Chapter 11
A colonel's lucidity
It's not often that so many people gather at Starkiller Base. It's the kind of moment you don't forget, because that's what it's all about.
A few thousand stormtroopers, pilots, gunners, low-ranking officers and other Starkiller Base personnel stand surrounded by rows of TIE Fighters and other vessels. Opposite them stands the gigantic entrance to the command center, surrounded by snow-capped mountains. And in front of this impressive mass, towering over it on a raised platform, stands General Hux.
He's surrounded by senior officers, mostly generals but also a few admirals, as well as Captain Phasma. Behind them are gigantic crimson banners bearing the deep-black symbol of the First Order. Hux is about to make his speech, his voice amplified by an ingenious, discreet device so that everyone present can hear him. What's more, his speech is broadcast live to all First Order forces scattered across the galaxy on occupied planets, bases or ships.
"On this day, we will witness the end of the New Republic. The end of a rotten, corrupt regime that lies to its own citizens. At this precise moment, as I speak to you, this Republic is supporting a system of repugnant resistance fighters driven by the hopes of the former Rebel Alliance. While the senators strut their stuff in their comfortable world, dozens of planets under their jurisdiction are seeing their people starve and die. This shows the extent of their decadence, unaware that they will soon pay the price."
On board the Servitor, on the bridge, Shon Drayen attends Hux's speech like the rest of his sub-officers. Reran Mossi, Drayen's chief petty officer, stands next to him. The brunette woman glanced at her colonel, who appears perplexed by Hux's speech, seeming to want to understand something. Suddenly, he gasped slightly.
"Get me the White Storm!"
"Yes sir!" Mossi replies, returning to her communications console to open the transmission channel.
The colonel continues to stare at the hologram showing General Hux.
"He lost his mind..."
On Starkiller Base, General Hux continues his speech.
"This prodigious weapon to which you have dedicated your lives, which you have built with your own hands, and on which we proudly stand, will at last put an end to the Senate and cure it of its evil at the root. Their fleet will be a distant memory too, and when the sun sets on this magnificent day, all systems will bend to our will. And we, like they, will remember this as the last day of their New Republic!"
Facing the assembly, who respond by raising their left fists, Hux gazes at the snowy mountains in the distance.
In the main control room of the base's superweapon, located nearby, Colonel Erich S. Datoo supervises the firing.
"Fire when ready."
"Switching to manual firing mode, Colonel Datoo." replies an engineer.
Suddenly, in the distance, the gigantic beam of energy bursts from inside the base and rises into the sky. The light is so intense that some people need to cover their eyes to avoid being blinded. And soon after, the shockwave and the sound reached the assembly. The first rows, those close to the launch site yet relatively far from it, were pushed to the ground, and many others almost lost their balance.
The concentrated blast of energy travels through space in a perfect straight line, shattering a hole in hyperspace showing its speed. Nothing can stop such energy except an object of inordinate mass, and that's what's going to happen.
Aboard the Finalizer, stationed not far from Starkiller Base, Kylo Ren and Arya stand on the bridge. The beam passes right in front of the destroyer, the red light reflecting off the black-clad warrior's helmet. As for Arya, the light illuminates her gray eyes with an intense red, leaving her impassive nonetheless.
The White Storm returns to the Servitor after their mission on Hosnian Prime. They go to the bridge to report to Colonel Drayen.
"Sir?" Dorvaas asks, as Shon is looking at the space through the bay window.
He turns and walks towards the squad.
"Glad to see you're alive. Were you able to analyses the data on your way back?"
He holds out the data chips and holo-recorder with both hands. Dorvaas signals to his communications officers to pick them up.
"This data contains a great deal of information about senators and the Senate in general. We even have the names of those who could be potential allies for the First Order." Brains adds.
"Except that with the destruction of the Hosnian System, and by extension that of the Senate and the New Republic, such information is useless." replies Drayen.
He looks up for a moment.
"I'd still like to thank you for all your hard work. Had it not been for General Hux's decision, this would have been the best information we could have received."
"Was it he who ordered the shot?" Dorvaas asks.
"That's what I suspect, or at least he could have convinced the Supreme Leader to oversee the final decision. In any case, I'm off to Starkiller Base to have a word with him. You can take a break in your quarters."
All the members of the White Storm nod in response and leave the bridge. Shon Drayen exhales softly before turning to Mossi.
"Inform the hangar to prepare my shuttle."
