Kylo's jailbreak stunt gets maximum media attention, as planned. The coverage shows six masked men in black, one wielding a red lightsaber, busting an accused ex-stormtrooper out of a court hearing before a cheering crowd. They leave behind a trail of blood, with no fewer than eighty people dead in their wake. It is a high-profile court case elevated to a viral media sensation. The newsfeed headlines scream out the grisly details of the mass murder. The public gapes at the sheer audacity of the crime. That it is heralded a righteous victory by an armed and screaming mob at the scene makes it all the more shocking.
The First Order promptly issues a non-denial denial that regrets the loss of life but does not condemn the violence. Its press release champions Dad's cause but refrains from taking responsibility for his rescue. Everyone in the galaxy correctly reads it as Snoke's tacit 'atta-boy.' In fact, commentators on the official First Order newsfeed openly praise the civil disobedience aspect. With their usual bombast, they champion the independent spirit of free-thinking people who refuse to submit to New Republic authority. It's a dog whistle to encourage vigilante violence. But all the while, the First Order officially decries the need for this sort of action as it calls for Imperial style law and order. As usual, Snoke and his media surrogates are having it both ways.
The New Republic talking heads go ballistic. They wring their hands, shake their heads, and make meaningless calls for legislation. Does anyone think more gun control is the solution to the First Order? Nestor shakes his head at the cluelessness. At the blowout victory party back at the ship afterwards, everyone jeers a looping montage of outraged reactions by prominent politicians. It includes a scathing denunciation from none other than the former Senator turned alarmist firebrand and First Order arch nemesis, Leia Organa herself.
Static laughs and claps sullen Kylo on the back as they watch. "Looks like you really pissed the old gal off!"
Nestor and Kylo exchange glances.
"You have no idea," the Apprentice smirks and shrugs it off.
Oblivious Static continues with a spot-on observation. "People forget that woman was a terrorist in her youth. Our jailbreak was just the kind of thing she and the rebels might have done back in the day. She wouldn't have thought twice about the Imperial body count either."
"Yeah, well, one person's freedom fighter is another person's extremist," Nestor grumbles.
"Don't equivocate to excuse her. She's long been a hypocrite," Kylo hisses.
The guy's especially touchy tonight, Nestor perceives. Kylo's the man of the hour at his own victory party and yet he can't manage to crack a smile. Is it because he's worried about his Master's reaction to today's handiwork? Or could Kylo's conscience be pricking him?
Predictably, the general public's reaction to the whole affair is mixed. A few anarchist types cheer the bloodshed, but most good people recoil from the violence. At this point, most of the galaxy-including citizens who might otherwise be sympathetic to the First Order's cause-are where Mom and Dad are. They don't think Kylo's methods are the solution. It tells Nestor that people are not yet ready for war.
Still, the incident provokes a lot of conversations. Those conversations begin with head shaking and then move on. Where they go next matters. Often, they go this direction: what is the First Order exactly? What do they want? Suddenly, average ordinary people sit up and take notice of the fringe group many have never heard of. Hits on the First Order's holonet sites go way up overnight. The media can't stop vilifying them, which ironically is like free advertising. No one admits to liking Snoke's cause, of course. But the topic gets people thinking. Was the Empire really so bad? The New Republic isn't so great. Galactic democracy has lofty aspirations but it comes up short in actual practice. And that line of thought focuses people on all the things they don't like about the status quo. No one's making any calls to arms, mind you. But the lingering impact of Kylo's bloody stunt is to highlight peoples' gripes.
All the media attention puts a laser focus on the perpetrators. Who were those masked men in black? Especially the tall one with the Vader-style lightsaber? The Knights managed to take out most of the security cameras on their way out. A few seconds of surviving footage on the way in is all that is salvaged. It shows four men in black robes unmasked but from the back. The tall one is displayed in quarter profile in a blurry image, but the rest remain wholly anonymous. Unconfirmed sources from within the First Order claim that the men are the Knights of Ren led by Kylo Ren. But no one knows if it's true or what it means.
