I do not own Star Wars, the characters or the plot taken from the films!
This story takes most of the plot closely from the films but will start to diverge from the plot more towards the second and third films.
Enjoy and please leave a review!
Chapter 1: The Force Awakens
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...
Absently exploring the sandy village on Jakku, BB-8, an orange and white astromech droid, rolled to a halt. Scanning the night sky, he could see that what appeared to be a group of stars moving at an abnormally fast pace. As the stars began to appear bigger, the small droid used his internal scanners and identified that they were in fact a group of First Order ships moving in formation towards the planet, and more importantly, the village. In alarm, the droid rolled at his highest speed towards the makeshift hut where his friend Poe was currently in discussion with Lor San Tekka.
In the dimly lit hut of Lor San Tekka, Poe Dameron, a pilot among the fabled resistance, sat before the man as he pushed a small, brown pouch containing a flash drive into Poe's hand, forcing his hand to make a fist around it to signify its importance, as well as his determination for Poe to be in possession of it.
"This will begin to make things right," Lor San Tekka stated, determination obvious on his face. "I have travelled too far and seen too much to ignore the despair in the galaxy. Without the Jedi, there can be no balance in the Force."
"Well, because of you now we have a chance," Poe replied, giving the man before him a small smile, as hope bloomed within his chest. "The General's been after this for a long time."
"Oh, the General?" Lor San Tekka questioned, before a proudly adding. "To me, she is royalty."
"Well, she certainly is that," Poe replied, nodding, unaware of the true meaning to Lor San Tekka's words, but noting his reminiscent facial expression.
Startled as BB-8 burst into the opening of the hut, beeping in alarm, both men rose from their seats.
"We got company," Poe translated to the other man, before hurriedly exiting the hut, towards the concerned shouts of the neighboring villagers.
Scanning the distance with his binoculars, Poe confirmed the worst, that the First Order was here. Several First Order Troop Carriers were heading straight towards the camp, most likely in search for the small pouch currently in Poe's hand.
"You have to hide," Poe informed Lor San Tekka, his concern obvious as he frowned.
"You have to leave," Lor San Tekka countered, from behind the pilot, who turned to face him, hesitant to follow his command.
"Go," the older man ordered, more urgency in his voice. The pilot took one look towards his small droid as his beckoned him to follow, hurrying to his ship as the older man had ordered.
Running through the small village, shouts from the neighboring villagers grew louder as they grabbed what weapons they could to protect themselves, including few blasters, as the First Order ship engines grew menacingly louder and evidently closer. Consecutive thuds told Poe that they had landed near the entrance to the camp, as he ran perpendicular to them.
As the ramps of the First Order ships opened, Stormtroopers flooded out, immediately firing their blasters at the villagers, before even concluding that they had counter weapons, evidence of the First Orders lack of mercy towards civilians. As the two opposing groups opened fire upon each other, Poe continued to run, the knowledge that villager and Stormtrooper alike were falling, although the villagers were heavily outnumbered, in both numbers and available weaponry to defend themselves.
As his T-70 X-Wing Starfighter came into view, at the edge of the camp, Poe felt a rush of adrenaline as he sped towards his ship, panting, with BB-8 in tow.
"Come on, BB-8, hurry!" Poe shouted in concern for his droid, as BB-8 chirped in response.
Reaching his ship, Poe had no time to fault, clamoring into the cockpit as fast as he could manage, starting the engine as the ship loaded the droid from underneath into the co-pilot seat behind him.
As more Stormtroopers continued to unload from the ships, BB-8 noticed that a pair had noticed the ship and were starting towards it, blasters armed and ready to shoot. Beeping in concern towards his pilot friend, Poe didn't have time to react as several blaster shots hit the ship simultaneously, startling him.
The shots were well aimed, as several warnings blared through the ships computer. As more shots landed, BB-8 beeped in distress.
"I see them," Poe confirmed, before unleashing a gun from the underbelly of the ship and firing directly at them. Within two shots, both Stormtroopers were knocked off their feet and onto the ground.
Jumping out of the cockpit, blaster in hand, to inspect the damage, Poe's worst fears were confirmed. The back of the ship was on fire, the damage too excessive to fix in such a short window of time to escape the First Order.
Turning around, Poe was met with the distressing sight of multiple villagers, unarmed, being held at gunpoint, some shot without warning or reason. Some villagers tried to run away, only to be shot by blasters, without mercy. A handful of Stormtroopers holding flamethrowers, doused the camp in fire, destroying everything in their vicinity. In distress, Lor San Tekka was stumbling within the rampage, his face slack in disbelief.
Removing the flash drive from the small pouch, Poe gave it to BB-8.
"You take this," He ordered his droid co-pilot, slotting the flash drive into a small compartment he had opened. "It's safer with you than it is with me. You get as far away from here as you can. Do you hear me?"
In response, BB-8 shook his head, his hesitance to leave his friend behind evident.
"I'll come back for you," Poe promised, nodding his head. "It will be alright!"
As Poe ran towards the fight, BB-8 hesitated for a second, panicking for both his friend and the chaos around him, before rolling as far and fast from the village as he could manage.
