Episode 5:
The Battle of Charon Belt
Written by IgnusDei
Spell-check by WarpObscura
"Blood of the Hashmal, these gifts I give unto you
Your strength shall be untameable
Your advance shall be unstoppable
Your resolve shall be unbreakable
Blood of the Hashmal, these blessings I give unto you
Your flesh shall be tireless
Your courage shall be endless
Your name shall be timeless
Blood of the Hashmal, Blood of my beloved
You shall be known
now, and forevermore
As my Immortal Gladiators.
-Book of the Ren Herself
EXT - GAS GIANT HIGH ORBIT - SPACE
The glowing curve of an orange gas giant comes into view, one of its moons hanging peacefully in the starry blackness. The name of the world appears:
CETI ALPHA IV
followed by:
ONE HOUR AFTER THE BATTLE OF D'QAR
Suddenly, the ECLIPSE'S COMMAND SECTION hyperspaces in, and begins to spin slowly out of control as the gas giant's gravity begins to pull what remains of the First Order's mightiest dreadnought into the vast planet's dark side.
INT - ECLIPSE'S MAIN BRIDGE - SPACE
The bridge is inundated with emergency red lights, providing a sharp contrast to the blue holo-display as it depicts the COMMAND SECTION's slow descent towards CETI ALPHA IV.
PAXTON FELL, Commander of the ECLIPSE, has to raise his voice to be heard over the alarm klaxon.
PAXTON FELL
Helm! Get us into a stable orbit!
HELMSMAN
Aye Aye!
EXT - ECLIPSE COMMAND SECTION - SPACE
Vernier thrusters at the edges of the COMMAND SECTION's hull begin to fire plasma, their thrust countering the spin of the vessel and stabilizing it, then orienting it so that its ion drives can fire. Blue plumes of energy roar our of fourteen drive ports, slowing the descent and bringing the ship into a stable high orbit surrounding the gas giant.
INT - ECLIPSE'S MAIN BRIDGE - SPACE
The helmsman breathes a sigh of relief.
HELMSMAN
Stable orbit achieved, sir.
PAXTON
How long can you maintain it?
HELMSMAN
Based on our rate of orbital decay, the planet's gravity
and our fuel reserves, I'd estimate... a week.
PAXTON, standing besides the HELMSMAN, smiles and pats the officer on the shoulder.
PAXTON
Well done, Ensign Pressly.
HELMSMAN PRESSLY, unaccustomed to such positive feedback, is a bit confused, but nevertheless manages a proper response:
HELMSMAN PRESSLY
Err... thank you, sir!
PAXTON
All hands, yellow alert!
The klaxons turn silent as the emergency lighting makes way for white lamps, dimmed to preserve energy. PAXTON turns to the COMMS OFFICER.
PAXTON
Give me sitrep across the ship... or what's left of it.
COMMS OFFICER LYNN
Repair teams reporting several hull breaches.
Auxiliiary engine room reports the coaxium
core chamber has ruptured, but
our ion drives are still operational.
PAXTON
Casualties?
COMMS OFFICER LYNN
Reports coming in... we've got around 600
wounded being treated in the medbays,
200 fatalities, and over 300 crewmen unaccounted for.
PAXTON
Damn it all...
PAXTON only takes a brief moment of silence for the dead.
PAXTON
So, we're basically stuck here until a rescue.
Are long range comms still down?
COMMS OFFICER LYNN
Main antenna is a lost cause, secondary's at fifty percent functionality.
I could put out a wide band distress call, but...
PAXTON
Who knows who might pick it up.
PAXTON turns to KILRAN, the GUNNERY OFFICER, who is sporting a bandage around his head.
PAXTON
Could we mount a defense?
GUNNERY OFFICER KILRAN
We've got enough light turrets to scare off pirates,
maybe even a cruiser, but if the Republic finds us...
Paxton eyes KRIOS, the NAVIGATOR, who shakes his head.
NAVIGATOR KRIOS
We're nowhere near Republic borders, sir.
That being said, we're far from the homeworld,
as well as the path of the Blitz.
PAXTON nods at the COMMS officer, wordlessly commanding her to put out the distress signal. Suddenly, the SENSOR operator's console beeps.
SENSOR OPERATOR GULD
Sir? Sir, I've got something on sensors...
It's a ship, heavy cruiser displacement.
PAXTON [surprised]
That was much too fast.
Is it one of ours?
SENSOR OPERATOR GULD
I don't know, sir.
Mass readings on it are weird; it's
got the tonnage of a Star Destroyer at least,
but at only half the size. Construction seems almost...
Organic? That can't be right.
COMMS OFFICER LYNN
I'm not getting an IFF signal.
Definitely not Republic.
Suddenly, something blocks the light of the sun coming through the windows.
EXT - CETI ALPHA IV HIGH ORBIT
The shadow begins to crawl up the hull of the COMMAND SECTION. ZOOM IN on the bridge's viewports: we can clearly see PAXTON look past the transparisteel panel, looking at what is only a glimpse of a living warship wrapped in dark armour.
Suddenly, there is a groaning sound as an invisible force grasps the COMMAND SECTION in its entirety. Debris seems to float away from it, however...
INT - ECLIPSE'S MAIN BRIDGE - SPACE
HELMSMAN PRESSLY
Sir? We're moving away from the planet!
PAXTON
Tractor beams?
SENSOR OFFICER GULD
No sir, I'm not detecting any graviton streams... we're just being moved.
HELMSMAN PRESSLY
Current course is parallel to the alien ship, sir!
GUNNERY OFFICER KILRAN
It's the ship, it's got to be! Permission to open fire!
PAXTON
Hold your fire, Lieutenant Kilran!
Lynn! Hail them!
COMMS OFFICER LYNN [radio]
This the First Order Warship Eclipse!
Cease your activities and identify yourself!
Quiet, constant static comes through LYNN's headset, then a mess of noise.
COMMS OFFICER LYNN
All I'm getting is garbled static, sir!
... Reports from the ship are coming though; we're getting some
major stress on the hull!
PAXTON
Any new breaches?
COMMS OFFICER LYNN
None reported yet!
The COMMAND SECTION rumbles with the screech of torn metal.
COMMS OFFICER LYNN
Sir! Engineering reports auxilliary ion drives
two, seven, eight , and fourteen are... they're gone, sir!
PAXTON
What?! Well where the hell are they?!
CUT TO:
EXT - CETI ALPHA IV HIGH ORBIT - SPACE
Four of the COMMAND SECTION's engines are floating away, trailing debris and sparks.
SENSOR OFFICER GULD [shocked, off-screen]
They're... they're outside the ship, sir!
CUT TO:
INT - ECLIPSE'S MAIN BRIDGE - SPACE
GUNNERY OFFICER KILRAN
Pirates! We're being captured!
PAXTON
Right, that does it! Fire at will!
We're not being taken without a fight!
GUNNERY OFFICER KILRAN
Aye aye!
EXT - CETI ALPHA IV HIGH ORBIT - SPACE
Twenty light turbolaser turrets loose a barrage of green photon bolts into the alien ship. The shots hit their marks, impacting against unyielding shields.
INT - ECLIPSE'S MAIN BRIDGE - SPACE
GUNNERY OFFICER KILRAN
Direct hits!
PAXTON
Damage?
SENSOR OFFICER GULD goes pale.
SENSOR OFFICER GULD
None.
... Their shields aren't even damaged.
The barrage stops, and silence falls across the bridge.
PAXTON
They're not firing back.
Suddenly, the alien vessel shines a blinding light into the the bridge, nearly blinding everyone inside. PAXTON shields his eyes, and a moment later, the floodlight blinks in a sequence.
COMMS OFFICER LYNN [nervously]
It's galactic morse. We're... We're being hailed, sir.
GUNNERY OFFICER KILRAN [despairing]
No doubt to demand our surrender.
PAXTON
What are they saying?
COMMS OFFICER LYNN [translating]
'Send your commander aboard our vessel.'
The entire bridge crew share nervous glances at each other, before looking at Paxton.
COMMS OFFICER LYNN
... shall I order suicide protocols across the ship?
PAXTON considers it for a moment, then shakes his head.
PAXTON
No, not yet. I might be able to talk our way out of this.
Send a repair team to shuttle bay one, and prep an Upsilon for launch.
COMMS OFFICER LYNN
Aye-aye, sir.
PAXTON moves to leave, and as he does:
PAXTON
You are in command, Lieutenant Lynn.
He gives her a reassuring smile, and leaves the bridge.
SHOT of Officer Lynn, who gulps nervously at the responsibility.
INT - ECLIPSE'S COMMAND SECTION SHUTTLE BAY - SPACE
The assigned repair crew, a group of eight First Order sailors clad in EVA suits and equipped with portable tractor beams, has finished clearing away enough debris for a craft to launch. A pair of techs are working on some exposed machinery. They are only inches from the opening of the shuttle bay, and empty space.
FIRST ORDER TECH 1
Power's good, emergency super-capacitor is at full.
FIRST ORDER TECH 2
All emitters read green...
Bringing the atmospheric field online... and there.
The opening's edge glows as the atmospheric shield comes online, providing a seal against the void of space as breathable gas is pumped in through the life support vents. One of the techs gives a thumbs up at someone in the SHUTTLE BAY CONTROL ROOM, signaling the successful restoration of the shuttle bay's functionality.