The guy who does get identified—other than Vera and Jules Flick—is the unmasked Coruscant-based lawyer Rafe Ono. Somewhat bizarrely, the young man turns out to be the son of Senator Ono of the New Republic. In the heat of the moment, Nestor himself hadn't made the connection. But afterwards, he gets it: Rafe Ono is the brother of Cessily Ono.
"What made you go to him for help?" Nestor asks Kylo as they stand together sipping beer at the victory party by the Finalizer pool.
"Haven't you heard? The guy's sister is hot and single."
Yeah, it's just as Nestor suspected. He objects, "Kylo, you ruined that guy's life. I saw his law firm fired him. His father just publicly disowned him—"
"He didn't mean that. Senator Ono's tight with Snoke. You know that. You used to guard him," Kylo shrugs.
"Yeah, but still . . ." Nestor frets.
Kylo is having none of it. "Look, Rafe Ono had a choice. He wanted to do it and he knew the risks. You know, it just takes one guy like him to come out for us and it motivates others. There are a lot of secret sympathizers out there. We have considerable shy support in Core worlds."
"I know." Nestor's eyes find Rafe Ono across the room surrounded by a crowd of adoring lady stormtroopers. "What happens to him now?"
"He's joining Snoke's staff. Snoke loves lawyers."
"That's good . . . I suppose . . ."
"It's good." Kylo chugs the rest of his beer before he discloses, "Rafe will be coming with us on our furloughs to Coruscant. I promised the guy we would smuggle him in with us. You know . . . to visit his sister and his father. And when he visits them, he'll need backup. You're the backup since the Senator knows you already."
"Oh," Nestor brightens.
"I set you up to earn the goodwill of your girl's father and brother. So let's hear her diss us now for being First Order," Kylo snarls.
But regardless of what Cessily Ono, the media, the Senate, and the general public think, as far as the Knights are concerned, there is only one constituency to please: Snoke. Soon enough, the Knights tromp into the red curtained audience chamber in the Supreme Leader's hidden bunker to assemble for a debriefing. Nestor and the other guys kneel in a row while Kylo kneels upfront, as usual. Collectively, they hold their breathe, gird for lightning, and wait for the verdict. Will Snoke be angry with the bloody ruckus they caused? No one is sure. Just because the First Order media put a good face on the story doesn't mean Snoke approves.
"Apprentice, what do you have to say for yourself?" the gargoyle faced Sith Master drawls. Apparently, today he plans to give his protégé time to explain himself before the punishment.
Kylo is unrepentant. In fact, he's cocky and glib. "Mission accomplished."
Snoke leans forward on his throne. Here comes the grilling and the Force lightning, Nestor fears.
The Supreme Leader's eyes narrow and a spindly fingered hand comes up. "You slaughtered eighty people in a brash public orgy of violence. After you and your staged protestors fled, there was a riot. The next day, there were copycat stunts on several other worlds. Men dressed in black wearing masks attacked New Republic buildings with homemade bombs and blasters. What do you have to say for that?" Snoke snarls.
Kylo has another pithy answer: "Darkness is contagious."
Snoke grunts. He stares hard at his Apprentice for a long moment. Then his broken face splits in a sly grin. "Let us hope so," he intones.
Snoke settles back in his chair. Seeing Snoke relax feels like a win, Nestor thinks as he exhales. But the next topic ratchets up his stress level again. "Where is the fugitive now?"
Kylo answers, "The last time I saw Flick, he was telling war stories in the Finalizer's officers' lounge."
"Yesss . . . he's a minor celebrity now . . . like you," Snoke observes. Nestor can't tell if he's amused or annoyed at that fact. Old Snoke can be very inscrutable at times.
Kylo explains his plan. "I want to put Jules Flick under Brendol Hux. He can help train the stormtroopers. Flick's a good face for us."
