Heir to the Empire

"Lord Ren, sir," came a small and somewhat nervous voice.

Ben Solo, known to his men as Kylo Ren, looked over his shoulder. It was Alema Pryce, one of the junior officers assigned to his bridge command aboard the Resurgence-class Star Destroyer Finalizer. She was known to be a calm and competent commander; it was strange to hear her show any hint of fear in her voice. Surely whatever that fool Hux and the other traitorous generals could be up to can't be that bad. Could it?

"What is it, Pryce?" he asked.

"Sir, you have a transmission coming through," she said, "It is of the highest priority for your eyes only."

"Who is it?" he asked in confusion.

Pryce swallowed, a display of emotion very much unlike her, "Sir, I think you should see for yourself. Um, please hurry. The line has been ringing."

"I'll be right there." Ren stood up from his chair and briskly walked towards the turbolift at the far end of the bridge. Some of his men watched him leave, others whom he passed saluted him. He didn't pay them any heed. Still, he couldn't help picking up on the ambient nervousness in the air. Everyone was on edge since the death of Supreme Leader Snoke and the subsequent schism in the First Order between those who followed Hux in accusing Ren of murder and those who followed Ren as he was the next in line regardless of his actions. He continued his brisk pace after he exited the turbolift and made his way to his private meditation chamber.

He arrived and checked the electronic caller ID readout. His blood chilled and the frost cut to the very marrow of his bones. No… no… this can't be! But as he continued to stare at the caller ID, it didn't change. He read it over, hoping that his eyes were deceiving him, hoping that this was a bad dream. No! He's dead…. I killed him myself! But it did not change. There, on the screen, was the exact same transmitter code that the Supreme Leader himself had used to contact him in the past. He's alive! He felt dizzy, as if he was going to faint. He wanted to run away, run and hide. If that thing could transcend death, he had no idea what it was capable of. And yet, as he stood there, the line continued to beep. He had to face it.

He tried to bury his presence in the Force. Perhaps if he could not sense him, he would be unable to affect him telekinetically or through some other arcane means, and yet, such a technique never came easily to him. It required a calm that he could never summon even in the best of times. He stepped into the chamber and pressed the access button.

At that instant, a massive hologram appeared in front of him, but instead of the burned, charred, utterly alien face that he expected, the person on the other end appeared surprisingly human. The hologram displayed his body from the waist up. The figure wore a spotless white uniform pressed and sharp enough to cut durasteel. He wore gold shoulder tassels and an unusual rank plate. The plate displayed an incredible four blue, three red, and three gold rectangles, but what caught his eye and made him gasp in shock was the man's face. The face was old, clearly displaying the hardships of many years, with sunken eyes and hollow cheeks, but the skin was a deep blue and the eyes a glowing red showing almost no pupil.

"Kylo Ren," the man almost sneered, "It is about time for you and your small and scattered faction to once again join with the Empire. I will be taking command from here on out."

"I- uh- uh-eh?!" Ren stuttered, his mind reeling from the unexpected development. "How?!" he managed to spit out at last after several seconds of gasping.

"Perhaps I did not make myself clear," said the man, "I am Grand Admiral Thrawn, appointed to serve and protect the Empire unto death by Emperor Palpatine himself. Since I am the last Grand Admiral, I will be assuming command."

"Th- but-!"

"Calm yourself, boy. Those who are not calm are more likely to err, and those who err are more likely to become a mistake."

"No! No! NO! You can't do this! You aren't even part of the First Order!" Ren stood up. "I'm Supreme Leader Ren!" He shouted pointing a finger at the hologram.

"Perhaps you misunderstand, boy." The man's expression didn't change. "Recall the history of your 'First Order.' It was founded around the territory of Grand Admiral Atha Prime after the death of Emperor Palpatine. However, due to Prime's small territory, his faction joined the Empire of the Hand, led by myself, along with several other factions, following the Battle of Jakku. Due to Prime's rank, he took his position at my side as we rebuilt the Empire. It was only when Prime's health began to deteriorate that he passed on his title of Grand Admiral, with the authorization of the Council of Moffs, to his successor, Snoke. It was Snoke who drove the wedge deep between the surviving factions, seizing power with the construction of his beloved superweapons. Those who were allied politically with him broke off, but still retained the titles and structure of the Empire of the Hand. Now he is dead. Now, as the last Grand Admiral, I will reunite the Empire."

Ren was dumbstruck. He opened and closed his mouth several times. He pointed at the hologram and clenched his fist. He wished that he had practiced the art of Force choking people via hologram. The challenge that came when using the Force on distant objects was not a matter of power, after all, the Force existed everywhere, and so it was easy to will an effect near or far. The problem came when trying to locate the target through the Force. Such subtle applications of the Force never came easy to him. "You and what army?" he sneered.

"I'm glad you asked," said the Grand Admiral without breaking stride, "Supreme Commander Gilad Pellaeon of the Imperial Remnant has already promised to assist the Empire of the Hand. We are currently working out the details. Your, shall I say, rival, General Hux, has also pledged his faction to our alliance."

Ren opened his mouth and closed it again. "Hux?! Wha- He's a traitor! I will crush him-"

"You will do no such thing," said Thrawn cooly, "His faction has is allied with the Empire of the Hand and, by extension, the Imperial Remnant. Any act of hostility against him will invoke the wrath of the entire Empire. It is you who will be the traitor should you choose to attack us. The death of Snoke has ripped your 'First Order' in two. It would be much better if you two did not annihilate each other so that we all can focus on the task at hand."

Ren continued to stare at the hologram.

"This would be an alliance that will be beneficial for the both of us, and for the entire Empire. Thanks to the actions of your 'Supreme Leader,' the Galaxy is a cinderbox. Even the lawless wastes of the Unknown Regions show more order thanks to the presence of the Empire of the Hand. Together, we can expand this order throughout the Galaxy bringing peace and taming the chaos. And if these idealistic concerns do not motivate you, ask yourself, what are you the king of? What are you trying to prove? You are a warlord hiding out in empty space, constantly plotting against his rivals, rather than working with them towards a higher goal. And like most warlords, you built your castle upon a foundation of sand.

His voice lowered. "It is not wise to resist the Empire, and I believe we can still work together. I will be hosting a summit between the heads of the various Imperial factions to work out the details. The time and place of this summit will be announced, but I saved you a seat. I grant your forty-eight hours to accept this invitation, and I look forward to seeing you there."

The hologram winked out of existence leaving Ren alone in the dark.