//------------------------------// // Chapter II - "An Uneasy Alliance” // Story: Star Wars - Knight of Ren // by Chadbane //------------------------------// Ben Solo found himself at the edge of a waterfall balancing himself against the natural force of gravity as he did a one-handed handstand and held his breath. “Focus, Ben.” came the gentle voice of his master, Luke Skywalker, from behind. “You cannot feel the force flowing through you if you do not concentrate—or forget to breath.” Ben Solo quickly exhaled and nodded his head. “Yes, Master Skywalker.” Young Ben Solo was only ten years old. Although he had only just begun wielding a real lightsaber, he was already leagues ahead of his fellow peers—especially when it came to knowledge of the force. Master Skywalker (as he must always be called—can’t have the other younglings knowing that their grandmaster is the uncle of his favorite student) had taken notice of his natural talent and decided to instruct him privately whenever he got the chance. Today was no exception. “Remember,” Master Skywalker said as he continued to watch his nephews spiritual exercise. “The force is like a river—it flows through all living things. Sometimes it can be quiet and clam; other times it can be loud and violent. You must focus past the extremes if you are going to center yourself and find peace.” Ben Solo nodded and attempted to do as he was told. As he stood there in silence, ignoring the aching of his arm as it supported his weight, he began to control his breathing and listen to the world moving around him. The water from the waterfall nearby; crashing into the rocks below the cliff... the wind caressing his face, carrying his hair in its breeze like a gentle hand from his mother... Kylo Ren smiled as the sounds began to manifest into a beautiful picture in his mind—a perfect portrait of life blooming in the process. “Good, now... breath.” Ben nodded again. Slowly, all the pain in his body melted away. A profound sense of peace took shape a few moments later when his mind cleared itself of distractions. Soon, that perfect picture of life filling his head started to become even more vibrant and more beautiful than ever before. “Breathe... breathe...” Ben Solo did—but something else was happening. For whatever reason, his thoughts were beginning to drift away—as if they were being carried off by the wind. There was... a wood. A twisted wood somewhere else on the planet, beckoning to him, calling him by name. “Good. Now... what do you see?” Ben Solo’s face consorted to a confused expression. “I see... a picture... in my head...” “Good, good, now... go on.” Ben Solo shook his head. “I... I see a forest...” Luke Skywalker paused. “Go on...” “It’s... its calling to me!” Luke Skywalker felt a shiver run down his spine. He knew the feeling all too well. “Ben! Don’t listen to it! What you are seeing is the Darkside. Resist it!” “It’s... trying to tell me something!” “Ben! BEN!” Ben Solo’s eyes snapped open as his concentration shattered like glass. Immediately afterward he lost all balance and toppled onto his back, moaning at the pain. As he lay there on the ground, the air around him suddenly became very cold. Ben Solo slowly opened his eyes and found himself staring into a crimson sky as a heavy mechanical voice breathed over him, menacingly. "You failed." said a familiar voice. It was deep, foreboding, and disembodied—like a demon from the very pits of hell. Ben Solo slowly turned around and blinked into the lifeless lenses of the towering cyborg that he knew immediately to be his grandfather. Darth Vader, the menacing Sith Lord he had seen in so many visions before, stood before him once again with his arms crossed. "It's you," Ben Solo whispered, breathlessly. It was only then that he realized he was no longer the boy from his dreams training with Luke Skywalker on Pillo all those years ago, but rather the Knight of Ren who had already fallen to the Dark side. "It is," replied the ghost. "Though I am sorely displeased with your lack of progress." Kylo Ren bowed his head in shame. "I gave it everything... I surrendered to the dark side." "It was not enough," answered the menacing cyborg. "You failed to give it your soul." Kylo Ren shook his head. "No... I killed Han Solo..." he lifted his eyes in a silent, wordless rage. “I killed Snoke!" The cyborg did not answer for a couple of seconds. "Your training is not complete," he replied at last, though his tone conveyed little emotion. "The