Snoke is uninterested in the matter now that the public aspect has concluded. He waves an impatient hand. "I leave him to you. Don't let him anywhere near the New Republic or you'll have to rescue him again." Their leader now moves on. Evidently, there will be no repercussions for what happened at the courthouse. Snoke is back on-topic: "It is time to resume the search for Skywalker."
"No more relics, Master," Kylo speaks up. "That strategy is not working."
"Oh, but it is," the Supreme Leader counters. "The relics were never intended to solve the riddle of where Skywalker hides. They were to give you some independent experience and," Snoke smiles coyly, "to add to my collection. But yes," he agrees, "you have progressed past being my errand boy. Time for bigger things, Apprentice."
It's praise delivered Snoke style. With a sneer and a jeer. But it's praise and for Kylo, that is extremely rare.
"How do you propose to find Skywalker?" the Sith Master challenges.
"We will draw him out. I'm in the open now. Let's put the Order in the open as well. Let's show Skywalker his old foe the Empire resurgent again."
"We're not ready for a war. The Starkiller is behind schedule," Snoke points out.
"We won't launch a military attack. We will launch a political offensive."
The suggestion prompts a crooked grin from the Supreme Leader. "Angling to run for the Senate? Kylo Ren, your mother and grandmother would be aghast."
Kylo brushes off the sarcasm. "The Senate is a farce. But I may start a few more riots."
"The Sith are not thugs, Apprentice."
"Yes. I'm the hero," Kylo declares with a straight face.
Nestor's eyes widen. But their leader looks interested. "You have something specific in mind?"
"There are many examples of the New Republic overreaching. There are other Jules Flicks out there. Let us go find a few and liberate them."
As Snoke considers, Kylo presses his case. "Darkness is contagious," he asserts.
The old man on the high throne concurs. "Darkness is contagious. Go then, Apprentice, and sow Darkness. Impress me."
They are dismissed. The Knights stand to their feet to file out. As they turn to leave, Snoke has one last instruction. "Next time, Apprentice," he calls, "use the Force for the cameras. The galaxy has seen your sword. Now, show them your power."
When they are safely in the antechamber outside the throne room, Nestor finally feels himself relax. Looking around at the other relieved faces, he says what everyone is thinking. "I don't get it. I thought he would be mad."
Kylo shakes his head. "He loved it like I knew he would." The Apprentice looks away as he mumbles, "He wants me Dark. He's never going to complain when I kill people. He will complain when I let them live."
"Oh," is all Nestor can think to say.
Pedro is the one with the follow-up. "So, what you're saying is that we're going to kill a lot more people?"
Kylo nods. "Right." He doesn't actually look happy about it. More like resigned.
If Nestor didn't know better, he'd think Kylo might have preferred lightning back in the throne room rather than carte blanche for more mayhem. It's almost as if Kylo is angling to get slapped down. Like he wishes someone would punish him. But instead, he gets a party at the Finalizer and a pat on the head from his Master. In fact, to Nestor's knowledge, the only person to call Kylo out for his excesses so far has been Dad.
And now, those excesses are the mission. Kylo's next move is to burst into a courtroom on an urban Rim world where a slumlord is finalizing the legal process for his monthly mass evictions. As family groups huddle and wait for their turn before the judge, Kylo walks up to the landlord and his lawyer to make them an offer they can't refuse. With his lit lightsaber in one hand and a credit card with a hefty balance in the other, Kylo negotiates a deal. The First Order will pay off the tenants' overdue rent.
The first two times they pull this stunt, the landlord cooperates. And why wouldn't they? They're getting paid. But the third one balks. So Kylo kills him and calmly walks away. But not before he hands the credits to the shocked judge to pay off the tenants' arrears.
When that schtick gets old, Kylo gets wind of a world where an enormous factory is closing to move operations to a developing Outer Rim system. The labor costs will be much cheaper and the owners in the Core will be able to take advantage of New Republic tax credits for the move. That the plant closing will devastate the local economy is beside the point. This is business and the owners are simply following a tried-and-true strategy to maximize their return on investment. Until, of course, the Knights of Ren show up.
