Beyond - Legends Saga - ST Beyond the Saga Saga - Legends The Legacy of Darth Caedus

Title: The Legacy of Darth Caedus
Author: Sinrebirth
Timeframe: Between 21 ABY and 41 ABY
Characters: Luke, Mara, Leia, Han, Jacen, Jaina, Anakin, Ben Solo, Tahiri Veila, Ben Skywalker, Vestara, Jagged, Abeloth, Palpatine, Snoke, Shawnkyr Nuruodo, Vergere
Genre: Adventure
Summary: When Darth Caedus fell, Kylo Ren rose. But what legacy did Ben Solo inherit? Let us see.
Beta Readers: @SiouxFan, @Delpheas, @Lady_Belligerent (with thanks!)

 

House Keeping!

1. Ben Solo is the fourth child of Han and Leia. He was born one year after Dark Empire: Empire's End, from Legends. This coincides with the Battle of Jakku in Canon. In that respect, all Canon post-Endor references begin from the Battle of Onderon, not the Battle of Endor. So anything set, for example, five years after Endor in Canon actually takes place in 15 ABY, such as Mandalorian season one.
2. The Yuuzhan Vong War lasted four years.
3. The Legacy of the Force novels take place in their original timeline placement i.e. 37 ABY, as mentioned in Betrayal.
4. Episode VII: The Force Awakens, takes place in 41 ABY.
5. The final death of a character in the timeline is considered their final appearance, so any contradictions will be smoothed out.

 

Tagging the usual suspects

@SWpants, @HMTE, @Kadar Ordo, @Noash_Retrac, @Chyntuck , @Chrissonofpear2, @Force Smuggler, @Darth Corydon, @Vialco, @earlybird-obi-wan

 

At the Massacre of Ossus, Ben Solo killed hundreds of Jedi students, and even Council members, Masters and Knights.

Luke Skywalker went into exile for his failure, and the Jedi Council disbanded the Order.

In the aftermath, Ben Solo joined the Knights of Ren, killing its leader and becoming Kylo Ren.

But with many Jedi Masters on the run, Kylo Ren is not yet done with the past...

... and it is not done with him, either.

For Kylo Ren is not just the son of Leia and Han, and the nephew of Luke and the late Mara Jade, the cousin of Ben Skywalker, but also the brother of Jaina and long-dead Anakin...

... and the fallen Darth Caedus, too.

 

Interlude Zero

Late 21 ABY

Ten years of peace.

Relatively, of course - the collapse of the Old Republic and subsequent Clone Wars and Galactic Civil War had made war and violence the answer to many questions which had, in previous generations, been solved by diplomacy and force of belief. Without ten thousand Jedi to keep the galaxy peaceful, there had been threats.

Rogues, and terrorists - Daala, Tavira, Roganda Ismaren, the so-called Praetor, Hethrir, and Gideon. A revived Sith cult determined to resurrect Marka Ragnos, and even Luke’s Yavin praxeum had birthed Dark Jedi. The Sun Crusher, Death Star prototype and Darksaber superweapons; the unification of various Deep Core Warlords and then the Outer Rim into the Imperial Remnant. Pellaeon, Nil Spaar, Thrawn and Disra. Plenty of victories, and nearly, now, a hundred Jedi.

They had, however, triumphed over them all, and in short order. It had been, regularly, peacekeeping rather than warfare. Skirmishes, not sieges. Admirals, not Emperors. Rogue Moffs, rather than sprawling armadas.

However, on the tenth anniversary of the Galactic Concordance - or, the Coruscant Accords, to some, and Pax Republica, to others still - Senator Leia Organa Solo, former head of the New Republic, decided that enough was enough. After years, Leia decided that it was time to embrace the peace. The one won at the Battle of Jakku, and then strengthened by the Bastion Accords.

To celebrate.

The New Republic had won.

All but a handful of sectors stood apart, having joined the Senate. A million member worlds, millions of others allied, trillions of sentients, and billions of species. True democracy, and a set of alliances and understandings with those worlds that stood apart.

The surviving Deep Core Imperials might still dream of a day when the New Republic collapsed, but Director Scaur and Admiral Ackbar were sure that they were no threat. Soon, her children would attend the Jedi Academy, and contribute to the future.

Which meant a picnic on Naboo.

Why not? It was said to be the world of her mother, and Leia had lost Alderaan, Corellia was barely home to Han, and Luke had no desire to go to Tatooine. Mara didn’t even know her homeworld, and Coruscant was home, yes, but Leia had turned the entire planet into her job.

They were overdue a sabbatical.

In a glen not far from Theed, Leia sat on a blanket, watching as Han napped in the sun. Mara was levitating a set of toys for Ben, who was chasing his favourite stuffed Bantha around. It was tatty, but then again, it was ten years old. Anakin was watching, thoughtful, daydreaming, as he was want to, probably using the clouds in a narrative. Animal-obsessed Jacen was playing with the Shaaks, followed by Chewbacca, and Jaina was tinkering with some project she had brought with them.

The Noghri maintained a watch, as did the New Republic Guard. They had a wider perimeter than the gray-skinned nonhumans, mainly because the Noghri didn’t like the involvement of outsiders in their personal mission to defend Lady Vader. Threepio and Artoo were nattering, peevish tones and musical blats.

“Peaceful,” Luke said, at the same time as Leia. She startled - it wasn’t as if she had sensed Luke was besides her, holding a pair of glasses of blue milk.

“Isn’t it?” Luke added.

Leia glared at him. “You made me jump.”

“I did,” he said, handing her a milk. She could see the picnic basket that Threepio had painstakingly packed, open. “You rarely lose yourself so much.”

“I was enjoying the moment,” Leia said, drily, accepting the drink. Luke loved the stuff, almost as much as hot chocolate. “Have we heard from Lando and Tendra?”

“They’ll join us later, they said,” Luke sipped. “Mara won’t be able to stay long, either.”

“She’s taking students out with Mirax and Iella again?”

A nod. “I want to get back to the Ossus Academy, too. Kam and Le’ung are doing well enough on Yavin, and Streen and Kirani Ti are on Dathomir, too.”

“And Corran is liaising with the Jensaarai,” Leia sighed. “Yes, I know. Lots of Jedi, and witches, and Defenders.”

“The reward of peace,” Luke said. “More and more little lights.”

“And hopefully no more shadows, Master Skywalker,” she said drily. He deadpanned, and Leia regretted saying anything.

Though, since Dolph fell, Luke hadn’t lost a student. Brakiss, Desann and Konur had been early falls to the dark side, and the deaths of Gantoris, Dorsk 81 and Strom weighed on them, but as of late, there hadn’t been the conflict to begin with. It was, well, peaceful.

