No matter how many times he appears in Snoke's throne room at the bunker, he will never get used to it.
Nestor and the rest of the Knights are in their formal dress uniforms, kneeling in a line while Kylo kneels at their forefront. Snoke needles Kylo while the rest of them look on in silence. The Apprentice is the focus of the monthly report, like always. Snoke only addresses Kylo, and in this setting you only speak when spoken to. But that's fine. It's good to be a bystander who goes unnoticed. It helps you avoid the Force lightning Snoke doles out liberally to Kylo.
Except now Snoke unexpectedly addresses him. "Sir Nestor Flick, you have a pressing matter for your attention that takes precedence over this meeting?"
He gulps. "No, Sir."
"Then why is that comlink buzzing in your pocket?"
It's set to vibrate, but somehow Snoke is aware of it. Nestor feels his cheeks redden. "My apologies for the interruption, Sir."
"Are you going to answer it?"
Hell no. Not in the throne room. Nestor flushes harder now as he croaks out, "It can wait, Sir."
"By all means, answer it." Snoke waves a spindly hand and sounds bored. "Don't mind us."
Nestor knows a soft command when he hears it. He nods. "Yes, Sir." Digging into his pocket, he retrieves the comlink. "Mom? Mom, can I call you back? Yes, it will be soon. Aw, don't cry, Mom. I'm working on a lawyer. We'll get a lawyer, I promise. Now hang up and I'll call you back." Cringing Nestor deactivates the comlink and stows it back in his pocket. Trying to appear unrattled and to declare the matter resolved, he announces, "Thank you, Sir. My apologies for the interruption."
But the leader of the First Order is interested now. "That was your mother?"
"Yes."
"She is in distress?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"A family matter."
"What family matter?"
"My father has been arrested."
"On what grounds?"
Nestor sticks to the facts. "Some guy jumped my father trying to steal his wallet. He defended himself. It was self-defense—even the cops agree. But he killed the other guy. Dad's a good shot. He was a stormtrooper."
"He is charged with manslaughter then?"
"No. Killing that guy is fine. It's the weapon Dad used that is the problem. It's illegal. The cops confiscated it and raided his home. That's when the New Republic got involved. My father has more illegal weapons. Many of his assault blasters violate the New Republic's laws. He's now charged with lots of counts of illegal possession of firearms."
"Is he now?" Snoke purrs. "How unfortunate."
"One of them is his service rifle, Sir. Dad was trooper in the 501st and he still has his weapon. But it was outlawed with all the rest of the leftover Imperial army equipment. Just owning that rifle gets him ten years."
Nestor shuts up now, feeling embarrassed for having gone on at length. Snoke doesn't care about the arrest of Jules Flick, ex-Imperial stormtrooper. Looking down, he grumbles, "My apologies for the interruption, Sir. It won't happen again."
Snoke leans forward on his throne. "What are you going to do about it?"
What? "Sir?"
"What are you going to do about your father's arrest?"
"I'm trying to get him a lawyer."
"We can do better than that," Snoke decides. He turns to address Kylo. "Apprentice, this is your new assignment."
"The mission is to get Flick's dad a lawyer?" Kylo puzzles.
Snoke makes a face of annoyance at this literalness. "No, Apprentice. Your mission is to solve the problem. Find a solution to the arrest of your Knight's father, a veteran of Darth Vader's legion."
It has nothing to do with finding Luke Skywalker. How this is possibly First Order business is beyond Nestor. But he'll take all the help he can get. For his part, Kylo looks pleased not to be sent on yet another scavenger hunt for old relics. They've done a lot of raids on museums, universities, and rich guys' villas. This, at least, has the promise of variety.
When the Knights retire from the throne room, Nestor tells the guys more facts about what happened with Dad. Then, he speaks to the context of Dad's predicament, which is the crux of the problem.
He starts by reminding them of what they already know: that the New Republic was founded by an armed revolt, so naturally their leaders want to keep weapons out of the hands of citizens. They know how effective armed citizens can be when organized for a common cause. Hence the New Republic's lengthy list of prohibitions for former Imperial officers and enlisted personnel alike. But Dad wasn't organizing a revolt, he was protecting himself. Doing the basic police function that the state is supposed to do on behalf of all citizens. Except that in these post-Empire days, law enforcement is social work. Thanks to the New Republic's local mandates to defund the police, the cops are praised for arresting fewer criminals, not more. Their job is to solve society's ills—from mental health issues, to addiction, to poverty, to discrimination—through talking to people. That some of those people might be unreasonable, drunk, high, or just plain stupid is beside the point.
The approach has a tendency to leave law abiding citizens vulnerable since the perpetrators are emboldened. And that's why Dad has long carried a small snub blaster on his person. Without that blaster, he might be dead. But the blaster has landed him in a heap of trouble. Dad is facing a minimum of thirty years of prison time. He's being charged like he's an arms dealer, not a citizen with a blaster collection.