The factory closing is averted courtesy of a lightsaber. It works so well, Kylo tries it a second time. When that second business owner balks, Kylo makes good on his threat with a quick beheading. He also makes an offer for the First Order to buy the facility. A month later, the still-employed workers are making speeders for Snoke and everyone's happy except the dead owner.
Each time Kylo and the Knights make an appearance, camera bots are there to capture it all. The locations and issues are different, but the plot is always the same. Anonymous masked men in black give something approaching vigilante justice to the losers of the New Republic. There are no big speeches. Just swift, terse negotiations sometimes ending in grisly violence. The carefully edited recordings go viral on the holonet. Everyone wants to see how each confrontation will end. Will someone die? There is a lurid quality to the public's fascination with Kylo's showdowns. A disturbing number of viewers seem to be rooting for murder. Like it's a video game and not real people.
The holonet version of Kylo Ren evolves quickly into one part Jedi social justice warrior and one part cold Sith assassin. Do what he says and no one gets hurts. But if you cross him, expect violence. It's basically the message of the First Order in a nutshell. A small but persistent segment of the public loves it because Kylo Ren and his Knights do and say things that others only fantasize about. They give a voice—mostly with a sword and blasters—for people's long simmering anger. They also focus the mainstream media on issues the Core tends to ignore, like how the New Republic trade policy depresses wages and promotes droid labor over employment for sentient beings. Naturally, the First Order propaganda machine doesn't miss a beat. They promise jobs and opportunity, signing up recruits to the cause and hiring workers for its weapons factories.
And here's the thing—at the beginning of Kylo's antics, people are shocked. But when it keeps happening, the media begins to shrug. There he goes again, the mysterious reactionary neo-Imperialist and his band of thugs doing what they always do—intimidate and kill. Cue the condemnation and hand wringing from the supporters of the status quo. Watch as the media commentators shake their heads and wag their fingers, denouncing violence and hate. Now roll the footage of the easily manipulated cretins from the Rim who cheer them on. It's proof that these people are the irredeemable deplorables everyone thinks they are.
Why can't the New Republic catch these guys? The rise of Kylo Ren is yet another example of New Republic ineffectiveness. The whole galaxy knows Kylo Ren's name even if they don't know his face. More importantly, they know his sword. It doesn't take long for everyone to arrive on the obvious solution. Where is Luke Skywalker to deal with these guys? The Core newsfeeds issue a call for the famous Jedi to come back and take care of business. Several Senators pile on with impassioned speeches. Because if Luke Skywalker can take out the original Imperial Sith Lords, surely he can deal with this Vader cosplayer with a bad mask and a posse of groupies.
But Luke Skywalker doesn't appear.
It sets the media on a manhunt. They hound Leia Organa and other rebellion figures known to be close with the last Jedi. Where is Luke Skywalker? Why won't he intervene? No one has any answers. It becomes clear over time that no one has any answers because no one knows. Luke Skywalker has disappeared, the newsfeed headlines scream. Our legendary hero has forsaken us. Woe to the New Republic! For who will save us this time from the fascist Imperialists?
Snoke loves it.
Now everyone across the galaxy is on the lookout for the Jedi Master. They don't realize it, but they have been enlisted to Kylo's quest for revenge. Doppelgänger lookalikes get discovered and their faces are splashed across the holonet. Is that the famous Jedi living anonymously on Tatooine? Nope. Is that him on Naboo? Nope. Just another middle-aged bearded dude with a penchant for beige clothes and toolbelts.
"If this goes on long enough, we may find him on the holonet," Nestor jokes.
Kylo disagrees. "This will backfire. We just pushed him deeper underground."
"Who cares? His absence makes him look like a coward," Jonar points out. In fact, that sentiment becomes the persistent refrain of the First Order news media.
But Kylo sees it differently. "He won't be lured out of hiding before the eleventh hour."
"Eleventh hour? You mean like the Starkiller?" Nestor guesses.