The Galactic Civil War, ended a decade ago, had finally settled. Now Pellaeon was no more dangerous than the Hutts or Corporate Sector, and the Senex Lords were no more problematic than the Mandalorians or Centrality. The Hapans were as friendly as they could be, much like the Tion Hegemony and Commonality. Antemeridias simply wanted to be left alone, and, the one or two independent fortress worlds that remained, like Makem Te, kept to themselves. The Senate didn’t even discuss the Deep Core Imperials. It had been years since they’d looked at the New Republic threateningly.

The future was in the Unknown Regions - where the Nagai, Tofs and Ssi-Ruuvi had emerged from; where several Imperials had fled; where Thrawn’s people were said to be. Indeed, the fleet had recently found the wreck of the Intimidator, one of the last missing Super Star Destroyers - battered into submission. For the moment, though, Leia was merely a Princess, rather than a Senator and a General and Chief.

“Whatever comes, we’ll be fine,” Luke said, firmly. “After Thrawn, Palpatine -“

“Original, fake or cloned?” Leia joked.

“And ancient Sith defeated, we’re stronger than we’ve ever been.” Luke watched the children. “And we’ll grow even more so, together.”

There was a sudden disquiet; in the Force, to start, and from Mara, initially. Then the children stopped what they were doing, and even Han opened an eye. “Leia?”

“Mara?” Luke said, not yet moving.

“It’s nothing,” she said, walking Ben back to them. Han sat up, looking languid and yet impossibly poised to spring into action from even the most twisted pose. “Hey, Ben?”

“Yes, Auntie Mara?” The ten year old boy looked confused, almost to the point of nonplussed. Leia looked into the face of their child which favoured Han the most, and then eyed Mara.

“Could you repeat what you just said to me while we were playing with the Noghri?”

“What?“ More innocence, with a thread of denial. Ben knew when he was in trouble, even if it wasn’t couched as leading him to admit something.

“Ben, you’re not in trouble,” Han said, laying back down to make the point. “I’ve said worse, no doubt.”

“But you were a criminal, Dad,” Ben pointed out.

“Smuggler, and former.”

“Threepio says -“

“Ben,” Leia said a bit more firmly.

“I just said that I wanted the Noghri to call me Lord Vader,” Ben sighed. “Like they call you Lady Vader.”

Leia froze, ice.

“Mom?” That was Jacen, from his position in the glade. In fact, Anakin and Jaina had stopped what they were doing too. “You okay?”

“She’s fine,” Luke assured them.

“Jacen asked Mum,” Jaina bit back, not quite rudely, but she was nearly thirteen… going on thirty, according to Mara.

“I’m fine,” Leia said, automatically.

“And then what did you say?” Mara added gently, green eyes softening.

“I said that they should call me Lord Vader because my Mom beat Darth Vader and that’s why you call her Lady Vader.”

Han stiffened, and Luke’s peaceful face froze, only slightly. Leia felt warmth in her cheeks.

“Master Ben,” said Threepio helpfully. “That is not why Mistress Leia is called -“

Artoo screamed at him.

“That’s just right, Ben,” Leia said, and Mara cut her gaze to Leia. “But Darth Vader was a bad man, and we don’t want to remember him any longer than we have to.”

“But the Noghri -“

Han picked up that, sitting up again. “The Noghri used to work for Darth Vader during the war when he lied to them and they don’t now. They’ll stop saying Lady Vader any day now.” His eyes were leading.

“Yes, um, Lord Solo.” The Noghri shied away.

Han grinned. “Better.”

“Kids, go run and play with Artoo. Threepio, come here, would ya.”

“Oh dear,” the protocol droid said. Artoo tweeted musically at Ben and pulled out his buzzsaw to distract him.

“Um, Han -“ Luke said.

“I trust Artoo not to cut Ben,” Han said smoothly, before brandishing a finger at Threepio. “You don’t tell him a thing about Vader.”

“But Master Solo -“

“When we decide to tell Ben, it will be our decision, not your mistake,” his voice was firm. “Because if it is, I’ll melt you down.”

Chewbacca growled for emphasis.

“Oh my,” Threepio said.

“Goldenrod, do you understand?”

Threepio began to flap, and Leia stood, taking his arm. “Please, Theeepio.”

“Oh, of course, Mistress Leia,” he sounded defeated. “But when you decide, please do tell me -“

“If,” Leia said, and Han’s eyes widened. “If we tell Ben, we’ll tell you.”

Mara’s eyes were fairly wide herself. “If, Leia?”

Luke spoke up. “Let’s give Leia a chance to explain herself.” He smiled at his wife, who schooled her features.

Leia took a deep breath. “At some point, the lesson of Darth Vader will be lost on people. They’ll see a lifetime of evil, and a single act of redemption, and they will think that’s what they can do too.” She looked at her brother. “You nearly fell to the dark side, and came back.” Leia shrugged. “Kyp came back, too.”

“And I was the Emperor’s Hand,” pointed out Mara. Luke winced, but didn’t interrupt.

“Exactly,” said Leia. “If we start to give the impression that the dark side isn’t a one way trip, then Jedi won’t take it seriously. We’ll start losing them.”

“And so you don’t want to tell Ben about Vader?”

“There will soon be a generation growing up that never had to fear Darth Vader, Palpatine or Thrawn,” Leia said. “And it’s basically a conspiracy theory for most people nowadays.”

“But we shouldn’t forget the lessons they taught us -“

“And we won’t, but we won’t do ourselves any favours if we shade what Vader did,” Mara pointed out to Luke.

“I was expecting you to oppose this,” Han hazarded.

“I did, but Leia also has a point,” Mara replied. “Ben doesn’t know. I’d guess that a lot more people don’t know than do, and that number is growing.”

“But lying to Ben -“

“I don’t think you should tell him,” came a small voice, and Leia started. It was Jacen.

“Honey?” The worst thing about having children is when they turned into little adults that actually listened. You as a parent always forgot at the most inopportune moments.

“Yeah,” Jaina said. “I agree.”

Han glanced over. “Why?” His tone was even, considering he, too, had been surprised.

“Because of Anakin,” Jacen said. “You named him because of grandfather, but he knows he’s named after Darth Vader. That’s a lot of pressure on him…”

“And sometimes we feel it, too,” Jaina pointed out. “We’re the grandchildren of a butcher.” She looked apologetic. “Sorry, Uncle Luke -“

“No, it’s okay,” he said. “I had more time with him as Anakin than any of you,” Luke said.

“Well I never knew Lord Vader as anything but a deeply scary -“

“Threepio,” Han said, firmly. “Shush.”

“Yes, Lord Solo.”

“Goldenrod!”

“Han,” Leia said, softly, and he stopped.

She looked to Jacen and Jaina. They were as tall as her now, and as puberty settled in, they’d appear less twins and more siblings - and would tower over diminutive Leia. That did bring a smile to her lips - ordinarily. For now she simply appraised them as not oversized children but miniature adults.