dark side is strong in you—but you have yet to become one with it in spirit. If you wish to wield the dark side to its fullest potential like your former master—Supreme Leader Snoke—you will need to become more than just a Knight of Ren..." Kylo Ren furrowed his brow and clenched his teeth. "What must I become?" "A Sith," the cyborg replied. Kylo Ren watched as another cyborg appeared behind Darth Vader and stepped out from his shadow. The other cyborg was a terrifying alternate version himself—draped in tattered clothing and fitted with a robotic hand. "You will suffer many trials," his shadow explained, its voice amplified by the modulator in its helmet. "This planet will test you. It will try to break you in ways you cannot imagine. Resist the pull to the light. Then, you will become Sith." Kylo Ren shook his head. "And if I fail?" The two terrifying cyborgs glared down at him with the fury of a thousand demons. "Then," they both answered in unison. "You will die!" Suddenly, the ground beneath Kylo Ren broke away and caused him to fall. He gave a blood-curling scream as he tumbled off the edge of the waterfall and disappeared beneath the surface of the black waters below. Kylo Ren let out a pain-filled groan, too sore to stir from his nightmare with excessive movement. As he opened his eyes to acquaint himself with his surroundings, the first thing he noticed was the top of a cage. He couldn’t make out what was happening in his peripheral due to the fact that his mask was still fitted firmly to his face, but he could feel the presence of moving bodies nearby, marching in a rhythmic, stoic pace. “Easy,” came a quiet voice beside him. It was distinctly male in characteristics, but broken and emasculated. “You were in an accident. You've been out for some time. You should rest while you can.” Kylo Ren forced himself to sit up and frowned in the direction of the voice. Immediately his vision was filled with an unusual scene which set off a number of alarms. The first was thing he realized was something he had already suspected—he was currently imprisoned in a large cage. The next thing he noticed was a small equine-like creature seated across from him in an another cage. It was reasonable to assume the voice he had heard moments before belonged to it, though he wasn't sure how. The third thing was a bit more surprising than the first two. A large caravan of hulking blue creatures, armed with blunt weapons and crossbows, were leading a long line of equines similar to the one imprisoned next to him with ropes through a strange alien forest. Kylo Ren didn't know what to make of the caravan, but he did know that his cage was fastened onto a carriage being pulled by one of them and headed in the same direction. “...Where am I?” Kylo Ren asked, looking around slowly. His voice was still amplified by the voice modulators in his helmet, so the question came across in a slightly more sinister tone than he intended. “Sweet Celestia!” The equine across from him swore in perfect basic. “You almost gave me a heart attack!” Kylo Ren looked over at the strange talking equine before him and gave a frown. One look at the equine with cyan-blue mane and bright yellow fur was enough for Kylo Ren to decide he didn't like him already. “Where am I?” The Knight of Ren repeated with a growl, deliberately lowering his voice to sound more intimidating this time. The equine quickly scooted to the back of his cage and replied in a shaky voice; “Y-you’re a prisoner... We're all prisoners...” Kylo Ren turned to the other technicolored equines being led through the forest with rope by the hulking creatures and gave a mocking hmph. “So it would seem. Tell me, equine—what are those?” The pony followed the Knight of Ren's gaze. “Storm creatures,” he answered, swallowing hard. “Soldiers of the Storm Kings fractured Empire.” Kylo Ren looked towards the front of the caravan and narrowed his eyes. In the lead of the caravan marched a great red storm creature with tattered clothing on his back fluttering in the wind. He wore a leather belt around his waist, fitted with an assortment of tools—none of which were familiar to Kylo except for his lightsaber. “Where are we going?” asked Kylo Ren, turning to the pony. “I... I don't know," the pony admitted. "But if I had to guess, I'd guess they're taking us to Fort Storm Cloud—a fortress deep within these woods. I heard the Storm King has been using it as a secret hideout for his army. If my suspicions