INT - SHUTTLE BAY CONTROL ROOM - SPACE
A woman, the FLIGHT CONTROLLER, gives a thumbs up back in response and flips a switch up on the comm console.
FLIGHT CONTROLLER
Upsilon shuttle you are cleared to launch.
PAXTON [radio]
Roger that, control...
INT – UPSILON SHUTTLE COCKPIT – SPACE
PAXTON removes his emergency helmet, and begins the UPSILON SHUTTLE's start-up sequence.
PAXTON
Wish me luck.
FLIGHT CONTROLLER [radio, worried]
...Good luck, sir.
INT - ECLIPSE'S COMMAND SECTION'S SHUTTLE BAY - SPACE
The Upsilon's repulsorlifts whirr, lifting the craft up mere inches from the metal floor. Thrusters roar, propelling the ship past the atmospheric field.
EXT – CETI ALPHA IV HIGH ORBIT – SPACE
The shuttle exits the bay, deploying its wings as it does so. It crosses the space between the two vessels relatively slowly.
INT – UPSILON SHUTTLE COCKPIT – SPACE
Paxton gets a glimpse of the dark hull of the unknown vessel, festooned by dozens of GLOSSAIR ring drives. Past their glow, he can make out traces of the ship's silvery ornamentation on its bio-metallic, curved plates of gleaming black armour.
PAXTON looks back on two stormtrooper assigned to escort him, sitting in the rear cabin. One stormtrooper's leg is shaking, while the other seems calm, but keeps checking his blaster carbine.
PAXTON
Are you alright back there, lads?
CALM STORMTROOPER
Ready to kill some alien filth, sir.
SHAKY STORMTROOPER
Ah, yeah, me too, sir!
I mean... [stammering]
Not like this is my first sortie or anything, no sir!
PAXTON
You'll be alright, son, I'll keep an eye on you.
SHAKY STORMTROOPER
Yes sir! Thank you sir!
PAXTON
Still, keep calm, and fingers off the triggers, troopers.
There's still a chance we can talk things out.
BOTH STORMTROOPERS
Yes, sir.
PAXTON
[to himself]
Now... where do we land?
EXT – CETI ALPHA IV HIGH ORBIT – SPACE
The UPSILON flies around the unknown vessel for some time, casting its own searchlights onto the hull, revealing glyphs and writing carved lightly into the black biometal.
CLOSE UP on a section of the alien hull as the UPSILON's light is cast over it, disturbing the "flesh" beneath the biometallic ribbing where the armour does not cover – bundles of branches and vines that part to reveal an EYE that tracks the First Order's shuttle. The EYE closes moments before PAXTON can get a good look at it.
The searchlights move onto the the ship's prow – we only see a glimpse of it, the mouth of a beast, its teeth bared as it bites down on what seems to be a horse bit.
The Upsilon continues its flight, past control towers of intricate design, narrowing towards ends topped with pointed brass roofs. Each tower, of varying height, is dwarfed by a primary tower, and connected to it with an arch. PAXTON eyes the bases: a forest of small buildings seem to have been grown around them, climbing along the tower's height. Dim, orange lights can be seen through the windows.
Suddenly, there is a low rumble as an unseen force grasps the UPSILON...
INT – UPSILON SHUTTLE COCKPIT – SPACE
SHAKY STORMTROOPER
Sir? Sir! what's going on?!
Out of the viewport, PAXTON sees some of the metal ribbing part ways, and a platform large enough for a ship three times larger than the Upsilon is revealed, lit only by the shuttle's own lights.
PAXTON
They're taking us in.
Get ready.
INT – UNKNOWN VESSEL SHUTTLE BAY – SPACE
The UPSILON moves past the metal ribs, which close shut, keeping what little light that bounced off the gas giant away. The shuttle deploys its landing gear, and lands in utter darkness.
SHOT of the UPSILON'S loading ramp as it comes down, and the CALM STORMTROOPER steps out ahead, scanning the area down the sights of his F-11D BLASTER modified with an underslung flashlight. Paxton is right behind him, while the shaky stormtrooper covers the rear.
CALM STORMTROOPER
Clear.
PAXTON
You'd think the welcoming
committee would have come
and rolled out the red carpet.
CALM STORMTROOPER [confused]
Sir?
PAXTON
Nevermind. Scans?
The SHAKY STORMTROPER takes out a scanner, and checks its readings.
SHAKY STORMTROOPER
Ah. ..nothing on the scanner, sir.
PAXTON takes a deep breath.
PAXTON [shouting]
HELLO!
IS ANYONE OUT THERE?
No response.
PAXTON [shouting]
You wanted to see me?!
Well, here I am!
More silence.
Suddenly, hundreds of little flames ignite, lighting the way out of the shuttle bay.
SHAKY STORMTROOPER
The hell are those?!
PAXTON
Candles, trooper.
You know, like on a birthday cake?
SHAKY STORMTROOPER
Oh... well, I've never seen them, sir.
CALM STORMTROOPER [confused]
What's a "birthday"?
Paxton barely hides equal measures of exasperation and sorrow as he activates his comlink to the Eclipse.
PAXTON
Fell to Eclipse, come in.
LYNN [radio]
Sir? Are you alright?
PAXTON
We're fine, we made it inside,
but no one's here to greet us.
LYNN [radio]
That's odd.
PAXTON
What's it like on the outside?
LYNN [radio]
No changes, sir.
I've tried communicating with the aliens
with light signals, but they're not responding.
PAXTON [sighing]
I'm starting to think this is some kind
of alien joke. Lynn, we're headed deeper into the ship
to get some answers... either that or a way out.
PAXTON keeps a hand on his holstered blaster pistol.
PAXTON
Let's go, lads.
PAXTON and the STORMTROOPERS follow the candles out. Unknown to them, a man, hiding in shadows, watches them, kneeling on a perch. We can make out his outfit in the dark: Longcoat, tricorn cap, buckles and buttons of gleaming silver.
His eyes glow red in the dark, and they narrow at the group, before he QUICKENS, and vanishes.
FADE IN:
INT - UNKNOWN VESSEL, HALLWAYS - NIGHT
PAXTON and the two STORMTROOPERS walk the path illuminated for them by the candles at a slow, careful pace, allowing the two troopers to stay vigilant and counter any ambush. The deeper they went, the more they could hear a rhythmic pulse, in tune with the swelling and contraction of branches on the walls.
SHAKY STORMTROOPER
Is that... a heartbeat?
He checks his scanner...
SHAKY STORMTROOPER [fascinating]
Lots of soft tissue all around us...
just one big life sign.
CALM STORMTROOPER [curious]
You mean... this ship's alive?
SHAKY STORMTROOPER
Yeah...
The dim candlelight accentuates the bas-reliefs carved into the huge bone-white tiles that lined the walls. Each panel told a piece of a story, but only a piece.
They arrive in a large chamber, serving as an intersection to more halls. Its ceiling is high, vaulted with ribs, and supported by carved pillars, themselves decorated with statues of strange, winged creatures. The entire room is marred by cracks, where the pulsating branches have grown out of. In spite of that, the story told on the walls is clear: once upon a time, there had been a kingdom invaded by foreign hordes, and some sort of saintly figure gave her blessing - represented by a cup - to a small group of men and women. They became strong, armed with swords and shields and clad in full armour, and they pushed the invaders out. The woman is always depicted with a blazing halo, and a crown floats above her head.
One of the tiles, at least 3 times as tall as PAXTON, is dedicated to a block of text in large font, but neither PAXTON nor the TROOPERS can make sense of the alphabet.
PAXTON [to himself]
Is this a warship, or a church?
SHAKEY STORMTROOPER
Church, sir?
PAXTON
A place to worship the gods, or spirits,
or what have you.
SHAKEY STORMTROOPER
Oh... yeah, like the big places the natives gather to
once or twice a week?
PAXTON
Yes, exactly.
CALM STORMTROOPER
Natives, ha! Savages, the lot of them!
Soon, the Party will cure them of their superstition.
PAXTON gives the CALM STORMTROOPER a dirty look.
PAXTON
Let's move on...
SHAKEY STORMTROOPER
Which way, sir?
Left or right?
PAXTON
Aw, hell...
PAXTON takes a moment to decide which way to go. As he does so, the CALM STORMTROOPER peers down the left hallway, and we assume his point of view as he notices a flickering light at the end of the corridor. The light intensifies, and we see the source: a thurible, at the end of a chain held by a woman clad in a robe the colour of cream. The robe is humble, yet regal: its skirt has two pleats at the front, into which a deep crimson cloth - embroidered with a pattern of roses and vines - is sewn. The crimson is echoed in flame patterns at the hem of the woman's sleeves and hood.
CLOSE UP of the woman as she turns to the STORMTROOPER, not breaking stride. Time seems to slow as she passes, allowing us to see her exquisite silver Venetian mask. Though her face is covered, the wavy curls of her hair that flow out of her hood, the slender white fingers grasping her staff and thurible, and her beautiful, aqua-coloured eyes provide a promise of unparalleled, captivating beauty...
And then she is gone.
CALM STORMTROOPER
Wait... WAIT!
