POW Barge:
Poe is taken into a long corridor with cells along both walls. He is pushed into a cell together with a couple of other Republic pilots and crewmembers.
"Poe?"
Poe turns around and sees Rose in the opposite cell of his. "Rose!"
"Thank the Force you're alive" Rose says and smiles.
Poe realizes what must have happened. "The Raddus? They got the flagship?"
Rose frowns. "They got it alright. The Sky Marshall betrayed us, Poe. He's a traitor. He smuggled onboard a full regiment of stormtroopers. They took her over. The Raddus is now part of the First Order fleet."
"Yorrick?" Poe says. "A traitor?"
Captain Phasma steps into view and looks directly at Poe. "The troublesome pilot" she says. "You escaped me on Jakku. You escaped me on Canto Bight. You will not escape me now."
"Don't be too sure" Poe says defiantly. "This is all part of my plan."
"Interesting" Phasma says. "Let's discuss this plan of yours." She takes a step back. "Bring him."
The cell opens and four stormtroopers step inside, two of them hit Poe with stun-batons and the other two hit the other prisoners to force them back. Poe is dragged from the cell and the cell-door closes again. Rose can only watch as Phasma and the stormtroopers leave with Poe being dragged along.
"Poe!" Rose calls out, pressing herself against the bars. "POE!"
Kylo Rens Star Destroyer:
Rey flies in towards the massive warship, escorted by two TIE Fighters. The TIE's veers off and she alone approaches a small docking-bay. She enters with her shot-up fighter and lands next to Kylos TIE Fighter. As Rey climbs out of her craft, R2 is lowered to the floor. Rey draws her pistol and carefully investigates her surroundings; walking up to a railing she sees Kylos personal shuttle landed on a lower landing-pad. No crew or soldiers visible, only a couple of droids doing routine duties. She turns around and is startled by the Force Ghost of Luke Skywalker.
"This is as far as I can go" Luke tells her. "Walk through that door, and I can not help you."
"Why?" Rey asks. "I'm all alone here. Why wont you help me?"
"The Dark Side" Luke says. "It… It is far too strong here. Stronger than Jacen could have become in this short time on his own. It's preventing me from following you. It's almost like a nexus of the Dark Side has emerged on this ship. But that's impossible. I don't know what is going on here, but Jacen is more dangerous than you and I ever thought possible. Facing him on your own will put you in grave and terrible danger."
"I have no choice" Rey says.
"You're not ready" Luke says. "This was a mistake. You have to leave."
"And then Kylo Ren will kill everyone out there!" Rey argues. "I have to face him! It's the only way to stop him!"
Luke walks up to Rey and looks at her with grim eyes. "This is not going to end the way you think."
Rey simply shrugs and shakes her head. "What other choice do I have?"
Rey leaves Luke and heads for the door and leaves the hangar-bay. R2 makes noises indicating his worries. Luke lowers his head and sighs, worried for what is to come.
Rey cautiously enters Kylos personal lounge, pistol drawn. Kylo, standing by the viewports, turns around and they lock eyes.
Kylo sighs and nods. "You don't know how happy this makes me."
"Happy?" Rey asks, as ever cautious.
"Yes. Happy. For far too long have we been separated" Kylo says. "We belong together. We are Skywalkers. We should not be enemies."
Rey frowns. "Comes from the man who murdered his own father. Killed his own mother. Betrayed his own uncle. And exiled his own cousin to live a life of servitude, starving, forced to beg every day for a drop of water, forced to scavenge just to stay alive!"
"I'm sorry" Kylo says. "The Supreme Leader deceived me. Tricked me when I was young and naïve. I was a stupid child who knew nothing of the world. But that has changed. I am wiser now. More powerful. I have a greater understanding of the Force. And I realize that Creel and the Knights of Ren were the real enemy. I am tired, Leanna. So tired. My own officers conspire against me, plotting to have me killed. They don't fear me like they feared Creel. They think I'm weak. I am tired of it! Our grandfather was a pawn of the Jedi. And a pawn of the Sith. Uncle Luke was asked by the Jedi to kill his own father. I was tricked to fight for the Knights of Ren. People have always been jealous of us, jealous of our powers. They have always tried to deceive us, to trick us, to give us orders and commands, they have always expected of us to obey. I am tired of it. We should not be told what to do. We should do what we want. Join me, Leanna. Let us reshape the galaxy. Right all the wrongs. Root out corruption and replace it with law and order. You and me, together."
