Prologue
Encounter at the center of Mustafar
29ABY
On a Resurgent-class destroyer, young Kylo Ren is in his quarters, thinking back to his time as a Jedi. Flashbacks come to mind, and after a moment, he glances down at his padawan outfit and ancient lightsaber. Just as he's about to enter a moment of rage, General Armitage Hux enters the former Padawan's quarters.
"A transmission from the Supreme Leader." Hux says.
Kylo Ren puts on his newly acquired helmet and heads for Hux, then exits his quarters.
"What does the Supreme Leader want to do with this child? He won't get anything out of it." murmurs the General behind Kylo's back.
Snoke's young apprentice heads for a transmission room. Once there, a hologram appears and Snoke stands in front of him, much taller than he is.
"My young apprentice. I felt a presence, a power that I had not encountered for… a long time." says Snoke in a deep voice, a little distorted by the transmission.
"Where does it come from?" Kylo replies coldly.
"The distant world of Mustafar, the birthplace of Darth Vader."
Kylo Ren raises his head. The name means a lot to him, and he wants to live up to it.
"This power... it may have come from one of the last survivors of the temple, so one of the padawans had a lot of potential... He must die and your last test will be complete." orders Snoke to his new apprentice.
Kylo Ren gets down on one knee and raises his head in the direction of the hologram.
"By the trust I have placed in you, I will not fail." he says.
"This task may not be as easy as you think, young Solo."
Kylo says nothing for a few seconds.
"I buried this name and I have already defeated Ren. I will destroy this Jedi too." His anger speaks for him.
"We shall see, we… shall see." Snoke says in conclusion.
The transmission cuts out and Kylo Ren heads for the loading dock. A little later he is joined by Phasma.
"General Hux wants me to assist with the deployment. He thinks that 3 squads and your help are sufficient to execute the Jedi." she says in a tone as monotone as ever.
"Don't overestimate your men Captain, I will not tolerate a failure." replies the dark warrior.
Phasma feels almost offended.
"I do not allow you to question my methods. My soldiers are dedicated to our cause and completely expendable."
"Be aware of your place. If you are so sure of your techniques, you will take responsibility for any failure on this mission. Now go to your ship." orders Kylo Ren in an almost threatening tone.
Phasma joins a First Order troop transport accompanied by three squads. Among them is the White Storm, one of the most renowned squads in the First Order. This squad is made up of eight soldiers:
FN-2687 aka Dorvaas, the sergeant and leader of the White Storm
FN-3916 aka Doc, the doctor and the one who will always be there to help
KB-0916 aka Bullseye, the sniper and the quietest of the group
DT-1632 aka Brains, the mastermind of the squad and the one who always finds a solution.
KM-6969 aka Corny, the funny guy who never passes up an opportunity to make a joke
KB-8652 aka Cyclops, the one who lost his right eye but still shoots like a right-hander
LK-2541 aka Reaper, the only girl and a heavy gunner
DT-6358 aka Butcher, also a heavy gunner and the most enthusiastic of the squad.
The destroyer arrives in Mustafar orbit and the two carriers head for the planet. Butcher suddenly speaks up.
"Well, do you realize, guys, we're finally going up against a Jedi! This scum won't last long against us!" he says, ready to fight.
"DT-6358, your enthusiasm has no place here." Phasma calls him to order.
Dorvaas, seeing Phasma's cold attitude, begins to think.
"Phasma always had a strict attitude towards her troops, which is something I learned from Doc when we were in her section. Fortunately, thanks to my squad's successes, we've all been able to get some freedoms, but she still keeps an eye on us."
She notices his gaze despite the helmet but says nothing. Dorvaas makes a last briefing to the soldiers.
"We know we're dealing with a Jedi, so we're going to provide cover fire to back up Kylo Ren. He'll be in charge of killing the Jedi, so stay back."
"Yes Sir!" the members of the White Storm and the few other Stormtroopers respond in unison.
The First Order forces land on Mustafar and reach a cave. Progress continues when suddenly, a surprise attack by a variety of people hits the First Order troops. The shots hit and kill two of the thirty troopers.
"Ambush!" screams Dorvaas.
The White Storm along with Captain Phasma and her troops engage in battle.
As for Kylo Ren, he takes advantage of the opportunity to slip away and progress further into the cave, taking a different route. He easily dispatches the few individuals who get in his way, until the master of the Knights of Ren comes face to face with a meditating Jedi.
"So, you are the cause of all this. You really thought you were safe here, protected by innocent people who are being slaughtered right now." Kylo Ren confronts the Jedi.
The latter turns around, coming out of his meditation.