The CALM TROOPER runs after the woman, desperate to see more of her. PAXTON runs after him, the SHAKY STORMTROOPER following close behind.
PAXTON
Trooper! Come back here, damn you!
The chase continues until the CALM (if lovestruck) TROOPER stops at a T intersection - the white lady nowhere to be seen.
CALM STORMTROOPER [confused]
Huh? Where did...
PAXTON catches up to him, grabs him by the shoulder, and whirls him around to face him.
PAXTON [angrily]
What in blazes were you thinking rushing off like that, trooper?!
CALM STORMTROOPER [confused]
I... I think saw a woman, sir.
PAXTON
A woman?! You abandoned your post
to chase after a skirt?!
CALM STORMTROOPER
I thought maybe she was a prisoner, or something.
SHAKY STORMTROOPER
We ARE trying to make contact, sir.
PAXTON
[to SHAKY]
That's no excuse!
[to CALM]
You could have been killed!
CALM STORMTROOPER
I'm sorry, sir...
PAXTON
Don't be sorry!
Just don't do it again or I'll execute you myself!
Is that understood, trooper?!
CALM STORMTROOPER
Yes sir!
PAXTON
Now, that contact, what did it look like?
CALM STORMTROOPER [wistfully]
Ah... Gold hair, pretty eyes...
PAXTON glares at the trooper, causing him to shift his tone.
CALM STORMTROOPER [serious]
White robes, red stripes... she was carrying a long stick,
and something bright and full of smoke.
PAXTON sniffs the air, and smells something peculiar. As he does so, the SHAKY trooper scans the area.
SHAKY STORMTROOPER
Got some particulates in the air... non-toxic...
PAXTON
Smells nice, too.
SHAKY STORMTROOPER
Decay is fairly slow... we could track that woman down
by following the particles' trail.
PAXTON
Could be leading us into a trap...
[sighs]
No other leads though.
Might as well follow our noses.
FADE IN
The trio wander the halls some more, tracking the scent, but it's obvious they've been led in circles. The halls are dark, and their only illumination is their portable lamp rods and gun flashlights.
SHAKY STORMTROOPER [despairing]
We're... we're lost, aren't we, sir?
PAXTON
We'll find a way off, trooper.
Have faith.
CALM STORMTROOPER
Do you guys hear that?
PAXTON motions them both to be quiet, and strains his ears... He hears someone sing, the voice unambiguously male.
PAXTON [quietly]
Down that hall...
CLOSE UP of the end of a hall, where a dim light shines out of a vast open doorway...
PAXTON [quietly]
Lights off, and move out.
INT - UNKNOWN SHIP, HANGAR - SPACE
The hangar is small, and completely dark, save for a single source of light in the far corner. The light is bounced off the walls, proving a background that contrasts sharply with the black shape of a KUAT VT 66 assault transport — a craft best described as an Imperial YT-1300 — with its prow in the foreground looming over the dark, hunchbacked shape of a man. The side of his face on his left is deformed, covered by a plate of metal upon which sea flora had grown over due to lack of care. The other side is normal, host to an eye full of mirth and a glint of heretical curiosity.
This is the SHAMED ONE.
He is humming a tune as he works. PAXTON, stacked up against the wide open hangar door, sees golden embers rising from the light source, and can only wonder at what the SHAMED ONE is doing... until the creature speaks.
CLOSE UP of the SHAMED ONE's illuminated face, full of mad joy.
SHAMED ONE [overjoyed]
Yes, yes!
Be nourished and grow!
Oh, oh, master, kindly master, thank you, thank you,
this one had forgotten, but now he remembers!
He remembers! He remembers!
Thank you, thank you!
PAXTON makes several hand gestures, First Order hand codes for silent communication. Translated, they are: "take cover," "there", "and there", "fire on my command", and finally "execute".
The troopers obey, and move quietly to their designated positions, hiding behind the cover of the VT 66 transport's landing gear.
Once their guns are trained on the SHAMED ONE, PAXTON makes his move.
PAXTON [friendly]
Hello there!
There is a loud clap just before the SHAMED ONE turns around, and PAXTON can see a SILVER BOOK disappear into the folds of the SHAMED ONE's rags, leaving a trail of light particles behind. The creature rises on the stilts that seems to serve as its legs, but we quickly see that the stilts are in fact sandals with sticks under the soles - the SHAMED ONE isn't just malformed, he's practically diminutive.
He hisses at PAXTON.
SHAMED ONE
Who goes there?!
PAXTON
Easy, I don't mean you any harm...
PAXTON approaches with his hands up, and we assume his point of view as he takes notice of what the SHAMED ONE was working on - a FLOWER, growing between the cracks of the stone, besides which lay an empty bowl of food, with bits of porridge still on the bottom. The SHAMED ONE eyes PAXTON warily, and even as he moves to protect the book with his body he seems to jitter like an insect.
SHAMED ONE
Who are you?
PAXTON
I am Captain Paxton Fell of the First Order Navy.
SHAMED ONE
What do you want?!
The SHAMED ONE's voice deepens just a bit, and PAXTON finds himself compelled to answer before he can think about the answer:
PAXTON
I want to find a way off this ship...
SHAMED ONE
Interloper! INFIDEL!
YOU DON'T BELONG HERE!
In the shadows, the STORMTROOPERS aim their guns at the SHAMED ONE as he becomes more and more agitated.
PAXTON closes his hand, signaling them to hold their fire.
PAXTON
I'm a guest of the Master!
The truth, from a certain point of view, seems to calm the SHAMED ONE down.
SHAMED ONE
The Master? T'is the master that brought you here?
PAXTON
Yes, he invited me aboard, and I came, but
there was no one there to greet me.
I've been wandering around for hours...
SHAMED ONE
Guest... guest... HONORED guest,
Yes!
You were expected, announced, even!
The Shamed One set a path of candles for you!
Yes, the Shamed One remembers now!
Why did you follow it not?
PAXTON
I did, but it didn't lead me to the Master.
The SHAMED one's eye looks up, as he taps his chin, recalling something, then...
SHAMED ONE
Oh... Oh? Oh!
Oh nooooo...
The SHAMED ONE looks to be on the verge of weeping.
SHAMED ONE
The Shamed One forgot!
Just like he always forgets, oh, master,
The Shamed One has failed you again!
PAXTON
Hey, it's alright, you can make it up to him by
leading me to him, yeah?
The SHAMED ONE's sorrow fades away completely.
SHAMED ONE [tersely]
No.
PAXTON
Ah, what?
SHAMED ONE
All is as the Master wills, and if
the Master wills you to be lost, then lost you shall be!
Now, shoo! Shoo!
Go, go and be lost!
The CALM TROOPER, slowly becoming an angry trooper, grumbles as he sets his blaster carbine to maximum power.
PAXTON
What if I gave you something, eh?
Would you take me to him then?
The SHAMED ONE walks away, shaking his head.
The sound of chains can be heard.
SHAMED ONE
No, no no no.
Nothing, nothing!
PAXTON
Really?
[eyes the bowl]
How about dessert?
PAXTON is almost shocked when the SHAMED ONE is nearly face to face with him with a couple of strides, but he keeps his cool.
SHAMED ONE
Dessert?
What could you possibly offer the Shamed One,
he who has tasted the works of the finest patissiers
in all the kingdom?
PAXTON
Ah...
PAXTON reaches for something on his belt, close to his pistol holster... and produces a small stick wrapped in metallic foil.
PAXTON
I've got a candy bar.
The SHAMED ONE narrows his one good eye at PAXTON, and takes the CANDY BAR from his hand, eats it, spits out the foil, then takes a proper bite out of it.
He smiles, and giggles like a mad child, his mouth still full.
SHAMED [ecstatic]
Chocolate, peanuts, and nougat!
Oh my! Oh my!
PAXTON
Good, yeah?
SHAMED ONE [mouth full]
Good! Goodly most good!
PAXTON
There's more for you if you grant me an
audience with the master...
The SHAMED ONE ignores PAXTON as he finishes the candy bar, then claps his hands together. Light particles burst out from between them, and they begin to spin into a solid ring of golden light...
SHAMED ONE
Ah-ah-ah! First, a gift to match yours!
The ring falls to the ground, and the floor cracks as a small plant begins to grow out of the gap, seeming to reach for Paxton as it grows into a sapling. PAXTON watches in wonder as the light particles gather around the sapling, then coalesce into its buds, which flower, then turn into fruit within seconds. One of them mellows, and is ready to be plucked. The SHAMED ONE beckons PAXTON to take it.
SHAMED ONE
Go on, this Lambent Fruit is for you!
Take one, take one!
But beware the kernel...
T'is harder than a diamond!
PAXTON takes one LAMBENT, as two more grow ripe on the sapling.
SHAMED ONE
One for you,
and two for your friends!
PAXTON
What? There's nobody—
SHAMED ONE [sing song]
Liar, liar!
I see them, I see them!
Easy to spot they are,
glistening in the dark, as they do!
The STORMTROOPERS look at themselves, realizing that white, shiny plastic armour is not the stealthiest thing ever.
PAXTON sighs; the jig is up.
PAXTON
Come on out, lads,
He's friendly.