Nestor has a very bad feeling about where all this is headed. What's worse, Dad's case has begun to garner attention. The local media has barely covered the story, but the big newsfeeds out of the Core are all over it. Dad's being portrayed as an extremist. As some dangerous dissident who wants to fight the war all over again. And, yeah, Jules Flick has some politically incorrect views, but he's far from the terrorist they portray him to be. Nestor watched a holonet video Mom sent this morning that made his heart sink. There's going to be a lot of pressure on the judge to go for the maximum sentence, he fears.
Nestor plays the holovid for the other Knights.
Static reacts first. "Hey, I saw that story last night on the newsfeed. Dude, your dad is famous!"
"Not in a good way," Nestor grumbles.
"That wasn't on the newsfeed last night," Carlos counters. "I watched it."
"Which one?" Static asks.
That starts an argument. "What do you mean, which one? I watched our newsfeed. What did you watch?"
"The Coruscant newsfeed."
"You mean the enemy newsfeed?" Carlos challenges.
"Yep."
"I only watch First Order news," Carlos sniffs. His sidekick Omar nods his concurrence.
"Well, I watch'em both," Static confesses. "The truth is somewhere in between."
Listening Kylo snorts. "Journalism isn't a search for truth, it's a search for clicks and viewers."
"Preach it, Kylo. Static, you know better than to watch that crap. Fuck the mainstream media. And fuck their fake news and liberal bias."
"This isn't fake news. It's true and it's his family," Static points out.
"Yeah," Kylo nods slowly. He meets his eyes to commiserate. "Family matters," he says without a trace of irony. Kylo sighs and runs a gloved hand through his perpetually messy hair. "This is mostly about politics. I hate politics, but I know politics."
"Yeah, I guess you do," Nestor realizes suddenly. His mother is a Senator, after all.
"I know how these people think," Kylo continues. "They've overreached with your father. They always overreach."
Omar agrees. "They could have just confiscated his weapon and left it at that. Gave him a lecture on gun laws and let him go."
Kylo scowls. "They could have done any number of things short of throwing the book your dad. Bet they couldn't pass up the temptation to make an example out of him."
"Yeah . . . " Nestor agrees. That sounds about right. Dad pretty much fits the profile of everything the New Republic gun regulators hate.
"They talk about freedom, but they don't really want you to think for yourself. That might lead you to question their authority. These people thrive off authority. Government is their answer to every problem. And since they are the government, they are the answer," Kylo continues bitterly. All the Knights are listening closely. It's the longest speech their young leader has ever given on politics. Mostly, Kylo's enthusiasm is reserved for his personal vendetta against Skywalker. This is a new side to the Apprentice.
Actually, Kylo is an odd champion for the First Order. He's got an impeccable New Republic pedigree, a privileged Core background, and the elitist attitudes to match. But Kylo's also got a Rimmer's bitterness and rebelliousness. He speaks in the flat, drawling Basic of the common man, despite his Prince of Alderaan heritage. Plus, he's blunt, socially awkward, painfully insecure, and quick to violence. The guy sort of embodies the anxious masculinity of these unsettled times. By now, Nestor knows Kylo to be a guy who is far more vulnerable than he projects, but you're only likely to see that vulnerability right before he lights his sword. All in all, it's an incongruous mix of opinions and traits that somehow simultaneously reflect—and defy—his background. It will either make him a great leader some day or a flame out failure. Right now, Nestor's not sure which.
But he listens as Kylo grouses, "These New Republic types talk a good game about freedom and democracy, but they're scared to lose control. They know that given the choice, lots of systems would prefer to go back to the days of the Empire. Not everyone wanted a revolution to turn back the clock. A lot of people just wanted to reform the Empire some."
Carlos doubles down on his earlier sentiments. "Well, I say fuck the Core media. They're New Republic apologists."
As a general matter, Nestor agrees with that viewpoint. Maybe long-ago reporters believed that their mission was to inform the public. But these days, most Core media outlets seem to embrace progressive groupthink, openly advancing an agenda in which journalists are advocates. Of course, the First Order and the more conservative political elements in the galaxy responded by creating their own version of the news. The complete disconnect between the two presentations of current events makes it increasingly hard to discern the truth. More and more, the galaxy seems to be drifting into two camps that openly mistrust one another.
Snoke didn't create the situation, but he does exploit it. The First Order movement has become very politically savvy. Its openly nostalgic, Imperialist themes appeal to people who live in forgotten corners of the galaxy. To people who feel their best days are behind them. It's a mix of straight talk, bluster, and grievance finely attuned to its audience. For the rhetoric of the First Order taps into a wellspring of social anxieties, economic frustrations, and legitimate policy grievances. People in Mid Rim and Outer Rim systems listen and nod along with it.
Amazingly, despite all the hyper-credentialed intellectuals who advise the New Republic, their Senate leaders collectively have a huge blind spot for the priorities of non-Core, non-elite citizens. If the Senate paid more attention to those constituencies, they would recognize what is coming. But they don't. Their arrogance blinds them. And so, the First Order fills the power vacuum, harping on the problems for which the New Republic has no compelling answers. Snoke offers up solutions that are simple and pragmatic, if not always democratic. Predictably, they fall on deaf ears. The New Republic types tend to have contempt for viewpoints contrary to their own. For all their talk of empathy, the Senate leaders have a firm ideological orthodoxy. Basically, they want to solve problems with the same solutions that failed in the past.