"At your orders, Colonel."
In the hangar, the call is received.
"This is Chief Petty Officer Reran Mossi, prepare the Colonel's shuttle for immediate departure."
"Roger, it'll be ready." replies the hangar officer.
Colonel Drayen enters the hangar soon after, escorted by two stormtroopers, one of them a lieutenant whose red pauldron makes him stand out. He heads for his Upsilon-class command shuttle, the ramp already lowered to accommodate him. Shon climbs aboard, and the two pilots begin the flight.
Kylo Ren and Arya are still aboard the Finalizer. They walk through the vast network of corridors of the huge Resurgent-class Star Destroyer.
"I'm going to check on the prisoner."
"The scavenger?" Arya says surprised "They didn't kill that disgusting girl? She's no use to us since we've got the map."
"But the droid has disappeared, no one has destroyed it. The pilot probably brought it with him when he escaped, and only the scavenger can tell us where the Resistance base is if the droid told her. That's why I made her my prisoner."
Arya rolls her eyes.
"Whatever you say, master. I'll just go back to my quarters."
The young apprentice heads off down an opposite corridor.
Approaching Starkiller Base, Drayen's shuttle begins its descent towards the snowy planet.
"Colonel Drayen, we're entering the atmosphere of Starkiller Base. General Hux has been informed of your arrival." announces one of the pilots.
The Upsilon-class shuttle passes through the clouds on its way to the surface. It eventually lands inside a hangar.
Shon Drayen walks alone in a rhythmic pace through the base's corridors. He reaches a door which opens immediately, revealing a meeting room where only Hux is present.
"Colonel Drayen, what is the meaning of this? I heard you wanted to see me at all costs."
The colonel moves forward.
"You ordered the use of the superweapon of Starkiller Base to destroy an entire system. What's wrong with you? Do you have any idea how many victims this has caused?" Drayen says confronting Hux.
"They were traitors from the New Republic, losses that are more than welcome."
"This was just a tiny percentage of the population of the Hosnian System. Most had nothing to do with the conflict you want to start. Not to mention the millions of children who lived on those planets..."
Hux takes a step closer.
"Don't lecture me, Colonel. We're the same age. For your information, it was the Supreme Leader who ordered the crushing of the New Republic using the superweapon. Are you questioning his orders?"
"You're a military man, General. I'm a fleet man. We're different, yet we serve the same purpose, the same person. No one can measure up to Snoke, and yet you seem to think above your rank." replies Drayen.
The general raises a finger, swallowing his saliva.
"I've been placed in command of Starkiller Base. Nearly ten million people work every day on this base to keep it running smoothly, while you spend your time in your destroyer. The destruction of the Hosnian System will show the galaxy our omnipotence, and we'll rule through the fear of people who don't want to see our weapon used again." Hux says firmly.
"We don't rule through fear, General Hux. We rule through order and security. We must learn from the mistakes of the Empire before us. After the destruction of Alderaan, the people who perished were seen as martyrs across the galaxy, and dozens of systems rose up against the Imperial reign. What do you think will happen in the first few days when the whole galaxy learns about the destruction of the Senate and the New Republic? Will they submit to the First Order or rise up and fight against our rule?" questions the colonel.
"They'll submit when they feel the fear of retribution we might inflict on them." replies Hux with conviction.
Not quite sure of this answer, Colonel Drayen nevertheless looks at Hux calmly and lucidly.
"Not all humans react to fear in the same way, and I'll leave you to imagine how all other species do. If they see a crack in your fear screen, they'll take everything they can get from it and shatter it."
"And what do you suggest, Colonel Drayen? If we don't use the superweapon, the threat of Starkiller Base will fade over time and it will appear vulnerable to everyone." General Hux says.
"I agree with you on this point. The problem comes from the base itself. The costs of this base put a strain on our forces during its implementation, when we could have strengthened the fleet in other ways with such a budget. No matter how powerful it may be, Starkiller Base can't move in space. It cannot blockade a planet or patrol a system like a cruiser or a destroyer It's nothing more than a gigantic target for our enemies, a behemoth to be slaughtered in order to strike us a blow of rare violence, just as the Death Stars were."
Hux seems to be losing patience.
"It's a symbol of our presence in the galaxy, a weapon capable of an unparalleled rate of destruction. No fleet can match the power of Starkiller Base, and it's an honor to be at its helm."