"You expect me to forget what you've done?" Rey frowns. "Forget that you took me from my family?! That you left me on that cursed rock and doomed me to slavery! Do you have any idea what I have done in order to just simply survive?! What I have done to earn a simple cup of water?! You Took Everything From Me!"
Rey aims her blaster at Kylo, rage prompting her to shoot. Logic telling her it's no use.
"Listen to reason, Leanna" Kylo says and clenches his fist. "You and I, we can conquer the galaxy! Destroy all our enemies. Uphold what ever laws we desire. Bring order to the chaos. Create our own order! We don't need the Jedi, Ren or the Sith. As long as we have each other, we don't need any of them. Join me!"
"I will never join you" Rey says and holsters her blaster. "I will never join Kylo Ren. Listen to me, Jacen. I know you struggle with the path you've chosen. I know you don't want this life. I know you regret the death of your parents. Creel is dead, there is nothing holding you back anymore. Nothing to force you to stay with the Dark Side. Come back with me, Jacen. I can feel your struggle, I can feel your desire to walk away from the darkness. To become Jacen Solo again. Let me help you. I can not forgive Kylo Ren, but I can forgive Jacen Solo."
Kylo slowly walks over to an archway by the wall. "It is too late for me, I fear" he says and pushes a button and the archway opens, revealing Darth Vaders mask and the Sith holocron within. Kylo picks up the holocron and holds it for Rey to see. "Jacen Solo is gone. Kylo Ren is dead."
"Dead?" Rey says, feeling insecure. Kylo looks at his cousin.
"I am Darth Bane. Herald of the Sith."
"What have you done?"
POW Barge:
Poe Dameron is secured to a terrible torture-rig, screaming from pain as electricity shocks him. He hangs his head from exhaustion, barely able to stay conscious.
An interogation-officer turns to Phasma. "Do you have any questions for the prisoner, captain?"
"No" Phasma says. "No questions at all. Continue at your own discretion, doctor. But keep him alive. I will see you in the morning."
Phasma leaves the room and Poe looks up at the doctor. The doctor smiles.
"You've managed to make this personal" he tells Poe. "I am impressed. Phasma usually wants her prisoners killed as soon as possible. But not you. I will be happy to oblige her."
Poe gets shocked again and screams from pain.
Kylo versus Rey:
Kylo holds out his hand and lets the red-glowing holocron float into midair until it hovers in front of Rey.
"The source to all power" he says. "Knowledge. Wisdom. I am willing to share it with you."
"You want me to become a Sith?"
"I want you to understand" Kylo says. "I want you to realize your importance. What the two of us are capable of."
"You only want me to join you, so that you can fulfill your selfish quest for more power" Rey says. "The Sith used Anakin Skywalker for their own needs. The Jedi used our uncle. And now you try to manipulate me, just like Creel fooled you to become a mad dog kept on a leash."
"I'm not trying to fool you!" Kylo growls, frustrated by the conversation, the holocron returning to his hand. "I'm trying to open your eyes! The Republic will exploit your powers! They will make you wait for an order given by a senator or admiral, send you on a mission, use you like a weapon! Just like Creel did with me! But if we join forces, there will be nothing to stop us!"
"Stop us from doing what?!" Rey argues. "Conquer the galaxy? Wage war on thousands of planets? Kill millions of innocent lives?!"
"We would be free!" Kylo growls with anger. "Free to do as we please! Free to never be used and exploited by corrupt politicians and warmongers! Free to chose our own destiny!"
"You are talking about creating an empire."
"I am talking about the two of us being free."
"Killing anyone who stands in our way?"
"Defending ourselves from all who wish us harm!"
"There is no escape from the Dark Side" Rey says. "It would eat at our souls until nothing remained but our fears and hate. What kind of life would that be?"