From his position on the outskirts of the village, Poe used the cover of small rocks to fire his blaster at the Stormtroopers, his aim true as they fell to the ground. The sound of another engine caught his attention, as he again looked towards the horizon.
A First Order Command Shuttle, black and intimidating, slowly edged towards the camp, dread coursing through Poe. As it landed with a thud, swirling sand around it, the Stormtroopers herded the villagers, including a panicked and reluctant Lor San Tekka, into a line, blasters trained on them.
As the ramp of the command shuttle lowered, a burst of light emitted from the inside of the ship, revealing a formidable, silhouetted figure, followed by another several Stormtroopers. The silhouette figure, walked slowly and confidently down the ramp. The 6ft 3 man, was hooded and robed in black, a silver-detailed, black mask covering his face.
He paused, menacingly looking around briefly, his leather gloved hands forming fists as he strode upon the Jakku sands, his Stormtroopers in tow as they fanned around him as he emitted intimidation.
Lor San Tekka was brought before the threatening figure, as his robotic and devoid of emotion voice acknowledged him.
"Look how old you've become."
"Something far worse has happened to you," Lor San Tekka countered, clearly recognising who the figure was beneath the mask, much to Poe's confusion from his position behind cover at the edge of the village, listening to what was unraveling.
"You know what I've come for," the intimidating figure acknowledged.
"I know where you come from," Lor San Tekka countered, agitating the menace before him. "Before you called yourself Kylo Ren."
"The map to Skywalker." Kylo Ren stated, his agitation evident by the lowering of his voice, before turning to circle the elderly man before him like predator to prey. "We know you found it. And now you're going to give it to the First Order."
"The First Order rose from the dark side," Lor San Tekka countered once more, prolonging the conversation to allow the flash drive to be as far away from the intimidating creature before him. "You did not."
"I'll show you the power of the dark side," Kylo Ren responded, menacingly creeping towards the elderly man, towering over him.
"You may try," Lor San Tekka goaded. "But you cannot deny the truth that is your family."
"You're so right," Kylo Ren replied, his tone dripping with sarcasm as he ignited his lightsaber. The blood red blade crackled and hissed in the sandy breeze, its instability making it appear jagged and thicker than any normal lightsaber, along with small cross guards near the hilt.
A moment later, Kylo Ren lifted his blade into the air, violently swinging it down upon the man, killing him.
On instinct, Poe lifted his blaster and fired at the sinister figure that looked passively at the lifeless, elderly man at his feet. As the blue bolt flew through the air, Kylo Ren twisted, hand outstretched, freezing both the bolt midair and Poe where he stood, as a pair of Stormtroopers seized him, dragging him to their leader, passing the bolt still frozen midair.
As they reached Kylo Ren, Poe was forced to his knees, his height looming over the pilot, whose growing fear was becoming evident. Kylo Ren crouched in front of Poe, his change in height making no change upon his intimidation of the pilot, a predator about to taunt his prey as he studied him.
"So who talks first?" Poe quipped, his nervousness urging him to break the unsettling silence. "You talk first? I talk first?"
"The old man gave it to you," Kylo Ren concluded, still facing Poe, ignoring his remarks.
"It's just very hard to understand you with all the-" Poe remarked, referring to the mask.
"Search him," Kylo Ren commanded, as two Stormtroopers stepped forward and grabbed the pilot, patting him down but finding nothing.
"Nothing, sir," they reported.
"Put him on board," Kylo Ren commanded, his lack of patience evident.
As Poe was dragged to the ship, he passed a Stormtrooper, taller and more intimidating than the rest, the armor silver and a cape billowing in the breeze behind.
"Sir, the villagers," Poe heard her question, followed by Kylo Ren's command.
"Kill them all."
Poe tried to struggle, but the Stormtroopers already had their blasters aimed and ready upon the crowd of villagers shouting in distress at the centre of them all.
"Fire!"
Several blaster shots were unleashed, as Poe heard screams and the sounds of bodies falling to the ground behind him.
"Please, no," He pleaded to himself, knowing that the group of Stormtroopers around him would do nothing to answer his pleas. As he heard the entrance of Kylo Ren onto the ship, and the ramp begin to close, an explosion could be heard from the blaster bolt frozen midair being unleashed upon the centre of the village, along with a larger, fiery explosion a bit further away, as Stormtroopers destroyed Poe's ship.
The explosion was visible for miles, as BB-8 turned, startled for a moment, before bowing his head in sadness at the assumed loss of his friend. Turning away once more, BB-8 rolled across the sand of Jakku, hoping to find someone who would help.
In a state of shock after hearing, more so than seeing, the massacre of the villagers, Poe remained only vaguely aware of his surroundings, being forced into a First Order shuttle, held at his arms by a Stormtrooper on either side and several more stood behind him, while the shuttle rose off the sandy dunes of Jakku and entered space, before docking. Poe only came back to his senses when the pair of Stormtroopers either side of him forcefully moved him out of the carrier, the several Stormtroopers behind him filing out.
"Alright!" He shouted repeatedly at their force, only to be rendered mute by his surroundings. He was on a massive First Order ship from the looks of it, a shiver running through him as he concluded that this was the rumoured Star Destroyer, The Finalizer.