Anakin, for his part, had gone back to daydreaming, gesturing at the clouds and absently using the Force to make shapes. Leia would ordinarily had chided him for abusing his powers, but knowing the pressure she had put on her son for naming him after her grandfather…

“Thank you, Jacen, Jaina.” Leia drew them into a hug, made the all moreso awkward with pubescent teenage limbs and the characteristic awareness of their bodies. “Now go play. The adults need to discuss how we are doing this.”

They nodded, and ran off - to Anakin. This appeared to be something the twins had discussed at length themselves before looking for the best way to broach it with their parents.

Leia turned to the mostly grim faced adults. “We don’t teach about Vader being Anakin in New Republic schools.”

“It’s not on the semester at Ossus, either,” said Mara, too. “We’d experimented with Ossus as a kind of preschool, before the Yavin praxeum -“

“If Ben finds out we lied to him…” Han said, concern in his voice.

“We’ll tell him when he’s older. More balanced,” Leia said, firmly.

“He’s ten -“

“And he’s angrier than all three of our children put together,” Leia replied. “Lord Vader was still a terrible man - and our ten year old thinks it would be cool to be named after him.”

Chewbacca rumbled. He agreed with Han that this was a bad idea. Mara hesitated, but looked to Luke. She was siding with Leia, that was unspoken.

“Do I get a vote?” Threepio began to say, and Chewbacca tripped his circuit breaker, catching the droid as he sagged.

“Thank you,” Mara said, sighing. “I was going to throw him.”

“Goldenrod’s heart is in the right place,” Han said, sighing slightly. “What’s it gonna be, Luke? Two for two, and yes, Chewie counts.”

“I know,” Luke said, softly. “He’s older than all of us put together, after all.”

Chewbacca whined slightly. Luke was the Jedi Master, he was by default the wisest.

A self-effacing smile crossed Luke’s lips. “Not when it comes to parenting.” His eyes briefly glanced to Mara, and Leia ignored it.

Luke and Mara would have children in their own time. Han and Leia had gone fairly quickly into children after their last marriage - one unrecognised at galactic law and one interrupted ceremony - but they’d been together for years by then. Luke and Mara hadn’t been together for all that long - they should enjoy the time they had… around tutoring dozens of Jedi and putting down whatever fire the Senate asked for helped with that day. It had taken Leia a year to arrange this picnic around their competing schedules.

“I’ll agree to this, because Leia does have a good point. We’ve been exceptionally fortunate. There are dozens of stories of Jedi who went to the dark side to do good, and fell,” Luke said, agreeably. “But only as long as we tell Ben before he becomes a Jedi Knight.“

Leia began to speak. “And I’ll agree to it -“

“Hang on, this was your idea -“ Han started to say.

“I know, but -“ Leia’s gaze focused on Luke. “If you have Ben as an apprentice, and take him to Ossus.”

“To Ossus? Aren’t Jaina and Jacen going to Yavin soon?” Han objected. “We won’t have any kids at home -“

“Han, you’re already busy enough running the Galactic Races -“ Mara pointed out. “And we all know people want Leia to run as Chief of State again when Ponc’s term is up.”

Han went silent. Chewbacca woofed softly, dejectedly. Are you going to run again?

Leia paused. “Maybe? It’s an era of peace. I can do more good now, rather than spend my time preparing for warlord of the week, or crisis of the month.”

Han sighed, and looked over at his best friend. “Luke, I know you want to be at Ossus as much as Yavin 4, and I don’t want Ben left alone -“

“He won’t be,” Luke said firmly. “I’ll keep a close eye on him, and watch out for his anger…”

Mara paused, and everyone waited, sensing that she wanted to speak. “I don’t think he is angry, to be honest.”

“What do you mean?” Han said. “Because the Force and tantrums, trust me -“

“It never feels like his anger, is all,” Mara said. “He’s curious, playful, and sure, it you break him out of his fantasy world, he’s never happy, but… whenever he feels dark it feels so…”

“Adult?” Leia guessed.

“Yes,” Mara agreed.

Luke nodded. “You’re both more perceptive than I am, but I’ll keep an eye on him. My personal eye…”

Mara nodded. “To be honest, I was thinking of taking Jaina as my apprentice when she’s older.”

Leia smiled, a bit weary. “Good luck with that, she has her father’s stubbornness.”

Chewbacca gruffly chuckled.

“Mine?” Han snorted. “More like Leia’s. I’m nowhere near as stubborn as she is. Remember Cronal? Hethrir? None of them came close to breaking you.”

“Yeah, yeah, spacebum,” Leia said, kissing his cheek. “We’ll need to tell a few people, but… let’s leave Anakin Skywalker’s darkness in the past, where it belongs.”

Luke nodded. “I won’t tell Ben, but…”

“Yes?” Leia said. She was about ready to bring this to end. They were supposed to be on holiday.

“What will you do if Ben finds out on his own?” Mara finished for Luke.

“Then we’ll deal with it, together,” Leia replied, firmly.

“We beat Palpatine,” Han said, proudly. “We can save Ben. We did Luke, and Kyp, and we’ll do it again for our son.”

“We’ll never abandon any of them to the dark side.” Luke smiled. “The Empire is gone, and we won. We’ll beat the past for their future, and now we’ll make sure the present works out, until it’s time to pass the torch.”

He indicated the children, as he placed his arm around Leia. “They are the New Jedi Order, and we’ll be there when they need us, but it’ll be their future, too.”

“Great,” Han said. “Now I feel old.”

Chewbacca grumbled a criticism, keeping in mind his age.

And they, for a time, laughed.

For a time.

 

Updates every Saturday!

 

Chapter One

40 ABY

The stars were cut apart.

Not literally, of course, but from the outside, distant observer, they appeared, on this beautiful, clear night above Arkania, to be split. To be divided by an arrow soaring across the sky.

On closer inspection, it was revealed to be a wedge-shaped vessel, favoured by galactic governments for millennia.

They scaled dramatically under the Galactic Republic and Old Empire, from the ancient-most Centurion-class battlecruiser, to the modern Turbulent-class Star Destroyer. Sometimes, the larger design would actually lose to smaller one, for example the Executor series of Super Star Destroyers was shorter than the later Sovereign-class, but the latter ship had an axial superlaser with a mere one eighth of the power of the Death Star.

Variations in the location of the bridge tower also made a difference. On the Imperial-class and Victory-class, they were exposed, meanwhile on the Nebula-class and Chiss-class, they were hidden in the hull, making them more difficult to hit. The Venator-class had two bridges - one for command of the craft, and the other to dictate the fighter wings it carried, and despite being half the size, had more starfighters than the Secutor-class to hand. Even what appeared to be a known design might conceal surprises within it's hull-form, such as the Rejuvenator-class, or even the Endurance-class, which were nominally based off other designs.

As such, it was not possible to judge a dagger of a capital ship by its shape.

Not it's capabilities, nor, indeed, it's intent.

