127 DS Gammalann Headquarters – Int. 127

General Organa sits on his command chair. Officers all around him are scrambling for information. Organa is tense, holding back his excitement.

JOYOUS OFFICER General Organa! The information was accurate! MDS Krannek fled Senzangakhona and is stationed on New Sidious.

ORGANA …they let Oombalans disrespect them. Pathetic. Has the Imperial Family has been called to an annihilation summit?

SERIOUS OFFICER Sir. Ninety percent of the Imperial Family is stationed on Shi— New Sidious.

ORGANA Do I want it too much?

JOYOUS OFFICER General Organa?

ORGANA They're in my palm. All mine. If the Krannek is down.

SERIOUS OFFICER There are no sightings of The Empress in public or combat. The information about the coup taking her place all checks out. The sudden upscale in aggression, the restricted use of the Krannek, it all fits.

ORGANA I want it.

JOYOUS OFFICER So… we're going?

ORGANA Begin hyperspace startup. Position us in sequence to the Krannek so that New Sidious is between us. This will be an act of war. Alert the fleet to follow us in formation QF6.

The entire room listens to General Organa.

ORGANA We kill the evil in the galaxy right here! You will all be heroes by the end!

The officers rejoice! The deciding battle underway.

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128 The Eagle MII – Int. 128

Poe and Kylo are onboard the Millennium Falcon-styled ship. Poe checks the engineers working the hyperdrive. Kylo checks Poe checking his engineers. Poe is getting ready to throw Kylo out and keep him in the Terraformer. Out the viewport, Poe sees Finn's Jedi stealth ship leave. It feels more permanent than their last goodbye. Kylo notices this.

KYLO Do you believe he can beat The Empress?

POE Don't know.

KYLO …you have made additions to The Eagle.

Time to throw him out.

POE When you replace every part, is it still the same ship? We're about ready for takeof—

KYLO The SBR 38 is an incredible inclusion. A Geodyne engine that large must bend the frame.

Poe sees an uncanny resemblance.

POE No, that's ah… overstated. Put compressors in the right places. Complicated but wor—

KYLO Worth the results.

POE Yeah.

KYLO My YT-1300f light freighter has never been better.

POE You can't have it back.

KYLO You weren't the one I gifted to.

POE You know Finn was actually the one who fit it together.

KYLO …I would have kept him a mechanic, he was always excellent. But Vice Admiral Hux awarded him a trooper's position. Now that's two great tools you've taken from me.

POE Now don't forget my Crownhunters.

Kylo's skin crawls at the mention.

POE Every single soldier and every single scientist one of yours. Did you know they are the only fleet in the Republic to have a winning record against the Empire? Every single win should have been yours too —all stolen.

KYLO …I know your fleet, Admiral Dameron.

POE Oh, I know you do.

NERVOUS SOLDIER We're ready for takeoff, sir.

POE Outstanding officer. Get Aeneas back on our ship. Can't have him learning too much about shapeshifters.

NERVOUS SOLDIER On it, sir.

POE Kylo, you on this ship or my other?

Kylo looks to the side.

POE Trying to avoid Luke?

Kylo hates the sudden familiarity (and its accuracy)

KYLO It is unwise to let me on the ship without Jedi protecting you.

POE Nah, you won't do anything. You know why Ky?

KYLO Lightsaber malfunction.

POE This one time, we are on the same side. Both these ships are joining my fleet for a military coup against the Republic's Gammalann.

The rest of Poe's soldiers are unnerved how easily their fearless leader told Kylo that.

KYLO You're turning traitor?

POE The fashion of our times.

KYLO How?

POE The Gammalann had no significant repairs before the Cerode Treaty. And that was signed right as I was gaining influence. There's a lot of people, a lot of engineers nervous about that death star in Organa's hands. So, they made a back door for us. Ready to use when it was time. And now, it's time.

KYLO Have you had this since the annihilation of Bezdize?

POE …well before.

KYLO You chose not to save them.

POE And I'll have to live with that. I don't want to hear that kind of thing from you. Leaving your side with the sole death star would be worse.

KYLO …that's respectable, Admiral.

POE Don't make me sick.

KYLO It is a shame your side is about to lose regardless.

POE Come again?

KYLO The rumor you told me about. Prince Cassariot is the only one who could be controlling the flow of information. He released that to bait your General into attacking his useless Krannek.

POE You're saying it's a trap?

KYLO The Empress remembered her time before ascendancy fondly. She remembered Su'Ka'Lay. And when she went back to end the Vatshnien Pirates, she found their secret of Hyperspace Interception.

Poe is starting to get it.