That's due to their slavish devotion to the halcyon days of the Old Republic. Conveniently, that mindset permits them to overlook the corruption, inefficiency, and other shortcomings of the failed galactic government. Clone Wars? What Clone Wars? That was merely an orchestrated conflict. There was no real disagreement amid the Republic systems, they now argue with a straight face. Any and all legitimate criticism is swept aside under the prevailing narrative that Darth Sidious and Darth Vader singlehandedly took down the Old Republic. It goes something like this: the evil Sith killed the good Republic, but now the good Republic is back. So, if you're unhappy with the new good Republic, you're either (1) an apologist for evil or (2) a loser who can't make it in a free and fair society.
That last sentiment might just be the most insidious part. For the meritocracy that the New Republic promises has appeal on its face. It's the bargain that it you work hard, get an education or a skill, and make good decisions, you will rise. But this sends a separate message as well: that if you can't get ahead, it's your problem, not the government's failure. Never mind that the deck is stacked against you and the wealth of the Core depends on the exploitation of the Rim. Basically, the Core worlds want the rest of the galaxy to emulate their values and success, whether it's achievable or not. This congratulates the winners and boos the losers. It tells struggling people that it's their fault. It feeds the sentiment that the New Republic Core elites look down on everyone else . . . because they do.
It's infuriating, to be honest. But more importantly, it's anti-democratic. Because in a Republic built around compromise and consensus, you need to have a public dialogue about issues. There needs to be a free exchange of ideas and viewpoints. But none of that is happening, Nestor knows. And that's a shame. Because if you show people who you disagree with respect and allow them to speak, it is amazing what they will let you them say to them or ask of them. But that takes listening—not just waiting for them to stop talking.
The New Republic just can't seem to learn the lesson that if you make people feel disrespected or humiliated, they will resent you. Over time, they will come to reject your authority altogether. Doesn't anyone remember the Separatist Crisis? This has happened before in many peoples' lifetimes. Half the galaxy got so fed up with Coruscant that they seceded and formed their own government. Plus, over twenty years in, what exactly has the New Republic accomplished? Not much. Snoke, with his in-progress superweapon, his lightsaber wielding Apprentice, and his burgeoning war machine, is waiting to pounce. His First Order will soon be the fist in the face that the galaxy's Rim citizens throw back at the Core. Snoke's planning a galaxy-wide peasant revolt that will change the course of history.
But unfortunately, in the meantime, his father is caught up in the prevailing conflicts of the times. Nestor has no idea how to help him avoid prison. His comlink rings again now. Yep, it's Mom. "Mom?"
"Put her on speaker," Kylo instructs.
"Mom, I'm here. With my guys. You're on speaker."
"Nes? Nes, are you there? Can you talk now?"
"Yeah, I'm here. It's okay, Mom. Don't cry. I'm coming to help."
"No—don't! Nes, don't! The moment they know you're First Order, this will only get worse."
Maybe so. But he's not abandoning his parents to deal with this problem themselves. "I'm coming to help."
"I don't want you dragged into this. Nes, you have too much to lose—"
"So does Dad. I'm coming."
"We're coming," Kylo corrects him. "Right, guys?" He looks around at the listening Knights, who all nod. "It's our mission. And besides, I like your dad," he adds a bit sheepishly.
Mom pipes up. "Is that your nice friend from work? The one who came to dinner?"
"Yeah, that's him."
"Oh, Nes, don't drag him into this too."
"It's fine, Mom. We can handle ourselves-"
"I know you can," she sighs. "Look Nes, I hate to ask this, but I talked to the first lawyer on that list you sent me. He wants a retainer . . . "
"How much?"
She names a sum. It's a third of his annual salary.
"I know it's a lot . . . he says that this is a high-profile case so it will cost more than usual . . ."
Nestor gulps and tries to sound cool about it. "I can cover that. Mom, I'm sending you the funds. You get that lawyer working and I'll be there tomorrow afternoon."
"But—"
"I'm coming."
Jonar speaks up. "Ask her when the hearing is."
"Hearing?" he repeats blankly.
"There's always a hearing after the arraignment. Haven't you ever been arrested before?"
"Uh, no." He turns back to the comlink. "Mom, is there a hearing?"
"Yes. It's next week." She names a date five days away.
"Yeah, okay. I'll be there. Tell Dad not to worry."
"Mrs. Flick, we got this," Kylo announces firmly.
But Nestor is dubious. "Mom, I'm gonna jump in a ship now. You hold tight. I love you, Mom. Tell
Dad I love him."
While he heads home to his parents and Kylo works on a mission plan, things go downhill fast. Dad's story blows up in the media. Every few years, there is a court case that captures the public's attention. This time, Jules Flick, the buzzcut ex-stormtrooper-turned-factory-worker, is that case. His arrest quickly becomes a cultural flashpoint. How you view his predicament depends largely on who you are.