INT - UNKNOWN SHIP, HALLS - SPACE
PAXTON and the Stormtroopers follow the SHAMED ONE through the labyrinthine halls of the ship, even as the odd creature happily eats his second candy bar.
SHAMED ONE [giddy]
nom nom nom nom nom nougat!
PAXTON
Sorry about that, they gave me a variety pack.
SHAMED ONE
No apologies, no apologies!
Nougat is good, too!
Mayhaps you have more?
The Master—
Oh, here we are!
INT - UNKNOWN SHIP, CREW SECTION - SPACE
The group cross a threshold, and come upon a circular ceramic platform on the edge of a great empty space within the vessel. It's far too dark to make out anything, no matter how hard PAXTON peers into the dark. The SHAMED ONE, once again, makes a one-handed incantation, manipulating thousands of dots of light... which then vanish, doing nothing.
SHAMED ONE
No no no, that's not right...
He pulls out the book in his robes. A brief CLOSE UP of it reveals it to be a thick volume protected by a hard cover made of carved ivory inlaid with silver, the front of which had the bas-relief of a woman's face upon it. The Shamed One, with great care, pages through the book - which appear to be empty from PAXTON's point of view - until he finds what he is looking for, and makes another incantation. Unseen machines within the platform hum to life, and a ring of light surrounds the group.
SHAMED ONE
Take us to the Embrace...
A mandala of light appears below their feet, and in turns form a bubble of light particles that surround them. PAXTON and the TROOPERS look around, surprised and a bit awed as the bubble carries them away from the platform and into the darkness.
SHAKY TROOPER [awed]
Whoa...
CALM STORMTROOPER
Weird tech for a turbolift.
PAXTON
Doesn't feel very fast, though.
How long before we get to our destination.
SHAMED ONE
A while.
The SHAMED ONE jumps down from his stilt sandals, which remain upright without him, and sits down. He then taps the ground, beckoning PAXTON and the TROOPERS to sit with him.
SHAMED ONE
Long enough for a chat with the Shamed One, yes?
Come on, come on, t'is not like there's much to do
while we wait, no? Come, sit with me!
Paxton, not wanting to antagonize someone capable of manipulating the living ship's systems, accepts the SHAMED ONE's invitation, and sits cross-legged in front of him. The Troopers follow suit, with the SHAKY STORMTROOPER going so far as to take off his helmet, revealing his young visage and black mop of hair. He takes the LAMBENT FRUIT the SHAMED ONE had given him out of his pocket, scans it, then simply stares at it.
SHAKY STORMTROOPER
Err, mister Shamed One, sir?
What am I supposed to do with this?
SHAMED ONE [laughing]
Why, you eat it, of course!
[giggling]
Silly, glistening simpleton!
Even a child knows what to do with fruit!
The SHAKY TROOPER takes a bite of the LAMBENT FRUIT, revealing its glowing, juicy, peach-like flesh. The trooper chews, and both confusion and joy dance all over his face.
SHAKY STORMTROOPER [mouth full]
Sir... sir, something's happening to my tongue.
It's... It's... nice. It makes me want to eat more?
What kind of ration is this?
PAXTON
One with real flavour, son.
Enjoy it while you can.
SHAMED ONE
Poor boy... Where do you come from,
that the sweet taste of fruit be alien to your tongue?
Where do you come from,
that your parents would deny you such a treat?
CALM STORMTROOPER
We come from Had Abaddon, founded
on the wisdom of Supreme Leader Snoke.
The old idea of family is nothing but corrupting poison.
The State is Mother.
The Party is Father.
The First Order is our only Family.
This is how it must be,
and always shall be.
PAXTON's face darkens at the mention of family, thinking of Malek's unknown fate.
SHAKY STORMTROOPER
Eh... you're an In Vitro, aren't you?
CALM STORMTROOPER
Yeah... how do you know?
SHAKY STORMTROOPER
They pretty much repeat that Father
and Mother thing every chance they get.
It's getting a little old, frankly.
The CALM STORMTROOPER merely grumbles at that, while the SHAMED ONE comes over to him and begins sniffing him.
CALM STORMTROOPER [annoyed]
Hey, quit it.
SHAMED ONE
Ah, so clean, the smell of this brave new world,
with such nameless people in it.
SHAKY STORMTROOPER [protesting]
We've got names... sort of.
Mine's EG 1500.
The SHAMED ONE eyes the other trooper, prompting him to respond:
CALM STORMTROOPER
I am VK 4501.
SHAMED ONE
Silly, silly! Letters and numbers
names do not make!
Why, even a child knows that!
CALM STORMTROOPER
These codes are granted to us by the State,
they provide us identity, security—
SHAMED ONE
[serious, pleading]
But no soul! No spirit!
[childishly]
And besides, he doesn't like them! He doesn't!
So, from now on...
The SHAMED ONE eyes the two troopers, and ponders a bit... then:
SHAMED ONE
YOU!
[points at the SHAKY STORMTROOPER]
You shall be Edge!
And YOU!
[points at the CALM STORMTROOPER]
You are henceforth Vicks!
EDGE
...I don't think that'll stick.
VICKS
Me neither.
The sphere continues on its course at decent speed, but it is no closer to arriving at the Embrace. EDGE finishes eating his fruit, and is left with its kernel, a translucent gem. He pinches the gem - the size of an egg - between thumb and middle finger and stares into it, and as he marvels at its strangeness a viridian light intensifies inside of it, a flame that seems to burn away a fog inside the very atoms of the gem, cleansing it, turning it perfectly transparent, like glass.
EDGE [awed]
Hey! Those things double as lamps! Amazing!
VICKS
It's not that bright...
VICKS, overcome by curiosity but not at all hungry, takes out his knife and fruit, and applies the former on the latter, cutting into the juicy flesh to reveal the LAMBENT GEM inside. VICKS cleans it as best he can, and it takes a bit longer to find its glow: a dim, sky blue.
EDGE
Hey, nice colour...
[to PAXTON]
What about you, sir?
PAXTON
Heh, alright, I'll humor you.
PAXTON beckons VICKS to toss him his knife, and repeats the process he just saw on his own fruit. He looks at it, and waits, but a colour does not manifest at all.
PAXTON
Sorry, lads.
No lightshow for me.
EDGE's Lambent, meanwhile, has become so bright its light is reflected upon the ceramic towers that had been hidden away in the dark... structures are folded into the walls into confusing, organic - but architecturally detailed - shapes. Something pulses in the dark, across a sequence of jagged, curved ribs framing what looks like a heart made of glass.
SHAMED ONE
The ship wakes...
VICKS
Wakes?! That thing tore out our engines in Sleep Mode?!
EDGE
This place... the technology of it, imagine what we
could do with it...
VICKS
Yeah, I can imagine us using it on those Republic scum.
EDGE
Well, that too, I guess... Hey, are those houses I see on the ceiling?
VICKS
Crew quarters...
EDGE
But where's the crew?
SHAMED ONE
Inside, asleep, but they too shall wake, once the ship does.
PAXTON
Asleep? As in cryostasis?
How long have you been in space?
SHAMED ONE
Not long... but our trip through the Void lasted an eternity in but a grain of time
It is a trial on the soul, where all thought is a crime
Unless one simply dreams of the light of better days,
one might wander forever through this maze.
PAXTON
Shamed One, this ship... who made it?
The crew? Are they like you? Are they even human?
SHAMED ONE
They are more than human...
and no one made this ship.
It was simply... born.
PAXTON
But...
SHAMED ONE
We are almost there
Are you prepared?
My master's lair!
Are you scared?
VICKS
Ugh, it's rhyming now.
The bubble finishes its spiraling course into the heart of a great tree, serving as a structural pillar for the ship's vast central chamber.
INT - UNKNOWN STARSHIP, THE PILLAR - SPACE
The pillar, as it turns out, is hollowed out, but home to what appears to be the living ship's central nervous system. A single trunk, made of a translucent blue glass, is split into a thousand branches, which are split into a million strands that pierce the walls of the pillar. A cyan glow radiates through them all, the core of which is at the trunk's roots, a cube of frosted crystal and light the size of a house. Orange lights flutter around it like butterflies, making the sound of laughing children.
Black branches mar the cube, leading to a sphere of branches large enough to contain the CONTROL CHAMBER where the SHAMED ONE's MASTER awaits dreaming.
The bubble carrying the group vanishes, and all save the SHAMED ONE are surprised to find themselves in micro gravity, but as a trained pilot, PAXTON keeps his cool.
PAXTON
Remember your Zero-G training, lads, you'll be fine.
After the SHAMED ONE casually retrieves his sandals, the group floats down into the nearest wall, then bounce off of it, their legs propelling them towards the sphere of living pulsating wood and bark. The inner chamber of the pillar is vast, and the trip takes some time.
EDGE
So, what's your name?
SHAMED ONE
Shamed One has no name...
He is but two days old, hee hee!
PAXTON
That's no name...
that's a title, and a crappy one at that.
I could give you a new one, if you like.
VICKS
I say we call him Imp and be done with it.
SHAMED ONE
Hee hee! Imp!
Imp! Imp! Imp!
The Shamed One like it, but aw... it won't stick.
VICKS
Kriff that, from now on, you're the SHaaaaAAAAaaaMED ONE.
SHAMED ONE
Hee hee...
