The recording had been made on a bodycam, but it was no lowly stormtrooper who had taken it this time. The opening shot was of a pair of thin shoulders in a dark uniform and the top of a head running to baldness as they went downstairs. In front of the older, balding man a swirl of black cape caught a flash of light in the gloom.

Hux began a voiceover. 'After retrieving the device from the creature in the swamp, we followed the co-ordinates on the wayfinder to the planet of Exegol. The Supreme Leader was desperate to find what he had sought for so long, but unsure of his reception, so only three of us went into the hole in the ground.'

The stairs went on for some time, Hux's camera jiggling as he made the long descent, Pryde beginning to struggle in front of him, Kylo Ren a dim figure striding out in the lead, taking the steps two at a time. Eventually, the entrance broadened out into a wide hall, too wide for the sides to be seen, an underground cavern hewn out of rock. A chasm yawned in front of the staircase, a thin strip of rock the only way to cross. Hux followed the others as they picked their way across the bridge, and when the angle of the shot leaned out into the void it was apparent that the bottom of the pit was far, far out of sight beneath.

On the far side of the bridge Hux paused, waiting, and the Supreme Leader approached on his own. A vast, rock hewn throne thrust from the cave floor, thick pillars branching out on all sides, like a giant spider frozen in the throes of death. The throne was empty, but it was apparent from the sounds filling the darkness that something lurked in the shadows. Hux took a few paces closer, leaving Pryde somewhere behind, tracking Kylo Ren as he approached whatever hid to one side of the dais.

'Stop.' The command in the voice was undeniable, the authority undimmed by the passage of years and Hux came to an immediate halt, but after a second or so, his superior officer shook off the order and continued, igniting his lightsaber.

With the added illumination of the red blade shining steady through the repetitive flashes of lightning, the camera picked out a man, his features shadowed, his body barely distinguishable, surrounded as it was by such a welter of medical equipment. The figure was wisp thin, clad all in black and masked by breathing apparatus so thick his face could not be seen.

'Who are you?' Although he tried to hide it, Kylo Ren's voice held an unmistakable tremble.

'You know who I am.' The voice through the mask was harsh, grating and not at all friendly.

'Grandfather?'

There was a very long silence from the figure in the darkness, time during which Hux fidgeted in place and the lightsaber shook in its master's unsteady hand.

'Yes, my boy.'

A noise came from the man with the laser sword, half exclamation, half sob, and the weapon in his hand went out. In the sudden darkness he said, 'I have so many questions, grandfather.'

'And yet I have only one.'

The Supreme Leader tilted his head, clearly unsure.

'Why do you not kneel?' asked the emaciated man in the chair.

'Kneel? I…why would I kneel? I am Supreme Leader of the First Order, there is no one to whom I kneel.' A tinge of stubbornness and more than a hint of pride suffused his voice.

'You, above all others should know that such titles signify nothing. Titles are won and lost and are all the cheaper for it. Darth Vader. Kylo Ren. What matters is who you are.'

'I am Kylo Ren.'

The figure nodded. 'Currently. But it was not always so.'

'I have renounced my birth name.'

'Renounced, but not forgotten. And that is why you are here, is it not? That is why you have sought me out after all this time. You have not forgotten who you were. You have tried, of course. You murdered your father, neglected your mother, drove your uncle into exile but now that your family is dead they live on in your memory where they cannot be killed. They are always with you. So you have come to me. Seeking counsel. Seeking guidance. Seeking a new master.'

The young Emperor's head shot up. 'I have no need of a master. I am the master now.'

There was a bite in the old man's words. 'You failed your training. You did not complete the final test. You are an apprentice still.'

'The final test was… not worthy of the training. It should not have been set. I was tricked, manipulated. The test was not fair.'

The camera picked up a slight noise from Hux, a snigger, quickly concealed behind a cough at the whining tone of these last words.

'The test was fair. You were asked to kill your enemy. You refused. You disobeyed your master.'

'Snoke was not fit to be my master – I surpassed him. He was short-sighted. Blind to the possibilities, too full of hate to see what could be achieved. He asked me to kill someone who could be a powerful ally, someone whose abilities should not be wasted by a pointless death.'

The older man chuckled. 'Snoke had his limitations, I agree, but he was a useful tool. He ruled where I could not.'

There was a short silence before the response came back. 'Snoke was your apprentice?'

'Snoke was mine. I created him, gave him power, gave him authority, sent him off to create armies in my stead. I have not been well for some time, stuck in this hole with no way out. I required a puppet, an obedient marionette who could respond to the strings I pulled until the right time came. But you murdered Snoke before I was ready and with his passing I lost any means to contact you, save one.'

'The visions.'

'The visions. I called you to come to me the minute I sensed that Snoke was gone but you ignored me. You were too busy playing at being Emperor, never realising that the power behind the throne was all mine.'

The Emperor visibly bristled at that. 'I rule the First Order. I rule the galaxy. I do not require your help. The power is mine.'

The answer was immediate, the sick man rising from his chair with a burst of renewed energy. 'I put you where you are today. I put you on the throne and I can take it away again.'

He gestured sharply and there was a rumble from the pit behind, a complaint from the bowels of the earth. The camera lurched to one side as Hux staggered, shaken by a tremor pitching the floor of the cavern. To one side a large screen rose into view, screeching as rusted mechanics hauled it out of the rock. The shot panned out as Hux turned and for a second, all the screen showed was the barren surface of Exegol, the plains dead and empty. Then the rumble from the pit expanded into a roar and with a slow and hesitant motion, a hole appeared amidst the boulder strewn ground on screen. The hole was rectangular, regular in size and shape and expanded at an advancing rate of knots. An audible gasp cut through the cavern's background noise as the blunt, pointed nose of a dagger shaped ship emerged from the darkness.