The Core commentators firmly agree that Dad's a nut into guns and retro politics. He's probably religious too, they speculate. For sure, he hates aliens. When the prosecutors release the details of Dad's hoarding, he becomes a cliché. Some paranoid fool who spent half his retirement savings on survivalist gear because he thinks the Republic will fall again. The elites shake their heads and roll their eyes as they snicker, 'Like that will ever happen . . .'
But the Mid Rim recognizes an everyday working man who lives on a small world in economic malaise. A world where crime is increasing and formerly nice areas have become unsafe. So a sixty year old guy walking home at night gets jumped for his wallet that holds exactly ten credits. They can self-identify with that situation. And so what if Dad's an ex-trooper? It's not like he is Darth Vader. He was back then what he is now: a regular guy.
Out in the farthest reaches of the Rim on the frontier systems, Dad becomes something of a folk hero. Here's a guy prepared to take care of himself. These people are not threatened by Dad's collection of illegal blasters, they're jealous of his firepower. Because on worlds where Tusken Raiders, slave traders, and rancors roam free, a blaster—legal or not—is a necessity. People understand a gun to be a tool, not an indicator of an evil intent. And so what if Dad's an ex-trooper? Plenty of folks in the Rim have pasts they'd rather forget.
But back home, things are grim. Dad is alternately defiant and discouraged, but mostly he's worried about Mom. She'll be on her own for the first time ever, Dad worries. You need to check on her every day. And can you make sure she doesn't run short of credits? She won't tell you. You're gonna have to figure it out. I'll take care of her, Nestor promises. Don't worry, I'll take care of everything. Dad sighs and looks down at his handcuffs. I know you will, son.
Fuck, he hates seeing Dad like this. And Mom looks like she's aged ten years. Nestor doesn't know what Kylo is planning—it's too risky to ask for details that might get intercepted—but it had better be good. Because seeing Dad in custody just kills him.
The upcoming hearing is only about evidence, but Dad's lawyer tells them that the ruling will de facto decide the case. Because the only way Dad is getting acquitted is if the judge rules that the search of his home was illegal. If the judge tosses out that evidence, Dad will only be charged for the blaster he used in self-defense. That's a charge he might beat. But if the judge allows the evidence, then the next step will be a decision about whether to seek a plea bargain or a lengthy wait in jail for an actual trial.
Finally, the morning of the hearing rolls around. Mom's inside in her best dress looking exhausted as she waits for Dad to arrive in his handcuffs and orange jumpsuit. Nervous Nestor waits on the courthouse steps, surveying the raucous crowd of chanting protesters. He knew some people would show up for the cameras, but he didn't expect this many.
Through the sea of people walk Kylo, Omar, Carlos, and some guy he doesn't recognize. Like Nestor, the Knights are all in dress uniforms. They garner quite a few looks for their distinctive matching robes that look more ecclesiastical than military.
"Where did all these crazies come from?" Nestor complains under his breath. The last thing this hearing needs is more media scrutiny.
"Hey! They're not crazies. They're peaceful protesters," Omar answers with a wink.
Suddenly suspicious, Nestor whirls on Kylo. "What's going on?"
"They're our people," Kylo confirms.
Nestor takes a second look. "They're mostly women." Some of them look familiar. And they're all young.
"It's the Finalizer lady swim team," Carlos beams.
"Wait—these are the girls from the pool?"
"Yep. Jonar told them that your Dad was the guy on the holonet and asked for volunteers. They all volunteered."
"Who are the guys?" There are men present too.
"Friends of the girls. Jonar promised everyone a blowout party back at the ship. Well," Carlos squints at the crowd, "there are some locals too, I guess. Think we can invite them?"
"Hux won't like it," Omar points out.
"Who the fuck cares?"
"Alright, whatever." He's not planning the victory celebration just yet. Uncharacteristically testy and nervous, Nestor snarls impatiently at Kylo. "What's the plan?"
"There's a Plan A and a Plan B. This is Plan A: meet Rafe Ono, attorney for the accused and for the First Order." Kylo gestures to the guy at his side.
Nestor doesn't spare him a glance. "We have a lawyer."
"Not like this lawyer, you don't."
"What's Plan B?"
"My lightsaber."
"We're not killing everyone." The Apprentice smirks at his words, so Nestor hisses back, "Kylo, I'm serious. We are NOT killing everyone."
"Just a few."
"And then what? Dad's a fugitive from justice?"
"Nah. He's a hero of the First Order," Carlos beams.
"We're not killing everyone," he says emphatically. His stress level was already through the roof. This just made it worse.
Kylo shrugs. "I told you—Plan A is the lawyer. We're going to try it their way first. And if we don't get what we want, then we're going to kill everyone."
"Kylo—" he warns.
The secret Skywalker cuts him off. "This isn't just a mission to help your dad. This is a mission from Snoke to help your dad. So, we'll do what it takes. Starkiller Snoke understands a show of force."