"Look what you have become. Master Luke could have made you a great Jedi, but I'm going to teach you one last lesson, Ben." says the Jedi, picking up his lightsaber.
"Ben is no more." Kylo replies coldly, igniting his lightsaber.
A battle ensues between the two men, while further away, the First Order begins to lose troops. A Stormtrooper officer addresses Phasma.
"Captain! We are suffering too many casualties!"
"You are my weapon so don't stop shooting except if you want to become my shield."
Dorvaas sees the losses around him.
"White Storm, advance to the front line!" he says, emerging from his cover to move forward.
His men listen to him and move forward to interpose themselves between the First Order troops and their enemies, providing covering fire to limit casualties.
"That's it, boys, we're sticking with them!" says the sergeant taking up position on an elevated part of the cave.
One of the Jedi's henchmen grabs his vibro-axe and throws it at Dorvaas' squad. The weapon impales itself in an exposed part of Reaper's armor, right in her leg, causing her to fall.
"Reaper, no!" shouts Dorvaas from his high perch.
Another enemy closes in on Reaper, ready to execute her, when suddenly Dorvaas leaps from the high ground and stuns the enemy with the butt of his blaster, then kills him by shooting him in the torso. He gives his hand to help his soldier up.
"Is everything okay, buddy?" asks the sergeant.
"They won't finish me off with that." replies Reaper.
The two go back into battle.
Meanwhile, Kylo Ren and the Jedi continue their confrontation. The battle is fierce, and both use the force to break the tie. After a while, Kylo Ren finally inflicts a violent wound on the Jedi's hip, knocking him to the ground.
"It's over, Grael." Kylo says, pointing his lightsaber at the downed Jedi.
Just as he's about to finish him off, he notices another lightsaber on the Grael's belt and grabs it with the force.
"Where did you find this?!"
At the same time, the lightsaber is pulled from Kylo Ren's hands using the force, and a girl seizes it, ready to defend the Jedi.
"You won't take him from me!" the girl says
"I can take whatever I want." replies Kylo Ren
Another fight begins, far more violent than the previous one. The girl is fast and fights furiously. After a moment, Kylo Ren blocks an attack and speaks to the girl.
"So, it was you… the prescience my master felt in the force. You should join me."
"You will never coax me." the girl replies, sure of herself.
"Then you will perish by my hand!"
The fight goes on.
Meanwhile, First Order troops continue to fight and Bullseye shoots down the Jedi's last ally.
"Great shot!" exclaims Butcher.
The survivors regroup and Phasma joins them. She speaks to Dorvaas.
"FN-2687, you and your men will go that way while I go over there with the survivors."
"Yes Captain!" replies the leader of the White Storm.
Dorvaas follows orders and finds himself and his squad facing the battle. Kylo Ren seems to be at a disadvantage but manages, thanks to a surprising move, to pierce the girl in the chest.
"Raya!" Grael screams.
The Jedi gets up and fights Kylo Ren again. His movements are slower, as his injury weakens him, and Kylo Ren quickly inflicts a fatal blow to his guts.
"At least…. you fought in an honorable way." Grael says.
The Jedi collapses to the ground beside the girl and tries to get closer to her face. In a dying whisper, he addresses Raya, who is probably already dead.
"I'm sorry my love…"
He passes away as Kylo Ren heads for Dorvaas.
"Where are the rest of the troops, sergeant?"
"With the Captain. They went to explore the cave." Answers Dorvaas.
"We found what we were looking for, we have nothing more to do here." Kylo says coldly, turning to his two victims.
He takes the lightsaber from Raya's hands and prepares to leave when Phasma arrives.
"Sir, we have lost several soldiers. I will replace them as soon as we arrive at Starkiller base."
Kylo Ren is nevertheless unfocused. He looks around for something.
"The presence... it's still strong." says the dark warrior.
Shortly after his remark, a soldier starts shouting.
"Sir! Come here please, we've found someone!"
Kylo Ren moves towards the soldier and in front of him is a young girl of about twelve.
"What do we do with her?" asks the Stormtrooper.
The master of the Knights of Ren kneels beside the girl.
"Don't be afraid, I won't do anything to you. Tell me who you are."
"My- My name is Arya. Arya Van Der Sonnen." replies the young girl.
Kylo Ren remains pensive for a moment.
"This name... Are you a member of the royal family and heir to the throne of Mustafar?"
The young girl nods. Kylo Ren looks at the lightsaber he has picked up and hands it to Arya.
"Take my hand and it will be yours." he says.
Arya hesitates but decides to take Kylo Ren's hand
"Your future will be very interesting, young Arya."