The New Republic would, ideally, have never positioned a Star Destroyer to bombard a planet. Meanwhile, the Empire did it so regularly as to coin the military term of a Base Delta Zero, which would have seen a world glassed. The Galactic Alliance was a bit more circumspect with how it used Star Destroyers in this manner, but one could never know what the Imperial Remnant would do. It depended on who was in-charge - and indeed the same could be said of the Galactic Alliance, which had briefly operated tyrannical under a revolving door of Chief of States.

This particular vessel, too, was not particularly well known. While comparisons could be drawn to the unique Gilad Pellaeon starship, used as the flagship of the former Remnant, it was as if the Gilad Pellaeon was a prototype, or distant cousin, to this black monstrosity. Three kilometers of durasteel, weapons and armour, this Star Destroyer was the Finaliser, and fresh from secret First Order shipyards.

It was also lighting up local space with green turbolaser fire, and the tell-tale trace of missiles through atmosphere - pursuing a target. Not far behind, a pair of TIE fighters screamed, chasing their own projectiles and also a battered looking disc of a freighter, bearing the pennant code, Jolly Man.

It was not a small ship, and had berths for six starfighters, but none of those were present. Indeed, those hangars were merely weak points, and a missile entered one and blew out the other side of the freighter. With a wobble, the ship lost height, and began heading towards the surface at increased speed. Just as suddenly, the debris that had been vented reversed path and headed back up at an unnatural angle, shredding one of the TIE Fighters.

The other doggedly pursued, firing, and the engines of the Jolly Man took another hit.

With another surge in the mystical energy field known as the Force, part of the upper hull of the freighter ripped clear free, flapping in the wind, and then snapped off, spooking off the TIE Fighter. The pilot turned the small starfighter away, the scream of its engines sounding loudly as it exerted itself against the angle of the incline and the atmosphere pressing upon it.

That merely left the way open for the Star Destroyer, and a precision fired turbolaser bolt impacted the rear of the freighter and blew apart half of its rear - taking the engines with it. The TIE looped back, and paced the freighter, launching cables to slow it's descent.

Orders were not to destroy the ship, for such things were prone to be erratic and incomplete when it came to destruction, but to ensure it's landing. A rough impact was fine, but not a crash.

Their commander didn't trust crashes.

From the Star Destroyer birthed two more ships, which could not be in more contrast if they tried. One, a winged shuttle craft, with a wingspan that was far oversized for its stature, designed to impose rather than function. The other, a chunky slab of a ship, so much so that it trailed a dark puff of black smoke wherever it trailed, as aging but souped up engines pushed it forward.

The former was the Silencer, the Upsilon-class shuttle; the latter, the Night Buzzard, a former dungeon ship with a vile crew to match its design. It was their leader who had the shuttle, mind you.

Kylo Ren.

Son of Han and Leia; brother to Jaina; nephew to Luke; cousin to Ben Skywalker.

Grandson of the late Darth Vader.

Brother to the departed Anakin Solo... and, too, the recently deceased Darth Caedus, who had killed his aunt, Mara Jade Skywalker.

Behind his mask, he breathed, deeply, monstrously, angrily psyching himself up for the kill.

For his revenge.

For it was a Jedi that he and his Knights of Ren paced.

An Arcona by the name of Izal Waz.

Someone that Ben Solo had once considered a friend.

Who he was going to murder for existing, when he no longer should.

 

@Force Smuggler, yesssss. Lots of fun to be had.

As I am away this weekend, I wanted to post up tomorrow's update now. Enjoy!

 

Chapter Two

It was sometimes the smallest thing that sets everything off.

In this instance, it was salt.

His old, annoying, salt addiction. It wasn't sufficiently rare so as to set off most alarms, but at the same time, it wasn't found naturally on every world. So when one needed it, one needed it. Thefts of salt was an Arcona tell, but not many Arcona left the homeworld.

Which meant it was an Izal Waz tell.

He had relapsed... but no surprises. How much stress could he be expected to absorb?

"It's not your fault."

"I know," Izal said, as much to himself as anyone. "But after Ossus... after losing Masters Solusar, and everything else."

Everything else was the transformation of the galactic landscape in the last few months. In hindsight, it had been gradually happening - the secession of worlds from the Galactic Alliance to form the Confederation; the wave of coups and civil wars within the Alliance and Imperial Remnant; the release of Abeloth and the Sith... culminating with the Apocalypse on Coruscant just over a year ago.

But it was the massacre on Ossus which set off the rest.

The usurpation of the Remnant by the First Order... much of the Confederation joining the new galactic power... and the New Republic was left without allies, unable to work with the Hutts, and unwilling to join the Hapans in their private war with Kesh... if the secret world of the Lost Tribe could even be found.

The Council was fractured, and the Jedi scattered, and, promptly, preyed upon.

Because Luke Skywalker was gone.

A detonation shook Izal from his despair. He was going down.

The TIE had used cables to ease off their plummet, but the Jolly Man couldn't make orbit again. It had no engines to the rear, it simply had none of that half. The freighter would make it on repulsors, but it didn't stop Izal from using the Force to shove the TIE away.

"Shouldn't be doing that."

"Why?" Izal bit back, wrestling with the controls.

As a snow-covered ridge approached, his partner answered. "Because we're going to need all of our strength to survive what comes next."

Izal felt dread. "I have a bad feeling about this."

And then.

Impact.

---

The Jolly Man was in-flames, but mostly intact.

Which was good news - the kill would be confirmed. Kylo Ren squeezed his lightsaber hilt. By him.

His shuttle landed on the opposite side of the ridge edge, disturbing snow and trees. Ignoring whatever his pilot said, and gesturing for the Stormtroopers to stay, Kylo Ren triggered the ramp and stalked down.

He spoke, loudly, as the icy wind buffeted his cloak. "Come out, Izal Waz. The Jedi Order has been disbanded, you are criminals in the eyes of the First Order. Surrender, and turn over the location of any and all Jedi survivors." Kylo Ren knew there were plenty... his uncle included... and...

Shaking aside the thoughts of anyone else, for only Luke mattered, as evident by the collapse of the Council after his self-exile. Kylo Ren needed to kill his uncle - for what Luke had done to him. He squeezed his hilt tighter, and ignited it, crimson blade and pinions.

He strode towards the Jolly Man, and abruptly, part of the hull shot out towards him. Kylo lifted a hand, and simply turned aside the debris. A snap-hiss followed, and the Arcona Jedi Knight leapt from the hole he had just blown in the ship.

Kylo blocked the swing down, two-handed, and promptly hooked down the momentum. The pinions twisted, stabbing into Izal's wrist, cutting a burn across it. Izal cried out, dropping his lightsaber, and Kylo backhanded him with a fisted hand.

Izal tumbled, and Kylo simply slashed through the dropped hilt. That was that. An easy fight again.