are correct, then from there we'll all be made into slaves—as will you.” Kylo Ren couldn’t help but chuckle at that. “An amusing assumption.” The Knight of Ren looked away from the prisoner and continued to study his surroundings. The caravan of storm creatures and equines cut through a large forest of tall, overarching trees. The floor of the woodland was almost completely covered in red leaves, giving it a vibrant appearance in the day, and no doubt a menacing one at night. “How did I get here?” Kylo Ren asked without bothering to turn around. The equine shifted uncomfortably in his cage. “The storm creatures pulled you from some kind of crash site,” the equine replied. “They said you fell from the sky. Is that true?” Kylo Ren said nothing, instead choosing to ignore the question and use the force to learn more about the storm creature leading the procession ahead of them. “I sense that creature is different than the others..." the Knight of Ren observed after a few moments of silence. "General Kahldeen, I assume?” The equine nodded. “They call him Firebrand. He’s been leading the Storm Kings armies ever since the war broke out." Kylo Ren quickly absorbed this knowledge and turned to the padlock on his prison. He had to stifle at laugh at the locks extremely primitive design. It wouldn't take much more than a few seconds to open with the force if Kylo Ren willed it. But Kylo Ren decided on a slightly different approach than his usual sword-blazing tactics. Seeing as he was on an alien planet (which was apparently inhabited by strange sentient equines and large blue gorillas) he opted to learn as much as he could about them before he proceeded with his mission. Such information could prove to be vital to understanding the power of this planet, after all. Kylo Ren closed his eyes and reached out into the force to see what else he could learn about his surroundings through it. “The force... it’s strong on this planet..." Kylo Ren mused as he felt his spirit tingle with power. "Stronger than anything I’ve ever felt before. Intriguing...” The equine across from Ren lifted a brow. “...The Force?” “A concept I doubt you would understand, Equine.” Kylo Ren growled, glaring at the pony over his shoulder. However, upon observing the equine cower away from him in fear, a thought crossed his mind. This sentient equine could prove useful. There was obviously something unique about him—he wouldn’t have been locked away in a cage beside Kylo otherwise. “And yet...” he added in a much more contemplative tone. “There is more to you than meets the eye. What is your name?” The pony visibly gulped and replied; “Sunny Beaches, sir.” Kylo Ren titled his head. “Sunny... Beaches?” “Yes, sir.” Kylo Ren blinked behind his mask. “How... peculiar.” The equine nodded, nervously. “I-I had a feeling it would be, sir.” “Then your instincts serve you better than your tongue,” Kylo Ren answered, looking away. “I do not expect you to speak to me from now on unless you are spoken to. Failure to adhere to this command well end unpleasantly. Do I make myself clear?” “Y-yes, sir.” "Good." To his credit, Sunny Beaches was better at following orders than yapping his gums. Kylo Ren didn’t hear a word from Sunny Beaches for the rest of the trip. As the hours rolled by, Kylo Ren continued to observe his captors and learn what he could along the way. In the five or six hours that they marched through the woods before they reached their camp, he learned a few basic things about them. First, the Storm Creatures were sentient beings—much like the equines. They were capable of speech, but not in the basic tongues so commonly used amongst the stars and here amongst the equines. In addition, they were naturally massive, trained for war, and apparently extremely attached to the masks they wore to cover their faces. Kylo Ren assumed they wore them for tribal purposes. Kylo Ren was still observing his captors when the caravan made it at last to the enormous wooden fort that was Fort Storm Cloud. Kylo Ren watched as the leader of their pack barked an order to his men and shuffled the uncaged prisoners to a large stable filled with similar equine prisoners that were apparently awaiting to learn their fate. At this time, Kylo Ren turned to Sunny Beaches and said; “Tell me quickly, Equine; these creatures—I assume they elect their leaders through trials of combat?” The equine swallowed a lump in his throat. "I... uh... I don't know..." At that moment one of the storm