"Got a Plan C?" Nestor grouses.
"Nope."
"Oh, alright . . . " he goes along, even if he's not happy about it. It's not like he has any better options for Dad. And Kylo is his commanding officer. "If we're going to fight, why are we in dress uniforms?"
"Because this will end up on camera and we need to make a good impression," Carlos volunteers.
"While we're killing people?" He shoots Carlos a look.
"Someone give Nestor his helmet," Kylo orders. "He needs to be anonymously dashing and impressive like the rest of us when we run out with the fugitive."
"I can't believe this is the plan . . . " Nestor mutters. "We're better than this . . . "
"Maybe you are," Kylo snorts, "but I'm not."
"How are you getting inside with that sword?" Nestor huffs.
"The same way I'm getting inside without my identification," Kylo answers blithely.
Carlos grins, waves his hand, and speaks in a spooky voice. "You don't need to see his identification."
Omar responds back on cue, "We don't need to see his identification."
The guys chuckle at the inside joke, but it gives Nestor an idea. "Hey, will that mind trick thing work on the judge?"
"Negative," Kylo answers. "It only works on the weak minded."
"And club bouncers and bartenders," Omar adds.
All the levity about the situation has Nestor irked. He shows a rare display of temper. "Shut up!" Normally, he's a pretty chill guy. Except this situation involves people he loves and he can't maintain emotional distance from the problem.
Kylo sees he's upset. "Easy there, Nestor. This is going to go just fine. Follow my lead," Kylo says under his breath. "Now where's the local lawyer? Your guy and my guy ought to compare notes."
"He's inside," Nestor sighs. "Let's go in."
It's almost irritating how easily Kylo Force-talks his way past the security. Kylo, his lawyer, and himself will be in the courtroom with Mom and Dad. Carlos and Omar are backup inside the building hiding in the hallway. Jonar and Static will be stationed outside. Pedro is flying the getaway transport. All the other Knights came armed for the fight. But Nestor wasn't fool enough to attempt to smuggle in a gun for a hearing on his father's illegal weapons charge.
Dad is stalwart, if a little pale, when he is escorted in chains into the courtroom. "Nes," he nods hello. "Kylo, right?" Dad recognizes his long-ago dinner guest who currently has his helmet stashed under his seat.
"Mr. Flick," Kylo is surprisingly respectful. He reaches to shake Dad's cuffed hand, which is a surprise deviation from his usual aloof asshole snark.
"You boys shouldn't be here," Dad says under his breath. "You need to stay far away from a guy like me."
"We're here to rescue you," Kylo informs him sotto voce.
Dad raises an eyebrow. "In that dress?"
"Snoke chose the uniform," Kylo grumbles.
"Does he wear a dress as well?"
"Yep."
"Well, I'll be damned," Dad blinks. Then he cracks a smile. For a second, he resembles his usual affable self.
The judge now calls the hearing to order. Kylo's lawyer begins by asking to clear the courtroom. He wants the hearing to be closed to the public.
The judge disagrees. "This case has a lot of media interest. Given that context, the public especially has a right to know of our proceedings."
"The camera bots can stay," Kylo's lawyer allows. "But there is no need for a crowd of journalists and New Republic observers." He gestures to the packed courtroom behind them. "Just the prosecution, the defense, and family members need to be present in person."
Nestor knows what he's doing. The lawyer's trying to save lives. Because everyone in this room is going to die unless Dad gets set free. But the judge, who has no reason to suspect violence, turns down the request. The hearing continues as is.
"I tried," Kylo's guy mutters under his breath as he takes his seat.
Kylo could care less. "Tell Flick that. He's the one with the scruples."
The new lawyer meets his gaze now. To his credit, the guy looks as genuinely disturbed as Nestor feels about what's about the happen. But he simply offers, "Let's hope we win on the merits." It's said with a forced optimism no one on the defense team shares. Because Team Flick does not have any illusions about how the actual legal argument is going to proceed.
There is some preliminary scheduling talk between the lawyers and the judge and then they get down to business. Kylo's lawyer launches into a speech about how Dad ought to get the key to the city, not an indictment. He argues that the cops had no business arresting Dad on an illegal weapons charge. A citizen has the right to defend themselves from deadly violence by any means necessary. It shouldn't matter whether the blaster Dad used was legal or not.
Naturally, the prosecutor sees it differently. She argues that the possession of the illegal blaster is a separate issue from whether killing the attacker with the illegal blaster is permissible self-defense. The prosecution will concede that Dad did nothing wrong using the blaster to protect himself. But that doesn't change the fact that owning the blaster—and all the other blasters back home—violates the law.
There is a lot of back and forth between the opposing lawyers and the judge. Kylo's lawyer contends that the search of the house was illegal because there was no probable cause. He calls the evidence seized during that search—basically, Dad's entire gun collection—to be 'fruits of a poisonous tree' in some legal reference Nestor can't follow. Ultimately, the judge overrules him and admits the evidence. It's the outcome everyone knew was most likely. But unfortunately, it's bad news for Dad.
