Zer0: (Staring at the large roadmap) Well…...they're certainly ambitious.
Bio: I'm both curious and concerned.
Zer0: Well, moving on…..Here we are, Bio. At the end of the story. All of our hard work has led to this moment. Merry Late Christmas everyone, we've meant to publish this on the twenty fourth, but we couldn't finish it for other reasons.
Bio: All the late nights, the memes, the gut-splitting laughter sessions. And of course, the constant back and forth on various stuff about Star Wars.
Zer0: Every choice we've made, has led to this moment….Okay, references aside, HELLO everyone! We are back for the finale of Episode VII, the conclusion to the first episode and the beginning of the series. About a year ago, we started this adventure, and now it is time to finish it. Granted, we should make the updates quicker, but life pulls us away. With that out of the way, let's get into the responses.
MartintheDragon: Thanks, my guy. Glad you enjoyed the story, and the characters as well. Yeah, Bio and I work real hard to make sure every character serves a purpose in the story, even shitty ones like Holdo. Yeah, we admit we may have too many characters. Don't worry (Pulls out a bucket with 'Game of Thrones' on the title) we've got a plan.
Bio: Have some faith.
Zer0: Yeah, the dialogue was Bio's favorite part, mine was the action (Which I wrote), glad we didn't confuse you. Admittedly I don't know if George would be proud, I would surely hope so. Next you're gonna say 'What are you talking about?' HAHA…...That was a reference. Yes I have seen the anime and manga. Enjoy the finale.
Gwb620: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it. Bio wrote the line between Kylo and Rhasar.
Spiral-Voltron-Zero0Q1: Thanks, man.
Super Comrade: Thank you. I'm glad you enjoy it, Bio and I write these so not only we enjoy them, but so can you.
Canadiangunner11: Yes. Rhasar is quite as they say in Star Wars, down in the trash compactor (Nobody says that), but at least he went out like a champ. Yes, something is about to go down. Yes, Han is alive and we will explain that later down the line. IG will always defy expectation.
CcCyrus: Damn, why you hit me like that. DX. Jokes aside, yes that was the point, my character being a coward, I can't make them all like Luke (At least in some character troupe) or cold cynical people like the two we already have. Yes, if we simplify it like that, he didn't fight because he was scared of a laser sword, lol.
WhiteWolf65: Nice.
Bodeyount: Well…...I wasn't expecting that sort of review. Lol, thanks.
SupremeSongLeader: Huzzah! Thanks man, I'm really glad you are enjoying this story, glad everyone is. Hey, if you have a problem just say it, we gladly take criticism. Yeah space battles aren't gonna be my strong suit, once I get back into reading the Starfighter books, and even play Squadron, hopefully they will get better. Don't worry, Holdo will serve her part, you'll definitely like it. It's okay, I don't think Tico is bad, I just don't think they used her right, or with the right person (Finn, the child soldier, is being lectured on what is bad. Lol). Sure man, I'm totally here what you got planned.
Alright, I believe that is all I have to say, we will let you guys get on with the finale.
Disclaimer: We don't own Star Wars, yada yada, we own no money, we broke af, only the OC, yada, it belongs to George, Disney Shills, yada yada.
Zer0: I did my best guys, I swear. Alright, ladies and Gents: Star Wars.
WARNING: Go back and read the last chapter, otherwise you will be confused. You will see the reason at the bottom.
(D'Qar)
"Senator Solo, the oscillator is damaged," Ackbar stated, seeing the hologram of the oscillator beep red.
"They did it." Leia whispered. She wanted to be so happy, but why did she feel a dark cold feeling in her chest.
"Admiral, their weapon will fire in two minutes." An officer stated, but it was on deaf ears. She felt it, a storm was approaching, she felt something was going to happen on Starkiller. She reached into her vest and pulled out a small holopad, it showed a picture: Luke, Mara, and her family.
"Ben…...J-!"
"Contact Dameron and tell him to hit the oscillator with everything they got!" Ackbar ordered, bringing Leia back to reality. She looked back at her picture, hoping that they would all come back.
(Starkiller Base)
"Come on!" Han yelled out, the sky had darkened and night took the frozen land. The group ran through a forestline and entered, crawling over a broken tree trunk. Damien helped Rey over a hill and helped her to her feet, before quickly catching up to the others.
"The Falcon is this way." IG stated as they ran through the forest, hoping to get as far away as possible. Damien kept running and running, until he felt it once again: The Darkness. The cold, it was unnerving. Rey stopped in her tracks, seeing Damien stopped, as did the others seeing the boy just standing there. He looked like he had seen a monster, an all too familiar one.
"Damien, we gotta go!" Rhasar said.
"He's…..he's here." Damien said out loud, slowly walking past Rhasar and the others.
"That's impossible! How could he already be here?!" Arthon asked. Damien ignored his question, he knew Kylo was here. He couldn't see him, but he sensed him. Damien took point as he slowly walked through the snow, the group slowly following behind as Rhasar and Finn reached for their weapons.
And there he was.
Had they not stopped and kept scanning, they would have ran right into him. His figure in the distance was dark, his robes hidden him among the shadows, like a phantom. Damien slowly stepped forward, the others right behind him as they stood across from Kylo, his robes flickering against the cold wind. Damien was taking deep breaths, the frost reddened his hands as he tightened at the sight of the dark lord.
"Going somewhere?" He asked.
"It's...it's over, Ren." Damien gasped. He knew he couldn't beat Ren, but he also knew it was inevitable. He stretched his hand out towards the oscillator. "The Resistance is going to destroy Starkiller, you've lost."
"So quick to assume victory…..you never did learn from it." Kylo said.
"You go on like you know me, we may have been students of Luke, but you don't truly know me." Damien said, anger seething through his teeth as he glared at Ren. Ren said nothing, slowly looking at Han, who seemed just as regretful as he did that night.
"So you never told him." He gave a humorless chuckle. "So like you to keep the truth from others." He said.
"Ben." Han whispered.
"Surely mother suspected. But you no doubt denied it. Can't face the truth when it's staring you in the face, can you, father?" He asked. Damien looked between the two, something was going on, and it had something to do with him, but why?
"Why are we even listening to this nutcase?!" Rhasar asked. "This base will soon be coming apart, we gotta get out of here!" He said. No sooner did he say that, Kylo reached for his lightsaber, the red blade coming to life. It melted the snow as Ren slowly traced it back and forth, almost hypnotically.
"None of you will escape this base alive." He said. Rhasar reached for his blaster, Finn pulled out the stun baton, Arthon growled and took a pouncing position, IG merely put his fist up, Rey held onto her staff tightly, Chewie growled, and Han reached for his blaster but did not pull it out.
"Wait!" Damien cried, standing between the two sides.
"Damien, get back!" Rhasar said.
"No! No I won't." Damien muttered, slowly turning to Ren. He knew it was hopeless, he had seen the power of Ren, and knew it was too much. He couldn't risk it, he couldn't let them get hurt. Rhasar's broken helmet flashed in his mind, and he couldn't take that chance. "Will…..will you spare them, if I come with you?"
"What?!" Rey cried, reaching over Rhasar's shoulder. "Damien, don't!"
"I will surrender, if you just let them leave." Damien whispered, loud enough so Kylo could hear him.
"You would throw your own life away to save theirs?" Kylo asked.
"Yes." Damien answered.
"NO!" Rey cried out, she risked everything to save Damien, she wasn't gonna lose him again. She reached for the blaster, safety off, and aimed it at Kylo.
"Rey, no!" But the plea fell on deaf ears, with a simple gesture from Kylo, Damien watched helplessly as Rey was sent flying across the forest line and into a tree. Rey fell to the ground, and did not get back up.
"REY!" Damien cried, running past Rhasar and towards the downed scavenger.
(Play Attack on Titan Season 2 OST: YOUSEEBIGGIRL/T:T)
Chewie roared and raised his bowcaster, with Finn and Rhasar raising their blasters as well to fire at Kylo. To their shock, and with a simple hand raise, all bolts stopped mid air. Their blasters left their hands and floated into the air before being crushed.
"Clumsy. Random. You put your safety in the hands of such weapons?" He asked mockingly. With his release, the bolts went flying towards the others, the group jumping at the last second avoiding the bolts. Finn quickly regained his footing and ran towards Kylo, swinging the baton, but the dark lord casually blocked it with his blade, sparks flying from the collision.
"The turncoat...Phasma's prized pupil. And the first choice you make for yourself is to ally with a band of fools." He said.
"Better them than the boots of a dogmatic order that sees us as expendable." Finn gritted. Finn made the first charge swinging at the dark lord, but Kylo easily blocked the attack. Kylo swung at Finn but Finn dodged the attack and made for swing at the man's ribs. Kylo growled in pain as the stun baton slammed into his side, but his eyes narrowed at Finn, grabbing the baton and catching Finn off balance. Kylo raised his blade high ready to kill the traitor, only for something to tightly wrap around his arm. Looking back he saw the Mandalorian's fiber cord wrapped around his arm. Rhasar pulled and forced Kylo to the ground, Finn quickly picking himself up and reaching for his stun baton.
Finn lifted the baton and swung at Kylo, only for the dark lord to stop it, his hand in front of him and the baton inches from it. Finn felt his feet leave the ground as he was suspended in mid air, Kylo standing back up and force pulling his lightsaber into his hand. He turned to Finn and once again prepared to end his life, however the clanking of feet stopped him, turning around only to be met with a robotic chest slamming into him and knocking the wind out of him. IG held onto Kylo, forcing him to let go of Finn, and slammed him through a tree. The thick tree broke and splintered from the collision but IG kept running, his optics set on the large boulder. Kylo growled in pain as he was smashed through a boulder, the rock exploded and sent rubble everywhere. IG slipped on a rock and slammed into the ground, his hold over Kylo lessoned.
Kylo growled in pain, pushing the droid off him and jumping back on his feet. He reached out to the droid and was about to end its line, when a loud roar echoed across the forest. Kylo turned around to see the Trandoshan swinging a broken piece of a tree towards him, roaring once more. Kylo felt his feet leave the ground as he was sent flying from the force, several trees exploded and shattered as he was sent through them, sliding across the snow. Kylo growled as he forced himself back on his feet, only to look up as a torrent of flame came his way, covering his upper half. Rhasar aimed his flamethrower at the dark lord, hoping to burn him for all that he has done. Once the flames died, the smoke and mist from the snow covered the area that Kylo stood in. Rhasar took a sigh of relief, only to feel an invisible force send him flying, but at the last second, used his fiber cord to stop his flight. Landing back on the snow, he watched in shock as Kylo walked out of the mist and smoke, unharmed.
IG quickly grabbed a boulder bigger than him and threw it with all his might. Kylo lifted his hand and stopped the boulder mid flight, with a gesture the boulder broke into smaller dagger-like rocks and turned them to face the others. The group ducked and covered as the rocks sliced through the trees and missed them by inches. Kylo walked towards them, his eyes set on Damien, the others were pointless, when he heard footsteps behind him. Side stepping a swing, he backhanded Finn, the rogue stormtrooper surprised by how much force was behind it, before staying his ground. Quickly thinking, he kicked some snow up and into Kylo's mask, making the dark lord growl from his visor being smothered. Finn swung the baton into Kylo's side, knocking Ren back against a tree. Han and Chewie stood there from the side, watching in shock as the group tried their best against Kylo.
"When those villagers died on Jakku, you didn't care! You care for nothing but power! You're just another mad despot! A rabid dog like the First Order!" Finn said, swinging at Kylo with each word. Each blow was hopefully a bone broken, he heard a snap or two, as he kept slamming the dark lord with his weapon. He brought the baton overhead, swinging it down at the mad despot, only for his anger to become shock and disbelief. Kylo, with a single hand, stopped the incoming blow, his visor clear and staring right at Finn.
"And what did you do?" He asked. "You did nothing to prevent the death of those villagers, and you ran away. You're a traitor and a coward! You have no room to judge me!" He said, before throwing his hand forward. Finn grunted at the left hook, his grip on his baton loosened and he fell into the snow. He rubbed his jaw in pain, looking up as Kylo stared down at him.
CRUNCH
Finn's eyes widened as Kylo crushed the baton, the pieces falling from his grasp and right in front of Finn. Finn glared up at Kylo, quickly standing back up and throwing a right hook, only for it to be caught. Kylo gripped Finn's fist with immense strength, and Finn felt his bones break, forcing him to his knees.
"Predictable, and pathetic." Kylo said. He pulled his fist back, ready to knock or even kill Finn, when something cold and metallic grabbed his foot. He was once again lifted into the air by IG, the droid easily pulling Kylo like a ragdoll, slamming onto the ground, the dirt breaking apart. Kylo grunted in pain as IG kept swinging him around before throwing him across the treelines. Kylo quickly regained his footing and slammed his feet against a tree, before jumping back to the ground. IG stood in front of Finn.
"I am designed to protect flesh bags my creator deems friendly, and you are hurting them." IG stated, charging at Kylo and swinging his fist. He stopped mid swing, inches from Kylo's mask as the dark lord let out a cold chuckle. Kylo lifted IG into the air, IG let out a strange whine as his metal was bent and broken, sparks flew out of his systems as his body was being crushed.
"ERRO-R! ERRORZZZERROR!" IG systemed cried out as every part of him was being crushed by the dark lord. Kylo said nothing as he reared his hand back and threw the mangled remains of IG at Han and Chewie. Chewie let out an angry roar, only to be stopped by Han.