EDGE
Uh, you okay?
VICKS [distraught]
SHAaaaaMED ONE SHAMED SHAMED ONE
SHAMED ONE
Useless! Useless! Useless!
Shamed One already has a name...
but he forgot, so!
Always the Shamed One...
Always ashamed, this one.
Always forget, always remember.
But fear not, the Master will say it again
And remember, it will, oh yes, but will forget, oh no...
The SHAMED ONE makes a motion with his free hand, and rings of light appear around their midriffs, stabilizing them and guiding them towards a perfectly circular opening. No light can make its way inside of it.
SHAMED ONE
I shall go no further.
What was meant to be a jest,
Is for you, and you alone, a test.
Prove yourself strong in the Embrace of Pain...
and my master shall greet you as a friend.
Do you remember the rhyme?
PAXTON
I am not afraid.
SHAMED ONE [sing-song]
WrooOOOooong...
The Shamed One smiles, and then he is gone.
The FIRST ORDER officer and troopers look at the opening leading into the CONTROL CHAMBER, and are silent for a moment, an understandable reaction to the unknown.
EDGE
Sir, I just want to say...
PAXTON [solemnly]
It's alright, you—
EDGE
That's probably the ship's stomach, for all we know.
VICKS
Can't say I disagree. In any case, I volunteer to go in first.
PAXTON
Oh no, that thing wants me, remember?
If you go in, who knows how this Master will react?
EDGE
Who knows how the stomach acids will react?
VICKS
I got just the thing, either way.
VICKS produces a small chrome sphere from his ammo pouch: It is a Micro Thermal Detonator.
VICKS
One nanogram of Coaxium for that extra kick, sir.
PAXTON [livid]
Are you MAD?!
You were carrying
a scuttling charge the whole time?!
VICKS [calm]
I was prepping for suicide protocols, sir.
Pills went into the Black in transit.
PAXTON
Give that to me, right now.
VICKS
Sir?
PAXTON
That's an order, Trooper!
Reluctantly, VICKS gives the Thermal Detonator to PAXTON.
VICKS
Permission to speak, sir?
PAXTON
Granted, but if you think I'm not gonna toss you into the brig...
VICKS
We need a prize, sir.
EDGE
What?
VICKS
D'Qar was a humiliating defeat, and our heads are
going to be up on the chopping block for it.
...Unless we can capture this ship, and bring it back home
to Had Abaddon.
PAXTON
We haven't got the numbers.
VICKS
We don't need the numbers:
We've got a scuttling charge, two troopers,
and this thing's control center.
We can dictate terms and force a surrender without firing a shot.
PAXTON considers VICKS's suggestion for a moment...
EDGE
Sir, no!
What if we fail? We'd have attacked
an unknown faction with tech more powerful
than ours! We could start a war!
VICKS
We're already at war.
EDGE
Yeah, with EVERYONE ELSE! We don't need to add
another front to the Blitz! Not when we could be facing
THOUSANDS of THESE.
EDGE motions at the control center's walls.
EDGE
That thing pulled out our engines right past our shields!
We've got no defense against their tech!
We could be signing the death warrant of the entire First Order!
The dream of the Empire Reborn will die!
We need to negotiate! It's our only hope!
VICKS
And if that fails we'll die for no good reason!
PAXTON
Aren't you ready to die, VICKS?
For the Mother?
For the Father?
For the First Order?
VICKS
Yes... but I would rather live for the First Order, and serve it
as long as possible, and if I must die?
[to EDGE]
Let it be for a brother.
Let it be for another Trooper.
Let me go in. I will dictate terms
to this so called Master.
PAXTON
...Bloody hell, Vicks, I think I'm starting to like you.
VICKS
Thank you, sir.
PAXTON
That's why I'm going in alone.
VICKS
Sir! No!
PAXTON
Vicks, you and Edge have good heads
on your shoulders, but the call needs to be
made by people like me, and frankly...
He looks at the control center.
PAXTON
I won't know what that is until I see what's in there.
...
You two stay well outside the kill radius.
I'm going in alone. If it all goes up in smoke,
you two just might have a shot at getting out alive.
As PAXTON speaks, the ROBED WOMAN, the LONGCOATED MAN, and the SHAMED ONE appear in a hidden crook within the walls of the pillar. The three are hidden in shadow, watching PAXTON and the TROOPERS below, who remain unaware of being watched... or heard.
VICKS and EDGE look at each other, then back to PAXTON, and nod.
VICKS AND EDGE
Aye aye, captain.
The TROOPERS float away as PAXTON moves towards the entrance to the CONTROL CENTER, its entrance a pool of oily blackness. He is inches from it, now.
PAXTON
This better not be the stomach... or I'm going to be right crossed.
He puts his hand into the pool and, feeling neither pain nor discomfort, moves deeper inside.
SMASH TO BLACK
? - THE VOID - ?
Paxton opens his eyes, and finds himself standing in a black void.
PAXTON
Hello? Is anyone there?
There is a reply, but it is distant, and incomprehensible. PAXTON checks his comlink, and speaks into it.
PAXTON
Eclipse, this is Fell, please respond.
LYNN's voice is drowned in static.
PAXTON
Vicks? Edge? Anyone?
Only static comes through the channel. Paxton puts his comlink down, and looks around - darkness as far as the eye can see... until an orange light shines on him. With nowhere else to go, nothing to do and no one to help him, PAXTON decides to walk towards the source.
Voices echo in the distance, and the closer PAXTON gets, the clearer they become.
A man speaks, over the cries of a newborn...
PAXTON'S FATHER'S VOICE [overjoyed]
Look at him, our boy!
Listen to his roar!
The orange light becomes brighter, and the sounds evolve from the crying of a baby to the sounds of children playing...
PAXTON'S MOTHER'S VOICE
This is your brother, Paxton...
You will take care of him, ja?
YOUNG PAXTON'S VOICE
I promise, mama!
PAXTON
This... this is...
A wave of heat washes over PAXTON, and he shields his face. In spite of the hazard, PAXTON keeps moving forward.
PAXTON'S FATHER'S VOICE
The Empire has given us so much...
Food, medicine... why would we turn them away?
MAN'S VOICE [enraged]
What have they promised you?!
Is it worth the SOUL of our PEOPLE?!
PAXTON'S MOTHER'S VOICE
Paxton, Renton... you have in you
blood of kings! No matter how humble
we must be, always remember that.
MAN'S VOICE [enraged]
You think they will make you king?!
PAXTON'S FATHER'S VOICE
I think they will bring us peace...
A klaxon screams in the dark, accompanied by the familiar sound of Y-wing engines, and punctuated by the scream of a proton bomb as it falls...
PAXTON'S FATHER'S VOICE
Run, RUN!
A wall of fire washes over PAXTON...
EXT - ONDERON, RANCH - NIGHT
...And he finds himself standing in the middle of a grass field, watching a flight of ramshackle Y-wings fly away into a cloudy night sky, chased away by the green laser blasts of TIE Fighters and TIE Interceptors. He looks down, and sees what's left of his childhood home burn to the ground. PAXTON peers at the flames, and sees his mother's remains burning away, revealing the corpse of his younger brother. She had tried to shield her son from the Y-wing's attack, but it was in vain.
White phosphorous. No discrimination. No mercy.
The weeping of a young boy gets PAXTON's attention, and he whirls around to see – to his shock – himself at the age of seven, covered in soot and blood, thin rivers of tears barely cleansing the filth from his face. At his feet is PAXTON's FATHER'S CORPSE, its back riddle with pieces of debris.
The dogfight rages above: one of the INTERCEPTORS, an ace custom with CORELLIAN BLOODSTRIPES painted on the solar panels, takes down a Y-wing. The other rebel bombers fire their turrets at the bloodstriped TIE and miss, hitting the ground near the crying boy. PAXTON reaches out to him, intent on taking to safety, but it is at that moment that reality unravels around him, and everything falls into a void, fading into nothingness...
INT - ONDERON, CAVE - MORNING
PAXTON finds himself in a cave, climbing his way out towards the bright white light of day, coming through the narrow mouth of a cave. He looks up, and sees a figure waiting for him there, reaching out. The bright light frames the figure in shadow, but there is no mistaking the BLOODSTRIPE on the arm of its flight suit, matching PAXTON's.
SOONTIR FELL
It's okay... it's over.
Take my hand...
PAXTON reaches out, but again reality lurches and twists, taking him elsewhere...
? - THE VOID - ?
... He yells in the dark, now devoid of any gravity. Various Imperial-era TIEs fly past him, blurs of gray and red as they push the limit of their engines towards battle. SOONTIR's voice resounds in the dark.
SOONTIR'S VOICE
From this day forth you will bear the name of Fell...
...But that doesn't mean your past has to die.
Remember your parents, always.
YOUNG PAXTON'S VOICE
I'll never forget them, never...
At first there are only a few TIE crafts flying past, but more and more blurs fly past PAXTON, and before long...
YOUNG PAXTON'S VOICE
One day, I will become a Baron of the Empire,
Just like you... and then I'm going to make the Rebels pay.
SOONTIR'S VOICE
Revenge is a fool's game, son...
YOUNG PAXTON'S VOICE
You told me never to forget them, and I haven't,
and they call for their killers' blood!