KYLO (cont.) We have been able to duplicate the results. Our tests have plucked objects of extreme size out of hyperspace.

Poe gets it.

POE Officer Ford, contact central command now!

KYLO It's too late.

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129 DS Gammalann Headquarters – Int. 129

A hundred Star Destroyers surround the DS Gammalann. Not a single Republic ship protecting it. The aftermath of a one-sided battle has left every surface defense destroyed or seized. The ambush was an overwhelming success for the Empire.

Inside the headquarters, Cassariot and his fellow Princes are standing tall where General Organa once sat. Their stormtroopers standing underneath, helmets off. Two more soldiers enter, dragging a beaten, bloody officer.

On Cassariot's right is a female Prince of Dawn. Her eyes seem to be looking beyond the officer beneath them. She is Prince Helena.

CASSARIOT Any value?

PRINCE HELENA He holds no more information about this station. He also imagines what he would do to you if roles reversed.

Chuckles among the Princes and Troopers. The officer ignores his last humiliation. Cassariot steps forward.

CASSARIOT Did he imagine something like this?

Four loose strings appear from his fingertips to behind the prisoner. Cassariot pulls his hand back, the strings tense, slicing the man into chunks. Loud cheers from the spectacle.

PRINCE HELENA He lacked your vision, Emperor Cassariot.

A janitorial trooper washes the meat off the floor.

CASSARIOT So few do, Sister Helena. Unfortunately, including our great Empress. As much as I love her, to have held off on victory this long… While her children died for planets that now don't even exist. Never again! We rule this galaxy!

The crowd cheers.

CASSARIOT (cont.) Princes of Dawn will no longer be deprived a home. No longer be slave to any lesser. By our own hands, we have become Star Kings.

The Princes cheer!

CASSARIOT (cont.) And make no mistake. I understand we Princes know we were not alone. I know who has always supported us. I know who we have fought and died beside. Stormtroopers. My stormtroopers. I will not forget you. I will award you everything that always should have been ours!

The stormtroopers cheer!

CASSARIOT (cont.) I love you all. I do.

AMPED TROOPER Glory to Emperor Cassariot!

EVERY PERSON May Cassariot never fall!

Cassariot warmly laughs at the admiration, all his sacrifice for this day.

PRINCE HELENA You speak too soon, Emperor. There is still one last prisoner.

The crowd laughs and settles some. Cassariot bashful

CASSARIOT Yes, right as always, sister. I am sorry, my soldiers, my passion is too great!

MANY TROOPERS Glory to Emperor Cassariot!

CASSARIOT Bring him in! That Jedi warlord! Bring in Organa!

The crowd is ravenous! Two Princes of Dawn drag a battered Organa. Much of his clothes stripped and his wounds exposed. His face swollen from repeated kicks. Raw joy and heckles come from the crowd.

Cassariot raises a hand. The air goes quiet—every expecting eye on the millimeter of a man in front of him.

CASSARIOT Is there anything, Sister Helena?

PRINCE HELENA He nothing more. He can go.

The crowd is ready to erupt. They just need to see it.

Cassariot raises a hand… but he notices something Helena missed.

Cassariot leaps from the deck. The crowd deathly still. Cassariot reaches a soft hand to touch General Organa.

CASSARIOT Hate… such hate. There is much of the dark side in you, Organa.

Organa scoffs.

CASSARIOT …all for revenge on the Imperial Family. You have done so much. And we stole your moment. I understand.

Organa makes no response.

CASSARIOT I will not kill this man.

The crowd is stunned.

CASSARIOT Allow him to see the end of Imperial Family. But know this, Organa, your hatred is not but a splinter compared to ours.

PRINCE HELENA We are keeping him alive, sir?

CASSARIOT All those with hate for the Imperial Family should live to see what we do to them. Men, keep him in the jail for now.

ZEALOT PRINCE Of course, Emperor Cassariot.

Cassariot ponders his elevated title from 'brother' to 'Emperor' among his peers.

CASSARIOT Very good. Helena, we have all the knowledge we need, yes?

PRINCE HELENA We have enough to operate this station Emperor Cassariot. However, it will take some time to fit all and engineers and servicemen into the needed roles.

CASSARIOT So be it. We cannot celebrate before victory. Men! To your stations! Prince Helena's Squad will assign your positions!

AMPED TROOPERS Sir!

The stormtroopers put their helmets back on and shuffle out of the room while the Princes of Dawn organize around Helena for Force transfer of information. Cassariot is alone. He sits in the general's chair. It is comfortable!

CASSARIOT Emperor Cassariot…

How right it feels.

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