TishaLiz: Yeah I knew as I was writing the chapter that it was not going to be one of the best ones. Like you said it was going to be a filler chapter for Kuvira's arrival on Starkiller base and not much else. I added the POV for Poe because I hoped that some battle scenes would make the chapter more appealing. Plus, while I am a First Order supporter. I want to make sure that I am giving some viewpoints from the other side. That is after all a big part of this story. The fact that there is more then one side to the Star Wars conflict. I debated about adding Han especially with his injuries. But I cannot see him allowing anyone else to pilot the falcon to Starkiller base without him. Plus, I honestly do not think any other pilot, (except maybe Poe) being crazy enough to make that lightspeed jump. But I have a plan for the battle outcome that I hope people will like.
Guest: Thank you for your opinion and rest assured I have a plan for the showdown.
wildcat717: Thanks for the review. I do appreciate everyone that I get, and they encourage me to update fast and to make sure that I am taking my readers comments into account. I hope this chapter continues to meet your expectations.
Lady Syndra: Thanks for your comments. I am glad that you left your review before I posted this update as it allowed me to respond to you. I have a plan for Starkiller and I hope that you enjoy this chapter as much as the others now that we are reaching the climax. If you have any other idea's or comments please do let me know I enjoy constructive feedback.
Chapter 18 – Reunions
Starkiller Base
Kylo Ren – POV
With a final scream of rage, Kylo Ren brought his lightsaber down on the smoking, glowing remains of the wreckage that had been an intact interrogation table moments ago. As the last remains of the table fell to the floor in pieces. Kylo Ren stood still as a statue, hunched over with his lightsaber still active in his two-handed grip, breathing deeply.
Slowly, his anger and rage faded enough to allow him some clarity of thought. The power of the dark side that had rushed through him moments ago, began to ebb. But it did not fade. It never faded away entirely. The dark side was always with him. Which was as it should be, according to his master.
As he regained his decorum he straightened up and deactivated his lightsaber. He stood there for a few moments in the smoking wreckage, as he opened himself up to the force. To allow it to calm his mind and give him greater clarity. Right now, he did not need the burning emotional fire of the dark side. He needed to calm his mind and think the problem through in detail.
This was a hangover from his days with his uncle and his Jedi training. It was something that his grandfather would never have approved of. The dark side was about action and about making the Force bend to your will. In contrast the Jedi were all about emotional neutrality and allowing the force to guide your actions. Uncle Luke would always take the time to remind him that the Jedi were instruments of the Force. Not the other way around.
He had scoffed, even back during his days as a padawan. To be nothing but an instrument of the Force his entire life. To have every action or thought second guessed or questioned about whether this was what the Force wanted instead of himself. To be a mere tool, that the Force used like a chess piece to influence the galaxy around him.
'Never!'
If that was what the Force and the Jedi demanded of him then he might as well have slapped a shcok collar on his neck and sold himself into slavery on Nal Hutta or on Zygerria.
Because that is what the Jedi were in the end. The galaxies ultimate slaves. Who actively aspired to have no will of their own and no goals beyond what the Force allowed?
Not him. He was the blood of Darth Vader and heir to the Dark Side. He refused to be nothing but a flesh and blood automaton.
But the fact that he still used these light side techniques was only further proof that he had not fully committed to his path yet. It highlighted the fact that the light side still maintained a hold on him. It was like a mynock that was latched on to him, leeching him of his conviction and his power.
If he had fully committed to the dark side he would have the mental focus and discipline that he knew he lacked. He would have been able to use and control his anger and rage, instead of lashing out like a child having a tantrum.
If he was as powerful as Darth Vader…then he would…
"Lord Ren?" A voice whispered in a tone so tentative. It bordered on petrified.
He turned and saw a stormtrooper officer standing in the entrance to the ruined interrogation cell. His rifle was in his arms but held in a resting position. The trooper clearly did not want to be in his presence at that moment. Ren could sense his fear and desperation in the force like a beacon. Obviously he feared that he would soon be subjected to the same fate as the interrogation equipment.
Not to long ago, he would have been right to be worried. But Ren remembered the discussions he had about this with Kuvira. She did not appreciate him injuring or even killing her soldiers in his blood rage. He had come to understand that such behaviour was counterproductive, and it was unworthy of him.
He knew that Vader had executed many Imperials, but only for a legitimate (if minor) offense. Never simply because he lost control. And as Vader's heir apparent, he would not display such idiocy. It was not the behaviour of a true Sith Lord.