"A life where no-one gets to tell us what to do" Kylo says. "A life where we chose our own futures."
"I've already chosen mine" Rey says. "If my cousin, Jacen Solo, truly is dead, then I must avenge him."
"Uncle would be disappointed" Kylo says. "Revenge is not the Jedi way."
Rey retrieves her dual-lightsaber from the belt. "I am no Jedi" she says and ignites both blue blades.
Kylo ignites his own weapon. "So be it."
They lunge at each other and lightsabers clash.
POW Barge:
Poe is hanging limp from the torture-rig. The doctor injects a green liquid that wakes him up.
"There he is" the doctor says. "It would be a shame if you missed anything of what I have in store for you." The door-chime sounds and interrupts the doctor. "Now what?" the doctor says annoyed and walks over to the door.
He opens it and is surprised to find Froff on the other side. Froff lands a punch and sends the doctor flying across the room, much to Poe's surprise, not to mention the doctor's associates. Chewie steps inside and guns down a medical-droid. Poqmoq guns down an interrogation-officer, as does Niel. Finn steps inside and then shoots the last of the First Order medical-officers. Froff and Lagro enter and closes the door behind them. Finn hurries over to Poe.
"Are you alright?" Finn asks as he helps Poe down.
Lagro helps Finn to support Poe.
"They got you too?" Poe asks, exhausted from the torture. "You got out?"
"Hell no" Finn says. "We got onboard the same way we got onboard the Starkiller. We snuck up on them and got in via an airlock."
Poqmoq hands Poe a stormtrooper-blaster and Chewie growls. "Yeah" Poe nods. "I'm fit for fight, don't worry about me. What's the plan?"
"They're picking up survivors and taking prisoners" Finn says. "These prison-barges can hold up to two-thousand convicts. But has only a crew of two-hundred. So the plan is simple; we free everyone and take over the ship and hyperspace the hell out of here."
Poe nods. "So what are we waiting for?"
Kylo versus Rey:
Kylo and Rey fight! Rey pulls her blaster and shoots, Kylo ducks and swings with his lightsaber, cutting the blaster in half. The fight continues. Eventually, their lightsabers get locked in a classic fashion.
"Good!" Kylo snarls. "Your hate has made you powerful! Give in to your anger! Trust your rage!"
Rey pushes him back and the fight continues. They back away, catch their breaths while aiming their weapons at one another.
"You can not win" Kylo says confidently. "You can never win as long as you're holding back. You're as powerful as Creel predicted, but I sense my uncle's teachings in you. You're trying to ignore your instincts. Following foolish Jedi dogma. Ignoring your anger. Let me help you… I took you from your father, I left you on Jakku and doomed you to a life of slavery, starvation and thirst. A miserable life where you were forced to defile yourself to stay alive. I destroyed your life. I destroyed your family. I took away everything in your life that you held dear! Everything you ever dreamed of! I Took It All!"
Rey howls with hatred as she charges Kylo. She attacks with furious rage, pushing him back with each strike, forcing him to parry with both hands gripping his hilt. Rey shuts down one of her blades and with both hands strikes time and time again with the still active one. Kylo parries desperately the furious attacks aimed at him. But then, Kylo uses her rage against her and outmaneuvers her, pinning her up against the wall, their lightsabers crossed mere inches from their faces; both lightsabers cutting into the wall itself.
"Your hate has made you powerful!" Kylo growls through grinding teeth. "I know you can feel it! I can teach you to harness it. To control it. To master it! Give yourself to the Dark Side! Release your anger!"
Rey screams and manage to push Kylo away from her and the fight continues as she once more relies on both of her blades.
POW Barge:
BB-8 is secured in a data-extraction rig, two sinister looking droids operating the cruel looking devices that are lowered into position to drill holes into BB-8 and begin a forceful download of his memories and files. The door opens as the control-panel on the wall explodes and Poe quickly steps inside and guns down the two interrogation-droids. BB-8 appears to faint as he lets out a long beep and lets his head fall back.
"Come on, little guy" Poe says. "We got a ship to commandeer."
To be continued…