... A swarm of them fly past PAXTON, like a thousand schools of fish in the sea, all headed towards a single destination...
INSTRUCTOR'S VOICE
Cadets, welcome to Skystrike academy!
WEDGE'S VOICE
Wow, you've got talent, kid!
CADET'S VOICE
The Rebels destroyed one of our starbases! Millions are dead!
YOUNG PAXTON'S VOICE
Damned Rebels! They'll pay!
...A young blonde woman, glowing in the dark with the brightness of a star. Both the strands of her mane - streaked with fluorescent pink - and the fabric of her white dress float as if immersed in water, as the school of TIES swirl around her in a vortex. This is LYNNE STARFLARE, the most popular idol singer of her era. Her music - upbeat synthwave music with a touch of sugary-sweet pop - echoes in the void.
PAXTON
You...
Reality twists once more...
EXT - BERCY STATION - SPACE
And PAXTON finds himself in a TIE FIGHTER, flying in a patrol across a space station - a ring with a glass sphere in the center, full of lights and holograms - as a STARFLARE concert plays, comlink signals transmitting her music on all frequencies... A giant hologram of LYNNE appears, and multicolored fish swim all around her. She smiles at the sight, her eyes full of wonder, and PAXTON'S YOUNGER SELF's eyes smile through his helmet as he falls in love with her. The hologram catches sight of his fighter...
? - THE VOID - ?
LYNNE sees PAXTON approaching, and smiles warmly at him. PAXTON smiles back, but his eyes betray a deep sorrow.
PAXTON
You... you're not real.
LYNNE STARFLARE
Take my hand, and see...
He reaches out to her...
INSTRUCTOR'S VOICE
Your first assignment...
YOUNG PAXTON [sarcastic]
...Babysitting duty for a space concert, that's just great.
CADET'S VOICE [awestruck]
But she's so hot!
LYNNE STARFLARE
Not a fan of my music, huh?
YOUNG PAXTON'S VOICE
I wouldn't call what you do music.
LYNNE [amused]
Oh really?
? - THE VOID, THE RIVER OF RED - ?
...and at that moment, gravity returns, and PAXTON falls into a river of red liquid. ZOOM in on its surface: bubbles of the red liquid pop over and over until finally PAXTON emerges, gasping for air. The river of blood is shallow and straight, leading to a distant waterfall of red... a giant CORELLIAN BLOODSTRIPE, just like SOONTIR's. Just like PAXTON's. Just like MALEK's.
LYNNE floats before PAXTON, always out of reach, inches from the river's surface. Her music becomes atonal, and the notes gradually become warped...
SHAMED ONE [off-screen]
Remember the rhyme...
PAXTON [sorrowfully]
The light of better days... Lynne...
PAXTON marches on, reaching out to LYNNE, and the voices continue their haunting.
EMPEROR PALPATINE'S VOICE
We are here to honor one who has served the Empire...
SOONTIR'S VOICE
They don't give out the stripe for perfect attendance...
Suddenly, an hitherto unseen black sphere explodes above PAXTON, its pieces contrasting sharply against the blaze, the unmistakable engineering of the DEATH STAR II.
PAXTON
...Endor?
A million blazing shards of darkened metal rain down and hit the ground, turning the horizon into the blazing landscape of hell. Husks of Imperial warships, both big and small, are barely illuminated by the blaze, their skeletons evoking the image of dead spiders.
The music is gone, replaced by the groaning of the dead, mingled with the roaring of the flames, and screams of the metal meteors.
Still, PAXTON marches on, wading through the blood.
TIE FIGHTER PILOT'S VOICE
Death Star down!
Repeat, Death Star down!
PAXTON'S VOICE [enraged]
No... no! This can't be happening!
Another dark shape erupts in the black starless sky, the unmistakable shape of a Super Star Destroyer. Its own flaming debris adds to the downpour of fire. Miraculously, none of it hits PAXTON.
THRAWN'S VOICE
This is Grand Admiral Thrawn of the Chimaera.
The battle of Jakku is lost! All surviving Imperial forces
rally to my flagship at once!
SLOANE'S VOICE
This is Grand Admiral Sloane!
All who follow that alien filth are as good as traitors!
TYR TANNER'S VOICE
Paxton, what do we do?!
SOONTIR'S VOICE
Head for the Chimaera, now!
PAXTON'S VOICE
I've got three A-wings on my tail!
I can't shake them!
SOONTIR'S VOICE
I'm covering you, go!
Streaking across the sky is the burning wreck of the very same ace custom INTERCEPTOR that had saved PAXTON from the Y-wings...
PAXTON
Dad...
SOONTIR'S VOICE
I'm proud of you, son...
...And it crashes, exploding in a hundred pieces.
YOUNG PAXTON'S VOICE [anguished]
NOOOOOOOOOOO!
From the hellscape, the noses of hundreds of VICTORY-III Star Destroyers emerge, their hulls groaning as they are reborn from the very flames that had destroyed their larger brethren. Eyes - the same that had spied on PAXTON'S approach of the UNKNOWN VESSEL - burst out of their hulls, staring intently at PAXTON as he marches on.
THRAWN
My condolences, your father was a good friend of mine.
YOUNG PAXTON'S VOICE
I don't care where you vanished to, I don't care if you're an alien...
Just promise me we'll kill those Rebel Scum.
THRAWN
...To do that, I shall need your help, Baron Fell.
YOUNG PAXTON'S VOICE
What do you want from me?
LYNNE STARFLARE [coyly]
A date would be nice...
TYR TANNER [sarcastically]
Welcome to the One-Eighty-Worst!
Thrawn's got a weird sense of humor, alright.
YOUNG PAXTON'S VOICE [determined]
It's not a joke, it's a challenge.
Let's whip those losers into shape, Tyr.
PAXTON looks up, and laughs ruefully. The source of the bloody river... was none other than a giant THRAWN - blood coming out of a gash at the very center of his chest, the crimson contrasting sharply with the pearly white of his uniform.
PAXTON
Artful even in death, Thrawn?
The reborn vessels sink, and die in the flames. The vocal memories begin to blend into each other:
ADMIRAL PELLAEON'S VOICE
This is Admiral Pellaeon to the Rebel fleet...
We surrender, unconditionally.
ADMIRAL ACKBAR'S VOICE
Soldiers and pilots of the Empire... this is
the beginning of a lasting peace, I promise you...
KENTH HAMNER'S VOICE
I'm going to give you Imps a taste of what you put us through...
GIDEON HASK'S VOICE
Paxton, it's not over... there is still a Remnant in the Unknown Regions!
Come with me, where the dream endures!
PAXTON'S VOICE
Just once... just once I want those Rebels to sow victory and harvest nothing but defeat!
JUST ONCE!
ADMIRAL RAE SLOANE'S VOICE
Welcome to Project Resurrection...
As if on cue, shambling figures emerge from the burning hellscape. Their black uniforms, in spite of being tattered and torn, still mark them as members of the First Order. More approach, all of them bearing the same Bloodstripe on their arms, the colour matching the flesh exposed from blaster shots and shrapnel explosions. Some were charred black, the result of plasma exposure. They shouldn't be alive, but still they walk, their shambling quickly turning into mad strides.
PAXTON'S VOICE
Ladies and gentlemen...
One of them points an accusing finger at PAXTON, its jawless head only able to snarl its accusations at him. The other walking corpses begin to chase PAXTON, only to fall into the river and sink. Some manage to stay upright, and attempt to catch up to PAXTON. Some of them get close, clawing at him with broken hands.
PAXTON'S VOICE
...You've run our gauntlet and
proved yourselves better than the best.
PAXTON draws his customized MODEL 1900 BLASTER PISTOL and fires at his pursuers, pulling off three headshots against the three nearest to him. They barely stop, feeling no pain.
PAXTON'S VOICE
These Bloodstripes are more than just marks
of rank in the Special Forces, they are...
The undead pursuers not only grow legion, but in speed, as well.
SOONTIR'S VOICE
... Marks of honour, and gallantry, and courage...
PAXTON'S VOICE [cont'd]
...a pact of Vengeance.
You bear the responsibility of avenging all who
sacrificed their lives to prevent the rise
of the New Republic.
PAXTON keeps hurrying towards LYNNE's ghost, but his pursuers catch up and grasp him by the shoulders. PAXTON manages to fend some of them off, but eventually a dozen pairs of hands begin to drag him down.
PAXTON'S VOICE
But more than that, it makes you part of a family
— My family. And I'll see to it that you will
live to see the Empire reborn!
Ladies! Gentlemen!
Welcome to the One-Eighty-First!
One of the dead FIRST ORDER sailors snarls in PAXTON's ear:
ECLIPSE CREWMAN [snarling]
You let us die!
And promptly forces PAXTON's head down into the RIVER OF RED.
? - BENEATH THE RIVER OF RED - ?
The liquid under the RIVER OF RED'S surface proves surprisingly clear, and light to the point of being air... but it filters nearly all colours away, save for red. Burning debris burst from the surface, streaking past PAXTON and into the depths below.
PAXTON struggles under the grasp of the living corpses as they drag him down further and further down, losing his pistol in the process.