"Get the droid, and get back to the Falcon. We'll be right behind you." Han assured Chewie gave him a small whine, before reluctantly agreeing. Chewie handed Han his bowcaster, a small growl for his safety, Han taking it. Chewie grabbed IG, whose optics blinked on and off, before quickly making his way towards the Falcon. Kylo watched Chewie leave, before his attention turned to Damien, but before he could take another step, Han stood before him.
"I'm not gonna let you hurt the kid, Ben." Han said, reaching for his blaster and aiming it at Kylo.
"That man is gone. Attempting to call me that achieves nothing." Kylo said. Kylo took another step, only to hear the click of Han's blaster. "We both know you can't do it." He said. Han gritted his teeth in anger, his blaster trained on Kylo, before slowly lowering it. Kylo walked towards Han, bumping his shoulder against his father and walking towards Damien.
"I will complete my mission, Solo. I will take him, and find Lu-ARGH!" Kylo cried in pain as a bolt blasted through his leg. Kylo went to his knee, turning around and staring at his father, Han couldn't see it but he could feel the hatred seeth through Kylo. He also felt it, he felt the betrayal, and who could blame him.
"I won't kill you, Ben. But I'm not gonna let you hurt that kid, and I won't let you find Luke." Han said, shooting once again and hitting Kylo in the side, the dark lord growled in pain. Kylo clenched his fist, before taking a deep breath, and slowly standing back up. Han stared in shock before his blaster was pulled from his hands and into Kylo, crushed in his grip.
"For once, you actually surprised me." He growled. He was about to turn around and face Damien, only for a roar to echo across the trees. He looked over his shoulder, seeing the Trandoshan pouncing at him. Kylo grunted in pain as he smashed through a tree, Arthon grabbing him and throwing a fist into Kylo's mask. Kylo's head was swung back and forth from each blow, he felt something snap and saw a crack on his visor. He dodged an attack and unleashed a blast of the force, only for Arthon to jump out of the way, jumping off a tree and lunging at Kylo.
"RRRRRRRRAAAAAHHHHHH!" Arthon roared as he opened his jaw and snapped it around Kylo's head before jerking his head back, ripping off a piece of Kylo's helmet, exposing one of his eyes. Kylo's exposed eye widened in shock, his hand reaching for his missing piece, as Arthon spat it out and snarled at Kylo. He threw a right hook followed by a left, grabbing Kylo and slamming him against the ground. He raised both his fist and slammed them on Kylo's back, breaking the ground around them. Arthon gasped and panted as he stood back up, Kylo's body unmoving, before raising his fists and swinging to smash Kylo's head. His rage came to a mild stop as Kylo hands stopped the attack mid swing, a small shockwave blowing the snow around them. Arthon could see with the sole eye of Kylo's glaring right back at him, only to be knocked off balance as Kylo easily pushed his hands aside.
Arthon went for another swing, only to be stopped by Kylo's fist, and followed by a powerful blow to his gut from Kylo. Arthon tried to throw another swing only for Kylo to block it and jab his arm, the feeling from his arm disappeared as it went limp. Kylo ducked under Arthon's swing and punched him in the ribs, with force amplification, he snapped two ribs. Arthon tried to swing with his remaining arm, but Kylo easily parried and started beating down on Arthon. Kylo did not give Arthon time to recover, sending blows to his gut, and straight into his snout. He threw a fist into Arthon's face, making Arthon cough out blood and sending him into a tree cracking it a bit. Arthon snarled and tried to throw one last throw, only for Kylo to grab that fist and pull Arthon towards his knee. Arthon cried in pain from the blow, blood splattering his face, before he was pulled towards Kylo and was pulled into the air.
"RRRAAH!" Kylo roared, lifting Arthon over his shoulders, before slamming him into a boulder and shattering it. Kylo waited, listening to the Trandoshans painful snarls, before a tree branch was slammed against his back. Looking towards his right, he saw Finn's face of shock, before he was thrown with the Force into a tree and knocked unconscious. He looked at Han, the old man just staring at him in shock and fear, but Kylo ignored him as he turned his attention to Damien. With a wave of his hand, his lightsaber flew from the snow it was stuck in and back into his hand as he started walking towards him. Damien, his focus was all on Rey, held her in his lap as he tried to wake her up.
"Rey, Rey come on. Wake up, you gotta get back up." Damien whispered, he paid no mind to all that was around him, his focus was on Rey. He patted her cheek, trying his best to wake her limp form. His attention was brought back to reality to the crackling ignition of a lightsaber. He didn't need to turn around, he knew exactly who was behind him.
"It's time to accept your destiny, Damien! Time you accept who you are!" Kylo roared. "Stop being a coward!"
That was it, that was the last straw. Damien gritted his teeth, reaching for Rey's staff, and standing up to face Kylo. Damien let out a battle cry and charged at Kylo, swinging the staff, and even struck Kylo in the leg. Kylo growled, having enough of this, and with a simple swing sliced Rey's staff in half. Damien stared in disbelief, only to be blasted from the force and sent flying into the snow. Kylo let out an annoyed sigh, taking a single step towards Damien.
BZZ
Kylo's eyes widened, was he being deceived? Was this a trick? It seemed not, turning to come face to face with the Mandalorian, and in his hands was one of the last things he sought out: His Lightsaber.
"Get the hell away from him." Rhasar growled. Kylo ignored Rhasar, his focus on that lightsaber, how long it has been since he'd seen it. It was not his originally, as it was given to another, but it was his by birthright. He was disgusted, one of the most powerful weapons in the galaxy, in the hands of this mongrel. He felt it's cry, how it cried out for the ones who could properly use it. The blade even flared like his, as it was not meant to be held by those that could not use the Force.
"That Lightsaber...it does not belong to you." He growled.
"What're you gonna do about it, huh?" Rhasar asked, his grip tightening on the blade. Kylo spun his blade in his grip, mockingly challenging Rhasar. Rhasar growled before charging at the dark lord, Kylo swinging his blade. The forest lit up as red and blue lit the forest line, sparks flew and melted the snow. Rhasar swung the blade and parried Kylo's swings, keeping his ground as they danced around each other. He swung for Kylo's mid section, only to be blocked casually by Kylo's blade. Rhasar took a step back as Kylo swung overhead, but Rhasar blocked it with the lightsaber, grunting as he nearly slipped in the snow.
"It is useless to resist." Kylo said, twirling his saber.
"I don't fear you." Rhasar gritted his teeth behind his helmet.
"Then you will die braver than most." Kylo said. Kylo blasted Rhasar with the Force sending him flying back. Rhasar quickly fired his fiber cord and latched onto a tree, pulling himself towards it, and hanging onto it's edge. He looked down but saw no sign of Kylo, only to hear the blade above him. He ducked at the last second as Kylo's blade sliced through the tree like it was nothing, both falling to the ground. Rhasar turned back to face Kylo and swung at the dark lord, but was stopped mid-swing, Kylo holding him back effortlessly. Kylo pulled Rhasar's foot making him slip in the snow before swinging. Rhasar quickly ducked under the swing, the blade grazing his shoulder plate. He threw his foot forward and into Kylo's ribs where Han shot him, Kylo growled in pain before being kicked in the face, staggering from the blow. Rhasar quickly got back up and swung at Kylo, but Kylo felt the force and took a step back, but because of the pain and his temporary blindness he wasn't far enough and roared as the blade slashed across his shoulder.
Kylo fell to his knees, but quickly got back up and blocked Rhasar coming swing, only to growl as Rhasar used a free hand and punched him where his injury was. Blood painted the snow beneath him, but Rhasar could only watch in utter shock as Kylo kept standing. Kylo swung again, this time the force was too great for Rhasar and he growled in pain as the saber slashed across his chest, thankfully the beskar took the full force, save for his arm as it slashed over his right shoulder. Rhasar quickly kept his distance while Kylo persisted in his charge, his sole eye glaring at the Mando. He used the force to send several rocks towards Rhasar who merely jumped out of the way, quickly activating his fiber cord and firing at Kylo. Kylo felt his body be tied together, feeling completely helpless, while Rhasar reached for his saber and swung. Kylo used the guard blades of his lightsaber to burn the bottom of the cord and it soon loosened, blocking the upcoming slash. Their blades were held into a lock, the two glaring at each other, the snow around them melted from the intense heat and for a second Rhasar could have sworn electricity sparked around Kylo.
Kylo roared in anger as he pushed Rhasar's blade down and used the force to blast him into the air. Rhasar quickly activated his flamethrower and spewed a torrent of fire at the dark lord, the Mando rolling to his feet. He tried to stand victoriously only to roar in pain as his right gauntlet suddenly became tighter, looking down he saw it started to crinkle and break. Kylo held his arm out as he intended to break Rhasar's arm. Rhasar quickly unlocked his gauntlet and threw it at Kylo before charging at him, his cloak fluttered behind him before jumping in the air and swinging at Kylo. Kylo blocked the blow and two were at it again, but deep down Rhasar knew it was pointless. After all they had done, what could this do now? Despite it, he couldn't give up, he wasn't gonna let this monster get Damien, or Rey, or Karine, or anyone.
"RRRRAAAAAHHHHHH!" Both warriors cried out as they swung their blades, sparks flying from their blows. Rhasar let one hand free and swung a fist at Kylo, his fist hitting a tree, before he was kicked away by Kylo. Rhasar rolled across the snow, the frost melting on impact as Kylo glared at Rhasar.
"Why do you persist? This has nothing to do with you! This is between me and him!" Kylo said, gesturing to Damien, Rhasar merely smirked behind his helmet.
"What can I say? I'm a Mandalorian. Fighting is part of my religion." Kylo glared at Rhasar, his sole eye narrowed at him. He really hated that answer, pointing his lightsaber at the warrior.
"Regardless, I won't let anyone stop me."
"I don't know, I seem to be doing well so far." Rhasar said. Kylo raised an eyebrow, before he heard beeping behind him, turning around to see a bomb planted on the tree, placed from his earlier punch he had thrown at the end.
KABOOM
The tree exploded, the flame going up like a pillar, as Kylo was consumed by the flames as Damien and even Han shielded their eyes from the massive explosion. Once the explosion settled down, Rhasar stood back up and dusted himself off, looking over at Damien. Before he could take a step forward, he heard the snow shift from the smoke, his eyes widened as a hand shot out and grabbed his helmet.
"GRAAAHH!" Kylo roared as he shot out of the smoke, hand firmly holding onto Rhasar's helmet. Rhasar saw that Kylo was barely affected by the flame, but he saw in Kylo's other hand was a ball of flame. It was to his understanding now that Kylo must have absorbed the full force of the explosion around him and protected himself. But it seemed he did some damage as Kylo's mask was even more damaged, revealing his upper half, his eyes glaring into Rhasar's very soul. Rhasar felt his helmet bend and crunch and before he knew it cracks started to appear as Kylo started breaking the beskar steel.
Kylo snarled, tossing what remained of the explosion like ash, throwing his fist with so much force and shattered the right side of Rhasar's helmet. Kylo did not stop, he continued his savage beatdown as he held Rhasar down by his shoulders and punched him. Rhasar's head bounced back and forth like a training dummy, his visor shattered and glass went flying. Kylo teared off the remains of Rhasar's helmet and tossed it aside, continuing his pummeling. Kylo stood back up, staring at the bruised and bloody Mandalorian. He reached for his own mask and saw how truly damaged it was, gripping the mask and ripping off what remained and tossing it aside. Kylo turned back to Damien, who was getting his bearings from the explosion, and slowly made his way towards him with his lightsaber in hand.
"Don't you turn your back on me! We're not finished yet!" Rhasar screamed, reigniting his saber, and spitting blood from his mouth. Kylo stopped in his tracks, turning back to face Rhasar, and igniting his lightsaber. The two stared at each other, snow melted from their blades, Rhasar glared at Kylo, but the dark lord now had a stoic look on his face.
"Yes. We are." Kylo stated. Rhasar hated that, how dare this despot treat him like a joke now, after all he did.
"RRRAAAAHHH!" Rhasar roared as he charged at Kylo. Kylo followed suit digging into the snow and charged at the Mandalorian. Damien finally pulled himself from the snow, wiping his face of dirt and ice, when his boot hit something. He looked down and his eyes widened at what laid before him: Rhasar's helmet, Rey's broken staff. He started gasping, feeling that cold feeling in his chest, it was happening. He heard a roar of anger and looked to see Rhasar and Kylo charge at each other. He tried to cry out, reach out and stop them but he felt helpless as Rhasar and Kylo swung, blades clashed and lit the forest up. It was like a dance of blades as well as a visceral display of barbarism. Rhasar gritted his teeth as he swung and parried, but he saw how calm Kylo was now, and the winner was decided before the battle even began. Damien tried to cry, his eyes were red from the cold, his feet frozen from helplessness as the two fought until finally it was over before he could even blink.
He had won.
In one swing the victor was decided, the two warriors passed each other, blades burning the ground beneath them. Rhasar panted for breath as he felt very cold now, after so much fighting the adrenaline was still kicking. His armor was all but destroyed. Too many hits from Kylo's lightsaber eventually wore on the armor and tore it to pieces. Rhasar still stood though, he wouldn't give Kylo that victory, it wasn't until he realized he felt that the lightsaber wasn't in his arm.