"Surrender," he said. "Tell me where the other Jedi are." Kylo strode over Izal as he clutched his wrist - it wasn't just a burn, but a carved chunk missing from his skin. A smile behind his mask. The Jedi weren't trained to fight his style, reminiscent of the ancient swordwielders from the Ashla and Bogan era.

"Go eat dung," snapped Izal.

So Kylo stabbed him through the shoulder.

He screamed.

Kylo kicked Izal off his blade; he didn't want to cut him open, just to wound him.

"Tell me where Skywalker is."

He stabbed Izal in the other arm, and his free hand came up, grabbing at Kylo Ren's hilt. Izal shouted into his mask. "Now, Wonetun!"

Wonetun.

The Brubb Jedi had been paired with Izal in the past, they had flown together to relief Master Skywalker from imprisonment by Admiral Bwua'tu before the Swarm War -

Snap-hiss!

Kylo Ren let go of his blade and stepped back, the green lightsaber slicing through the space where his face had been not a second ago. Wonetun slashed after Kylo, and he promptly ducked, and then blocked an attack with his bare hand. He would have smirked in Wonetun's face, but there was no point with the mask, and such emotion would have distracted from his rage at being tricked.

He punched the Brubb in the face, and then had to take a step back as Izal attacked him with his own blade! The red lightsaber cut a crease in the snow beneath his booted foot, and Kylo Ren decided enough was enough.

He raised a hand, and Force pushed them both away from him, tilting his head back towards the wind-swept forest behind him. "Finish them." A gesture, and Kylo Ren's lightsaber wrenched from Izal's hands into his.

From the treeline rushed the Knights of Ren, and Wonetun lashed out at one, his blade stopped by Trudgen's cleaver, and then Cardo shot him in the face, blowing most of it away -

Izal yanked a blaster from Kuruk, tried to shoot him with it, but found a Force tug from Ap'lek kept the weapon low -

And then Ushar crashed his war-club into the Arcona's skull, sending him tumbling to the snowing ground, blood marring the pristine white -

Vicrul had stepped up besides Kylo Ren. As one of the oldest of the Knights, having served Kylo's predecessor, he led the group in Kylo's absence. He was, fundamentally, just another Dark Jedi in Kylo's employ, but he appreciated the man's advice, rarely given and always worth listening to. Not once did he contradict Kylo Ren, even when they both knew that Kylo was losing himself to his rage.

It was necessary at times.

This wasn't one of them.

"Are we stopping this?"

Kylo Ren watched Kuruk recover his weapon and shoot up Izal's legs. It was petty; the Arcona wasn't escaping. Kuruk smashed downwards with his club, breaking Izal's other arm. Kuruk had finished dicing up Wonetun...

What a terrible, pointless fate.

Kylo Ren turned aside. "No, they don't know where Skywalker is."

He swept around, and Vicrul turned slightly. "The Supreme Leader is waiting for a report. We are not far from the New Republic border, and he doesn't want the Resistance to discover this outing."

Rage filled within him. "Make sure they are dead before we leave. No loose ends. No assumptions. No bodies off cliff-edges that might be alive."

"Of course," Vicrul said.

Kylo Ren left them to it. The knew how to kill; he need not tutor them on their craft.

This was merely the cleaning up of the proverbial trash.

Skywalker was all that mattered... that, and his training.

Leaving the massacre behind, Kylo Ren strode to his command ship. The Stormtroopers and the pilot were already down the ramp, saluting.

What Snoke had to say to him was for his ears alone.

 

Chapter Three

Kylo Ren strode to the chamber in the Finalizer.

The Resurgent-class battlecruiser was a bespoke design, taking advantage of the network receiver contained within it's hull. There was no HoloNet in the Unknown Regions, and so, taking a cue from the old InterGalactic Banking Clan star frigates, the First Order simply created a network with their Star Destroyers. This made communication not just possible, but secure.

The particular variant to the Finalizer was the creation of an immense chamber within the heart of the cathedral-like ship. It was immense, designed for the most important of communications. Those with Supreme Leader Snoke, who preferred to address his minions as an oversized hologram upon the vacant throne that existed within the room. Often, Captain Phasma, or General Hux, they would be present, reporting on various engagements and missions.

Not today.

Today, Kylo Ren was speaking to his dark master. He crouched, dropping to one knee, and the room activated around him, connecting Kylo to his distant leader - Snoke's flagship, the Mega-class Star Destroyer Supremacy, lurked close to stars in the Unknown Regions to conceal it's existence from the Resistance, and indeed from their stellar neighbours such as the Chiss and the other former confederates of the Empire of the Hand. None of them were threats to Snoke, but subterfuge served the Supreme Leader well, and it was preferable, until Starkiller Base was finished.

"My boy," Snoke said, mock-cheer. "I hear two more Jedi have fallen to your blade."

"They were nothing," Kylo Ren looked up. "They are nothing. Just more strays."

"Strays because of your actions on Ossus, my boy," Snoke sneered.

A whirlwind of emotions rose up, but Kylo rode them. Weak and pathetic Ben Solo had been attacked by Luke Skywalker, and Kylo Ren rose up, and slaughtered the Academy. Two Masters, several Knights and hundreds of apprentices. Gone. The death knell of the New Jedi Order. With nearly half the Order compromised, and Luke Skywalker heading into exile for failing yet another student - yet another nephew - the Council was easy prey for Kylo Ren and the Knights of Ren, ditto the threats from the Lost Tribe of the Sith and other opportunists.

Kylo stood. "Supreme Leader, we should stay in the Colonies, hunt more stray Jedi. There are several Masters unaccounted for, threats to you -"

"No," Snoke said, flatly. "The New Jedi will not dare rise against us, against you, without Skywalker. Jaina Solo does not have the same charisma he did, and Leia Organa has committed to playing General with her Resistance. None of them are threats to us, merely... impediments that we shall overcome at a time of our choosing."

Kylo Ren was silenced. He considered the missing Masters - Katarn, Durron, Horn, Sebatyne and Cilghal - to be a grave threat. Let alone the circle of Jaina's friends - Zekk, Tesar, Lowbacca, Raynar, Tahiri, Tekli - those elites that had triumphed the Mykyr mission and been key to the future of the New Jedi. They were unaccounted for. Hundreds of Jedi had fallen, mostly at his hand, but the strays could be a threat. Which was why Kylo Ren hunted them at every opportunity. If Skywalker returned, then they would rise up, and come for him.

Not Snoke - him.

But the Supreme Leader seemed content to keep him restrained, to limit him.

"The Cold War with the New Republic must continue until we have completed Starkiller Base," Snoke reminded him, speaking in response to Kylo's unvoiced concerns. "We have gone to great pains to isolate the New Republic, to bring low its Galactic Alliance with the Hapans and Imperial Remnant, to prepare the Confederation for membership in the First Order. Many of our co-conspirators are dead."