On a more personal note, he knew that doing such things would anger Admiral Kuvira. And (as much as he refused to acknowledge this fact) he was unwilling to do something that would make her unhappy with him.
He faced the trooper. "The prisoner has escaped. I want her found immediately." He growled softly through his mask in a voice that promised dire retribution on anyone who failed in this task.
The trooper nodded and immediately ordered his soldiers (still hiding out of sight) to raise the alarm and begin sweeping the area. Once that was done the commander turned back to Kylo Ren. "Sir, I have been instructed to inform you that the planet is under attack by Resistance forces. Their fighters are attacking the planet oscillator in their attempt to disable the weapon." The commander reported before he was cut off by Ren.
"I am well aware of that commander, I was informed when the first attack wave occurred hours ago." Kylo said. There was no change to his tone as he said this. But the implied message was clear. 'This is beneath me, and you are wasting my time.'
The commander clearly heard that as well, since he did not mince his next words. "The Retribution has entered the system with Grand Admiral Kuvira aboard. She is leading the fighter squadrons in defence of the oscillator. But she issued standing orders for all senior officers and non-essential personnel to evacuate the planet to the Retribution immediately." He blurted out quickly.
Kylo Ren paused as the news that Kuvira was back in the system took an emotional effect on him that he refused to display to his soldiers. Once he had digested that news he asked his next questions. "The Admiral believes that the Resistance could succeed in their attack?" The question more of a statement than anything else.
The commander was not so unprofessional as to shrug, but he was clearly fighting the urge. "I do not know my lord. I only relayed the standing orders." The commander stated.
Ren nodded until a thought struck him. "Has General Hux been evacuated already?" He asked, knowing Hux would run off like a coward at the first hint of danger to his life.
The commander nodded almost instantly. "Yes, my lord. The General was evacuated on the first shuttle off planet. The Admiral placed clear orders that the General was to be escorted safely to the Retribution without delay. She has also placed her own personal guards to ensure his safety once he is aboard."
"I am sure she did." Kylo Ren responded. His voice was carefully neutral. But beneath his mask a savage smirk was stretching across his face. He knew the exact reasons why Kuvira had been so concerned for Hux's safety. Just like he knew that whether the Resistance succeeded or not. Armitage Hux was not going to survive this day. He could only hope that he could be there in person to watch whatever Kuvira had in store for him.
He was brought out of his vicious fantasies by the sound of the commander talking to him again. "My lord, we have a ship ready to take you off planet if you…." Kylo silenced him with a raised hand.
"The prisoner from Takodana is still missing. She contains information that is vital to the First Order. We will not leave this planet until she is in our custody or this planet breaks apart. Do you understand commander?" Ren ordered clearly.
The commander's gulp was almost audible in the corridor. But instead he simply saluted and ordered his remaining troopers to fall in to line so that they were ready to join Ren on his search for the missing prisoner.
Kylo Ren stepped out of the cell and took his place at the head of the stormtrooper squad. As he did he reached out with the Force again, to try and pinpoint the Jakku girl's location. He felt the currents of the Force shift as he enforced his will on them and commanded them to branch out across the entire world.
He felt the determination mixed with fear in the stormtroopers right behind him.
He felt the battle raging in the skies above the planet surface. The grim determination and focus of the pilots on both sides as they attacked and dodged, and counter attacked in their desperate deadly dance in the atmosphere. He felt the force react every time a pilot was killed as their fighter exploded around them.
A Jedi would say that the Force felt dimmer as the light of that person's life went out. But as he reached out with the dark side he felt the emotions that the moment create ripple through the force. The pain, fear and hatred of the dying and the satisfaction and glee of the killer pulsed in the Force and nourished the dark side within him.
He felt the unmistakable presence of Kuvira in the space battle. He icy control during the situation providing a perfect counter balance to his fiery passions as they intertwined during his metaphysical search. He felt her sudden elation as she brought down another enemy. Before it receded into her usual stoicism. He had enjoyed that moment of happiness he had felt within her.
As his presence washed over hears he felt her mind reach out to briefly touch his in recognition. It was not a conscious action on her part. It was an instinctual action from one not sensitive to the Force. He allowed himself to briefly allow the connection to deepen as he allowed himself to take strength and solace from her presence while he provided her with enhanced awareness and determination from him.