"RHASAR!" Damien cried, the Mandalorian slowly looked over his right to look at the lightsaber, only to find nothing was there: No limb, no lightsaber. The wound was already cauterized thanks to Kylo's saber, and there he saw on the ground was his right arm, twitching from the severing from his right shoulder. Rhasar started panting for air as he slowly reached for his right side, feeling the cauterized wound, and that's when the pain hit like a starfreighter.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!" Rhasar roared to the sky, falling to his knees as he held the wound, gritting his teeth. Tears spilled down his cheeks, while Han and Damien could only watch in shock, as Kylo turned back to Rhasar. The dark lord made his way towards the Mandalorian, the tip of his blade singed the ground. He lifted his blade overhead, swinging down to end the Mandalorians life. However, to Kylo's own shock, Rhasar turned to face Kylo and caught his blade with his one remaining hand.
Kylo stared at Rhasar in utter disbelief, despite all that had been done, watching the tears run down Rhasar's face but kept his glare on the dark lord, his final act of defiance. Kylo was shocked, but that shock was turned to annoyance as he pulled his blade away. Rhasar growled as he made a reach for the lightsaber in his limb only to be pushed with a simple kick from Kylo's boot. He pulled the lightsaber free and tried to swing at Kylo, but the dark wielder casually blocked and knocked the lightsaber out of Rhasar's hand, sending it flying. Rhasar glared at Kylo defiantly, only to feel the pain and lack of adrenaline overtake him, his eyes fluttered before rolling to the back of his head as he collapsed onto the snow. Kylo stood there, the only sound was his breathing, as Damien stared at him. Kylo deactivated his lightsaber and looked around, scanning the forest line until his eyes landed on it, as did Damien's.
The Lightsaber.
Kylo finally had it, one of the few things that he was destined to have, and it will now be in his grasp. Holstering his saber he reached out, using the force to call out towards the blade, and pulling it towards him. The blade remained stabbed into the snow, as if defying his call, he gritted his teeth as he pulled again, this time destroyed the snow around it. The lightsaber wiggled for a few seconds, before finally being released from the dirt and spinning towards Kylo. At long last, it was his, it had chosen him.
FWOOM
(Play Star Wars: The Force Theme EPIC CINEMATIC by Samuel Kim)
Kylo's eyes widened as the saber flew past his cheek, turning at the last second to find who had caught it: Damien. Damien didn't know why he did it, it was purely instinct he guessed, but no sooner did he do that he felt the hell that this blade had been through. He heard their screams, their cries, and now a new voice joined: Rhasar's. Damien groaned in pain as the lightsaber felt heavy in his hand, Kylo watched in utter shock as Damien held what was rightfully his. Damien clutched his head, feeling the cold within him, until he heard it. Across the galaxy, Leia had sensed it, his pain. She closed her eyes and whispered, to him, too the Force.
"Stop fighting, Damien. Let it flow through you. It is time."
Damien's eyes widened, hearing the voice of Leia echo in his mind, soothing the pain. He looked at the lightsaber, it has been calling him since he arrived on D'Qar, and now it has heard him again. He took a deep calming breath of air, closed his eyes and focused. He felt the force flow around him, his body was like a force field, , the Force tried to to flow through him all this time. He didn't understand what Leia meant until this moment, he may have been able to use the Force, but to understand it was another situation. Damien took a deep breath, until finally, he opened up.
The Force.
He felt it flow through him, like a flood pouring through him, and for the first time in a long time he felt at peace with the force. He sensed fear, all across the planet and further beyond as everyone waited for the inevitable end. He felt the life force of worlds, of every being, and in all of it he sensed that Rhasar was still alive. Barely. He felt Rey presence, and it was much like his. The pain in his head was gone, his body felt as one with the saber, Damien pulling one foot back and a thumb reaching over to the lightsaber.
BZZ
Kylo's eyes narrowed as the lightsaber came to life, and unlike when Rhasar held it, the blade was smooth and calm. This infuriated Kylo, reaching for his own blade as it cackled to life and lit the forest in red and blue. Damien took a defensive stance, Kylo pulled one foot back and held his blade forward as the two stared at each other. Han realized that this was it, this fight was destined to happen, and it has come. Both wielders stood across from each other, the force flowed around them like a hurricane, the blades hummed as the two were silent. Damien narrowed his eyes at Kylo, before both took their first step to battle, a battle that will now decide the fate of the galaxy forever.
A battle that will define their fate.
(Starkiller Base)
KABOOM
Karine grunted as the ship rocked back and forth from the sudden explosion, a nearby X-Wing going down in flames and scrap metal after being shot down, before regaining control and steadying her ship.
"We just lost R-1, Poe." Karine said, her monitor was flashing red as TIE fighters flew around her like black meteorites. About half of their fleet was already gone, and they were losing more by the minute. She saw how some of the fighters tried to gain a higher elevation for another run but were easily shot down by a passing squad of fighters.
"Poe, what do we do?" Karine asked, shooting down a TIE fighter. Poe, blasting down three TIE's, flew beside the Twi'lek as he scouted the battlefield around them. The TIE's were still flying around their ships like a cloud of metal and bolts. If they didn't take out their oscillator in time, the large chasm seem to be emanating red energy, D'Qar and the Resistance would be destroyed.
Poe started firing at several TIE fighters, taking down three and flew under one, blasting one more in the process. Karine flew behind him and shot down a few of them. The two tried to stick together but they realized their numbers were shrinking, seeing two X-Wings being shot down. Karine scanned the area, until her eyes landed on the oscillator, her eyes widening in shock.
"Poe, look!" Karine's voice yelled over the comm, Poe looked over. BB whistled excitedly, seeing that a large hole was burned within the side of the oscillator. "We got ourselves an opening….but ho….Rhasar and the others." Karine muttered.
"Looks like the others got us an opening, let's not waste it." Poe said. "Red Four, Red Six, cover us."
"I'm on it." A pilot said.
"Roger."
"Karine, stick with me. Everybody else, hit the target with everything you got." Poe commanded.
"Roger that." Karine said, following after Poe as several X-Wings followed behind them. What remained of the fighters flew down towards the oscillator, TIE fighters and land turrets firing at them. Karine knew this was it, the final run on the oscillator, it was all or nothing.
(Starkiller Base)
(Play STAR WARS: Battle of Heroes x Duel of the Fates EPIC POWERFUL MIX by Samuel Kim)
The entire forest lit up, rays of blue and red light reflected off the snow, and trees were leveled from the swings. Damien ducked under a swing from Kylo, swinging the saber at the dark lord, only to be knocked back from a force blast. Damien skated across the snow, before coming to a stop, he pushed off the ground closing the distance and swinging at Kylo. The dark lord blocked the blow and pushed Damien off him. Kylo swung wildly, slicing through a tree, but Damien took a step back and pushed his hand forward. Kylo felt his body go flying, slamming through a tree, grunting as his body slammed into a cliffside.
Han watched in awe and shock, seeing the dark lord and the smuggler face off, and was surprised that Damien was holding his ground. Granted, the others had wounded Kylo to a great degree, but seeing Damien hold that saber like a natural Jedi was something to behold. A memory flashed in his mind, a young Luke wielding his green lightsaber, before changing to a boy in Jedi robes. Han couldn't believe it, but it was true after all this time. He was it.
Damien took a deep breath of relief, his body felt cold and hot at the same time, the Force flowed through him like a stream. He had to admit it was a refreshing feeling compared to the cold he experienced in the cell. He looked down at the lightsaber, a weapon of the Jedi, a weapon that could defeat Kylo. He looked over at Rhasar's unconscious body, a wave of guilt flowed around him, realizing had he taken the lightsaber before, maybe Rhasar and the others couldn't have gotten hurt. Damien heard an angered growl, and flicked his hand, slicing a boulder in half as it flew past him.
"You can feel it, can't you?" Kylo asked. "Wielding a power you haven't grasped in a long time. Not the mere flickers you once experienced...but TRUE POWER." He said. Damien watched as Kylo floated back to the ground, his red blade melting the snow on contact.
"The only 'true' power I see you use is that of the dark side, nothing more and nothing less." Damien countered, pointing the blue saber at the dark lord.
"So sure of that, are you?" Kylo asked. "Do you see any sign of that? The Dark Side may be powerful, but at its core, it is a weakness. It degrades you, weakens you to humiliating levels. The Sith were obsessed with preserving their lives, and in doing so, it cost such a price in return." He said, raising his saber to illuminate his face. "Do you see such a price from me? I will not be a slave to such weakness!" He said. Damien narrowed his eyes, he will admit he remembered very little of the Sith, but he knew that cold feeling, the same feeling Kylo radiated. However, it was also great power he radiated, power beyond star fleets, beyond Jedi of old, beyond Sith, beyond anything he has ever felt.
"That saber tells another story." Damien said, gesturing to the crimson blade. "It tells me the lives you've taken: Jedi, Padawan's, innocent people, it was you that night on Jakku. I felt the death of a village, and you were there. Just as you were that night, when you slaughtered every single one of Luke's Padawan's and Jedi. But…..why…. Why me?" Damien asked, taking a single step to the side, blade pointing at Kylo. Kylo took a step and the two moved in a circular war, Kylo's blade leaving a trail on the ground. "All this time I wanted to know about my past, and so far the only key to it is this saber….and you. Why must it be that way?" Damien asked.
"Perhaps you'll find out soon enough." Kylo said. "Or perhaps I'll finish what I began years ago." He said, twirling his saber. Damien narrowed his eyes, before taking a defensive position, as Kylo charged. The two danced across the snow with elegance, Damien watched every move Kylo made, and blocked each attack. He felt years of training that kick in instinctively, the force enhancing his body so his blade moved like a wave of light. Damien couldn't explain it, he felt at one with both the lightsaber and the Force, but would that be enough to stop Ren?
"Impressive." Kylo mused. "Most impressive. You have quite the talent...but talent without training is NOTHING." He said. He kicked Damien and with the Force enhancing him, sent Damien flying, but Damien quickly recovered and landed back on his feet. The smuggler lifted his hand up and lifted several trees and boulders, sending them flying towards Kylo. The dark lord jumped into the air running across a tree, slicing through the boulders, and deflected any projectiles before landing back on his feet in front of Damien. He swung the blade but Kylo casually deflected it, pushing Damien back who quickly tried to keep his guard as Kylo pushed him back. Sparks flew from their respective lightsabers digging into the rocks and melting right through them. Damien saw he was being pushed into a corner, deactivating his saber he jumped into the air. Kylo swung his blade, but missed Damien's feet by inches, as Damien rolled across the snow.
Damien quickly gained his balance and reactivated his blade as Kylo made his way up the snow. Damien ducked under a swing, pushing his hand forward and blasting Kylo with the Force. The dark lord flew into the air but twirled his body, planting his feet on a tree, and launched himself towards Damien. In a blink of an eye, Damien jumped at the last second as Kylo destroyed the ground around them. Damien quickly got back up and started running away from the crumbling earth, reaching ground that didn't break apart. Hearing a battle cry, Damien rolled out of the way as a red blade stabbed the snow where he originally was, before swinging at Kylo. Kylo pulled his blade out of the ground, blocking the swing, as Damien tried to roll away from him.
Han gasped for air as he climbed over the small wall, clearly his body was reaching its peak, but he had to keep going. He didn't know what he could do, as of right now two of the most powerful beings on the base were facing off in what he hoped wasn't a battle to the death. Hearing Kylo's snarl, and seeing Damien on the ground, Han's eyes widened seeing Kylo raising his blade. Quickly thinking, and regretting instantly, Han took Chewie's bowcaster and fired at the dark lord. Kylo, who had his blade held high, cried out in pain as a bolt blasted into his left side. Kylo turned around, his eyes narrowing at Han, and for a moment the old man saw the look in his son's eyes. A look he held when he shot him before.
Betrayal.
Han felt guilt and shame coarse through him, here he was taking a gun and wounding his son, but he knew he had to do it, to protect him, to protect both of them. Kylo growled in anger, turning back around only for a swinging saber to slash across his right pec and arm, not enough to kill but it pierced the skin.
"AAARRHHH!" Kylo roared in pain, taking a step back from Damien, letting the smuggler get back up and stand his ground. Kylo glared at Damien with an intense hatred, his eyes flickered red before he pushed his hand out and sent Damien flying with a powerful blast that destroyed the trees around them.
"When I'm done with him, you're next, Solo!" He said, walking where Damien landed.
(Starkiller Base)
Karine fired several rounds into a land turret, taking it out, as the fighters flew towards the destroyed oscillator. She flew right beside Poe, the others right behind them, as a narrow gap that led right to the oscillator was in front of them. They made their way into the narrow canyon, bolts and TIE's flying over their heads. The last of their bombers was shot down, and more X-Wings were to follow. They flew through the area as fast as they could, the oscillator just a few clicks ahead of them.
"I need some help here! I need some cover fire!" Poe commanded, Karine pressing on the trigger and shooting a turret, flying past them. Karine noticed TIE fighters behind them, and realized that they might be all shot down in seconds. She knew that the opening was only big enough for one, and looked at the first in the lead.
"Poe, we need to break off, you get in there and take it out!" Karine said. "We'll keep the rest of the bucketheads off you." Poe looked back at Karine, but knowing they had little time to argue, bit back the thought and nodded his head in agreement.
"Alright, alright. Just be careful."
"Stay alive." Karine shot back.
"Alright, everyone pull up, and cover me!" Poe ordered.
"Cope that, Black Leader." A fighter said, the rest breaking off and firing down several fighters.
"Good luck, Poe." Karine whispered, breaking off from the pilot and flying away. Poe bit his bottom lip, BB giving a whistle of confirmation that he was ready, as the fighter flew towards this final assault.