Kylo nods. "Mark my words, he'll be the one to blow it up," he grumbles sourly. "Death Stars are his specialty."
"That will piss Snoke off," Static grumbles.
Again, Kylo disagrees. "Snoke would blow the Starkiller in a heartbeat if it meant killing Luke. The guy's the only existential threat left. Skywalker is the only thing that stands between us and ruling the galaxy."
Omar claps frowning Kylo on the back and tries to cheer him up. "Don't worry, boss, we'll get that Jedi fucker in the end." The comment prompts a chorus of nods from the other Knights. But Kylo looks unconvinced.
Several months into Kylo's reign of terror, Nestor poses a question to Kylo when they are alone. "What are we doing? What is this all supposed to accomplish?"
It's a serious question and Kylo knows it. "We're the good guys," he maintains. It comes out very defensive. "We're sticking it to the New Republic."
"I guess," Nestor sighs. It's just all a bit too random and anecdotal to have any real lasting effect. The change the galaxy needs is at the top.
"We're highlighting people's grievances. It recruits for the Order," Kylo argues doggedly.
"I guess," Nestor sighs again, unconvinced. Because for as many people Kylo Ren recruits, he repels equal numbers.
"Look when we're in power, we can fix these things. But we're not in power. So we do this," Kylo rationalizes.
He's right that there is no long-term peaceful solution to be had. Nestor knows that Snoke isn't interested in reform. Revolution is his path to power. And the New Republic isn't in any mood to compromise anyway. This is the consequence of partisan media outlets and entrenched political opponents. On both sides, it's 'us' versus 'them' in a fight for dominance. There's simply no common ground.
That's because it's easier to demonize your opposition than it is to understand them. And that's also why viewpoints polarize over time. Because why reach out to the other side if you are only going to get your hand slapped? It makes you look weak. And for a large swathe of people who pride themselves on their strength in the face of everyday adversity, weakness is not a virtue. They'd rather preemptively save face with a hurled insult than be rebuffed. So the tough guy brute Kylo Ren is a character they understand. His unapologetic, tell-it-like-it-is swagger has appeal.
Snoke's media machine quickly recognizes the ability of the Knights to influence the media agenda. The First Order propaganda bosses take Kylo aside and give him a short list of wedge issue topics. Can you do anything for us on taxes? People hate taxes. Let's focus everyone on taxes, they suggest. Kylo takes the request back to the Knights.
It prompts Static to hack the revenue service for the New Republic. He recruits some of his hacker buddies and gets to work. Two weeks later when businesses and citizens try to file their tax returns on the annual due date, they are met with a boldface notice printed against the backdrop of the First Order emblem. The notice informs everyone that by decree of the First Order all New Republic taxes are forever suspended. Keep your credits and spend them on yourselves, the notice admonishes. Don't surrender your hard-earned money to those inept, unlawful bureaucrats on Hosnia.
The actual text is drafted by Rafe Ono in smooth professional legalese, but Static adds a cheeky set of cartoon emojis at the bottom. Six of the silly pictures are shaped like the individualized helmets of the Knights of Ren—Kylo's has the added flair of a waving red sword. The last one is Leader Snoke riding a TIE fighter.
"Childish," Pedro critiques the prototype version.
"Childish but awesome," Jonar corrects him.
"It is pretty awesome," Pedro concedes.
"Can you make my sword bigger?" Kylo weighs in. "Other than that, I'm good," he approves.
Predictably, the New Republic taxing authority does not approve. Citizens and businesses are given a two-day grace period to file their tax returns at the revamped—and now much more secure—holonet portal. Not to be outdone, the First Order promptly announces that the New Republic has no sovereign authority to level taxes. The First Order will only recognize the taxing power of the defunct Empire, to which it claims to be the successor in interest. Pay your taxes to us at rates from twenty-five years ago, the Order invites the galaxy at large, and our lawyers will defend you in court. Don't worry, the commentators on the First Order newsfeed grimly joke, Kylo Ren just might show up for your trial.