The local lawyer stands up now to ask that the prosecutor drop some of the charges. Basically, he wants a compromise. Admit all the evidence, but only charge Dad for some of the evidence. The local guy argues that Dad may have owned illegal weapons, but he never used them until now. There is no need for prosecutorial overkill. Dad is an otherwise exemplary citizen and a war veteran.
"Imperial veteran," the prosecutor pipes up sourly. She says it like the slur it is meant to be.
Dad visibly bristles and the judge snaps at his lawyers to 'control their client.'
Aggrieved Dad seethes and says nothing.
It's just the opening Kylo's lawyer is waiting for. He shoots to his feet. He starts arguing that this is a politically motivated prosecution, that this is a local crime which has been elevated to a New Republic political stunt, that Dad is being made an example because he has an Imperial past and a dissenter's politics. It's not a crime to be an ex-stormtrooper, he maintains. It's not a crime to own a few blasters. And it's definitely not a crime to defend yourself when some repeat offender with a lengthy rap sheet twenty years your junior jumps you in a back alley at night.
"Duly noted." The judge sounds bored. He turns to the prosecutor for a rebuttal. She's from the local district attorney's office, but she has a table full of New Republic lawyers behind her as 'consultants.' The local prosecutor yields to one them and the rhetoric kicks into high gear.
Dad is denounced as a dangerous extremist. He's a neo-Imperialist who wants to return the galaxy to the days when fascism reigned and aliens were openly discriminated against. To the days of Death Stars and magical wizards in black. That guy in the back alley was wrong, but Dad, his disproven ideas, and his illegal blasters are wrong as well. You'd think Darth Sidious himself was on trial instead of a platoon leader for the 501st. Because according to the prosecution, letting Dad walk the streets is the equivalent of putting the whole system under martial law.
As the lawyers bicker further, Nestor leans in to tell Kylo, "This plan is a terrible idea."
Kylo is unconcerned. "Death Star 2 was a terrible idea. This is a good idea."
"This is a terrible idea," Nestor hisses back. "When we start shooting, we're going to prove all their grandstanding right. We are exactly what they're afraid of."
"Yes, we are," Kylo replies with the hint of a smile.
As the lawyers keep arguing, the discussion is less about Dad and more about abstract ideology. Listening Nestor isn't sure if that's helpful or not. It certainly isn't swaying the judge. But maybe that's not the point. Because when things are done here today, the verdict likely will be delivered by public opinion. And by Snoke, of course. Wary Nestor keeps his poker face as the buzzing camera bots record all of it.
Finally, the judge puts an end to the discussion. His decision has been made on the evidentiary question at hand. The rest of the rhetoric is superfluous. The judge bangs his gavel and dismisses them to move on to the next case.
"Guess that's my cue." Kylo fishes his sword out of his pocket.
"This isn't gonna work," Nestor grumbles back.
The Appentice shoots him an irked look. "Then why didn't you say so?"
"I did say so."
"Too late now." Kylo stands to his feet. He steps forward and lights his sword. Nestor has heard the distinctive snap-hiss many times, but the sound never fails to impress. Nothing sounds like a lightsaber igniting. Everyone in the room reacts with a sharp intake of breath. They are so surprised that probably no one notices that both camera bots malfunction simultaneously and fall to the ground.
Kylo's new blade is a crimson red. He swapped out the blue crystal from Vader's Jedi sword with the cracked red crystal he scavenged from one of the relics they stole. This new red blade is not the strong, opaque color that the blue one was. It pulses and sparks dangerously, echoing the menacing demeanor of the young man who wields it.
Kylo stands tall in his black vicar's robes with an ancient weapon lit in one hand. He's in the middle of the courtroom posed before a grim looking judge with a shocked crowd of onlookers behind. The moment has all the melodrama of the ultimatum to come. The air is heavy with the dread of violence.
The bailiff and two deputies who heretofore have been lounging against the wall pull their sidearms and take aim. But Kylo ignores them. He addresses the judge.
"Your honor, would you care to review and revise your ruling?"
The man glowers down from his dais. "Young man, are you trying to intimidate me?"
Kylo is blunt and terse. "Yes."
"Who are you? Are you a relative?"
"No. I'm a Knight of Ren."
The judge blinks at the unfamiliar title. He squints at Kylo. "What's with the sword? Are you supposed to be some sort of Luke Skywalker?"
"No. I am a Knight of the First Order. My name is Kylo Ren. I'm going to kill Luke Skywalker. And if you don't revise your ruling, I'm going to kill you."
The judge squares his jaw and lifts his chin as he glares hard at Kylo. "Bailiff, arrest this man! This court will not be intimidated!" he announces with a loud bang of his gavel. "We are a system of laws, not of men. The defendant has been represented ably by counsel and he has received due process. Justice has been served!"
The wide-eyed bailiff stands frozen, hesitating as he stares fearfully at the gleaming red sword.
Kylo reissues his question. The words come out slower this time. "Your honor, would you care to review and revise your ruling?"