(Starkiller Base)
"Supreme General, the weapon will be ready to fire in thirty seconds." An officer stated from his console. Hux smirked, the weapon core burning with dark energy, as all around him the sky was lit in specks of flame and metal. This was it, the final moments of the puny Resistance, the last bastion of the New Republic, and the hope of the galaxy. It was time for both a new order, an order much like the Empire but this time will not fall.
"Prepare to fire." Hux ordered. His Vornskr stood at his side, Tierny on his right, Pryde however left for his own cruiser to join the other commanders in reclaiming old allies from the Empire.
"Captain Tierny." Hux stated, the soldier instantly stood at attention.
"General?" Tierny asked.
"Watch." Hux ordered, gesturing to the beam within Starkiller's core get brighter by the second. "Watch as the fruits of our labor come into fruition. As the Resistance fails and the First Order reigns eternal." Tierny nodded her head in understanding, looking out as the weapon was preparing to fighter.
(Starkiller Base)
Poe grinded his teeth, grunting as his ship rocked back and forth from the explosions around him. A TIE fighter was just behind him, and the opening just a click away. He pressed a button and the wings connected, turning his ship sideways. The TIE fighter pulled out as Poe flew right into the oscillator.
"Let's finish BB!" Poe exclaimed, activating his proton missiles and firing. Protons flew from the guns and hit the fuel cells. Poe flew around and kept firing multiple shots, destroying everything around him. Metal melted from the intense heat, BB whistling as shrapnels bounced off his frame, as Poe kept shooting. Everything exploded around him, his cue to leave, and flew towards an opening.
"YAHOO!" Poe exclaimed, raising his fist in victory, his voice reaching the comms. Everyone joined in cheering as the oscillator went up in a ball of flame, while Karine took a sigh of relief. Looking over, she saw the weapon that was hot enough to burn everything around it, disappeared as the chasm started exploding.
"WE DID IT!" Poe exclaimed, Karine cheering in agreement. What remained of the X-Wings flew off into the stratosphere, as TIE fighters tried to fly away, Karine noticed her comm beeping. Confused, Karine pressed the comms, and a Wookiee roared over the line.
"Chewbacca?" Karine asked, shocked to hear the wookiee. "What is wrong, is everyone off the planet?"
"Erro-Karine….." Karine's eyes widened hearing IG's voice, it sounded broken and static.
"IG? IG, what is happening? Where is Rhasar and the others?"
"R-Rhasar, D-Damien…...Starkiller…..R-Ren." IG voice stated, Karine's eyes became mere dots at the realization. Looking back, she saw fire erupted from multiple spots on the planet, and made an instant u-turn.
"Karine?" Poe asked, seeing the X-Wing fly back.
"Poe, Rhasar and the others are still on Starkiller, we have to find them!" Karine said over the comms. Poe looked back at his squad, then back at the deteriorating base, before making a U-turn.
"Everyone, keep going. We have to find the others, and if we don't make it in time…..don't wait on us." Poe commanded. The two flew back towards the planet, looking for any signs of the Falcon or the others.
(Starkiller Base)
"Destruction of Base imminent. Approximately Ten minutes until destruction." A robotic voice stated, over the comms all around Starkiller. Tierny felt the ground around them shake, keeping her feet apart to keep her balance. She saw officers start backing away from their consoles, before turning to General Hux. The Supreme General was quiet, his face remained stoic, but she noticed behind his back that his hands balled in silent anger.
"Captain Tierny." Tierny stood at attention. "Order an evacuation across the base, all escape shuttles, equipment, and soldiers evacuated immediately." Hux ordered, turning around and walking away from the deck, his Vornskr following behind him. "Do not wait for me."
"Yes, Sir." Tierny stated, typing on her console and typing the command for evacuation.
"One more thing." Hux said, turning back to Tierny. "Where is Ren?"
"Cameras last reported him at the oscillator, Sir." Hux nodded his head, rubbing his chin.
"Order Captain Phasma and Commander Pyre a search team to find Ren." Hux ordered, and with that he was gone. Hux ignored the bumbling idiots around him, clearly they were alien to the idea of loss.
He wasn't.
He had lost before, such a time it was humiliating as well. It was a victory for the First Order, but a loss in his book. He had the scars to prove it, and now a much more emotional scar weighed in on him. This was their moment, this was their triumph, and for a single moment Order was returning. But just like that, it was taken away. This defeat will be a wound on him for the rest of his life. Hux made it into the large opened room, the earth around him shook and rocks crumbled around him, but he remained strong and made his approach. Bowing his head, the hologram of Supreme Leader Snoke appeared, his head resting in his hand.
"Supreme Leader, the weapon has been ruptured, we have lost Starkiller Base." Hux stated. Snoke remained silent, looking around as Hux's signal was static and shaking around him.
"And what of Ren?" He asked.
"He failed to capture the prisoner, and the oscillator was destroyed under his watch." Hux said. Snoke hummed in deep thought, the loss of Starkiller was a great one, but they had accomplished their mission in destroying the New Republic main base of operation. The Galaxy will be in disarray, and it was time.
"Evacuate the planet, find Ren and bring him to me." Snoke ordered, Hux nodded his head and started walking away.
"It is time to complete his training, and become a Sith Lord."
(Starkiller Base)
Rey's vision was blurry, snow melted on contact, a groan escaping her throat. She pushed herself up, wincing in pain like a stake stabbing into her lower backside. She rolled onto her chest, nose dipping into the snow. With a loud grunt, she pushed herself onto her knees, she stretched her back trying to pop anything. She climbed to her feet and looked all around her, and once her vision became clear her eyes widened in shock.
Finn knocked unconscious.
Arthon beaten to a pulp.
Her staff broken.
Damien was missing.
Rhasar wa-
"Rhasar?" Rey asked groggily, trying to find any sign of the Mandalorian. She scanned the area until her eyes landed on his cloak fluttering in the distance. Before she could take another step, the earth around her shook, and the ground broke apart. She realized that the Resistance had destroyed the oscillator, and they were still on Starkiller Base. Shakingly making her way towards Rhasar, her eyes widened seeing his broken helmet, before gasping at the sight of Rhasar's missing limb.
"RHASAR!" Rey cried, landing on her knees and shaking the Mandalorian, pulling him on his back. "Rhasar, Rhasar please get up?" She got no response from the Mando, but noticed frost leaving his mouth which indicated he was still breathing. Sighing in relief, she held onto Mando for warmth and support as she felt so tired. Her eyes scanned the snow around them, until she noticed something in the distance. Across the forest, among the tree lines, blue and red lights clashed against each other, she heard the buzzing noise that Kylo's lightsaber made, and realized only one person could be fighting him.
"Damien." Rey whispered, she knew she couldn't do much, but she felt pain and great power emanating from the area. She had to help, somehow. Looking to her right, she saw what remained of her staff, grabbing one end like a club, she started making her way towards the fight. She lost him once, she wasn't willing to lose him again.
(Starkiller Base)
Damien rolled across the snow, lightsaber deactivated, grunting in pain before rolling off the cliff and landing in the snow. Damien groaned in pain, but pulled himself back up and scanned the area around him. The ground beneath him shook, and nearby a mountain crumbled. He knew that they did it, the Resistance won, and Starkiller would be destroyed. Hearing the sound of a lightsaber activated, Damien turned around to see Kylo float to the ground in front of him, reaching for his lightsaber and activating it. As he looked around, he knew that in the end the Resistance had won, and Kylo lost.
"It's over, Kylo. Starkiller will be destroyed, the First Order's running with their tails between their legs, you've lost." Damien said, gesturing to the crumbling world around them.
"And you think this makes me frightened of you? That a regime was so sure of a technological terror that I'd be concerned when it was inevitably destroyed? They haven't learned everything from the Empire's losses." Kylo said. He then pointed his saber at Damien, entering a stance. "This will do nothing to hinder me. I have nothing of value here...not like you." He said, almost mockingly at the last part. Damien narrowed his eyes, taking a stance, feet digging into the snow. "The ability to destroy a system is insignificant compared to the power we hold. Allow me to give you a proper demonstration." He said.
Damien had to jump back at the last second, a blink of an eye, as Kylo was upon him. It was as if he suddenly moved at Lightspeed without using a ship! He blocked a powerful blow that sent him sliding back, regaining his balance only to block another blow. He didn't understand, Kylo was weakened: Sent flying through several trees and boulders, shot twice in the chest, shot by a bolt caster that could send men in armor flying, explosions in his face, and all that Rhasar had thrown at him, and yet he still kept going. It was then Damien realized, the Dark side, he didn't know how but it must have empowered him. All that pain and it only fueled him, like a fire he only got brighter, and stronger. Damien swung at Kylo, but the dark lord blocked it with his own, before blasting Damien in the chest, sending him flying across tree lines. He landed back on his feet, rubbing his sore chest from the blast, as Kylo made his way towards him.
Damien held his hand out, releasing a force blast, only for Kylo to raise his hand. Both blasts crashed into each other, the force cracking the earth around them, as light and dark collided. Damien felt his arm shaking, quickly holding it in place, as the pressure around him felt like a wave crashing over him. He felt his knees buckle, before falling to one knee, and his hold on the force being crushed. He grinded his teeth, glaring at Kylo who remained stoic, the dark lord hasn't moved an inch in this battle of willpower. Kylo noticed Damien glare at him, and for a single moment felt the fire of the dark side boil deep within him.
"I can feel your anger. So small, like a campfire...surely you can do better." He said. "You cling too much to the Light. It will accomplish nothing in the end. Stop denying your destiny, accept who you truly are!" He roared. Damien grunted in anger, before pushing a blast with all his might, the force catching Kylo off balance for a moment, and that was all Damien needed. Sending another blast, Kylo felt his back pressed against a tree, Damien standing back up as he held the dark lord in place.
"I may not be as familiar with the dark side as you are, but I know I am a better person because of it. I may not remember my past, but I'll be damned before I fall to that cold, dark place, like you have." Damien said, keeping Kylo in place. Kylo growled, how dare he make a fool of him, yet he remembers so little. He was nothing like the dark lords of the past, he was not shackled like them, he was beyond Dark, beyond Light, he was a true master of the Force.
And it was time this CHILD knew it.
Damien's eyes widened as Kylo pushed himself off the tree, taking a slow step towards him. Damien fired another blast at Kylo, but the dark lord kept marching towards him.
"I think not...I think this little game ends here." Kylo said. Kylo reached deep within, the dark side spiraled around him like a maelstrom, it coursed through his body, right into his very fingertips. The world around Kylo shook and crumbled around him, the trees were reduced to ashes, the snow and dirt melted at his very presence. To Damien, it was as if the world itself was ripping apart at Kylo's whim. The Force felt like it was being twisted and warped by Kylo's very being. He noticed Kylo's right hand spark and crackle with strange energy, before he aimed it at Damien.
KRA-KOOM
Lightning blasted from Kylo's fingertips, red as his crimson blade, destroying everything in its path. Damien used the Force to jump at the last second, the lightning burning past his head and beyond the sky. Damien felt the small sparks tingle his back, covering his head for protection, as the lightning died. Damien slowly stood back up, looking where the lightning struck, and his eyes widened to see multiple mountains were reduced to craters, reaching beyond his own eyesight, before slowly turning back to Kylo. The dark lord hand sparked with the red lightning, and to Damien, it looked like even Kylo was surprised. Kylo was surprised for sure, he had never felt such power before, but it was well worth it, and it was a sign of how powerful he had become.
"So tell me...pretender...how do you choose to die?" He asked. Damien looked back at the destroyed landscape, seeing he had nowhere left to run, taking a sigh of defeat. He reached for his lightsaber and activated the blade, taking a defensive stance, and holding his ground. Kylo took a sigh of defeat, a look of disappointment on his face, before his lightsaber came to life. The two charged at each other, swinging their lightsaber, sparks flew all around them. Damien ducked and blocked each blow, more powerful than the last, swinging at Kylo head only to be deflected easily. Perhaps he wasn't destined to win, but that didn't mean he would go down easily. He had failed to save his friends, he had failed in some past life to defeat Kylo, and if he failed now, well at least he could give everyone else a chance to escape.
Rey gasped for air, jumping over a bottomless gap that just appeared, and making her way towards the fight. Her eyes widened after witnessing the destructive power of that lightning, but that just meant she had to hurry and get Damien. She jumped over logs and snow, crunching beneath her cold feet, as she made it out of the forest and bared witness to the fight before her. She watched as Damien clashed with Kylo, ducking under a swing only to be kicked away, unsure what to do.
"We can't stop them." Rey turned to see Han, standing just a few feet away from her, his eyes on the battle before them. "We can't stop him, he is far too powerful for any of us."
Rey knew exactly who he meant, looking back at the dark lord as he took a force blast to the chest and shrugged it off. She had no idea what could have spawned such a monster like Kylo Ren, but she knew that Damien won't last much longer out there. She may not be much help, but Damien protected her once, she was going to return the favor.
"Han, go back and get the others, I'll….I'll stay and help Damien." Rey said, gripping her broken staff tightly.
"You can't win this kid, none of us can." Han said, stopping the young girl, he wasn't willing to let her get killed by his son. Rey gave a small smile at the old man, looking back at Damien.
"I know, but I have to try." With that, Rey shrugged off Han and started running towards the two fighters. Kylo blocked an overhead swing, pushing the boy off him, hearing footsteps behind him. Quickly turning around, his lightsaber aimed at his attack, only to stop mid swing from severing Rey's head. Kylo gace a confused glance at Rey, his lightsaber inches from her neck, he recognized her from D'Qar. He saw no point in her death, she wasn't much of a threat, not even a nuisance.