But he knew to deepen the connection any longer would cause a reaction in her conscious mind that could cost her life in battle. With that in mind, he regretfully pulled away and stretched his feelings out to the rest of the world.
He sensed the thousands of beings still within Starkiller base, and hundreds more evacuating in shuttles. He sent his senses deep within the planetary compound until he found her.
Her presence jumped out at him suddenly. Her mind shining like a beacon to him as a result of the mental connection they had already shared during her interrogation.
She was at the oscillator and her intentions there were so clear in his mind, she might as well have been broadcasting them. She was planning to damage and/or destroy the structure and do what the Resistance attack force could not.
But even as he began to turn to order his impromptu battalion to follow him to the transports to the oscillator compound. He was hit by another series of presences. Two of them were presences that he could not identify personally. Bit the structure and feeling of one person's mind was not unlike what he sensed in his stormtroopers. A similar presence but not identical anyway.
The other presence was with them and this one was familiar and most noticeably possessed a distinctly non-human mind. Even as he grasped that fact, the presence had a familiar sense to it. As if it belonged to a being that he had used to know long ago.
Finally, there was the third presence. This presence was most interesting because of how much he recognised that persons aura. It blazed in his minds eye like a solar flare or the blazing red glow of his lightsaber. It was a presence he hadn't felt since…." He eyes opened wide with shock as he realised without any doubt who that familiar presence was.
"Han Solo." He whispered quietly through his masks speaking apparatus.
"My lord?" The commander asked at his soft-spoken realisation.
Kylo Ren pushed his roiling emotions aside and turned around to face him. "Follow me." He ordered as they moved towards the underground transports that would take them to the oscillator compound.
Hux – POV
"Get out of my way!" Hux barked as he exited the shuttle that had taken him and the rest of the senior commanders from Starkiller base to the Retribution that currently hung in the space of the star system.
He did not even acknowledge that he knocked down Captain Solas from the exiting ramp as he shoved past him and sent the Imperial veteran to the floor of the hanger. Hux considered such things beneath his notice. Otherwise he would have noticed the glares of barely concealed loathing that the entire Starkiller garrison command was sending at the back of his head.
But Hux was already striding to the bridge of the star destroyer as fast as he could walk while still appearing dignified.
When he arrived at the bridge he was not surprised to find Commander Hask standing on the command walkway directing the running of the ship. The Retribution was after all his personal star destroyer.
But he was not in the mood to talk to Hask at the moment. Especially since he had been forced to leave Starkiller the base right before the weapon fired and cemented his place in history as the destroyer of both the New Republic and the Resistance.
Nor was he in a favourable mood towards Hask at that moment. He had given the decrepit Imperial relic one simple task. To get Admiral Kuvira away from Starkiller so that he could oversee the destruction of their enemies personally. He had ensured he understood that if he failed him in this mission, then he would ensure that his career took a sharp and steep decline.
But it seemed that Hask had failed or decided to ignore his orders. Whichever one it was it did not matter; the end result was the same. And he would make sure that Hask would end up eating a blaster bolt.
He was already debating if it would be more entertaining to order it himself or make Hask's life so intolerable that he did it of his own volition.
He dismissed such thoughts. He could devote more time to them when he was not currently in a combat situation.
He was however pleased to see that Hask had clearly suffered for his incompetence on Vardos. He was leaning heavily on one of his legs and his face showed clear signs that he had been attacked and/or bludgeoned by someone.
'To whoever did that, I say well done'. Hux mentally chuckled. It would have been better if they could have permanently ended him, but he would get more enjoyment doing that himself.
Hask turned to regard him as he made his way up the walkway. When he saw who was striding towards him he displayed a small but noticeable look of annoyance and contempt. The reaction was subtle, but it was there and Hask's new facial injuries were preventing him from masking his feelings as well as he usually would.
Hux did not comment on Hask's momentarily obvious lack of respect or deference, he had no time for that. He simply filed the insult away in his mind. Mentally adding it to the long list of insults for which all his enemies would one day be made to pay.
"General." Hask uttered in greeting. The simple word was spoken without any noticeable emotion and in a tone that would not be out of place coming from a droid. Clearly he was trying to keep any signs of distaste from his voice.
"Where is Admiral Kuvira?" Hux demanded without even bothering to return the commander's greeting. "I must protest my removal from the planet while the Resistance is attacking our oscillator facility! I should be down their providing leadership to our forces and wiping out their pathetic strike force!" He snapped.