Snoke referred to the Lecersen Conspiracy, which had been gutted by the Lost Tribe, and of course a whole host of Moffs that had placed themselves in opposition to moderate Imperials such as Pellaeon, Jagged Fel and Vitor Reige. Thirty-odd Moffs had been reduced to a mere eight, but that served Snoke, too - a rump Imperial Remnant, professing to be the public First Order, was sufficient to distract Leia Organa and allow the New Republic to underestimate his First Order.

"General Phennir failed to bring the Bothans into the First Order," groused Kylo Ren.

"As expected," Snoke said, drily. "Nonhumans dilute our power and our purity," he pointed out. "I was content to string along the Bothans for as long as need be. It was Lumiya who forced our assets at Corellia and Commenor out into the open."

This was history, but Ben often liked to hear how the war in the shadows - against the Sith - had been won by Snoke. A Caedus, he called it, a battle in the dark. Luring out Lumiya, the Lost Tribe and even Abeloth, sacrificing pawns in the Galactic Alliance to them, had been half the reason for the Cold War - for Kuat, Orinda, Arkanis and other worlds to secede from the New Republic - but not the Galactic Alliance.

"The Caedus was won by us, Kylo Ren," he reminded his pupil, and Kylo realised he had referred to himself as Ben, internally. Disgust flooded him. "Darth Caedus was nothing but a distraction." Snoke crowed.

"My brother killed Aunt Mara, and released the Tribe and Abeloth - he was a threat," Kylo Ren would defend his fallen sibling against Snoke, feeling a camaraderie with the fall of Darth Caedus.

"A threat that drew the strength of the New Jedi from them, and crippled the Galactic Alliance - for us."

Snoke cackled, and Kylo Ren flinched.

"And yet," Snoke unfurled a finger, and leaned forward. "There are lessons to be learned from him."

Kylo Ren hesitated. "Lessons, Supreme Leader?"

The subsequent intensity to Snoke's tone caused Kylo Ren to step back as he leaned forward. "There has been a disturbance in the Force."

"A disturbance? Jaina Solo? Skywalker?"

Snoke snorted. "No - the Sith Master of Darth Caedus lives."

Kylo was surprised. "Lumiya survived?" A Dark Lord of the Sith would be a truly terrifying opponent - she had fought his uncle to a standstill, several times. She truly was his grandfather's apprentice. Kylo was suddenly eager to meet her - to see how he stacked up against someone his uncle had struggled against.

"No, my boy," Snoke chuckled. "Vergere."

A crimson rage grew within Kylo Ren, and that was all he remembered for a time.

Red.

Murderous intent.

In his rage, he remembered.

—-
Interlude One

Years Before...

They'd not been together much.

But when Ben Solo was late for the funeral, he hadn't expected them to start without him. Had he been on Ossus, Ben would have made it to Kashyyyk in-time, but getting from Yavin 4 had been a bit more problematic what with the Yuuzhan Vong fleet at Obroa-Skai and raiders on the Perlemian.

Settling the Grimtaash on the wroshyr tree landing platform, Ben looked and saw the various other ships of the close family. The Thunderbolt, which belonged to Peckhum, and had ferried some of the other Jedi Masters to the meeting; the Lightning Rod, which Zekk used, and the Rock Dragon, the shuttle which Tenel Ka piloted, usually on missions with Lowbacca...

Chewbacca's nephew.

Ben pursed his lips, the young teenager reflecting who had been present. Zekk was Jaina's Jedi partner, and they had been teenage boyfriend and girlfriends... and Jacen was likely to end up with Tenel Ka, everyone reckoned. Which was why Peckhum had also bought Tahiri from Yavin 4 to the funeral with Masters Cilghal, Katarn and Streen. To support them.

He took a deep breath.

The Millennium Falcon was already gone, but there was the Jade Shadow.

Aunt Mara's personal craft, a recent replacement for the Jade Sabre, which had been lost to the invaders. Did that mean his siblings were still here? Uncle Luke?

He cast his senses outwards, and couldn't find his brothers and sister, nor his mother or father.

But there was Mara, aboard the Shadow, a strange sense to her, since her poisoning not six months ago. Ben flinched as he stepped down the ramp. Not six months ago, she was well, and Chewbacca was alive. He was training on Ossus with Uncle Luke, or whoever he left in-charge of the Academy there while he was at the praxeum on Yavin 4.

It wasn't as if the family did all that much together, a holdover from when the Solo children had been kept apart to thwart Imperial kidnappers, but at the same time... shouldn't Chewbacca's death have brought them all closer? But it was already four months since his passing - the Battle of Ithor had recently been lost and everyone seemed to be scattered, the New Republic evacuating every world they could and pulling back to the Inner Rim - or distant Bothawui or Mon Calamari.

"Hey, Ben," came Mara's voice, and shook him from his reverie.

"Oh, hi," he said, turning to her. "Where is everyone?" He already knew the answer, of course. He could see space for other vessels that had already left, after all.

"Coruscant, largely," she said, a surge in the Force adding strength to her voice. Mara drew from it often now, shoring up herself against her mysterious malady. "There was an... incident, and your father left without your mother."

"He blames himself for Chewbacca's death," Ben said, drily. "Anakin, too."

He didn't rate his father - he never had. Threepio could talk until he was blue in the face about how Han Solo was descended from Corellian royalty, but he was fundamentally a smuggler for the Hutts. Ben could see the man returning to the business of petty crime if he had the opportunity. His talents may have been useful to the Rebellion, but Ben didn't believe his father had ever transitioned fully to respectful. He wasn't a Senator, hadn't retained his military commission, nor had committed to the Jedi. He was just there, and not often enough for Ben.

Mara narrowed her green eyes at him. "Meanwhile, you blame your father."

"I didn't say that," Ben said, a bit more firmly than he intended.

"It's written all over your face," she said, matching the dryness of his prior statement. "Your Uncle Luke is around, he was just finishing up with the wider family before he headed back."

"And you were aboard the Shadow... resting?" Ben ventured.

That saw Mara's face grow hard, and he knew he shouldn't've said a thing.

"No, I just don't like crowds," she said, curtly. "I had plenty of rest on Dantooine."

"You mean the adventure where you ran from Yuuzhan Vong instead of letting me help -"

"I didn't need help," Mara firmly replied. "Meanwhile, you're too young to be at the front."

"Anakin is only a year older, and he's fighting," Ben snapped.

"But Anakin was caught up in the initial attacks, so he already has experience with how dangerous the Yuuzhan Vong are," came Luke, stepping around the Thunderbolt and regarding Ben directly. "And I sent him to Dantooine to keep him out of the fighting."

"That worked well," Ben bit back. "He fought at the Battle of Ithor, and he's killed warriors -"

"And we lost that battle - the entire planet was ruined," Mara replied, evenly. "Even with the Empire there to help, we barely -"

Luke held a hand to her, trying to prevent Ben from feeling ganged up on. "Ben, I am sorry you missed the funeral, but Chewbacca's family waited long enough. Jacen, Jaina and Anakin have responsibilities now, and couldn't stay - and your mother is off to the Core to encourage worlds to take on refugees." He pointed at him. "And I have a mission for you."