"Arrest him!" the judge orders again.
Kylo shrugs. "So be it." He outstretches his left hand towards the judge and makes a fist. The man starts to heave and gasp as everyone stares. It's the Vader choke. A sure sign that Kylo doesn't just have a red laser sword, but he also has the Force to match it.
"Stop!" the anxious bailiff hollers as he keeps his aim on Kylo. "Stop or I'll shoot!" But he doesn't shoot and neither do the deputies. They are too uncertain. Because the guy in black with the Vader sword and the Vader choke has them thoroughly intimidated.
Seconds pass and the judge slumps to pass out. Kylo loosens his fist and opens his palm. The bailiff's blaster is yanked from his grip to fly into Kylo's glove. He calmly shoots three times in rapid succession. Down goes the bailiff and down go the two armed deputies who do not have time to react.
"Get down!" Kylo orders curtly as he turns to face the stunned and murmuring crowd behind him.
Nestor knows what's coming next. He grabs dumbstruck Mom and shoves her under the counsel table they're sitting at. Then, he and Dad and the two lawyers join her on the floor.
It's not a moment too soon. Carlos and Omar take their cue from Kylo's blaster shots. They burst in the room to open fire. Here comes the slaughter Nestor has dreaded.
When minutes later they crawl out to survey the aftermath, Mom looks like she might faint.
"Lady, don't look," Carlos advises. He, like the rest of the Knights, is all business when it comes to killing. "Just pretend it never happened."
Mom looks to him blankly and Nestor takes her hand. "Look at me. Don't look at them," he tells her. "Focus on me." Mom's a civilian and she has never seen combat. Well, this wasn't combat, this was murder. Mom knows it, too.
"Oh, Nes!" she buries her face in his chest.
He meets Dad's eyes over her head. Dad knows it as well.
Kylo catches that look. "Someone give the old man a gun," he orders. "He's good with a gun." As Omar nabs a pistol off the dead bailiff, Kylo waves a gloved hand over Dad's handcuffs. They open and fall away to the ground.
"Please tell me you have a getaway transport close by?" Dad asks as he rubs at his wrists.
Kylo smirks. "We brought a star destroyer."
Dad is taken aback. "You did not!"
Kylo grins. "Yes, we did. It's in orbit."
"That's illegal under the treaty," Dad mutters as he inspects his pilfered weapon.
"Yep. Illegal like this jailbreak," Omar declares. "Here, Nestor." Omar grabs another gun off a fallen deputy and tosses it to him.
They need to get to that star destroyer. "Is the speeder out back?" he worries.
"Pedro's pulling up out front."
"Out front?"
"So the cameras can see us and the crowd can cheer," Kylo explains.
"They were gonna give me thirty years for my illegal blasters. What do you suppose you get for an illegal capital ship?" Dad mutters.
Again, Kylo flashes that rare lopsided grin. "They have to catch us first."
Nestor is getting impatient with all the bravado. "They are going to catch us if we stand around here yapping. Let's go!"
"Here's your helmet." Kylo hands over his Knight of Ren headgear as he pulls on his own. He turns to Dad's local lawyer to demand, "Are you coming with us?"
"Do I have to?" the quaking man asks.
"No."
"Then, I'll stay," the lawyer answers weakly.
"Suit yourself. Nestor's right, let's go."
Their group heads out of the courtroom, pushing through startled people in the hallways. Carlos is on his comlink signaling for the transport as they hustle. They encounter a few more security guards and bailiffs on the way out. It doesn't take long for people to discover what happened back in the courtroom. But their pursuers all fall to the expert aim of the Knights with a few assists from Kylo. The guy's ability to freeze incoming blaster bolts with the Force is amazing.
"There's Pedro!" Omar spots the incoming transport as they stand just inside the courthouse main entrance.
Kylo turns to Dad. "You come out behind me. You're the star of this show."
Dad snorts. "That sword in your hand will be the star of this show. Those things aren't exactly common."
Kylo grins. "I made it red just for you. Ready?"
"Nes, cover your mother," Dad orders just before he and Kylo duck outside.
"This is crazy," Mom mutters under her breath in the tone women always use when they completely disapprove of the choices of the men around them. She's trembling, Nestor sees.
"It will be alright." He squeezes her hand.
"No, it won't. Those people are dead, Nes."
Yeah, he's not thrilled about that either. The scene in the courtroom was a bloodbath. "That can't be helped now," he sighs. "Let's go." He firmly tugs her through the door. There's no time to lose. And if they don't get away, then all those people will have died for nothing.
Outside is pandemonium as the crowd cheers on the Knights, the fugitive, and his wife. Kylo's fancy First Order lawyer is still here too. Their group is climbing into the hovering transport before the jubilant crowd just as the local cops show up to respond to the slaughter in the courtroom.
The cops start shooting.
The Knights return fire.
The screaming crowd scatters in all directions. All except for the staged protesters from the Finalizer, who produce hidden sidearms to join the melee.