Hask did not dignify his rant by responding to it right away. After a few seconds of watching Hux's face grow more purple, he responded. "The Grand Admiral". He said with slight but clear emphasis on the word grand. "Is currently leading our fighter squadrons against the Resistance on the planet."
"She is making short work of the Resistance. They have fled into the upper atmosphere to escape the killing zone and have been forced to break off their attacks on the oscillator. Our sensor readings indicate that the battle will be over within the hour." Hask reported, taking special satisfaction in pointing out that it was Kuvira who was leading them to victory instead of Hux.
Hux's expression twisted as he fought to keep his burning rage and resentment under control. After all, orders and the chain of command were the hallmarks of the First Order. Even a General would not long survive if he was heard questioning or maligning his superior officer.
After a moment, he seemed ready to speak without shouting. "If that is the case, then there is no reason for me or the rest of the garrison command to be on this ship. May I ask what the Grand Admiral was thinking when she removed us from the planet and placed the oscillator and the weapon in danger?" He hissed
Hux was confident he already knew the real reason. He knew that Kuvira was not an idiot and would by now have realised the situation he had placed her in by arranging her trip to Vardos. He was just disappointed that the realisation had not resulted in her death or the death of Hask.
Now that she was back in command. He felt that she was doing to him, what he had done to her. She was removing him from the battle and relegating him to the side-lines so that she could claim the final glory and ensure that she gained the credit for destroying the Resistance.
If he paid more attention he would know that Kuvira had never once placed pride or revenge over the needs of the First Order. He never suspected that the real reason that he had been called on the Retribution was to ensure he could not escape her when she came back.
She had also considered it poetically symbolic given what the star destroyer was called.
Hask knew all this too. But he was certainly not going to give Hux any warning. "The Admiral stated that she is determined to not repeat the mistake made by Grand Moff Tarkin. While the Resistance's cause appears hopeless, there remains a danger if the oscillator is damaged while the weapon is charged. The chain reaction will likely destroy the entire planet and anything in the near vicinity. The Grand Admiral did not want to place the entire garrison command at unnecessary risk." Hask replied patiently. But his tone starting to take on the patronising tone one would use when lecturing a petulant child.
Clearly Hux noticed the change. "Are you mocking me, commander?!" He snapped as he stepped into Hask's personal space and bored his eyes into Hask's.
The action was clearly meant to be intimidating. But on Hask it just appeared foolish and overly exaggerated. In another time Hask might have been more cautious of how he dealt with Hux. After all he was still a General and could make his life very difficult or very short. That was after all, the whole reason he had grudgingly gone along with Hux's infantile plan to remove Kuvira to Vados.
But that was before the attack on Starkiller. He had looked into Kuvira's eyes when she had spoken about Hux and his transport to the Retribution. He had seen Hux's future in those emerald irises and it was no future at all.
Now he felt much more comfortable to address Hux with the respect he felt he deserved. But he would still honour the chain of command. For however long it applied.
"No General. I am simply relaying the instructions that were left by the Grand Admiral and what she entrusted us to do until the battle has been won and the Resistance forces destroyed." Hask explained.
Hux snarled and turned away from Hask as he stared out of the star destroyer's bridge viewport at the planet that was still visible in the distance of space. He continued to simply glare at the planet as if he could set it and everyone upon it ablaze with the intensity of his anger and frustration.
Then he turned back to Hask with a fire that bordered on maniacal in his eyes. "The Resistance is throwing their strength at Starkiller. But we know their base is located in the Ileenium system. While the Grand Admiral destroys their fighter force we must take the time to attack them in their lair. The more time we waste, the more time we give them to sling away into hiding." Hux declared as his voice began to rise in excitement. Maybe he could salvage this situation and still emerge with the glory he deserved.
"I want the 1st fleet to be called back to rendezvous in the system immediately. From there we will descend on the Ileenium system in force before the Resistance can escape. Between the battle here and our attack on their base. The Resistance will be wiped out in a single glorious day!" He ordered as he address Hask as if expecting him to instantly begin relaying the orders.
If that was the case then he was soon disappointed.
"General the 1st fleet has been ordered to remain on standby until the matter on Starkiller has been resolved. The ships are also under the direct command of the Grand Admiral and will not leave their current position without her express consent. Even if she was willing to provide that she cannot be contacted in the middle of a star ship battle." Hask reminded Hux even as he watched movement occur at the entrance to the bridge as more people entered the command centre, watching the interaction.