"Wars aren't won by power, General. They are won through strategy and patience. This is not the case with this prodigious weapon, as you call it. That's why, when this base collapses in on itself - because it eventually will - I won't be one of the victims."
Armitage Hux seems concerned and looks at Drayen strangely. The colonel turns, walking towards the front door to leave the room.
"You don't know what you're talking about!" Hux says suddenly.
Colonel Drayen walks through the doorway.
"Bloody idiot…" he murmurs softly.
On the Finalizer, Kylo Ren enters the interrogation room to question the young woman from Jakku. She was transferred from a cell so that she could be strapped into this chair, as with all basic interrogations carried out by the First Order. This method is designed to prevent the prisoner from rebelling against the interrogator, although in this case, a scavenger would be no match for a dark-side user.
"How we meet again." Kylo says.
"Don't talk to me!" Rey replies trying to free herself.
The force user walks around the interrogation chair, a surely menacing look under his helmet.
"You are in no position to give me orders because you are nothing. This room is probably more luxurious than anything you've ever knew on Jakku. You probably lived in a garbage dump, judging by your appearance."
Rey tries to wriggle forward but lets out a groan of pain as the ties around her wrists tighten.
"The droid was with you; you know where it went." Kylo Ren says with a cold tone.
"You're wrong! If I'd known, I'd never have helped that idiot droid."
"Fine, I'll do it another way."
He begins to probe the girl's mind for any information he can find. He finds nothing of real interest.
"Your mind is so easy to break... but deplorably empty. It was to be expected for someone as lonely as you."
"Get out… of my head!"
Kylo Ren interrupts the mind probe, disappointed at not having found anything of value.
"And I would have thought you'd have even a modicum of interest. It seems that a piece of trash remains a piece of trash."
And with that, he turns back and leaves the room. On his way out of the interrogation room, he almost bumps into Phasma, who was passing by. She returned on the Finalizer after Hux's speech.
"Any progress with the prisoner, sir?" she asks.
"She's of no use." Kylo Ren replies coldly.
Phasma tilts her head to one side.
"Should she be executed then?"
"She's yours to do with as you please. I have more important things to do."
And with that, he starts walking at a brisk pace. Shortly afterwards, Kylo Ren arrives at his apprentice's quarters. He knocks softly on the door.
"Open the door, Arya."
The door slid open almost immediately, with Arya standing just behind.
"What do you want, master? It's about the interrogation?" she asks a bit intrigued.
"Let's put that aside for a moment. Will you let me in?"
The young apprentice steps aside to let her master in. Kylo Ren sits down on a nearby chair, while Arya remains standing.
"Take a seat as well."
She listens to him and pulls out a chair to sit on.
"I know I've been asking a lot out of you these last few days, and on top of that I've been very busy, but there's something I haven't forgotten."
From his mantle, he pulls out a small box, bright red and really vivid. He slid it across the table to Arya. The young woman seems very surprised and full of questions, but says nothing for the moment.
"Following the Mustafar solar cycle, today marks your eighteenth birthday. After five years of training you, I couldn't afford not to do something for this day. Happy birthday, Arya."
She doesn't understand what's going on, as if it's a dream. For a start, his tone of voice seems very different from anything he's shown her so far. What's more, he's never given her a gift, apart from her lightsaber during their first meeting, if you can call that a gift.
"I- I don't know what to say- "
"Then just open it." Kylo Ren replies as he takes off his helmet, showing a slight smile.
Arya opens her mouth in shock and redirects her gaze to the little red box. She opens it delicately and inside, she sees a magnificent necklace adorned with a peculiar grey stone, a copy almost identical to the one in her eyes. She can't contain her surprise and joy.
"Master! It's so- I have no word!" she says letting out her emotion.
"In that case, try it out." Kylo replies softly.
The young apprentice raises her long blond hair to tie the necklace around her neck. She gets up to look at herself in the mirror. The gray of the gemstone is as bright as her eyes, and even though her outfit is also gray, it still stands out. Kylo Ren stands up and walk to position himself behind Arya.
"I hope you like it."
"It's more than that - I don't really know what to say to be honest..." she says, still under the shock of the moment.
"In that case, I'll let you come to your senses." he replies softly before walking to the door.
As it opens, he is interrupted by Arya's gentle voice.
"Master wait- Thank you for that gift. It's the first time someone has done something like this for me." she says a bit shyly and having a slight blush on her face, both being rare things coming from her.
Kylo Ren smiles back at her.
"You richly deserve it."