"This doesn't involve you, scavenger." He said. Rey didn't know why, but just him saying Scavenger infuriated her, like the way Unkarr would say it. She gripped her club tightly, hoping to find an opening.
"Get away from her!" Damien roared, charging at Kylo and swinging, Kylo ducked under the blow and swung at Damien's feet. The smuggler jumped over the attack and pushed off Kylo, rolling back on his feet and charging. Kylo went for another charge, only for something metallic to smack him in the back of the head. Damien stopped in his charge, shocked by the action, as Kylo looked over his shoulder. Rey swallowed spit, clearly seeing now that was a bad idea, taking a step back. Kylo growled, twirling his lightsaber in a reverse grip and swinging at the girl.
"NO!" Damien cried, reaching out towards Rey. Rey felt her feet be pulled, missing the saber by inches as she laid under Kylo. Taking the chance, Rey swung her club, wacking at Kylo's blast mark. Kylo cried in pain, the wound opening up and painting the snow beneath him red. Damien pulled Rey towards him, running past her and swinging at Kylo. Kylo jumped back and swung his blade, but Damien immediately pulled his blade back and blocked it. Kylo heard a cry, seeing Rey charge at him again, and swinging at her. Damien pulled Rey towards him, swinging at Kylo, the dark lord blocking his attack. However, Rey took this moment of surprise, ducking under Damien and swinging at Kylo's arm. Kylo growled in annoyance, before Rey swung again, this time hitting him in the leg where he was shot.
Damien blasted Kylo with the Force, sending him flying into the snow, quickly charging towards his downed form. Kylo jumped back into the air, and charged at Damien, seeing a spinning object fly past Damien and towards him. Kylo slapped Rey's broken staff piece, only to be caught by surprise when it came back and wacked him in the back of his head. Damien smirked, guiding the piece back into Rey's hand, and swinging at Kylo. The dark lord swung his saber and met Damien's blade, seeing Rey charge at him. Pushing Damien aside, Kylo swung at Rey, but was quite surprised by the scavengers' speed as she sidestepped his swing. Even Rey was surprised by her evasive maneuver, but quickly regained her footing and hit Kylo in the shoulder. Kylo growled as he swung his lightsaber, only for Rey to be pulled aside, and by Damien.
"You're getting better at this." Rey whispered.
"Guess I am much more open than I ever was." Damien said, and he wasn't joking. It was as if a past life was taking form, getting stronger by the second, lightsaber stances he has never heard of, force powers he has never used, and faces he barely recognized…...save for his: Kylo. Why? Why did he recognize him of all people? Damien groaned as memories flashed in his mind: a temple of students, the greatest Jedi of them all, and a younger much happier Kylo standing beside him. Damien quickly shook these thoughts, knowing he had to finish this. He lifted a boulder and swung it at Kylo, the dark lord slicing it in two, and that was all Damien needed. With speed that Rey or even Han could react, Damien was upon Kylo swinging his blade. The dark lord swung his blade with greater force, sparks flew around them as they clashed. Han watched them fight, Damien blocking attacks and Rey taking the chance to swing. However, deep down he knew this was pointless and that was because of one thing.
Kylo wanted him alive.
That simple truth is the only reason why Damien still fights, and it was the sad truth. He wanted to stay, he wanted to help in some way or form, he has never felt so pathetic. However, he knew that Rhasar and the others wouldn't last much longer, and so, steeling his resolve, he quickly made his way back towards the others. Damien blasted Kylo with a blast, sending him skating across the snow. Damien took a gasp of air, his hair sticking to his forehead, and his knuckles red from the cold. He gripped the lightsaber tightly, taking a defensive stance, and hoping to finish this. Damien ducked under a force blast, charging at Ren and spinning his body, pushing Kylo back. Kylo growled in annoyance, holding his hand out, only to throw his arm out taking a blow from Rey. He was prepared to end her, when he was forced to block Damien's swing with his blade. He looked between the two, infuriated that the two even thought they were a threat, and yet they still persisted.
"ENOUGH!" Kylo roared, blasting Rey with a blast, sending her flying. Damien lost his balance when Kylo pushed him off, before Kylo fired a force lightning.
"AAAAHHHH!" Damien roared in pain, the electricity tearing through his insides. He convulsed with pain, knees buckling, parts of his body twitching from the powerful blow.
"You had no chance of victory against me. My skills are far beyond your own. But you just had to be the 'hero'...pathetic." Kylo said.
"Get away from him!" Kylo turned around to see Rey charging at him, rolling his eyes, and with a flick of his fingers, Rey was sent crashing into the snow.
"I grow tired of this...it ends now." Kylo said. The dark lord turned around, seeing Damien reach for his lightsaber, kicking away from the boy. Damien looked up in fear as Kylo aimed the blade at his throat. He saw in those eyes hatred, and yet…..regret? Why? Why now of all times? Rey groaned, pulling herself back up, looking out where Damien was. Her eyes widened, seeing the dark lord's blade at her friend's neck. A memory flashed in her mind, she didn't know where, or when but she saw it: A dark warrior wielding a crimson blade, a robed figure wielding two blue blades, fire all around them. It flashed once more to see the robed figure momentarily defeated, the dark warrior now stood in front of her. Rey's attention now turned to the other figure who laid under the warrior. This one looked older, nearly an identical replica, save for her hair.
Her mother.
Dead. Her mother was dead, the singed hole in her chest an indicator that this dark warrior killed her. Now the dark warrior made their way towards the down robed figure, red blade held high. The scene played just as the current events happening: Kylo raised his blade, Damien down and about to meet his fate, the robed figure staring defiantly at the dark warrior, before swinging.
"NO!"
Time seemed to stop, the world stopped shaking, Kylo's blade stopping inches from Damien's neck. His attention turned to the scavenger, and saw that something was happening. Rey, standing back up, glared at the dark lord. The ground shook and cracked beneath her, Rey felt a great hatred for this dark lord, a similarity between him and the one in the past. One took her mother away, and this one would take Damien: Never again. The Force sparked around her, like a thunderous roar, channeling into her hands. Kylo watched, bewildered, as did Damien as lightning sparked from Rey's hands. Unlike the dark lord's, Rey's lightning illuminated like the sun, before she fired them at Kylo. Kylo held his blade up and took the full blow, channeling the lightning into his lightsaber, being forced back from the power.
"RRRRAAAAHHHH!" Rey let out a monstrous roar, a clear indicator of her rage, and it was all focused on Kylo. Trees were reduced to ash, Kylo held his ground as lightning sparked around him, bolts hitting his arms and legs and sending volts across his body. It was painful, but it only fueled him. Damien watched in awe at the destruction before him, never believing that Rey could hold such dark power. Rey continued to blast at Kylo, trying her best to destroy the dark lord.
In the end, he won.
Rey felt her strength leave her body, the lightning died, as her hands fell to her side. Her body was numb, her hands were red from the heat, and she had no strength left. Rey fell to her knees before collapsing to her side.
"Rey!" Damien cried, crawling towards her, pulling her into his lap. He checked her pulse, and sighed in relief that she was still alive. Hearing shuffling behind him, Damien looked over his shoulder to see Kylo standing across from him.
"An interesting development. Were she given the time to train, I'm almost certain she could be a powerful Force user. But I will not suffer even an unknowing rival." Kylo said, before raising his saber. "This act of rebellion is over." Damien glared at the dark lord, setting Rey back down, and standing back up defiantly. He will not let him hurt her, nor Rhasar, or Arthon, or anyone ever again.
"You're right, this is over." Damien growled, reaching out for his saber, and once he held it the blade came to life. "I am not gonna let you hurt anyone anymore!" Damien exclaimed, charging at the dark lord. Kylo sighed, planting one boot forward, and blasting towards Damien.
The blades clashed, red and blue painted the sky, the world around them was ending and neither cared. Damien swung with elegance yet ferocity, his past self flowed through him, nearly identical. Kylo swung with ferocity and determination, blades swinging and blocking. Damien felt the blade inches from his clothes, nearly burning the fabric and scorching his skin. Kylo held his guard, and no matter how hard Damien tried, he could not break the dark lord's hold. He swung and he swung, but Kylo blocked each attack and parried with his own powerful one. Damien's blade was nearly swept aside, and he saw Kylo swing his blade. He reached out and held Kylo's wrist, gripping it as hard as he could and trying to keep it away from him.
He swung his free hand at Kylo, but he too grabbed Damien's wrist, the two grunting as they tried to push the others hand away. Damien's blade melted into the ground, while Kylo's blade was held high, their feet nearly sliding against the snow. Kylo had enough of this and twirled his blade, aimed at Damien's heart. Damien immediately pulled back, the blade missing his flesh by centimeters, but skimming a bit of his wrist. Damien held his wrist, it didn't pierce the bone but would definitely leave a scar. He tried to swing, but Kylo knocked the lightsaber out of his hand, backhanding Damien. Damien quickly turned back and fired a force blast at Kylo, only to be met with greater force. Damien felt the power, and no matter how much he wanted to deny it: Kylo simply had greater power and will. He seethed through his teeth, the force around them crashed against each other, the light and dark. Kylo glared at Damien, his stubbornness knew no bounds, and it was pissing him off. Damien felt a power within him, as within Kylo, and knew this was it.
"RRRAAAAAHHHH!" Both force wielders roared, the force cried out around them. Within them it channeled into their hands, power beyond anything Damien has felt, was about to be unleashed. A typhoon of fire erupted from his palm, melted everything in its path, a storm of lightning fired from the dark lords fingertips. The physical power of light and dark collided, fire consumed the storm but the storm sliced through the fire.
KRA-KOOM
Han finally made it back to the others, running up to Rhasar first and checking his pulse. Once he saw that the Mando was still alive, he grabbed the warrior's free hand, and pulled him back on his feet.
"Oh boy, you are heavier than you look." Han groaned, letting Rhasar lean on him for support. He dragged the Mando over to the unconscious Trandoshan, setting him down and checking Arthon's pulse. Hearing an annoyed growl, he saw the lizard's eyes flutter open, blood covering his face.
"How ya feeling, Scales?" Han asked.
"Wonderful." Arthon growled bitterly.
"Great, stay here." Han ordered, smirking at Arthon's annoyed growl, running over to Finn. Picking the kid up, he dragged him over to the three, setting him down next to Arthon.
"Chewie? Chewie, can you hear me?" Han asked, checking his comm. "I got Arthon and the others, I won't be able to get them over in tim-!" Han was cut off at the familiar roar of a ship, looking up he saw the Falcon float down towards them. Once it landed, and the landing pad opened up, Chewie ran out roaring in fear.
"Yeah, yeah I know we don't got much time." Han said, seeing that Starkiller was crumbling around them. "Get the others on board, I still gotta save the ki-!"
KRA-KOOM
"No, Sir. We have found no sign of Lord Ren." Phasma reported, a communicator in her hand, the hologram of Hux standing before her. A transport shuttle was nearby waiting for their signal to be picked up, as Pyre and three stormtroopers searched the destroyed rubble of the oscillator.
"He must still be after that prisoner of his. You have five minutes, spend only two to find Lord Ren." Hux ordered. Phasma nodded, ending the call, and turning back to her men.
"Search the perimeter, we have two minutes to find Lord R-!"
KRA-KOOM
"Where are you, guys." Karine muttered, scanning the landscape around what remained of the oscillator. Poe flew right beside her and he scanned as far as he could. They had been going at this for a while now, and no sign of the Falcon or the others.
"There's no sign of them, Karine. We can't stick around here any longer." Poe said. "Maybe they already escaped. Maybe their radios are jammed or broken and they can't get a message out."
Karine didn't want to voice her disagreement, but maybe it was true. She knew that Poe didn't want to abandon them, but this world was breaking apart and would explode any minute now.
"Okay." Karine sighed in defeat. "Yeah, let's head ba-!"
KRA-KOOM
Their ships were sent flying from the force, a flash of white blinded them, Karine covering her eyes. Once the light died down, both pilots immediately regained control of their ships and flew back up.
"What was…..that…" Karine's jaw dropped at the sight of it. Poe shook his head from the sudden explosion, BB making multiple whistles and screams about something, until his eyes landed on something that made even his jaw drop.
An explosion, a large pillow of fire and lightning shot out into the sky, reaching past the stratosphere. The red flames danced against the red lightning, like primal forces of nature showing dominance. The ground beneath was cracked miles upon miles, leaving a massive scar nearly across Starkiller.
"I think we might have found them." Poe said.
(D'Qar)
"Senator Leia!" Ackbar exclaimed, everyone in the room turning and some gasped, as Leia collapsed to the floor.
"By the Maker, Miss Solo!" 3PO cried, scurrying over to the woman.
"Get a medic in here, now!" Ackbar yelled, bending down to the older woman. He checked her pulse and felt that she was still alive. It was when he heard her saying something, mumbling them over and over. Leaning in, he heard two words.
"Ben….Ja-!"
(Starkiller Base)
Han stared in shock at the massive explosion, never seeing such destructive force, it had to be them.
"Chewie, get them on the ship now!" Han ordered, running as fast as he could towards the explosion. He had to stop this, somehow, he needed to end this. He needed to save his son.
His sons.
White.
That was all Damien saw, for a second he thought he was dead, but the white soon disappeared and all he was met with was red. Pulling himself back up, he saw the gigantic pillar of fire and lightning clash against each other. The crater it formed dig deep into the earth below, the ground nearest collapsed and was consumed by the flames. Looking around, he saw his lightsaber nearby, using the force to pull it into his hand. Damien got back up and looked around, he saw no sign of Kylo or Rey.