Hux gritted his teeth in frustration so hard, his teeth might have shattered into diamonds. After a few seconds of silence, he spoke again. However, this time his tone carried much less enthusiastic excitement. Now it carried the unmistakable edge of a threat.
"The send the orders to the 10th fleet. Those ships are under my direct command. Tell them they are too assemble their full force in the Ileenium system as soon as possible. I will take command of my flagship, the Wrath in the system when we attack the Resistance base." Hux growled out in a dangerously quiet voice. He eyed Hask as if daring him to challenge him again.
If he was surprised when Hask did exactly that he did not show it.
"General, the 10th fleet was ordered to remain and protect our own territory by the Supreme Leader himself. The New Republic is crumbling, and the Resistance is dying as we speak. But we cannot leave our own planets and bases undefended. Those worlds under our rule in the outer rim pledged themselves to the First Order in exchange for our protection from the Hutts, pirates and slavers. If they see all their ships and defences disappear in times of war they may feel betrayed and incite rebellions. We cannot afford to fight a war of conquest across the galaxy while dealing with insurrections in our own homeland." Hask said in as professional a tone as he could given the damage to his face.
"Even if that was not the case. While we know the Resistance, base is in the Ileenium system. We do not have an exact location. The fleet would take days to scan all the planets and regions of the system and by that time the Resistance could have fled. The Grand Admiral states that we must wait until we have pinpointed their location and then destroy them in a lightning strike before they can slip away." Hask reported calmly to mollify Hux as best he could.
But it seemed that Hux had reached the end of his infamously short temper. With a lightning strike, he backhanded Hask across the face with all his might. Normally the blow would not have caused a reaction from Hask. But with his facial injuries he cried out in pain and anger as Hux's blow caused his wounds to flare up. As he staggered to the side and put his hand to his face, he tasted the familiar metallic taste of blood leaking into his mouth.
"I have had enough of your defiance and insubordination, Commander!" Hux spat the lower rank as if it was a curse. "You will carry out my orders this instant. And you will remember who is in command here!" He shouted to Hask and to the entire bridge crew as his voice echoed away.
Hask slowly took his hand away from his mouth as he observed the blood falling from his lips on to his black glove. Then he straightened up slowly and turned to face Hux.
But this time.
There was no hint of subservience or obedience in his expression.
"No, General." Hask hissed. Saying Hux's rank as if it was a terribly unfunny joke. Hux was shocked at the open defiance in Hask's face and he took an involuntary step back as Hask continued.
"I think you have forgotten, exactly who is in command here." Hask said, and his voice made in unmistakable to anyone just who he was referring too. "Grand Admiral Kuvira. And she had ordered that the fleets remain where they are. And there, they shall stay!" He barked.
Hux was spluttering what might have been outraged refusals or condemnations. Or even calls to have Hask seized and executed. But his words were lost in his shock as he could not form words from his baffled mind or tangled tongue. But Hask was not finished as he delivered his next words.
"She has also ordered that you will remain on the Retribution until she returns from the battle. She has made it known that she wishes to discuss some matters of great importance with you." Hask said with now a noticeable amount of glee in his tone.
Hux suddenly became aware of just how alone he felt in this moment as he noticed that not one person had opposed Hask in his clearly treasonous words. He also noted how Hask had spoken words that would normally carry the death penalty under First Order law in front of everyone.
And yet not a single person in the bridge crew looked in away way surprised.
He felt a very real and very strong feeling. It was an instinctual feeling that harked back millennia to his primitive ancestors. But that feeling told him that danger was close and to run as far and fast as he could if he hoped to survive.
Clearing his throat and swallowing his nerves he turned his increasingly pale face back to Hask. When he spoke, he tried to project his old arrogant confidence and keep his voice from cracking.
"I will summon the 10th fleet and destroy the Resistance myself. And when I return Hask I will have you arrested for insubordination and treason. And I will personally make sure that you are sentenced to certain, instant and even immediate death!" He blustered in Hask's unimpressed face.
With that he spun round and began to walk down the command walkway to exit the bridge and get out this ship as fast as possible.
But he was halted in his tracks as he felt himself slam into a solid surface.