ZOOM OUT, and we get a better look at what's waiting for him in the deep: 200,000 corpses, all clad in First Order uniforms and armour, all reaching out to him in rage. Paxton recognizes some of the faces: this is the crew of the ECLIPSE, returned from the dead to take vengeance on him.
PAXTON'S VOICE
Stars, they're all practically children.
HUX'S VOICE
I see no children. I see soldiers. I see warriors.
They all have a part to play in my... in the First Order's glory.
ECLIPSE CREW [enraged]
YOU PROMISED US LIFE!
Paxton stops struggling...
ECLIPSE CREW [enraged]
YOU PROMISED US A FUTURE!
Paxton closes his eyes...
PAXTON [regretful]
I'm sorry...
ECLIPSE CREW [enraged]
LIAR!
And just as he resigns himself to death, the inert LAMBENT begins to float out of his pocket, shaken out of there by the earlier struggle. It begins to shine a bright silver, and the vengeful revenant crew of the ECLIPSE recoil at its purity. As the LAMBENT floats up, its light flickers, and LYNNE'S voice rings out of it, reminding PAXTON of something precious...
LYNNE STARFLARE'S VOICE
Have you decided on a name?
PAXTON'S VOICE [warmly]
Malek. Let's call him Malek.
PAXTON'S eyes open wide, then narrow in fiery anger and determination.
PAXTON
...but I can't die here!
I REFUSE!
PAXTON struggles once more, as the mob below cry for him to embrace his death. He manages to pull his arm free and, after elbowing one of the living dead in the face, he reaches out for the LAMBENT gem. It's just out of reach, and the light – powered by the memory of better days – becomes blinding.
Suddenly, a hand, covered in a gauntlet of blackened steel, seizes PAXTON's wrists, and pulls...
INT- UNKNOWN SHIP, CONTROL CHAMBER INTERIOR – SPACE
PAXTON gasps as his eyes open, and he finds himself lying on his back on the CONTROL CHAMBER's floor. The chamber is dark, and only the faint glow of the LAMBENT, laying on the organic ceramic floor right by the Model 1900 blaster, provides any kind of illumination. PAXTON gets up, and kneels to pick the items up. He looks around: the chamber is large and spherical, save for the even floor. The ceiling is gnarled wood, but the walls are made of a glassy gelatin... which suddenly comes to life, and displays the space outside. On Paxton's left is the ECLIPSE's command section, to his right are the engines that had been torn out, and in the center...
In the center stands an obelisk made of black iron, its texture like sand, its face curved. Roots cling to the bottom, while branches erupt from the top, forming a conical trunk that reaches and merges into the domed ceiling above. Some of the branches pulse, like blood vessels – arteries and veins – and the sound of breathing, loud and deep and cavernous, can be heard through the metal.
There is a seam along the center of the obelisk's face, and PAXTON realizes it's not an obelisk, but some sort of casket, big enough for a wookiee.
This is the EMBRACE, where the master of the alien vessel is apparently sleeping. Paxton approaches it.
PAXTON
There you are, you miserable bastard...
He knocks on the EMBRACE with his pistol.
PAXTON
[to the Embrace]
You wanted to see me?
Well, here I am.
The breathing doesn't stop. The MASTER inside does not stir.
PAXTON [annoyed]
Oi!
He kicks the EMBRACE. Nothing happens.
PAXTON
What the hell are you?
[to comlink]
Paxton to Eclipse, come in!
PAXTON looks outside. Across the hull of the ECLIPSE'S COMMAND SECTION, a squadron of TIE Workers - multi-armed worker craft based on the TIE Fighter Chassis - does its best to plug the holes and gashes across the hull of their large mothership. Unfortunately, there aren't enough emergency hull plates to go around, and work is going slow.
He activates his comlink.
PAXTON [to comlink]
Vicks? Edge? Still out there?
I've made contact.
Static.
PAXTON [to comlink]
Eclipse, do you read?
More static. Paxton deactivates his comlink, and begins shouting:
PAXTON
VICKS! EDGE!
SHAMED ONE! ANYBODY!
Paxton looks around, and sees no way in or out. Even if VICKS and EDGE had heard him, they would not have been able to reach him.
PAXTON [to himself]
Damn, where are they?
PAXTON feels something watching him in the dark, and raises his pistol to a firing position while holding the LAMBENT above his head, as if that would better illuminate the room... but he sees no one.
He examines the metal of the EMBRACE, and squints - there are subtle patterns on its face. On the center is a pair of elaborate emblems - one of a short sword and a shield, the other of a sword and a drop of liquid inside of an escutcheon. The latter is above the former, and each is framed by circular sigils and a strange script - the alphabet of angels - that PAXTON recognizes from the SHAMED ONE'S BOOK. Fascinated, he holsters his pistol and touches the writing.
VICKS'S VOICE echoes in his mind.
VICKS'S VOICE
We need a prize, sir.
This ship... is a marvel.
PAXTON'S VOICE
Just once... just once I want those Rebels to sow victory and harvest defeat!
JUST ONCE!
Absentmindedly, PAXTON reaches for the thermal detonator, and looks down on it for a moment, then at the Embrace, pondering its use.
Suddenly, an explosion rocks the ECLIPSE'S COMMAND SECTION. Whatever the situation aboard was when he left it, it's obviously gotten worse.
PAXTON'S VOICE
...it makes you part of a family — My family.
Something whispers in the dark...
VICKS'S VOICE
This ship could be yours...
LYNN STARFLARE'S VOICE
its power could be yours...
all yours...
MALEK'S VOICE
All you have to do...
SNOKE'S VOICE
...Is kill him in his sleep.
PAXTON'S fingers barely touch the thermal detonator's switch, and that's all the SHAMED ONE needed to see.
SHAMED ONE [enraged]
INFIDEL!
Chains surge out of the shadows, heading straight for PAXTON's head. Despite his age, he manages to dodge out of the way. The sharpened tips of the chains stop just short of the EMBRACE, and retract.
SHAMED ONE [enraged]
PUPPET! ASSASSIN!
I GRANTED YOU THE HONOR OF AN AUDIENCE!
I GAVE YOU THE CHANCE TO BEHOLD HIS GLORY!
The SHAMED ONE continues his onslaught of chain strikes, causing PAXTON to drop the thermal detonator as he ducks and rolls out of the way of a swinging chain. Drawing his pistol, Paxton shoots in the dark, aiming at the source of the chains. They retract, and there is a lull in the attack; the only sound that can be heard is the sound of stilts as the SHAMED ONE stalks his prey.
PAXTON
I had a bad feeling about you!
The stilts tap faster, just as the SHAMED ONE bursts out of shadows, rage in his eye, wielding a pair of huge ebony chakrams with ivory blades! Paxton shoots him, and the SHAMED ONE blocks the shot with unnaturally fast reflexes. Just as the diminutive creature is about to swing at PAXTON's head, the human thinks fast, and tosses the LAMBENT at the SHAMED ONE'S FACE, who dodges it, but cannot help but stare at the light, blinding him and distracting him long enough for PAXTON to deliver a kick to the temple. Knocked down, the SHAMED ONE is unable to stop PAXTON from pining him down with a knee to the belly and a blaster to the face.
PAXTON
And I was right!
You're a damned JEDI!
What did you do with my men?!
SHAMED ONE
THE SAME THAT SHALL BE DONE TO YOU,
AND ALL WHO FOLLOW YOU!
Just then, the book flies out of the SHAMED ONE'S clothes, hitting PAXTON right in the face, stunning him. The SHAMED ONE take the opportunity to escape, and PAXTON shoots him again, chasing him into the shadows. The light of the LAMBENT fades, and PAXTON is forced to keep firing if only to keep track of the SHAMED ONE'S movements. Muzzle flashes reveal his enemy's position briefly once a second, making it seem like the SHAMED ONE is teleporting all over.
The SHAMED ONE does a flip, simultaneously throwing the two oversized rings, which glow in the dark, getting PAXTON's attention. They bounce off invisible walls once, twice, and thrice, managing only to inflict shallow cuts on PAXTON's outfit... who then demonstrates his excellent marksmanship skills by shooting the two flying weapons, stopping their momentum and sending them clattering on the ground. Undaunted, the SHAMED ONE deploys his chains again, the first swing knocking the blaster away, the next one hitting the back of PAXTON's legs, sending him to the ground.
PAXTON attempts to leap for his weapon, only for a chain to catch him mid-air by the ankle. As he is pulled away, he sees the thermal detonator right by his fallen pistol. He reaches out...
The pistol moves, if only slightly.
The breathing inside the EMBRACE stops, coinciding with the wrapping of a chain around PAXTON's throat.
SHAMED ONE [growling]
None shall hurt the master while he sleeps!
None shall even think to hurt him while he dreams!
Forced on his knees, PAXTON attempts to free himself, tugging at the chain at his throat in vain. In desperation, he claws at the SHAMED ONE'S face, and his fingers find their way into the edges of the faceplate that hides his deformity.
SHAMED ONE
NO!
The SHAMED ONE panics and lets go, covering his face with his hands, allowing PAXTON to turn the tables on him; he grabs him by the throat, and chokeslams him into the ground, and attempts to follow that through with a boot to the face. Once again, the SHAMED ONE proves too resilient to stay down and too fast to hit, and rolls out of the way.
PAXTON eyes his weapons.
