A/N: Hey guys! Update as promised and I hope you enjoy it. If you guys have any ideas for the progression of the story/interactions etc, feel free to let me know: my ears are open! Anyway, hope you enjoy the chapter, and the next one should be up next weekend, and around 2k words.

Ta-ta!

Kylo Ren watched impassively as the man dropped, a gaping slash allowing guts to spill out onto the floor, remaining impeccably clean since the unstable blade had long since cauterised the wound. The peasant woman's shrill shriek echoed around the small cabin and the children just stared, frozen in a state of shock.

The Dark-Sider flicked a hand lazily and his Knights swept forwards, two pinning the woman, still screaming hysterically, while the children were secured easily. The youngest still didn't seem to understand what had happened and was calling for her father while the boy sobbed and spluttered.

The masked man slowly stalked forwards, his hand lifting to hover in front of the mother's face. Beneath a snug black sleeve his arm tensed, and his gloved hand moved and rotated carelessly as he pulled what he wanted from her head. He paid no mind to the shaking and thrashing of the woman as she dropped to the floor, his Knights moving away from the twitching body, or the blood slowly leaking to the floor from her nose and mouth.

He had all he needed.

He let his arm rest back at his side and his head tipped forward slightly, eyes closed while he reviewed the conscious that had been collected. He flicked through the early years of the woman's life, noticing no Force-sensitivity, but began to slow down as she came of age. There was one man before and during the arrival of the 'father'. He was the sire of the children. He didn't know. Nor did the man whose innards had been spilled upon the grimy floor of the hut.

The man seemed prone to jumping from place to place. Nearly everyone on this small island knew about him. A man from Coruscant had come to Dantooine for a little holiday. And now they had a lead.

Kylo Ren turned to the children and evaluated them with a critical eye. The boy would rebel against everything and anything told him by Snoke or himself: he had just rid the galaxy of the boy's guardians after all. His moral compass was also unswervingly steady. The girl was too innocent: she would crumble.

"Kill them."

The distorted order invaded the heavy silence, only broken by the occasional sniffle from the two children. As the black-clad figures advanced they seemed to realise what was about to happen. They struggled and screamed, faces red and damp, tiny fists flailing and hitting anything close enough.

As Ren watched the display emotionlessly, a scalding shiver ghosted its way down his spine and he whirled around, thrusting his influence out into the Force. He had the invasive feeling of being observed, yet he couldn't locate the observer. All that he could be sure of was the power of the Force user whose gaze had landed upon him.

With a little further scrutinising, he recognised the signature of the currents that had gathered around him. He relaxed as the Dark washed over and around him, letting a small pulse of recognition push against the flow of the Force towards the observer as he waited for their examination to finish.

Suddenly the sounds of struggle ceased, and there were two low thuds as small, lifeless bodies dropped to the floor. A small surge of guilt welled up inside him, and a pebble settled just above his Adam's apple. They were only children...

The heat scalded his inside as he clamped down on the feeling, obliterating it. He had smite down Force-sensitive brats far younger than those two. With red clouding his vision, he strode out into the night, his Knights following him in silent formation, a black pageant spreading out under the starlit sky. It took a moment to realise that the scrutiny from the Force user had ended.

"Your orders?"

Kylo deliberated furiously. No-one had seen them arrive, and even if they had, what could they do? It was unlikely any activity could be reported to the Resistance before the information became obsolete. But if he didn't take precautions...

...he knew better than anyone how violent Snoke's rage could be.

Granted, this wasn't a task imperative to the success of the First Order or the Dark Side, but Snoke did want the Jedi eradicated, no matter what. Being pre-emptive would please the Supreme Leader more than going only as far as he had been expressly ordered to.

And Kylo Ren had never been one to hold back.

"Eradicate them. Leave no trace of our presence."

The mechanical hiss caused the atmosphere to thicken, and Kylo gritted his teeth behind the cold metal of the mask. Someone had been watching. But nothing would escape the valley. The Knights would make sure of that.

They spread out seamlessly and soundlessly, putting their extensive years of training to good use. Muffled screams tore through the balmy night air, but the young man wasn't perturbed. He merely turned back towards the hut he had just vacated, and eyed it emotionlessly.

Let them find the bodies. Let them know who had been there, let them know who had slaughtered the settlement, and let them flounder fruitlessly for the cause.

A small smirk spread across his face under the hood and mask, and he stood in content watching as villagers tried to flee and were in turn dropped like flies, until his Knights found their way back to him. From there they headed in silence back to Kylo's ship and boarded without a backwards glance.

As they sped for the outer atmosphere, their farewell party consisted of a community of corpses slumped on their backs, staring blankly up at the stars, and a pressing, eerie silence.

It was almost beautiful.

::::::::::

'Perfect... Just perfect..!'

Viila let out a scream of frustration and set yet another building on fire with a swipe of her hands. Thick heavy smoke had already filled the air, concealing her ebony clothed form in even thicker shadow. She paced in front of the communal fire pit while the farmhouses were razed to the ground.

Her hood had slipped in her anger, and her black hair was blowing free, whipping around her frame in the stiff breeze. Her golden eyes were wide and frantic, slicing over her surroundings as if she had overlooked the object of her search.

But he was long gone.

Her only comfort was that she had helped him: the bodies lying in the open were too conspicuous, and if the grasses were as dry as they looked, the entire valley-bound village would be up in flames soon enough.

She dropped to her knees and pressed her forehead to the ground, dust picking up around her face as she breathed heavily past her porcelain mask. She felt the Dark influence of the planet and embraced it. Aside from the strengthening of her Force use and fighting abilities, training had involved the history of the Jedi and Sith. The most powerful Jedi that had been trained on Dantooine had also been brought to the Dark Side, playing a crucial role during the likes of the Clone War.

Malak... Revan... Exar Kun... They had been the strongest, and their influence still lingered faintly. Thaan raked her fingers through the layers of the Force until she found the faint trail of Darkness. He had left only hours ago, and so she could still follow him.

But time was running out.

She inhaled deeply, accepting the tempest of fire and brimstone that swirled inside her, and then swept upright. She cast one more look around at the burning buildings before sprinting to her stealth cruiser.

The boomerang shaped ship thrummed to life and took to the air with a silent deadly grace. The black ship sped off into the darkness, invisible in the night air even without the reflectors activated. Looking at the screen that showed the ship's rear view, Viila saw the rolling green countryside, silvery-gold wheat fields, and the deep blue rivers, marred with a scar of black hazy smoke which originated from a bowl of bright orange and red.

It was beautiful.