Suddenly, the local cops are facing a small army of stormtroopers disguised in civilian attire. The battle is over quickly. As their transport pulls away, a second transport arrives to collect the pretend protesters to whisk them back to the ship. Everyone gets safely away before the local authorities can muster additional resources to pursue them.
But while the other guys are high-fiving each other in the immediate aftermath of the adrenaline rush, Dad and Mom remain conspicuously silent. If anything, Dad looks more worried than in the courtroom. Clearly, he's not pleased with his rescue.
Kylo looks him in the eye. "Go ahead and say it."
Dad twists his jaw and mulls it over.
"Go ahead and say it!" Kylo goads. "Say it to my face!"
"Alright, I will. What the FUCK are you kids doing?" Dad challenges. The gruff outburst silences everyone on board. Dad's face has a hard look at he meets the eyes of each of the Knights one by one. "You're gonna start a war!"
Kylo has an ugly smirk. "Let's hope. War is the goal." But instantly, he's defensive. "Don't forget they picked this fight! They chose you to make an example. Remember that."
Dad now fixes him with a glare that makes Nestor want to squirm. "You didn't need to do this! I told you to stay away! Your Mother told you to stay away-"
"He was never going to stay away and you know it," Kylo interrupts. "Besides, he didn't have a choice. I'm in charge and you were my mission."
"Your mission?"
"Yes. My mission from Snoke."
"From Snoke?" Mom echoes weakly.
"Yes, Snoke. The Supreme Leader himself sent us to rescue you, Flick. So, stop blaming your son. Nestor didn't know what we had planned. I'm the bad guy here." Kylo brags that last bit, like he's proud. He shoots Dad a frustrated look and mutters, "You're welcome." Then he turns away and stalks off a bit.
They are coming up on the Finalizer now. The majestic capital ship is the latest in several generations of star destroyers dating back to the Clone Wars era. Dad's eyes widen as he catches the sight out the window. He's impressed.
Static sees the reaction. "Welcome to the First Order," he quips. "Home, sweet home."
Miffed Kylo catches the exchange. He whirls to respond, "Right—exactly! I just saved you from thirty years in a New Republic jail! But more importantly, I just kept you on our side. Your whole family is on the same side. That matters! That's worth a few lives."
Dad knows who Kylo really is. He nods slowly. "Yeah, I think I understand . . ."
"You may not like our means, but you will like the end result," Kylo promises. It's the bargain with the devil he and Snoke plan to offer the entire galaxy in a few years' time. But judging by Dad's tepid reaction, the pitch might need some work.
Dad just looks at Kylo. He says nothing, but his expression speaks volumes.
Kylo crosses his arms. He works his jaw over like he always does when he's uncomfortable. "You got something else to say, Flick?"
"I don't know. Are you ready to listen?"
"Spit it out, old man!"
"Alright," Dad tells the young Skywalker who towers over him, "Son, I served with your grandfather. We didn't always take the high ground. We did what needed to be done. It wasn't always pretty. But when it came to civilians during peacetime, we showed restraint."
"What's your point?"
"You didn't need to kill everyone back there. You only needed to kill a few."
"I can do what I want."
"Not if you want people to follow you," Dad answers flatly. "You want to be a hero for the cameras? The daring revolutionary who does what others just talk about? The space cowboy with the Force? Fine. But remember one basic point of being a hero: people have to admire you."
"Those people are the enemy. They're New Republic."
"We're not at war yet."
"We will be." Kylo postures hard now in his proto-Darth Vader guise. "I'm fine to be admired, but I prefer to be feared."
"That's definitely an effective short-term approach," Dad concedes. "But just remember—villains are feared. Heroes are admired, but villains are feared."
"So the New Republic thinks I'm a villain. Who the fuck cares?"
"Don't make the same mistake they did, kid. If all goes well, someday you will have to govern people who were loyal to the New Republic."
"Payback's a bitch," Kylo boasts.
Dad sighs. "Tell me you don't you can solve every problem the way you solved things at Luke Skywalker's Jedi academy." Kylo glares a stern warning but Dad goes there anyway. "Yeah, I read up on that—"
"That's fucking fake news!"
"Look, I get it-"
"The FUCK you do!" Kylo explodes. "None of what people say about that is true!"
Dad nods slowly. "I believe you. Look, you're an angry kid with a past to hide, an axe to grind, and big shoes to fill. That ain't easy. But maybe you want to think a little harder about this Kylo Ren persona you've taken on. Stop trying so hard to be the bad guy."
"I'm not the bad guy," Kylo grumbles.
Listening in silence, Nestor can tell that's exactly how his friend truly feels. Insecure and inexperienced, an outcast from his family and the beleaguered Apprentice to Snoke, Kylo doesn't really know who he is or what he wants. And hey, that's not altogether unusual at twenty-four years old. But to hide all that uncertainty, Kylo likes to throw his weight around. He does it on the Finalizer with Hux and he did it today in the courtroom. He's been forced into the role of the bad guy and it doesn't quite fit. But he's trying hard to make it fit. Days like today, Kylo succeeds. But other days, Nestor's not so sure.