The SHAMED ONE eyes his chakrams.
They both dive for them at the same time, seize them at the same time, and become poised to kill one another at the same time.
SHAMED ONE [mocking]
Are you truly prepared to die?
PAXTON [determined]
Always, Jedi. Always.
They stare each other down, with PAXTON kneeling allowing them both to look at each other at eye level. The Imperial shoots first, but the photons never leave the barrel, and instead the blaster hisses as it automatically flushes coolant through its hot frame.
SHAMED ONE [mocking]
Good, for here it comes now!
PAXTON attempts to cancel the flush, while the SHAMED ONE leaps at him, brandishing his circular blades.
Suddenly, a VOICE rings out of the EMBRACE, deep and resounding and yet tinted with youth.
VOICE FROM THE EMBRACE
ONIMI.
THE SHAMED ONE is stopped in mid-air.
VOICE FROM THE EMBRACE
Enough.
ONIMI THE SHAMED ONE
But... master! His thoughts betray you!
VOICE FROM THE EMBRACE
Only in thought, Onimi.
What do his deeds tell you?
What does the Lambent tell you?
ONIMI looks at PAXTON, who is aiming his pistol right at him, ready to fire and to end the SHAMED ONE's life... waiting for ONIMI to make the first move. ONIMI backs down, and the unseen force holding him aloft releases its hold just as he does a spinning backflip backwards. The book floats back to ONIMI, whose weapons vanish into his robes.
ONIMI
Onimi is sorry...
VOICE FROM THE EMBRACE
Leave us.
ONIMI [deferrent]
Onimi obeys! Onimi obeys, he does!
Onimi vanishes in the shadows, and once he is gone the EMBRACE opens with a hiss, revealing its occupant as he takes a step outside of the metal casket, branches clinging almost desperately to his body, unwilling to let him go. By the third step they snap off, revealing their glowing tips before they retreat back into the confines of the EMBRACE. The Master of this warship is difficulty to see in the gloom of the gas giant, but it is obvious that he is a tall figure of slightly more than two meters, broad-shouldered and heroic of build. A black quilted gambesson covers his chest and thighs, while his forearms and elbows are protected by gauntlets and cowters, respectively, their style matching the greaves made of overlapping segmented dark metal plates. Most striking of all is the helm - it seems to have large horns, rooted in the back of the skull, curved around his head like a halo and shooting up as they taper into fine points. The eyes peering through the eye slits glow a pale white, having neither irises nor pupils.
This is CEADEUS.
PAXTON aims his gun at his head.
PAXTON
Take a step further, Jedi, I kriffing dare you.
CEADEUS narrows his eyes at him, and takes a step, calling his bluff.
But PAXTON was not bluffing, and his pistol spits a powerful photon blast. CEADEUS does not dodge, and the shot hits in right between the eyes... the impact rings out, like hammer on an anvil, and CEADEUS barely flinches as the blast washes over his helmet.
He takes another step. His footfall is loud, and metallic.
CEADEUS
None of this was for you.
The darkness, the silence, the nightmare...
Japes, destined for one so deluded
he thinks himself your master.
PAXTON backs away, but keeps shooting - the photon blasts burst over CEADEUS's chest, head, and even arms. The impact does him no harm - he barely flinches as he walks slowly towards PAXTON... spreading his arms wide.
CEADEUS
But the four-thousand eyes of this Kuyūthā...
Deep they gazed, into your soul's very core.
PAXTON's gun overheats, and he throws it at CEADEUS, hoping the heat will hurt him somehow. CEADEUS catches the weapon as it hisses against the metal of his gauntlet. CEADEUS doesn't look at the blaster as he tosses it aside. The tool is beneath his notice.
CEADEUS
The images engrav'd on your crude matter...
Glorious fusion of rage, sorrow, and something more.
PAXTON yells as he charges forward and punches CEADEUS, left and right into the gut, followed by a third to the face. The sound of the chainmail being hammered is muffled by the gambesson over it, while the hit to the face resounds loudly. PAXTON follows up with another punch, and that one causes CEADEUS to defend himself: he grabs PAXTON by the wrist, and looks down upon the hand he seized, seeing the gleam of the THERMAL DETONATOR, beeping loudly. PAXTON smiles, thinking he has gotten the better of the man whom he believes to be his mortal enemy. He closes his eyes, and readies himself for the ultimate sacrifice, one he should have made decades ago...
Casually, CEADEUS grabs the explosive in his other hand, and lets PAXTON go before pushing him away. He stares at the chrome orb, doing nothing as its beeps count down to zero.
It explodes.
The shockwave knocks PAXTON flat on his back, knocking the wind out of him, but otherwise he is unarmed. The smoke clears, and he looks up, expecting to see the ruin of CEADEUS's corpse.
Instead, CEADEUS still stands there, holding a globe of hellfire, its orange light cast on the lion like features of his mask, making him appear demonic.
Again, he takes a step towards PAXTON, trailing wisps of smoke from his shoulder and face.
CEADEUS [genuinely awed]
Such bravery... such will!
What fuels it, truly?
No matter...
Ceadeus squeezes the blazing orb, and it dissolves into streaming tendrils of flames, that slow into his gauntlet, until it vanishes completely.
CEADEUS
I would have it in my order, all the same.
PAXTON
I'll... I'll never join you, Jedi!
My loyalty is to the Empire!
Ceadeus circles around PAXTON, his eyes narrowing at the word 'Jedi'. It's clear he hates them, but he keeps calm.
CEADEUS
The Empire you dream of is long dead.
Why go on? Why not... join it in oblivion?
PAXTON [defiantly]
The Empire is NOT dead!
Your kind hasn't killed it, the First Order—
CEADEUS
—Is but a Children's Crusade, led by cowards.
The Republic does not fear them. You KNOW this.
PAXTON
Hosnian Prime... Starkiller...
PAXTON tries to be defiant, but it's clear he's ashamed of the massacre.
CEADEUS
All that abomination has sown is death, and righteous fury.
CEADEUS's eyes glow with sunfire. He looms over Paxton, who finally realizes what kind of danger he's in.
CEADEUS [menacingly]
I will NOT allow it. Fury is the gift of God, and I will not
allow infidels to bask in its warmth.
I will EXTINGUISH it from them, and in its place
all that shall remain is cowardice.
PAXTON
What are you?
CEADEUS slowly reaches down with a gloved hand, each finger tipped by a claw that threaten to cut PAXTON's flesh apart...
Suddenly, the ECLIPSE's torn ion drives' cores erupt, lightning arcing across their complex machinery just before bursting into glowing clouds of ionic energy.
INT - ECLIPSE BRIDGE - SPACE
The ECLIPSE's bridge crew look on in surprise as the ion blast expands, and they watch as the UNKNOWN VESSEL's hull shielding protects what remains of the ECLIPSE from harm.
COMMS OFFICER LYNN
Stars! If those things had exploded inside the ship...
The bridge crew gazes at the living vessel, still fearful, but awed.
INT- UNKNOWN SHIP, CONTROL CHAMBER INTERIOR – SPACE
The lighting illuminates the chamber's walls briefly, providing a sharp contrast to the silhouettes of the hitherto invisible figures that surround PAXTON. Each one of them cuts a unique figure - warriors forged by the fires of wars gladly ignored by the rest of the galaxy. Among the dozen silhouettes stand the stalking figures from earlier: the ROBED WOMAN, the LONGCOATED MAN. PAXTON pays them little heed, as the clawed hand approaches his face...
CEADEUS
I am Ceadeus Ren.
The claws are inches from PAXTON's face, and stop, as the claw turns to a hand offered in friendship.
CEADEUS
Take my hand.
PAXTON and CEADEUS clasp, and the latter helps the former back on his feet just before giving him back the white Lambent. PAXTON, by no means short, still has to look up to meet CEADEUS's blazing gaze.
CEADEUS
Pray tell, Paxton. If you wanted the Resistance to lose all heart, what would you do?
PAXTON
... I'd capture Leia. See her driven and humiliated before her people.
CEADEUS
Then that is what we shall do, you and I.
Now come, and let us make the False Princess pay for her sins...
We ZOOM out of the CONTROL CENTER, faster and faster, as we watch the LIVING WARSHIP ALEKSANDR and its crew - a thousand GLADIATORS of the HOLY ORDER OF THE BLOOD OF REN - step out of their own stasis caskets and arm themselves for war.
EXT - CHARON BELT - SPACE
Inside a clearing deep within an asteroid belt in the CHARON system, more and more RESISTANCE-aligned warships jump into the area adding their strength to LEIA's fleet. Her flagship, the RADDUS, floats at the center.
INT - RADDUS'S BRIDGE - SPACE
LEIA and ACKBAR sit at the Command and Control table. In the background, the crew is cheering. Good news had just reached them; LUKE SKYWALKER is alive, and he's coming back. Their hopes soared, morale is at an all-time high.
FOCUS on LEIA'S back, as she whirls around, eyes wide with worry.
ACKBAR
Leia? What is it?
LEIA
I... I just felt like someone just walked over my grave.
ACKBAR [worried]
Should I put the fleet on alert?
LEIA
No... No, I'm probably just tired.
Everything's going to be alright.
TO BE CONTINUED
IN PART 2
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