creatures approached the carriage and unlocked Kylo Ren’s cage. Kylo Ren slipped out onto the dirt floor in accordance with the creatures gestures and allowed it to escort him to the center of the fort where General Kahldeen was ordering his troops. When the storm creature had escorted him there, Kylo Ren was kicked to his knees at the feet of the General and forced to bow his head. When the General turned around and waved his hand, the storm creature escorting Ren gave a firm salute and walked away. As Kylo Ren glared at him over his shoulder, his attention was quickly arrested by the presence of another Storm creature which appeared with Sunny Beaches and forced him to bow as well. General Kahldeen quickly muttered something in his foreign language which caused Sunny Beaches to nod his head vigorously. “Y-yes, sir!” The General 'humphed' and turned to Kylo Ren. After a brief glare, he said something in his foreign language and gave a pause. “H-he wants me to welcome you to Fort Storm Cloud,” Sunny Beaches translated. "He hopes you will cooperate and answer his questions truthfully.” Kylo Ren nodded. “Of course.” General Kahldeen folded his arms and said something to Sandy Beaches. "He wants to know your name,” The pony translated, nervously. “Kylo Ren,” the Knight answered truthfully, seeing no reason to lie. “I understand you’re the one in charge here, am I correct?” The storm creature chuckled and gave his reply to Sandy Beaches. “H-he he said yes... " the pony translated, swallowing a lump in his throat. "He wants to know where you're from." Kylo Ren gave a chuckle of his own and stood up. “You need not concern yourself with such questions at the moment, General Kaldeen." The Knight of Ren replied, addressing the creature directly. "All that you should know is this: Like you, I too am a warrior. I humbly ask that you give me a chance to prove myself as your better in combat. If I win, you will let me go—I should be of no interest to you anyway as I am not involved in whatever conflict plagues your planet. But if you win, I will answer all your questions and submit myself to you.” Sunny Beaches turned to Kylo Ren with eyes the size of dinner plates. “What?! Are you crazy?!” Kylo Ren ignored the pony and said nothing. Sunny Beaches gulped as the General laughed out loud and regarded the Knight of Ren with a nod. “Oh, boy.” Sunny Beaches groaned. "This isn't good." A firm hand grasped Kylo Ren by the shoulder and forced him to his feet. With the General following in his wake, Kylo Ren was escorted to a corralling area just outside a large tent at the back of the fort where a plethora of the general’s troops took notice of him and strode over to the sidelines to watch the fight. As Kylo Ren stood in the center of corral taking in the sight, a storm creature tossed him a spear and shield to protect himself as the General stepped into the “arena.” Kylo Ren turned to the General and watched as he retrieved an enormous ax from the sidelines and approached his opponent in the center. Kylo Ren threw down his weapons and stared the general directly in the eyes. “I don’t need these weapons to kill you,” he said. General Kahldeen laughed, joined by the creatures watching from the sidelines. As the laughter died down, General Kahldeen said something in reply and waited for Sunny Beaches to translate it. "H-he said he hopes you die well!” the pony called from the sidelines. "I don't think it's too late to apologize and act like this never happened!" Kylo Ren smirked beneath his helmet and a gave a quick bow. “His excellency is too generous.” The two combatants quickly separated from each other and occupied opposite sides of the corral. As they stood in silence, a series of drums began to play as the two squared off against each other and planted themselves in the soil. The crowd held their breath in anticipation. Sandy Beaches bit his lip as the drums continued to build suspense. At last, the drums stopped. The fight had begun. General Kahldeen took up his ax and charged at Kylo Ren with brutish strength. Kylo Ren smirked beneath his mask and watched as the General bulldozed towards him. When the General had closed half the distance between them and lifted his ax above his head, Kylo Ren stretched out his hand and called his lightsaber over to him with the force. Immediately the blade flew through the air and ignited in his hand, deflecting General Kahldeen’s blow with milliseconds to spare. The crowd gasped in wonder as the