The Senate is aghast. It's full of serious people who take themselves very seriously. There's nothing that gets under their skin more than people who don't appreciate their seriousness. But now, they find themselves reacting to a bunch of violent, sometimes juvenile, upstarts who rule the holonet. Even respected Senators get drawn into a tit-for-tat news cycle that devolves quickly into pettiness and name calling. And that's when the First Order types pull back and point fingers decrying the lack of leadership from the New Republic. The Senate powers-that-be fall for the ploy time and again, trying in vain to engage Snoke's minions on their own level. They're being manipulated, but they can't seem to resist the bait.
Now, political vitriol is a long tradition. The First Order certainly didn't invent it. But they succeed in elevating it to finely honed hate machine. Egging them on is a growing flash mob of safely anonymous followers on the holonet who pile on with a vicious torrent of rage. The holonet has always had an ugly underside, but now it is a toxic fascist chorus. But still, for all but the most committed followers, politics is simply background noise. People have opinions, but those sentiments do not rule their daily lives. Most tune out the brewing conflicts to focus on other things. But that's getting harder lately. The galactic culture war is increasingly inescapable in its persistent reoccurrence. It simmers and flares at flashpoints. And the Knights of Ren keep creating flashpoints.
So what is the New Republic going to do about it? Nothing. They're too busy fighting amongst themselves. In typical democratic fashion, they announce Senate hearings and a task force to handle the matter. It's ineffective, and they know it. But it's their go-to solution for every problem. They issue subpoenas for Snoke and for Kylo Ren. No one in the galaxy is surprised when neither man shows up to testify. With great fanfare, the Senate proclaims them in contempt. Snoke just laughs and issues a public statement. He pleads guilty to being in contempt of the Galactic Senate. If fact, he has nothing but contempt for the Galactic Senate.
And really, that is the crux of the problem. Lots of people have contempt for the Senate and the New Republic for which it stands. Why? One answer is that the rebellion against the Empire had an insidious residual effect. Because when you tear down the status quo, you tear down the institutions that promote and uphold it. Whether it's through doubt or fear, through outright dismantlement, or through irrelevance or maybe apathy, a lot of the establishment falls victim to the broad sweep of rapid change. And . . . then what?
The rebels thought they had the answer: they set out to rebuild the past. But that is harder than it sounds. Because all that skepticism and suspicion the rebellion stoked against the Empire stuck around. Over time, it found a new focus: the New Republic itself. Because you can't convince trillions of people that the Empire was a deep state Sith plot and not have some of that penchant for conspiracy theories and political mistrust linger.
Over twenty years in now, the Senate doesn't have the excuse that they're getting things up and running. People long ago grew weary of waiting for better days. The rebellion raised their expectations, upended the existing government, made big promises, and then it let them down. Sure, some people have prospered under the new leadership, but it's mostly been the people who always seem to prosper: the Core systems with their educated, affluent populations. Everyone else has languished.
In a strange turnabout, the Empire lovers have now become the anti-establishment outsiders. Savvy Snoke is hard at work capitalizing on their bitterness. It's all packaged in a populist pragmatic 'let's do this' message. For while the New Republic keeps lowering expectations, the First Order is ruthlessly optimistic. It's a message that gets strained at times. But overall, the Dark Side marriage of anger with determination is remarkably effective. It taps into a persistent undercurrent of discontent in society. Many people are looking for change. And increasingly, some are willing to compromise their ideals in order to achieve it.
So they tolerate the First Order's extremist rhetoric and explain it away as 'just talk.' They choose to focus instead on the feel-good, nostalgic populism. They look the other way from the violence or maybe they protest that the New Republic has no moral authority on the issue. After all, the original rebel leaders were mostly a bunch of leftwing terrorists. And sure, mysterious Snoke is not the known quantity that democratically elected Senator-turned-Chancellor Sheev Palpatine was. Maybe it's true that Snoke is a chaos agent and a disruptor who's accountable to no one. But does that even matter? These citizens want an alternative and he's the logical choice. Why not give him a chance? What do they have to lose?