"Rey?!" Damien croaked, his voice sore, hell his whole body was sore. He scanned the area until his eyes landed on her unconscious form, buried in snow. His legs trembled, making his way over to her, and collapsing to his knees again. He shook the snow off her, putting one arm under her legs and the other around her head. He picked her up and held her close for warmth, using all his strength to pick himself back up. He looked back at the flames one last time, the lightning roared in his ears, before walking away. The pillar illuminated his shadow, his back was burning hot from the heat, holding Rey close as to not let her go.
"Now you see...now you see why you cannot win." Damien stopped in his tracks, his heart skipping a beat. Looking over his shoulder, he saw the dark lord, one foot on a rock, staring down at him. His body was covered in darkness from the flames, but he knew those eyes were boring into his soul. Damien let out an angered snarl, his angered features turned soft when he turned to Rey. He set her down, resting her head on a pile of snow, a hand on her cheek. He let out a sigh before standing back up, and turning to face the dark lord.
"Why? Why do you care so much about me? Why out of all the force wielders that must still be alive, you went right after me?" Damien asked. Kylo looked insulted by the question, his glare intensified, jumping down and landing on the snow hard.
"You claim to know nothing, yet here you are utilizing a power you had once forgotten. You know more than you realize. But you're hesitant, afraid to know the truth. If it wasn't for that, you would already know why you're still alive." Kylo said.
"You spew all of this, and yet here I am still not knowing who I am! Who you are! How you know so much but tell me so little!" Damien exclaimed, pulling out his lightsaber and activating it.
"But you do know who you are, Damien...or do you really?" Kylo asked. The dark lord stomped towards Damien, his lightsaber burning to life. "You remember this!" Damien's eyes flashed, seeing a younger Kylo perform this very strike, raising his blade to counter it. "You remember how your body reacts, just like Luke drilled into our heads!" Kylo said, swinging again, Damien realized he was right. These were from their training days, when they were on Yavin….4. Wait how did he know that place? Damien groaned, his head burning with memories flashing in his mind.
Han made it over to a small cliff, his eyes widening at the sight of the two fighting, or at least something close to it. Damien shook his thoughts and quickly took a stance, one hand pointed at Kylo and his blade held high.
"You remember that stance, one that Luke's master knew very well." Damien looked at his form, and realized that Kylo was right. This was Luke's old master, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Lightsaber form III, or Soresu as it was called. Wait, how did he know that? Damien shook his head and swung his blade, Kylo blocked the blow but the two pushed against the other, blades crossed, and even as the world crumbled around them Damien still focused on Kylo. That's when he remembered his name: Ben. Ben Solo was his name, Han's son…...why did that sound so wrong. Kylo pushed Damien off him and swung his blade, the force knocked the Lightsaber out of Damien's hand.
He lost.
Damien had lost the fight, was he destined to be killed? He clutched his head as more memories flashed in his mind. He felt the memories flow with Damien, or at least fighting against everything he knew. He heard rocks crumbling behind him, looking over his shoulder he saw his father, and narrowed his eyes at the old man before turning back to Damien.
"And you know him. It may have been years, but you recognize his face, as he does you." Kylo said. "Deep down, he always knew who you were...didn't you, Solo?" Kylo asked.
"Ben…" Han started, but Kylo fully turned to him.
"You knew from the very beginning, but were too afraid to face the truth, to see a reminder of your failures." He said. Damien looked up, staring up at Han, and a flash of a young man like Han appeared. This was before he joined Luke's academy….why did he know this?
"Why…..Why do I know these things. What are they?" Damien asked, Kylo turning towards him.
"Your birthright, your destiny...your true identity. Surely, you did not think yourself some lowly smuggler. No, you once had a life that meant something, but it was taken from you, leaving you as a pretender trying to live a lie." Kylo said. Damien looked over at Kylo, trying to piece all together, he had so many questions, but one he needed now.
"W-Who am I?" Damien cried.
"You are like me. The inheritor of a legacy that would break most men. The grandson of Darth Vader, the nephew of Luke Skywalker, the son of Senator Leia and General Han Solo...my BROTHER...Jacen Solo."
Jacen Solo.
That was his name. No, wait it couldn't have been. He was the grandson of Darth Vader? Nephew of Luke Skywalker…..Han was his father? No, it wasn't right, it was all a lie. It had to be.
"Y-You're lying!" Damien growled, standing up defiantly.
"Jacen." Damien, or Jacen he didn't know now, turned to Han. A defeated look on his face, nodding his head. "It's true. I'm your father, your name is Jacen Solo. Ben is your brother."
Damien, no, Jacen, felt his entire world crumble. Everything around, both mentally and physical, shattered. Memories of the past ran through his head. He clutched his head in pain as the force crashed around him, a storm of memories flashed before his eyes.
"Trust in the Force, Jacen, let it guide you."
"HAHA, come on Ben!"
"Jacen! Wait for me!"
"Give Ben time, my boy. He just needs some air, Jacen."
"Don't worry, I'll be back, I promise Jacen."
LIGHT
Jacen
DARK
JACEN
LIVING
JACEN SOLO
UNIFIYING
WAKE UP
"AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Jacen let out a primal scream, the force exploded around him, sending the dark lord flying. Han landed on his back, watching Damien let out primal power of the Living Force. His eyes glowed white for a single moment, before it died down and he collapsed onto the snow. Han quickly ran over to Jacen, his son, and made sure he was alright. He heard the roar of a ship, and saw the Falcon fly overhead. Hearing a lightsaber activate he saw Kylo walking towards him.
BOOM
The ground broke and collapsed, creating a chasm that departed the lands and separated Kylo from the group. Kylo stared at Han, the old man's face was filled with regret and sorrow, ignoring Chewie's roars. He gave his son one last look, before grabbing Jacen and dragging him towards the Falcon, Chewie carried Rey. Kylo watched, he could have easily made the gap, but all he did was watch as his brother was taken from him once again.
"Lord Ren!" Kylo didn't look over his shoulder as Phasma and her squad made their way towards him. One of them found what remained his mask, and carried it within a container for the dark lord. "Lord Ren, the planet is collapsing, we must go."
Kylo gave one last look at his brother, regret consumed his very being. He lost him again, not just that but the map to Skywalker, but his brother was gone. He turned his back from the fleeing Falcon, walking past the stormtroopers and let the darkness consume him, alone once again.
As it shall always be.
"Punch it, Chewie!" Han ordered, the Falcon flying skyward, passing Karine and Poe.
"Let's get out of here!" Karine cheered, Poe laughed as the three flew off the planet. Starkiller's crust cracked and crumbled, red veins appearing across the once frozen tundra. The planet consumed itself, before imploding on itself, a great crimson ball of fire and magma. The Resistance and the Falcon didn't look back, entering hyperspace, their victory cheer echoed across the comms.
(D'Qar)
Karine exited her cockpit, met with a thunderous cheer as soldiers and other pilots gathered around her, clapping her shoulders and shaking her hand. The Twi'lek didn't know what to feel, happy no doubt, walking past the soldiers. BB rolled over to her, whistling happily, as Poe ran over to her laughing.
"I told you we could do it!" Poe laughed, grabbing the Twi'lek by surprise, and swinging her around. Karine laughed, the two friends hugging, until her eyes landed on the Falcon landing.
"Come on, let's get the others and celebrate." Karine said, grabbing Poe's hand and dragging him over to the Falcon. The two pilots and droid made their way through the crowd, until they noticed the cheering died down for a moment.
"We need a medic over here, now!" They heard Han order, the two looked at each other in concern, quickly pushing past everyone until they made it through. Karine's eyes widened, a gasp escaping her throat, and covered her mouth at the sight before her. Finn, Arthon, Rhasar, Damien, and Rey were loaded onto medic pads, IG being set beside them. Her eyes scanned each and every single one of them, until her eyes landed on Rhasar's missing limb.
"Rhasar!" Karine cried, running over to the unconscious Mandalorian. A hand on his cheek, medics placing a mask over his mouth, and injecting stims into his side. "Are they gonna be okay?!"
"We'll do what we can, Ms. Syndulla." A medic said, starting up the transport and moving the group into the base. Han walked past Karine, his eyes landing on his wife. Leia walked up to her husband and wrapped her arms around him, he returned the hug as he felt her tears run down his clothes.
"I'm sorry Leia, I couldn't save him. I couldn't save Ben." Han whispered.
"I know, I felt it, a part of me wanted him to come back, but deep down I know that this is his path now." Leia whispered. She looked up at her husband, a smile on her face. "But we saved Jacen, we have our boy again."
"Jacen?" Karine asked, the two looking over at Karine, Poe, and BB who looked very confused.
"Can someone explain to me what is going on?" Poe asked. Han chuckled, gesturing for the two to follow.
"Come on, I'll explain inside."
(Yavin 4)
Jacen stared across the landscape, his feet dangling off the branch, as the sun was slowly setting. He wore his padawan garbs, a lightsaber at his side, and a droid sitting in his lap. Jacen frowned as he rested in his arms, watching as the sun set.
"Something wrong, Jacen?" A voice asked, and the boy looked over to see an old face he hasn't seen in years.
"Luke."
"LUKE!" Jacen cried, bolting up from the bed. He scanned the room, until he realized he wasn't on Yavin 4, but within a medbay in the Resistance base. And he wasn't alone.
"Jacen!" Rey cried, running over to his side and latching onto him, hugging him as tight as she could. Jacen, he wasn't Damien the smuggler, he was Jacen: Jacen Solo. No longer a smuggler with memory loss, but the grandson of Darth Vader, the nephew of Luke Skywalker…..Kylo Ren's brother. He still couldn't believe it, the second hand of the First Order, the leader of the Knights of Ren, was his brother. He scanned the room and saw everyone in there: from Han to Leia, Chewie, and even IG, who body was repaired and given new parts.
"Is…..Is everyone alright?" Jacen asked, Arthon let out a snort, rubbing his nose where Kylo broke it.
"Nothing I haven't felt before." Arthon snarled. Jacen looked over at Rhasar, his eyes trailing up and down the Mandalorian. It was strange seeing the Mando wear the cloak and not have his armor. But what made his heart ache was the red robotic limb connected to his body, almost like it was made from junk.
"Rhasar…." Jacen muttered, a tear welling up in his eye. All of this, all the pain Rhasar had taken, because of him. Because he was weak.
"Don't give me that look. Last thing I want is pity. We all knew the risks. This was the price I paid to see the job done. Besides, I'd be foolish to think I'd get through life without an injury like this." Rhasar said. Even as he said that, Rhasar couldn't help but look at his new arm. When he had woken up, it was the last thing he wanted to see, but the Resistance felt it was a way for paying him for helping destroy Starkiller Base.
"He never left your side." Rey said, pulling away from Jacen, standing back up. "He stayed day in and day out until you woke up."
"That wasn't necessary." Rhasar said. "As I recall, someone else certainly enjoyed sleeping by his side." He said. Rey's cheeks burned red, as did Jacen at the thought.
"Wait, how long was I out?" Jacen asked.
"About a week. You missed a lot! I got promoted, Starkiller Base is gone, and we discovered the solution to world peace throughout the galaxy." Poe said. The final parts of his statement dripped with sarcasm.
"He's been like this all week. I think the victory went to his head." Finn said. Jacen chuckled at Poe's hurt look, before his eyes landed on Han and Leia. His parents, his family. One he barely remembers, and yet does. It hurt just trying to think about it.
"How are ya feeling?" Karine asked.
"Statistics show that you will make a full recovery. Just as I have." IG stated, his optics flickering for a second. Jacen didn't answer at first, his focus was just on his parents.
"I…...I need to be alone with Ha…..With my parents, right now." Jacen said, Rhasar nodded his head and pushed the others outside. BB rolled up to Jacen, giving him one happy whistle before rolling away. Chewie gave the kid a strong hug, letting him back down, joining the others. The room was deathly silent, the tension was thick, not even the voices outside could fill in the silence. Han and Leia slowly walked up to Jacen, sitting on both sides: Han on his right, Leia on his left.
"How….How ya feeling kid?" Han asked.
"...Why didn't you tell me I was your son?" Jacen asked, looking up at his father, a man he didn't even realize was his father for nearly a week. Han sighed, looking down at his own hands, shame on his face.
"I know you don't want to believe it, but at first I really didn't recognize you." Han said, a look of shock on Jacen's face, his own father didn't recognize him? "We both thought you were dead, Jacen. Six years ago, when Snoke orchestrated the destruction of Luke's Jedi Order, we believed you were dead. I know that isn't a good excuse, but it's all I have. But everyday I feel guilty, because I failed both you and Ben."
"So it's true…..Kylo is my brother." Jacen muttered. A hand over his own made him turn towards Leia.
"Ben is your brother, and he still is. We know this isn't easy to accept, but we both know deep down, Ben loved you." Leia said.
"Then why did he kill them all, why did I wake up on that beach with no memories?" Jacen asked.
"We don't know, we don't have the answers." Han said, placing a hand on his son's shoulder. "But someone does."
"...Luke." Jacen muttered. His uncle, the most powerful Jedi in history, was the key to all of this.
"We will find him, and you will be able to bring him back to us." Leia said, using the force and pulling the lightsaber towards them. The weapon was originally laid on the table, until it landed in her hands, and the senator presented it to Jacen. The young man stared at the weapon, the only thing capable of defeating Kylo. Yet, when he held it, he was only able to prolong his survival. NOW they wanted him to find Luke, but he couldn't.