As he opened his eyes after the impact he found himself staring into a sea of red armour plate. Slowly, he tilted his head upwards until he was staring into the faceless helmets of two praetorian guards. The guards were standing shoulder to shoulder so as to completely block the walkway to Hux.
Behind him, Hux heard Hask step forward and continue speaking. "As I said General. You have been instructed to remain on board the Retribution." Hask relayed. After he finished the two guards acted.
In a move so professional and so fast, Hux could not follow it. They spun their vibro-voulges and activated them.
The next thing Hux knew both voulges were crossed in scissor formation across his exposed neck. The red energy blade of the blades was less then an inch from his pale and sweating neck flesh.
Hask continued to speak and he was no longer making any attempt to keep his tone pleasant. Now the glee and satisfaction in his voice bordered on the sadistic. "The Grand Admiral will be returning once the battle has been decided and she intends to speak with you soon. You will remain here to await her, pleasure." Hask said taking the time to add cruel emphasis on the final word.
If Hux had not been too afraid of slicing his neck open on the vibro-voulges.
He would have gulped.
Kylo Ren - POV
"Ben!"
The name echoes as Kylo Ren stops, far across the vast catwalk of the oscillator chamber. He turned and sure enough. There at the opposite end of the walkway stood the greyed and haggard smuggler, Han Solo.
"Han Solo. I've been waiting for this day for a long time" He said as he turned around fully and took a few steps towards the old man before he came to a stop again. He remained as calm as he could in both posture and in his voice.
But inside his emotions were roiling. This was his moment. This was his initiation into the darkness. The time when he would finally be able to exercise all his failures and weaknesses from himself and emerge stronger for it.
Vader had faced the same test on the first Death Star. When he had confronted his old master, Obi-Wan Kenobi again after all those years. He had fought and killed him. Finally avenging himself for his defeat on Mustafar and finally completing a rite of passage almost as old as the Sith Order.
But could he do it?
He knew what his master would expect of him in this moment. He knew what he had to do. But now that he was staring at his father again after all these years. He was not sure he could do what was necessary.
He had been so lost in his personally musings that he had not noticed that Han Solo had stepped across the walkway and was now noticeably closer than he had been. Although he noticed that Han was gripping the railings of the walkway tightly as he stumbled and struggled for balance.
It was then that he noticed Solo's knees were heavily bandaged and had what appeared to be kolto injectors pumping the healing medicine into his wounds. He remembered Kuvira telling him that she had shot Solo in the legs on Takodana to prevent his escape. While it had not worked it clearly had left an impression on him up till this point.
"Take off that mask. You don't need it." Han said with the voice of a father who had caught his child using his shaving kit to early.
Kylo recognised that tone and did not appreciate it. "What do you think you'll see if I do?" He asked stubbornly as Han continued to move towards him.
"The face of my son." Han declares with absolute certainty.
Kylo Ren feels his rage almost erupt right then and there. His son?! To have a son you had to be a father. And Han Solo had not been a father in so long it was almost hard to remember if he ever had been.
A father is meant to be there for you. A father is meant to raise you. A father is meant to protect you! What had Han Solo done to fulfil any of those requirements?
He had abandoned him and his mother on Hosnian Prime the first chance he got. For all his claims of how much he loved them and how he valued nothing above them. Clearly he had loved the life of a smuggler, racer and general rogue more. If he had truly cared for them he would have stayed and been with his family more than just three or four times a year.
And typically, those loving family visits had always just happened to coincide with his latest loss on the swoop bikes and him conveniently remembering to pick up some cash while he was home. Before he headed out to catch the next Malastare pod races or get some illegal cargo to a gangster friend of his.
His mother had been no better. For all her promises of how much she loved him and his father. He had quickly realised that he would always come second place against her beloved Republic. That when he was measured against Leia Organa's oh so noble causes, he would always come up short in terms of priorities.
His mother had always been far to concerned with taking care of the rest of the galaxy that she had never made time for her own family. Maybe that was why she didn't care so much about Han's absences. Maybe they even worked out for her better. That way, she could devote more time to the next struggle for freedom without needing to bother with the trivial matter of her husband and son.
And yet they had wondered why his anger and resentment had began to boil over in his early teens. How his power in the force had began to manifest in small displays of power driven by his simmering anger.
He had heard them talk about it behind closed doors when they thought he was asleep or just oblivious. How they had talked about him like he was a monster instead of their son.