It helps that the First Order looks so impressive. They have plenty of camera ready, articulate intellectuals for holonet interviews, and lots of men in sharp uniforms who command questionably legal organizations they call militias. In Snoke, they have an old wise man in a dark hood to play the Emperor role. All that's been missing is the Vader figure. But now, they have it in Kylo Ren.
The First Order propaganda bosses keep pestering Kylo for an exclusive on-camera interview. He declines. Best to remain elusive, he argues. Maybe they are fooled, but Nestor isn't. He knows Kylo is terrified of appearing tongue-tied before the slick media types. He's a man of action, not of words. His sword does the talking. So short of an order from Snoke, no one can make Kylo talk on camera.
But in an unexpected twist, Kylo ends up giving an unplanned interview when he and the Knights run into a news crew who happens to be at an Outer Rim courthouse. The Knights are there to liberate a supporter accused of assaulting his neighbor. The news crew is there covering an unrelated important verdict. Unexpectedly, they meet in an elevator.
"Who are you?" the reporter asks, shoving a microphone up to Kylo's mask when she realizes she has a captive audience.
Nestor expects him to shoo the woman away, but Kylo surprises him by answering. "I'm Kylo Ren, Master of the Knights of Ren."
"Yes, we know. But who are you?" the reporter asks somewhat breathlessly. She clearly knows she's getting a big scoop. "Are you a Jedi?" she repeats speculation from the holonet.
"No. I'm going to kill the last Jedi," Kylo growls.
"You're going to kill Luke Skywalker?"
"Yes." Kylo is his usual terse self and declines to elaborate. But he just issued a public challenge to his uncle.
"Why?"
"Skywalker destroyed the Empire. He and his rebellion friends brought us to where we are today. Instead of fixing the Empire, they tore it down and brought back the failed ideas of the fallen Republic. Those ideas didn't work then and they don't work now. It's time to move on."
"So it's true that you are with the First Order?" the woman wants to know.
"Yes."
"You take orders from Leader Snoke?"
"Yes."
"And you want to bring back the Empire?"
"Yes."
"Can you tell us what you and the others are doing here today?" she presses.
Uh oh. Nestor holds his breath. For who knows what Kylo will say next? Hopefully he won't let his sword do the talking and execute this woman on camera. Because that's just the sort of thing immature, inexperienced Kylo might do when put on the spot. And since this is going to be a huge news scoop, that will be a disaster. For all they know, this is a live broadcast.
"Sir—Mr. Ren—" The woman doesn't seem to know what to call him. But she rephrases the question. "What is your goal today? Why are you doing this?"
It's a big question. Maybe THE question for Kylo. But he could also take the easy way out and deflect it with one of his sarcastic, flippant remarks.
"Mr. Ren?"
Kylo turns to the camera and responds gruffly. "We're making the galaxy great again." Then the elevator door opens and they walk out.
"Why do you wear a mask? Where did you get that sword?" The reporter calls rapid-fire questions after them as Kylo ignores her. "How old are you? Did you serve the Empire? Did you know Darth Vader?"
There is no answer.
Watching the holonet replay of that moment later on, Nestor sees what the galaxy sees: Kylo Ren promising to make the galaxy great again. The statement might seem impromptu, but Nestor has heard it before. Still, it's authentic Kylo. It's a bitter sneer with an edge. It's also a statement of purpose with an underpinning of determination. And mixed in there is some hopeful optimism. It's not meant to be a quippy tagline, but it instantly becomes one.
Snoke loves it.
And that's when it dawns on Nestor that the Apprentice is the cause and the cause is the Apprentice. For the rise of Kylo Ren, the ascent of the First Order, and the esoteric, metaphysical cause of Darkness are all one and the same. The person, the politics, and the power are interchangeable. When he ventures to ask Kylo about it, his boss merely shrugs. "I'm a Skywalker," is his answer.