Pryde's voice whispered, 'An Imperial Star Destroyer.'

'A loyalist, I see,' came an amused voice from the shadows as the earth outside gave birth to a ship, and a second began to exit from the same channel. 'This is my fleet of Sith Destroyers, sent into hiding before you were born, developed and improved in my solitude and now ready to crush whatever resistance stands in my way. Including you, if necessary.'

Ships continued to emerge from the gloom and there was a long silence in the cavern as the Supreme Leader's attention pivoted between the emerging threat on screen, and the weak and feeble instigator of that threat on the dais.

The camera shifted as Hux stepped forward. 'Supreme Leader, have you noted the weapons systems with which those vessels have been modified? I would counsel caution.'

'There are so many of them.' Pryde's voice was awed.

Kylo Ren's gloved hand made a slashing motion and his minions fell silent. 'How have you achieved this?' he demanded. 'Who are you?'

There was a dark and humourless chuckle. 'Your ally. And your master. Kneel.'

'I do not kneel. I am no one's slave.' A thumb caressed the switch of the red lightsaber.

'Supreme Leader,' Hux called out in warning.

'There is no need, no need.' The aged figure dissolved into a fit of coughing. 'I have no need of a slave. I seek only an apprentice. And a successor. The fleet is yours to command as you see fit, on one condition.'

The thumb had not shifted. 'Which is?'

'That you bring your potential ally to me.'

The response was slow, suspicious. 'You want me to bring you Rey?'

'I wish to meet the woman for whom you murdered your master. She must be something special.'

The lightsaber raised. 'You wish to kill her. As Snoke did.'

'I am not as short-sighted as Snoke. I will not harm her. I will turn her to the dark side.'

The younger man hesitated, and his weapon lowered momentarily. 'I tried that. I offered her power, I offered her the chance to rule at my side. She did not turn.'

'There are many paths to the dark side. Power is one. Fear is another. If she fears that her precious Resistance will die, she will turn. If she fears the loss of life which will be unleashed on the galaxy by my fleet should she not do exactly as you say, she will turn. If she fears you, if she fears me, then she will join us.'

The dark head dropped. 'I do not want her fear.'

'You want her love?'

Hux repressed another snigger, but a backwards glance and a sudden choking noise too close to the microphone as the reprisal took effect cut it off.

The old man continued, with an almost sympathetic note in his voice. 'Love and fear are indistinguishable in their effects – both are simply a means of control. Love is also a path to the dark side. Bring her to me, and I will give you all that you desire. She will rule at your side. She will warm your bed. And she will be grateful for the opportunity to do so.'

'Why would you do this for me?'

Medical equipment whined and hissed as the patient spread his hands. 'We are family.'

He knelt. Kylo Ren knelt and bowed his head and said, in a tone of reverence, 'Grandfather.'

A swish of a hand, the suggestion of power whistling unseen through the air had Hux's camera swaying and he gasped in surprise as something appeared on the floor of the chamber. A woman's unconscious form, dressed in off white robes which were pooled around her slumped body, her hair spilling out of the three buns which held it back.

The Supreme Leader was off his knees and at her side in a couple of strides but when he bent down his hand slid through the image and he looked up angrily. 'What have you done to her?'

Machinery whirred in the shadows; the old man gestured. 'There is no permanent damage. You have chosen well - she is a savage beauty indeed. Such power. She runs straight to the darkness. She will be a worthy successor. She will continue my legacy.' There was a pause and Hux stepped closer to catch the rest of his words. 'There is already a connection between you, a rare bond of great strength. Such things sometimes exist where the number of Force users falls to a handful, or even to two. Between you, you carry the wasted capability of thousands of other souls never born. You are equal, you balance, you cannot destroy her but together you possess a power greater than either of you can draw on alone. This will be useful.'

There was a dry, scraping noise as the old man licked his lips and continued. 'She feels physical attraction towards you but I see no trust in her mind. Yet she still believes you can be saved. You must approach her carefully – I can perhaps make her more receptive to your advances but she is strong willed, you must allow her to come to you on her own.'

Kylo's hand hovered in the air above Rey's cheek. 'How do I do that?'

The old man reached out, his palm turned towards the fallen woman. 'Tell her you wish to be redeemed. Make her believe you have turned back to the light and she will not be able to resist the bait. Snoke was right in that, at least. She is alone – offer her companionship, understanding. Show her love and she will be yours. Then – bring her to me and I will do the rest.'

'Yes, grandfather.'

The picture froze on Rey's image, lying on the floor in a cave she had never visited, surrounded by strangers discussing how best to bend her to their will.

Hux resumed his narrative, placing the words carefully into the stunned silence of the passenger cabin.

'We left not long afterwards. To my knowledge the Supreme Leader followed the plan outlined by his grandfather until yesterday – the transmission he sent to stand down the fleet was the first indication I had that his loyalty might be straying.'

Hux looked directly into Rey's eyes. 'I did not agree with this course of action. I did not trust whoever it was we met in that cave. Darth Vader was a legend in the Empire, but his death is shrouded in mystery and I have seen the relic that Ren hides in his shuttle. I find it hard to credit that such a man, if he survived whatever caused that amount of damage, would hide for so many years, concealing so much power. I am loyal to the First Order, and I do not appreciate having it threatened by someone who would turn our own technology against us. I do not relish the idea of an independent Sith fleet, and I do not want it in the hands of an unknown Force user who wishes my Supreme Leader to call him 'master.''

He reached out and took her hand and Rey didn't pull away. 'You must help me. This is why I have come. You are being deceived. Ren has been more desperate than ever to find the identity of the mole over the last few weeks because he is terrified that any whisper of his plan might get back to you. You are the only one who can stop him.'

He squeezed her fingers. 'You must kill Kylo Ren.'