They could have taken the time to talk to him. To find out what the root cause of his problem was. To learn why he was forced to keep this aggression and hurt hidden until it exploded in bursts of darkness.
If they had done that they might have seen that the common denominator in this was them. Then maybe things could have been different.
Instead they had done what they had always done best. They had put as much distance as they could between themselves and him. They had shipped him off to his uncle Luke's training school.
They claimed it was for his own good and to help him control his power and serve the galaxy as a great Jedi Master. Maybe even one day as Grandmaster.
But he had seen it for the abandonment that it was. They had sent him off and then washed their hands of him. His father went back to his lowlife friends that he was always much more comfortable with. While his mother went back to her true love in politics and dissidents.
They had sent holo calls once every few months. But beyond that, he might as well have been an old droid that they had sold since they didn't want him anymore.
He honestly doubted they would have even learned about his defection to the First Order if Luke had not told them.
And now Han Solo had the utter gall to refer to him as his son?!
Kylo Ren felt his anger burn before he managed to restrain himself a bit. He decided that he would humour the old man. If nothing else it would hammer home the point that Han Solo had not since his face since before he became a man.
Kylo reached up and disengaged his mask which he then pulled off his head. He took the time to enjoy the jolted look of surprise on Solo's face.
"Your son is gone. He was weak and foolish, like his father. So, I destroyed him." Kylo said. His voice sounding off as it had been a long time since he had spoken without his mask.
Han shook is head in denial at his words. "That's what Snoke wants you to believe but it's not true. My son is alive." He said in a voice that was not pleading. But it was not too far off either.
Kylo's rage flared instantly. Both at Solo's continued insistence at calling him his son. But also, for his insult against the Supreme Leader. A man who had been more of a role model. More of a mentor. More of a father then Han Solo could ever claim to have been.
"No. The Supreme Leader is wise." He snapped in anger.
Han continued to step towards him until he was standing right in front of Kylo Ren. "Snoke is using you for your power. When he gets what he wants, he'll crush you." He paused as he let his words sink in.
"You know it's true." He said as a statement rather than a question.
Kylo hesitates. Somehow, he does know it. It was after all, what his master had always taught him. Once something or someone is no longer useful. It must therefore be discarded lest it drag you down with it.
It was the way of the Sith, the way of the dark side. Master and apprentice were loyal to each other until the moment that they were not. An apprentice had no use for a master who had nothing left to teach them. And a master had no use for an apprentice that could not grow stronger.
He shook his head in resignation as he felt his mind start to run in circles with contemplating these questions. "It's too late." He whispers is voice almost cracking with emotion.
Han steps forward again until they are almost nose to nose. "No, it's not. Leave here with me. Come home. We miss you." He said as he looks into his sons' eyes. It seemed that he was searching desperately for something to give him hope that his words were reaching Ben Solo somewhere deep within Kylo Ren.
For the first time, Kylo Ren seems truly conflicted. Tears flood his normally stoic eyes.
He considers what Han Solo. What his father has said.
For a moment he does just want to put all of this behind him. To leave all the death and killing behind him. To leave and find a place where people would love and like him instead of simply fearing him. To be the person that crowds would cheer for instead of kneeling in submission.
All these thoughts flash across his mind before they are swept away. Then he asks the questions that he needs to say. To ask the questions that should have been asked years ago.
"Come home to what?" He asks to Han's puzzled face. "Come home to a family in name only. To a mother who spent more time with politians then she ever did with me?" He said as his voice started to rise.
"To a father who would rather be spending his days with gangsters, spice dealers and crime lords then with his own family? To an uncle who taught me about how a Jedi never uses the force to attack, and then tried to murder me in my sleep?" He demands as Han starts to look a little less sure of himself and his words.
Han still persevered, however. "Come home to a family that want you back because they miss you and not because you can do things for them." He said is voice becoming firmer.
But it was the wrong thing to say as Kylo returned the argument at hyper speed. "No? So, if I do come with you I won't be made to tell the Resistance everything I know about the First Order from a holding cell. I won't be forced to undergo 'redemption' at the hands of that hypocrite!" Kylo said his voice becoming more defiant as Han saw the long simmering anger coming to the surface.
"And once they have all they want from me. Will I be executed or forced to join mom's sorry little resistance band?" He said in a tone that was bordering on a sneer.