Ben's eyes lit up. "A mission? To do with the war?"

"Yes," Luke said. "The Yuuzhan Vong have turned south, cutting across the Inner Rim. They've bypassed Yavin 4 for the moment, but Ossus is directly in their path. I need you to manage the evacuation."

Ben hesitated. "Are the Yuuzhan Vong there?" He had a brief moment of panic for his friends on Ossus - Tai, Voe and Hennix, left in the care of their instructor, Enyo.

"No," Luke said. "We can't afford to wait until they are. I need you to plan and manage the evacuation to Yavin 4, where you'll continue your training."

"Training?" Ben seethed. "I should be on the frontline -"

"No," Luke said firmly. "There isn't a frontline. The New Republic is triaging across all fronts until they can figure out the best way to combat the Yuuzhan Vong -"

"But ferrying children -"

"You're the oldest of the Padawans on Ossus," Mara reminded him. "You're the responsible one, and you're not yet a Knight -"

"I've been on Ossus since I was ten, Aunt Mara, I know I'm older than most of the kids there -"

"Ben, the Yuuzhan Vong are dangerous," Luke said, softly. "You know we've lost Knights, even a Master, to them." He was referencing Jedi Master Le'ung, the Pau'an, killled on Rychel. "We only have a hundred active Jedi, and we cannot afford to risk the future of the Order."

Sullen, Ben looked to the floor. "Perhaps I should go and join Master Durron -"

"He wouldn't have you," Mara said, now losing her temper, and flinging her words.

"- I'm one of the best pilots in the Order!"

"You can't follow orders," she said, "you're too brash."

It wasn't that, of course, but Luke sighed. "And it is an order, Ben. Please, go to Ossus, and coordinate the withdrawal. I'll send Peckhum along with you, and we'll take the Masters with us to Coruscant."

Ben knew arguing would only prove Mara's point. He also knew that Luke and her were approaching him with a 'good cop, bad cop' routine, one they had perfected years ago. Grimacing, he turned to head back aboard the Grimtaash.

"Didn't you want to see Chewbacca's memorial," Luke said, more softly, "before you go?"

"Why?" Ben said, coldly. "He's not there."

With that, Ben Solo left the funeral of Chewbacca without saying goodbye to the Wookiee.

A tragedy in many parts, and Luke and Mara simply watched him go. Mara's misgivings showed, and Luke's too. "We can only keep him out of the war for as long as possible."

"Leia was right, though," Mara replied. "There is that darkness to Ben. It's not like Anakin, who is brash... nor Jaina, who is simply overconfident... nor even Jacen, who is frankly so deep into the why he does anything now, after Bimmiel, that he'll likely become a hermit before he becomes a Knight..."

"Leia had her vision years ago... and she was pregnant with Ben at the time. It follows that she saw him fall to the dark side..." Luke stared after Ben. He'd had enough failures in the past. Kyp, Dal Konur, Brakiss, Dolph,

"Yes," Mara said, softly. "She did."

Luke squeezed Mara's hand. "We'll get him through this. Ben is a good soul."

"I'm afraid this war won't let him stay like that," Mara said, sadly. "Or any of us."

—-
The present day

Kylo Ren went alone, it was decided - he decided. He even piloted the shuttle himself.

The crew of the Finalizer watched as their commander departed, leaving them to make their own way back to First Order Space. The shuttle buried into hyperspace, and a clunking ship of steam and metal shortly launched, holding back for the moment,

Vicrul looked over to the hologram of Snoke - or, rather, the head of Snoke that filled space in the cockpit. Vicrul wasn't bothered, it was just another megalomaniac darksider to serve. "You sure about this?"

"Yes," Snoke said, drily. "Young Ren cannot be left to his own devices."

"Are the others coming?"

Snoke tilted his face. "Hattaska, Jaedec and the rest of the Knights of Ren have their own missions to fulfil."

"I hear you," Vicrul said. "The six of us should be plenty."

"Kylo Ren will kill you if you attempt to defeat him while he is armed," Snoke said, absently. "You are there to support him."

"And if this Vergere, she turns him?"

Snoke grinned. "Then she will assist you in taking down the boy."

"Well alright then," Vicrul said, shrugging. "Old Palps thinks this is necessary?"

"Darth Caedus was a threat - as was his master, Lumiya. They are both dead, but we cannot discount that he has left us a surprise..."

Vicrul looked back, as Snoke continued. "We are still not clear how much Caedus knew, when he looked into the Pool of Knowledge. Did he know of the Tribe? Of Abeloth?"

"Of Palpatine's survival?"

Snoke growled. "We shall see whether Kylo Ren is a tool, or a threat. Pace him, Vicrul. Do not lose track of him."

Vicrul cut the line, muttering. "I guess I'll keep an eye on your new pet, then, Emperor."

A dark chuckle. "Better than us trying to fight Vader again, I guess. That went so well last time," Cardo said as he stepped into the cockpit.

"Fyodor was an idiot," Vicrul said, remembering the Knight of Ren who had came with them to Vader's castle on Mustafar, back when they worked for Qi'ra and Crimson Dawn.

"And Bazzra?" Cardo said, truculent.

"He had a good death," Vicrul remembered, for Bazzra had been crushed by a dark side monstrosity. "I have no desire to recall Massif and Marinda," he said, reflecting on the other Knights that had worked with them before the Battle of Endor.

Cardo grunted. "Fine by me."

And so, without further delay, Vicrul sent the Night Buzzard after Kylo Ren, with the Knights of Ren in tow.

For Vicrul was the true leader of the Knights of Ren.

Not a wannabe Jedi like Ben Solo.

 

Precisely. I wanted to emphasise as much. They’re thugs, not Dark Jedi.

We’ll see how Mortis ties in, in time, but I thought a different direction followed.

Not yet!

But the reference to the ‘New Jedi’ in TFA is too easy to make use of again and again!

 

The difficulty is always going to be that Han and Leia were parenting powerful children in an era of war. The tension between reality and the family dynamic... they didn't plan for Ben to be excluded from the war, they simply didn't expect their other children to be dragged into it... I feel for everyone involved, at this stage.

More to come... and a PM in your inbox!

Gotcha, gotcha. I liked Izal and Wonetun, so it was sad, but necessary.

The difference between narrative flashbacks and memories will be made clear, admittedly.

I will inevitably foreshadow the other Knights of Ren, as I have those in Duel of the Fates.

It is a little tragic that I found Mara and Ben the most likely to bond out of the family. Mara keeps her eye on the ball, more often than not - and Ben is a worry, after all. Notwithstanding Lumiya, Mara did pin down that Jacen was having a messy affair, after all.

 

Chapter Four

Kylo Ren was almost unsurprised to see that he was being led to Myrkr.