"I can't." Jacen said, pushing the blade away. "I don't even know where Luke is. I failed you all, I failed Rhasar, I failed myself. I couldn't even beat my own brother by myself, hell no one could." Jacen said, balling his fist in anger. "How can I call myself a Jedi, when I couldn't even save the ones close to me? It should be you Mom, not me, you should go and find your brother." A hand was placed over his, calming his nerves, looking over at his mother.
"I know you are in pain, Jacen. I know a lot has been placed on your shoulders, a legacy and revelation to bare, but you cannot run from it forever: It is your destiny. Luke would want you to find him, to train him, my place is here with Han, with the Resistance." Leia said, holding the blade out to him. "Luke is the answer we need, the hope this galaxy needs, the hope you need." Jacen looked down at the lightsaber, his grandfather's lightsaber, taking a deep breath and letting the force flow through him. He felt some form of clarity, but deep down he knew one thing, a deep hatred he now held for Kylo.
He will kill Kylo.
But for now, he knows this was his path, his destiny. He will find Luke, he will become a Jedi, and he will destroy the Sith once and for all. Slowly reaching toward the lightsaber, Jacen stood back up, and activated the blade. He stared at the blue energy, the light reflecting off his eyes, the blade felt lighter than ever.
"Where do we start?" Jacen asked, deactivating the blade, and turning back towards his parents.
"First, we need to complete that map." Han said, standing up with his wife.
"If only Tekka knew where the last piece was." Leia said. Jacen eyes widened at the name, remembering Poe mentioned him before, and it seemed so familiar. He slowly reached into his shirt, pulling out the droid part. Memories flashed before his eyes, a droid whistling before powering down, and he handed a man this piece.
"Keep this safe, Tekka." A younger Jacen said, handing the man the chip.
"Are you sure this is wise, Padawan Solo?" Tekka asked, gesturing to the deactivated astromech.
"I know where it is!" Jacen exclaimed, catching the two by surprise. A smile on his face with a look of realization.
The group followed Jacen, the padawan walking past soldiers, who were shocked once they realized it was Jacen Solo. Jacen scanned the entire base, until his eyes landed on it, walking over until he kneeled down in front of the deactivated astromech. Reaching for the droid part, he ripped it off and turned to Karine.
"Karine, think you can fix him?" Jacen asked. Karine raised an eyebrow, confused by the question, before hesitantly taking the part and walking over to the droid. She opened up a compartment, pulling out a tiny flashlight from her side, and scanned the inside of the droid.
"This droid has been offline for a while, a lot of these parts are old." Karine said, looking back at the others. "I'm gonna need some spare parts."
"Why not just use this arm? It's practically made of spare parts?" Rhasar asked.
"Different components, Rhasar. Plus, we both know you just want to be rid of it." Karine said, looking back inside.
"You would too if you had to wear it." Rhasar said. A few minutes later, thanks to some Resistance mechanics, and Karine had several boxes of droid parts. She pulled out several limbs and circuits, switching them out for the new ones. Jacen stood right behind her, and everyone behind him as they waited in anticipation. Karine picked up Jacen's droid piece, blowing some dust off it, before reaching in and connecting the last piece. Karine wiped the sweat off her forehead, standing back and behind next to Rhasar, as everyone watched the astromech. Everyone said nothing, no whispers or mutters, not even Arthon growled, as they waited for any sign.
"...Wooo." A small whistle echoed across the base. Jacen's eyes widened, his smile got bigger, as the astromechs red lightning became active.
"R2!" Jacen cried, watching as the old astromech spun it's head around trying to remove the dust off it's dome.
"Wee woo." R2 whistles, unfamiliar with the area around him, nor why so many people were surrounding him. He scanned the room, until it's optics landed on Jacen, an excited whistle escaped it's audio scepters.
"Yeah, yeah I missed you too." Jacen said, wiping a tear away as the droid rolled over to him.
ZAP
"YYOOOWWW!" Jacen exclaimed, bouncing back as R2 zapped him with his taser. R2 let out furious whistles about abandonment, and being shut off for who knows how long. The droid rolled over until it thumped Jacen's knee. "OW! R2!"
"Yep, he's back." Han muttered, watching the old astromech whistle angrily at his son.
"Oh R2-D2, thank the Maker you are okay!" 3PO said, wobbling over to his oldest friend. "Look R2, Master Jacen is alive and well." R2 made a very angry response, twirling around and shaking rapidly. Jacen sighed, a small smirk on his face, kneeling down to R2's level.
"R2, I'm sorry for what I did, but trust me when I say I've paid the consequence." Jacen said, a hand over the wound where Kylo stabbed him.
"R2, Luke is missing." Jacen stated, R2 let out a sad whistle. "I know you just woke up, but we need to find him. R2, we need the map." R2 looked at Jacen, the padawan placing a hand on its dome. R2 let out an excited whistle, before turning around and started projecting a holomap of the entire galaxy.
"How did you know he had the map?" Rhasar asked.
"I'm the one that put it in him." Jacen answered, staring at the map. He didn't know why he put it in there, but he knew he turned R2 off, why, he won't know until he found Luke. Everyone stared in awe at the sight, the map of the entire galaxy, save for a small piece missing. Poe gestured for BB to go, the small droid rolled up next to R2, before projecting the small sector of the galaxy, combining it with R2's. The map was complete, and the location of Luke's whereabouts had been revealed. Jacen knew what this meant.
It was time.
(D'Qar)
Jacen tightened his boots, wearing a new set of garbs consisting of a blue shirt, grey jacket, and black jeans, the lightsaber clipped at his side. Everyone else was waiting outside for him, R2 resting by the door. Jacen took deep inhales, exhaling, feeling nervous right now. This was it, the moment he had been waiting for, his destiny at hand. He walked over to the door, looking down at the astromech.
"You ready to find Luke?" Jacen asked, the astromech made a whistle of confirmation. Jacen chuckled, opening the door and walking out with R2 right behind him. He made his way out of the base and saw everyone gathered around, Poe getting and X-Wing ready for him and R2. Once he made it out, several Resistance soldiers started thanking him, hoping him luck, and wishing for his safety. A while back, these people would have hated him, but now seeing who he was and what he was about to do gave them a new level of respect towards him. Jacen felt flattered, but his attention was focused on the Crimson Goddess crew, his crew. Jacen stood before his crew, he saw some of them were worried and annoyed, since Jacen had no idea how long he would be gone. This would be his choice, one of the few times they would be separated and not know when they would come back together.
"I know how you guys didn't want to be a part of this." Jacen said, catching their attention. "I'm sorry I got you all involved. I…..I got you all into this, I'm the reason why some of you were hurt and lost something." Jacen said, staring at Rhasar's robotic limb. "I'm not gonna force any of you to stay, and risk your life anymore then you have. I asked Ackbar for a personal transport ship for you guys, credits and all, it can get you as far away as possible." Jacen said, gesturing to a nearby Republic shuttle. The crew looked at the shuttle, their one chance of getting away from this bloody war, and then back at Jacen. The padawan had his head low, eyes closed in shame, as he waited for the inevitable departure of his friends.
"See, that's the thing...we're not leaving." Rhasar said. Jacen's eyes widened, looking up at his friends, smirks on their faces, save for Arthon who merely crossed his arms.
"B-But….why? I thought you wanted nothing to do with this fight?" Jacen said.
"Jacen, I think we're a little past the point of no return." Karine said, walking up and placing a hand on the young man's shoulder. "I've already been offered a spot in Poe's squadron, I am officially a part of the Resistance." Karine said. She pulled Jacen close and hugged him, the boy returning it. "We came this far, might as well see where it takes us." Jacen let go of Karine and looked at the others, Arthon letting out an annoyed snarl.
"Helping the Resistance blow up a focal First Order weapon kinda shuts down most roads of escape. No one would want anything to do with us now." Arthon said.
"What he said." Rhasar said.
"Things will almost assuredly go wrong, but someone has to be there when it does." Arthon said. Jacen smiled, before looking at Rhasar, his attention was back on that limb.
"Rhasar….I."
"What did I tell you about pitying me? Just find your Jedi and hurry back." Rhasar said. Jacen smiled, before reaching out and pulling Rhasar into a hug. Rhasar was surprised by the action, before slowly returning it, albeit awkwardly. Jacen pulled back, walking past his friends, while IG waved at him.
"Goodbye Jacen, when you die, I will be sure to collect your belongings and bury them with you." Jacen chuckled, ignoring IG as he made his way over to Chewie, Lando, and C3PO. The Wookiee let out a worried growl, grabbing Jacen and pulling him into a hug. Jacen let out a groan as his back popped, but smiled nonetheless.
"Bye Chewie, I'm gonna miss you too." Chewie let Jacen go, the padawan letting out a gasp of air. Lando chuckled, holding his hand out, Jacen smiled and shook the old man's hand.
"Good luck, Jacen, and bring back Luke."
"I will, thank you, and be safe Lando." Jacen said, walking past him and standing in front of C3PO.
"3PO."
"Oh Master Jacen, it has been so long, I wish you could stay just a bit longer." The Protocol droid said, his audio sounding a bit emotional.
"Me too, 3PO, me too." Jacen said, patting the golden droid's shoulder. "But I can't, we need Luke, the Galaxy needs Luke again."
"Well, tell Artoo to take care of himself, and you Master Jacen." 3PO said, Jacen nodded his head and walked past 3PO. He nodded his head at Ackbar, who returned it, and stood right in front of his parents. Han and Leia had a solemn look on their faces, they had just gotten their son back, and he was leaving them again.
"Jacen…" Han started, trying to find the right words to say. "I…...I wish I could've d-!" Before he could finish, Jacen wrapped his arms around his parents, pulling them closer.
"I'll come back, I promise. I'll bring Luke back, and we'll stop the First Order." Jacen promised, his parents hugged him tighter, not wanting to let go ever again. Sadly, time was not on their side, slowly letting go of their son.
"May the Force be with you, Jacen." Leia said, Jacen tightened his grip on their hands, tears rolling down her eyes. Jacen finally let go, a tear rolling down his cheek as he walked past his parents, he had just found his family and yet here he was…..leaving them again. He kept walking until something rolled against his leg, looking down, Jacen smiled seeing BB whistle at him.
"Yeah, yeah I'll miss you too, BB." Jacen kneeled down, petting the droids dome, the droid letting out a little purr. "I should thank you too, if it weren't for you, I wouldn't have found my purpose in this Galaxy. Thank you, BB, and keep Poe in check." BB whistled excitedly, Jacen standing back up and walking past him. He stopped in front of Finn, the ex-stormtrooper rubbing his bruise, as Jacen held his hand out.
"Thank you, Finn, for everything." Jacen said, Finn raised an eyebrow but shook the padawan's hand.
"I didn't do much to help. I just pointed everyone else at the First Order." Finn said.
"You risked your life to save Poe, you risked everything you had in the First Order to do the right thing, even save me. I don't know how I could ever repay the favor." Jacen said.
"I still don't believe our chances against the First Order are great. But if Skywalker is out there...maybe he is that chance we need." Jacen nodded his head in understanding, he could understand how Finn saw no hope, after all he was taught to hate, and nothing else.
"Well, I wish you luck Finn, and may the will of the Force be with you." Jacen said, walking past the soldier. He kept walking towards the X-Wing, until his eyes landed on her. Rey stood at the last steps near the X-Wing, her attire changed. Gone were her scavenger robes, wearing a grey vest, pants, and white shirt. Wrapped around her back was a new staff, one given to her by Leia.
"...Hello there." Jacen said, smirking as he stood in front of Rey.
"Hello to you too." Rey said, smiling. Their smiles disappeared as the ship started roaring to life, and Rey realized this might be her last chance to see Jacen again.
"I….I wish you could come with me." Jacen said, looking back down at Rey. "I don't know how long I would be gone, and…..it would be nice to have company." Jacen said, looking away awkwardly. Rey smiled at the offer, but a frown appeared on her face, looking down at her hands. She had so many questions, the power she held, what it meant for her, but for now they were to be pushed aside. They needed Luke, Jacen needed Luke.
"I….I can't." Rey said, "Your path is with Luke, and bringing him back, and mine is here." Rey said. Jacen nodded his head, a sigh escaping his lips. Before he could react, Rey jumped up and wrapped her arms around his neck, nestled between his chin and chest. Jacen blushed at the contact, but immediately returned it, arms holding her lower backside.
"Please…..please come back, safely." Rey whispered. Jacen nodded his head, burying his head into her valley of hair.
"I will, I promise. No matter how far I am, no matter what is in my way, I will return." Jacen whispered softly, Rey finally relented, letting go of him. Before she could step back, Jacen leaned down and planted his lips on her right cheek. Rey's eyes widened, a blush on her cheeks, before Jacen departed.
"May the Force be with you, Rey. Always." With that, Jacen walked past her and towards the X-Wing. He climbed up the ladder and hopped in, Poe on the other side checking the controls.
"Alright. This should be enough for you to get to Luke and back." Poe said. He noticed Jacen's worried expression, gripping the handles too tightly. "You okay? Don't worry about the flying, R2 will be doing most of the work."
"I can't say I'm not nervous." Jacen said, chuckling nervously, before holding his hand out to Poe. "Poe, thank you, for what you did for my friends and for this Galaxy." Poe smiled, shaking the young man's hand. "May the Force be with you."
