?" Kit called out in surprise.
"Let them chase the Emperor's Daughter around for a bit. Just be ready to jump when Jax shows up," Kira shot back through her intense concentration, tuning out Kit's harried response of "if he shows up!" The A-wings were all firing on her now, and it was taking every bit of concentration she had and then some to avoid getting vaporized.
"Admiral, the Amaya has broken off and is heading back to the surface," Green Leader's voice called. "What orders, sir?"
Admiral Antilles's mind was blank, and that soothing voice inside his mind that took over when problematic decisions arrived had no answer. He was about to speak when suddenly, the soothing voice returned. Following that voice's direction, Admiral Antilles said, "Prioritize the Amaya, but dispatch four A-wings to intercept the Phoenix. Target to destroy."
Admiral Antilles looked up at the tactical display, and he saw four A-wings separate from Green Squadron and resume their pursuit of the Phoenix. Glancing around the bridge, he saw his crew staring back at him with mingled horror and confusion. They had spent the past year avoiding the use of deadly force at all cost, and the sudden change in policy without any warning frightened them. He again struggled to find an explanation but was spared from stumbling through a hasty rationalization by Secretary Specks.
"Gentlemen," Specks's voice rang out clearly. "Our intelligence indicates that the Phoenix is carrying a deadly weapon to be used against the Republic. While I recognize the importance Captain Rogers holds to many of you, her treason cannot be tolerated. We regret this course of action, but we have been left no other choice."
The crew continued to stare blankly at the Admiral before reluctantly returning their focus back to their posts. Admiral Antilles was pleasantly surprised to find his reservations had vanished.
For a moment, Kit thought they were in the clear, and she watched her scanners anxiously as Kira dodged and weaved away from the A-wings. Four of the A-wings had unexpectedly detached, and they screamed toward the Phoenix. Kit had drifted away from the Phoenix as they settled into a quasi-holding pattern as they waited for Jax to show up. She swerved off her present course and spoke into her commlink. "Panga, those A-wings are on trajectory for the Phoenix. Help me hold them off."
She watched the Harpy change course abruptly and circle back toward the A-wings. Glancing at the scanner, she had the sense that both she and Panga would be too late. Come on, Jax she thought to herself impatiently.
As if on command, a Resistance cruiser appeared out of nowhere in the space behind the Interdictor. Its locations shielded it from oncoming blasts from the rest of the Republic fleet, which would have risked hitting the Interdictor if they fired. Kit let out a whoop! as the Alabaster carpeted the Interdictor cruiser with debilitating ion blasts. Shrouded in coronal discharges and disabling static, the Interdictor's lights blinked out. The gravity well it projected vanished from Kit's scopes, and she called out, "Alright Rogers, that's our ticket home. Punch it!"
As she pulled back the lever on her own hyperdrive, she looked down on her scanner to see the four A-wings closing in on the Phoenix. Her scanner registered multiple blasts, and Rogers's affirmative was lost in a haze of static. Just as Kit shot into hyperspace, the Phoenix's signature blinked out, and before the stars stretched into starlines, Kit could see an expanding ball of flame in the spot where the Phoenix had been.