Of course he was. The world he had never been deployed to during the war.

Where Anakin had died, where Jaina had fallen, for a time, and where Jacen had been taken by Vergere... the beginning of his remaking as Darth Caedus.

The rendezvous point was a location in orbit above Myrkr, the world of Force-eating wolves and Force-repelling reptiles. Their numbers had been depleted by Yuuzhan Vong experimentation and terraforming, and neither had proven easy to transfer to other worlds. Which was fine by Kylo Ren - he had no desire to fight without the Force, nor against Force-hunters.

He was the Force hunter.

The Jedi Killer - a title he had earned.

The location was, however, monstrous in memory and fact. A worldship, as large as the first Death Star, decaying from age and broken up by neglect. There were not many places that remained airtight, which was fine by Kylo Ren - he had no desire to hunt down Vergere through a moon. Especially not a satellite of yorik coral and undoubtedly filled with the corpses of Yuuzhan Vong... the smell alone would be repulsive... and what if he came across the bodies of the Jedi that had died here, with Anakin?

He twitched his head, dismissing the emotional response. He didn't care for Jedi. He killed them.

Five other Jedi had died on Myrkr.

Five had fallen to the dark side later; two had died - Alema Rar and of course Jacen.

Another Jedi Knight fell on Coruscant - Ganner - saving Jacen and Vergere...

Lowbacca, Raynar, Tekli, Tesar, Zekk, Tenel Ka and Tahiri were the only ones that still lived - and Jaina, of course.

Tahiri had become a Sith, for a time, too.

Darth Caedus's apprentice.

Kylo seethed, wondering why he hadn't been selected for that honour... not that he would have served his older brother. Disdain flooded him as he directed the shuttle into one of the largest crevasses in the worldship. Baanu Rass was it's name, he recalled, the personal homeworldship of Domain Lah - and the biggest worldship in the armada that had crossed the galactic frontier twenty years ago.

Kylo Ren had memorised the contents of the report.

First Order raiders, often pushing the envelope of New Republic territory in pursuit of 'pirates' - ones that High Command, via circuitous means, actually hired to give TIE pilots and Stormtrooper squadrons a reason to intervene - had 'pursued' enemies to Myrkr, noting it as a historic smuggler base. Indeed, this had merely been a preamble to hunting the infamous Talon Karrde, who would inevitably side with the New Republic in the war to come.

Sighting the worldship, the squadron of Stormtroopers sought to use it as a base of operations from which to search the planet for smugglers. On arrival, they encountered a 'piebald feathered alien' who had offered to assist them. She then, the commander noted, with hindsight, worked to isolate and kill them one at a time, and was likely behind the accident which destroyed their transport.

The last footage was of the commander firing upon her, as the Fosh deflected bolt after bolt with a green lightsaber. When he asked why she was doing this, she merely cited that her justification was that "everything I tell you is a lie." That allowed Snoke to identify her, having debriefed Kylo Ren about his time with her, and Kylo knew very well the sayings of Vergere.

The green lightsaber was an oddity - Kylo Ren was sure he recognised the hilt, and if it was what he thought - it was bait.

But his rage meant he would surpass her.

Landing, and storming down the ramp of his shuttle, he regarded the darkness of the coral hangar. The lichen that usually supplied bioluminescence was hanging on for life - barely - providing an ethereal green glow to the area. Kylo poured his Force senses forward, but nothing was evident. This was not surprising - an accomplished Force user would know how to hide oneself in the Force. Darth Caedus had been particularly adept at it, even, apparently extending the feat to others nearby.

That being said, there was a vague stink of the dark side, stark in comparison against the complete emptiness of the Yuuzhan Vong worldship, which, of course, was invisible to traditional senses. Unlike Caedus and Tahiri - and his Uncle, too - he had not developed 'Vongsense' and had no desire to do so. Even his aunt had remarked, in passing, that her experiences with the coomb spore virus had given her a sensitivity to the Yuuzhan Vong presence.

Kylo Ren didn't care for a deeper or higher understanding of the Force.

It was a tool - a knife in the hands of the Jedi Killer.

And so, he followed the scent.

After a while, but before he made it to the dark stain on the Force, there was a slight, unmistakably feminine, chuckle.

Snap-hiss!

His lightsaber ignited, blade and pinions out. Kylo Ren looked up, into the cavernous heights, and saw nothing.

"Vergere?"

"Little Ben Solo?"

The voice came from his left, and Kylo spun.

Nothing.

She had thrown her voice with the Force - a skill that Darth Caedus had learned from the Theran Listeners.

A growl, and Kylo immediately spun back.

Still nothing.

"I am Kylo Ren, now."

"Not quite Darth Caedus, is it?"

He resisted the urge to turn, instead looking the opposite direction to the voice.

Nothing again.

"My brother failed."

"Did he? You're standing in his place, no?"

Kylo seethed behind his mask. "Darth Caedus had nothing to do with me. If I'd seen him after he killed my aunt, he would have been dead."

Another chuckle. "Nothing at all?"

A flash of memory, of a conversation with a woman he suspected was Lumiya, but he stilled the thought.

"Nothing," he growled.

"He was your blood, Kylo Ben," Vergere's voice teased. "The dark of Darth Vader ran through his and your veins."

"Jacen wanted to avoid our grandfather's legacy," he snapped. "I wish to finish what he started." Kylo Ren grinned behind his mask. "You were an Old Republic Jedi, weren't you? So it follows that Lord Vader would have killed you, had he the chance."

"So why not just do it?" Vergere's voice was closer, now, audibly the same, but it felt more real, and Kylo Ren turned -

And there she was.

He threw out a hand and she gestured with her own, a quick swipe -

His Force attack deflected, hammering into a coral wall, upending dust but not much else, for the Force didn't affect the Yuuzhan Vong architecture itself -

He leapt forward, slashing high -

Vergere dove low, her face passing by his helmet -

And Kylo Ren elbowed her in the beak.

The little Fosh tumbled, and Kylo rushed after her, cutting the coral where she had just lain -

She had leapt, and he looked up, not a moment before her foot slammed into his helmet -

Sent it tumbling away, and Kylo, not phased, grabbed at her with his hand, snatching her neck. Vergere grabbed his wrist and Kylo brought her close to his now bare face, teeth clenched. He heard his helmet bouncing as it went -

"I could kill you right now -"

"My neck is... especially vulnerable -" Vergere hissed around his grasp.

Kylo squeezed, and then, heard his helmet clang loudly, not upon coral, but, what? Metal? Plasteel?

He turned, and saw her.

The dark stain.

"Hello, Ben," Tahiri Veila said, and ignited her blue blade.

Flanking her were two Yuuzhan Vong warriors, resplendent in their coral armour.

"Lady Riina, shall we kill the Sith?"

Merely hearing those guttural, alien voices, triggered a landslide of emotion within him.

Kylo Ren felt his rage surge, and all was red once more.