"Don't worry about me. I'm practically a force of nature on my own." Poe said with his trademark cocky grin. R2 made an annoyed whistle, making Jacen chuckle and Poe frown. Poe hopped down the ladder, as Jacen started to take off. The lid closed, and Jacen looked back outside at everyone. His friends stood in the front, Karine and IG waving, Finn and Arthon giving a mock salute, while Rhasar just watched him go, and even though Jacen couldn't see it, a sigh escaped Rhasar's lips. He looked over at his parents, a proud smile on their faces, everyone waving, and his eyes landed on Rey again. Her lips moved, and while he couldn't hear her, he knew what she said.
"May the Force be with you, Jacen Solo." Jacen leaned back in his seat, turning his ship around.
"You ready, R2?" The Astromech droid made an excited whistle, knowing he was the one gonna be doing most of the flying. He flew off towards the sky, and once he exited the stratosphere, Jacen punched in the coordinates. The stars turned white, and he was off to find the last Jedi.
(Unknown Space)
(Play Star Wars: A New Home by Samuel Kim)
Ach-To.
That was the planet Jacen saw once he exited hyperspace. He couldn't remember what was important about this planet, but Luke was down there for a reason. Perhaps another reason was how intune the planet was with the light side of the Force. Untouched by most species within the inner systems, an aquatic like planet with few landmasses. Jacen flew down towards the planet, pulling up at the last second from nearly hitting the water. It broke apart as he flew over the sea, islands not far from his location.
Jacen flew around, looking from island to island, seeing nothing out of the ordinary. That is until his eyes landed on one island in particular. What made it stand out was the large temple, thousands of years old, standing at the top of the island. Jacen felt his heart beat faster, this had to be it, he was here. Jacen drove the ship and landed near the bottom of the mountain. Once it landed, Jacen opened the cockpit and hopped out. His boots hit solid rock, he smelled the salt from the water, waves crashing against the rocks. Birds chirped and screeched, the hair blew in his hair, and the Force was one here. Jacen looked at the stairs that led to the top of the mountain, where he must have been at. Jacen looked back at R2, who simply beeped at him, Jacen nodded his head understanding that this was his path to take.
Jacen ascended up the steps, he didn't know how long he was walking, a few minutes maybe, he had lost track of time. He made it to the point he came across a village of sorts, made entirely from rocks, but no one in sight. Perhaps it was abandoned. Jacen looked up and saw another flight of stairs, and quickly started walking up them. With every step his excitement grew with anticipation, licking his lips nervously. This was it, for so long he always wondered if he had a place in this Galaxy, and this was it. Jacen finally made it to the top of the stairs.
And he saw him.
Standing not too far from him, Jacen saw, covered in a grey cloak, it had to be him.
"Master…..Master Skywalker!" Jacen called out. The man turned around, beneath the grey cloak were white robes. "...Uncle Luke."
The man's head jerked up at the name, his hands slowly reaching up, pulling back the hood. Jacen's breath hitched, the man was older than he remembered: His golden hair now grey, a beard showing his old age, but he recognized that face. The man had a look of confusion on his face, wondering who he was. Jacen slowly reached towards his hilt, pulling out his-Luke's-their lightsaber. Luke's eyes widened seeing the blade, something he hasn't seen in years. He looked back at Jacen, studying his features, his own softened as a look of realization appeared on his face.
"...Jacen." Luke said solemnly, a tear falling down his face. Jacen eyes welled up with tears, his hand fell down, letting go of the lightsaber. Jacen bolted towards Luke, wrapping his arms around the old man and pulling him close. The tears fell down his cheeks and stained the old man's robes, Luke pulled Jacen close. Jacen smiled under the robes, he had done it, he had found his place in this world. He had found his family. He had found Luke.
He found his destiny.
STAR WARS: A SPARK OF LIGHT
Directed by: Zer0the0mega108 & BioshockerN7
Written by: Zer0the0mega108 & BioshockerN7
Based on characters created by: George Lucas
Original Characters created by: Zer0the0mega108 & BioshockerN7
Produced by: Zer0the0mega108 & BioshockerN7
Executive Producers: Zer0the0mega108 & BioshockerN7
Published by: Zer0the0mega108
Edited by: BioshockerN7
Music by: Multiple sources
Cast:
Jacen Solo: Nick Robinson
Rhasar: Pana Hema Taylor
Karine Syndulla: Alex Zedra
Arthon Karizz: Robin Atkin Downes
IG-101: Darin De Paul
Poe Dameron: Oscar Isaac
Finn: John Boyega
Rey: Daisy Ridley
Han Solo: Harrison Ford
Leia Solo: Carrie Fisher
Luke Skywalker: Mark Hamill
C3PO: Anthony Daniels
Ben Solo/Kylo Ren: Adam Driver
Supreme General Armitage Hux: Domnhall Gleeson
Captain Phasma: Gwendoline Christie
Commander Pyre: Liam McIntyre
Captain Tierny: Danai Gurira
General Enric Pryde: Richard E. Grant
Supreme Leader Snoke: Andy Serkis
Zer0: WE DID IT! WHOO (Throws confetti around), Episode VII is complete!
Bio: This is the first story either of us have ever completed. Not just together, but our stories period.
Zer0: It was a blast writing this entire chapter, and to send it off into the future and the roadmap we have planned, this Ladies and Gents is only the beginning. So let's start with the first thing I've wanted to talk about since last year: Jacen.
Yes, Damien is actually Jacen Solo, Han and Leia's second child, and Ben's younger brother. This is something I've had planned since the beginning of the story. Why, you wonder? It's because if I made just some random OC who just fights Kylo, there would be no emotion in what we have in store. Yes the others fought Kylo, but with Jacen, it held more significance because you find out that it is his brother. I've left bread crumbs all across the story, obviously they were pretty vague, I didn't want anyone really finding out until the end, I could tell some were figuring it out and that's good. I just didn't want it to be revealed until the very last chapter. The reason I wanted Jacen to be a part of this story was because of what it means for my character and basically the entire cast: Legacy. The Sequels (We will get into a more in-depth discussion about this in a chapter that serves as a sort of commentary/behind the scenes chapter) are the legacy of the OT and PT, and every character (Save for a few) are to hold onto that legacy. Who they are, that is a secret, a good question...for another time.
And let's just say this too: If anyone actually thought Jacen was gonna beat Kylo in the first fucking story…..what the hell have you been smoking? Death sticks?! Kylo is the unstoppable force, he is the PRIMARY ANTAGONIST. Especially in a Star Wars story, you never beat the primary antagonist, or even one that serves for all three movies, in the first FUCKING movie. That just gets rid of all their legitimacy as a threat. I do hope everyone enjoyed our version of Kylo, we wanted a deep character, but with the power of Jedi and Sith from the EU series.
Zer0: The reason I took the fight from the last chapter and put it into this one was because one: I didn't have a lot left to write about with the fight between Jacen and Kylo. Two: The last chapter should be the longest, and finally: I felt the last chapter cliffhanger I just posted was pretty good. Granted I should have done it before actually posted chapter nine, but I digress.
Bio: Overall, when we sought to tell this story, we had a few core beliefs to hold onto. Number one: Consistency is EVERYTHING. If your story doesn't have consistency, what reason is there to be invested? The entire time we were writing, we'd keep referencing the timeline we built to ensure everything we wrote made sense and that characters remained true to what was previously established instead of just going on our merry path, such as Han Solo being a respectable and selfless leader after becoming one over the course of an entire trilogy instead of hitting the reset button on his character and reverting to his A New Hope starting position, but with an Old Man Harrison skin.
Zer0: Lando didn't do much in the story, but he will more and more in the series. Though keep in mind what the sequels also mean, that will be explained in the commentary chapter. We still wanted something for him in the story, instead of introducing him in the final movie. (Also power scaling. For example Jacen hurt Kylo a few times, but even strong characters can be hurt by weaker enemies. In the end, Kylo was always going to win, I just wanted the fight to be epic as all hell.
Bio: Number two: Respect the past, but don't rely on it. If you couldn't tell from our story, or any of these author note ramblings of ours, we LOVE the OT and PT, but we weren't blindly devoted to them when writing the series out. We noted and respected what had been established, and adapted the future of that universe to what we thought was the most believable outcome over the span of 30 years, while adding in elements of the original canon as well as some of our own original ideas.
Zer0: With new stuff being made by Disney, like the Mandalorian, we had to make sure they worked within our version of Star Wars Canon. While also bringing in stuff from the EU, Episode Eight will do more of that, you'll see.
Bio: Number three: The story and characters must be balanced. Keeping in line with the first guideline, you can't have a story like this if you don't maintain a tight balance of proper storytelling and characters. If you try to prioritize one over the other, both end up damaging your work overall. You could have great characters, but a shitty story, or a great story with terrible characters, and that doesn't bode well for your work if either outcome is reached.
Zer0: Some character's development took over others, like Jacen and Arthon, and Finn, while some kind of remained the same (Karine, Poe), but we are gonna make sure every character develops by the end of the story, or at least learns life lessons along the way. With so many characters we have to focus on many primary ones. We will explain why there are so many characters in the commentary. Alright, so with that out of the way, anything else Bio?
Bio: To talk about? Not exactly. Though while we're not quite ready to start publishing Episode VIII, we can give you a small glimpse into what's to come, or rather...WHO'S to come. If you remember in Episode VII, we teased this character in one of our chapters, knowing full well he'd appear later in the series.
Zer0: The story is over, the adventure has just begun. We have about three more chapters left: The bloopers, the 'Visual' Dictionary, and the Commentary. Before the little reveals, hopefully by the end of the year, the trailer for Episode Eight will be out. I would like to thank all readers for taking their time reading this story, criticizing our story (We love to hear what you did and didn't like), and enjoying our work. A summary (No spoilers) of Episode Eight will be at the bottom. It has been a blast, and to all Star Wars fans, May the Force be with you. Always.
Bio: And now a taste of things to come...a brother's scourge returns to haunt him.
"We will find Solo and his band of Resistance scum, and to make sure the job gets done, I've hired some assistance." Hux said, Pryde's eyes widened, turning his chair to face the Supreme General.
"You didn't…" Tierny raised an eyebrow, confused on what Pryde meant, as did several officers in the room.
SHING
"He's efficient for the task at hand."
"He's a rabid monster and a madman." Pryde rebutted. Tierny turned her head, hearing the faint sound of metal scraping against metal.
SHING
A low chuckle was heard. Echoing in the shadows behind Hux like a demon, the scraping seemed to be getting louder...closer. The Vornskr eyes perked up, but one pet from Hux silenced the beasts, eyes drooping as the scraping got louder and louder.
"Sir?" Tierny asked, looking back where the noise came from, but saw nothing but a dark hallway.
"He's been an excellent source of seeing my goals met, and is quite suited to hunting for...elusive targets." Hux chuckled at what must've been a dark inside joke for himself. "I'm told it's quite the sport for his people."
"Sir, may I ask…..who he IS?" Tierny asked, the scraping got so loud it was in the very room.
SHI
And no sooner did it start, the scraping stopped. Tierny scanned the room, all the doors opened up, as if multiple officers were walking in, but no one was in sight.
Then...she heard the hissing.
It was only one voice, but it echoed like there were more, like there were thousands, before the hissing became a voice.
"Who...am I?" The voice asked. It sounded faint, yet close at the same time, making the skin of almost everyone in the room crawl. Suddenly, a shadow passed over Tierny, she didn't even register it, when it slammed on the table. The admirals jumped from their seats, some reaching for their blasters, but Hux held his hand up stopping them. Everyone got a good look at the…..monster. His body was covered in ragged cloaks, crimson like blood, and despite his hunched posture, he was tall, tall as a Wookiee. Beneath his cloak were multitude of weapons, and some form of bottles, and tiny skulls around his belt. That's when Tierny realized what it was.
He was Trandoshan, but his skin seemed grayish...almost ghostly. And bits of said flesh were missing, as if lost in battles long ago, suffering wounds that never healed. Covering his head was a bone-like mask, possibly a Lothal Wolf, covering his features.
But the most unsettling element...were his eyes. The left was a standard color of his race, a dark orange that seemed to scan everyone in the room, watching their every move.
And the right...the right eye was a milky white, whether from an injury or otherwise, they could not say. But that eye...held only the horrifying look of knowledge that would drive most men to madness.
"A question asked for many circumstances." He responded to Tierny's question. His voice sounded like he was whispering in the ears of all in the room. "Introductions, conclusions...my favorite is during one's death." He chuckled after that. He then looked at Hux, who showed no signs of fear for this...creature. Rather, he looked like he was speaking to an old friend. "I hear talk of a particular addition to this band you wish me to track...another...Trandoshan." He stated, almost as if asking for Hux to confirm a rumor. Hux pulled out a small disk, holding it out for the creature, who grabbed it and inspected the disk. He activated it, seeing the hologram of several targets. His eyes narrowed when it landed on the Trandoshan, a smile creeping on his face.
"I assume this won't be a problem?" Hux asked.
"Not at all." The Trandoshan said. "In fact, this only adds to the fun...you won't even need to pay my usual fee. The prospect of this family reunion is more than enough for me." He said, his teeth unveiling a sickening, bloodthirsty grin.
Zer0: Review everyone on what you thought, what you liked or didn't like, what you would have done, or taken away, or added, etc. PM for ideas, and enjoy the holidays.
Episode Eight Summary: As Jacen trains with Luke on Ach-To, the others must escape the clutches of the First Order. Jacen must confront his brother on both his understanding of the truth, and the dark side. The group must face new enemies, make new friends, and face the dark side in the thrilling continuation of Star Wars.
Zer0: Until then!
Bio: Y'all have a good one!