Han tried to remain calm in the face of his sons anger but he could not let that comment about the Resistance slide. "Do not talk about them that way! They are good people in the Resistance. People who have been willing to lay down their lives for the sake of others. People who are dying right now in the skies above this planet." He demanded firmly. His tone automatically taking on the scolding sound he had used when Ben had been a small boy.
But it had clearly lost the effect it once had. "Please." Kylo Ren scoffed at his fathers' words. "They are anarchists and terrorists. They are radicals that even the New Republic disavowed. They are the ones who started this war by attacking us remember?" He declared as he saw his father getting increasingly frustrated.
"They attacked us because they had too. They cannot survive without a war. They have no purpose without a cause to fight for. And as long as they get their 'heroic rebellion' they will happily burn the galaxy to ash and damn us all to bloody chaos!" He proclaimed.
Han struck back, his face growing red. "At least they don't blow up entire planets and kill billions in what they don't even bother to call a war crime!" He yelled before he tried to calm himself before speaking softly again. "Come on Ben you cannot support all this. This isn't you. The son I knew would never…" He said before Kylo cut him off.
"You never knew me!" He shouted. "You weren't even there to know me! So, don't presume to tell me what I would or would not do!"
Han shook his head slowly at what he was hearing. "You have been brain washed. By Snoke and that Kuvira schutta. You…." He stopped talking as Kylo Ren's face exploded in fury. If Han was force sensitive he would have felt the burning heat of the dark side erupt from his son in that moment.
"DO NOT CALL HER THAT!" Kylo Ren screamed as he aggressively stepped forward. Before he knew what was happening his lightsaber flew into his hand and activated. The red blade and cross guards blazing into life.
Han tried to take several frantic steps backwards as his enraged son's weapon came perilously close to his face.
But his injured legs failed to support him in his frantic retreat and soon they gave way and he went crashing to the walkway floor.
Kylo stopped as he held his lightsaber and gazed at his father as he lay on the walkway floor. He wondered how so much had just suddenly happened, so quickly. He had not even consciously acknowledged how deep his 'passions' for the Grand Admiral went. But at his father's insult against her. It has caused the dam of repression to burst and for him to be able to realise many things he had been trying to deny.
As he regained focus he made to shut down the lightsaber. But the next thing he knew the force screamed a warning as he swung his lightsaber around. He just got the blade in position to send the green energy bolt (that would have smashed into his torso) into the depths of the oscillator.
As he staggered back from the heavy force of the crossbow blaster. He looked up on the railings and saw that flea-bitten beast Chewbacca standing with his bow caster aimed squarely at Kylo Ren's face.
As he watched, Chewbacca roared at Han to move as he fired again and again at the dark warrior. Kylo's lightsaber was a blur of red as he batted the bolts away and sent several back at Chewbacca, forcing the Wookie to duck for cover.
It was funny he thought. When he had been a child. Chewbacca had often carried him on his shoulders. Or swung him around with his great arms as he laughed with joy. Now they were both trying to kill each other.
As he smacked bolts away he saw Han limping away down the walkway and he yelled after him.
"So, was this the plan, father?" He called out. Saying the word father like it made a bad taste in his mouth. "Try to lure me to your side with soft false words. All the while preparing to kill me if I refused?!
Han turned back as he struggled to stay up right. "No Ben, it wasn't like that. I swear!" He shouted back desperately. "Chewie just thought you were going to…" He got no further.
"Shut Up!" Kylo yelled. "For once, just shut your lying, swindling mouth! I am so sick of your lies and false promises!" Kylo roared out as he sent more bolts back at Chewbacca.
The memories and feelings that had surfaced from Ben Solo moments ago where gone. They were being burned away by this latest and most terrible betrayal. Slowly but certainly. The boy that was Ben Solo was being consumed in the fires of rage that were erupting in this moment.
Soon, only Kylo Ren would remain.
"Ben. Stop and listen to me!" Han shouted until he suddenly found himself unable to move. He tried to force his body to react. But it was like he was frozen in carbonite once again. As he looked he saw Ben stare at him with murderous intent, his hand outstretched towards him.
"No more words, father!" Kylo Ren said. "The days of Han Solo cheating and disappointing people end here!"
With that. Kylo Ren leapt forward and into the air as he dodged the next bolts from Chewbacca.
Han was still frozen and completely helpless as he watched his son descend on him from the sky with his lightsaber held over his head. His eyes blazing and teeth bared.
And both Han and Chewie knew that nothing would stop him from bringing his lightsaber cleaving through his father's skull.