weapon in Kahldeens hand dropped to the floor in two pieces. Before the General had a chance to react, Kylo Ren quickly followed up his parry with a forceful push. As a result, General Kahldeen was sent flying through air and into the side of the corral where the wooden fence shattered to pieces beneath his weight. A hush fell over the crowd as they waited for the General to get up. He did not. A long silence followed, with nothing to break the calm but the gentle hum of Kylo’s lightsaber. “Well, that was anticlimactic.” Kylo Ren chuckled, deactivating his lightsaber. “Anyone else?” A quiet applause came from the entrance of the tent in front of the corral. Kylo Ren turned in its direction only to find a strange creature emerging from tent with gleaming silver eyes. “Bravo, outsider, bravo.” said the creature in a calm, yet eerily creepy voice. “You’ve just defeated my greatest warrior in a total of three seconds. You ought to be commended on your strength.” Kylo Ren observed as the storm creatures who had been watching the fight quickly bowed in the direction of the mysterious being and did not get up until the creature had motioned them to do so with a subtle hand gesture. “I take it you’re the storm king.” Kylo Ren muttered, his tone doing little to conceal his disappointment. “I’m not impressed.” “No, my friend, I am no Storm King.” The creature replied. “My name is Strife, and I am merely a humble servant of my masters will with a duty to carry on his legacy. I would very much like it if you would join me on this endeavor.” Kylo Ren scoffed. “You have nothing to offer me... but I have demands.” Strife lifted a brow and folded his hands. “Go on.” “Your troops pulled me from my ship—a great sky-faring vessel capable of traversing the stars. I will need it if I am going to return home.” The creature gave a sigh and gestured for the Knight of Ren to join him in his tent. “I’m afraid accommodating this request will prove difficult, my friend... Perhaps we could discuss the details in private?" Kylo Ren looked around the camp at the angry, frightened, and dumb-struck faces of those who had witnessed his duel. He turned back to Strife and gave a single nod. “So be it.” “Very good. This way, please...” Kylo Ren vigilantly took up his weapon and followed the creature into his tent. Upon entering the creature's abode, Kylo Ren took note of his surroundings and observed that the interior of the tent was decorated with various pieces of armor. A large table sat in the middle of the tent with a colorful map on top of it. The map appeared to be of the landmass he had crashed upon. “This is the heart of the Storm Empire,” the creature explained to Kylo Ren as he approached the table. “It is a land of industry, beauty, and progress. For decades, the great Storm King sought to unite the kingdoms of the world beneath his rule; but an apprentice—a unicorn named Tempest—betrayed him. Now, a civil war threatens to destroy everything the Storm King fought for. As the rightful successor to his throne, it is my duty to reunite his kingdom and restore the empire to its former glory. ” Kylo Ren looked over the map and gave a quick chuckle. “An amusing deception.” The creature regarded Ren with a look of surprise. “I beg your pardon?” Kylo Ren turned to the creature and replied simply; “You’re lying.” The creature stroked his chin and returned the look the stranger was giving him with a bemused nod. “You are full of surprises, outsider. I must commend you on your deductive skills. You are right; I am lying. In truth, I am just as much of a traitor to the crown as the Unicorn called Tempest. I plotted to take the life of my King so that I might inherit his throne, but I was discovered before the plan could be properly executed. In retaliation, my king sought to kill me, but I survived. For months, I lived in exile—cut off from my own people and countrymen—but then I learned a surprising truth; the storm king had been slain by one of his generals in my absence, meaning news of my betrayal had not reached many ears. Of course, I took this as an opportunity to seize what power I could for myself, but now, alas, I am paying the price for my zeal. The wretched Equestrians—led by that accursed Tempest—have launched a full campaign against my forces to stop the expansion of my kingdom. Now I have nothing left of the Storm King’s great empire except for this—“ he gestured to a large blue area on the map that illustrated a large mountain surrounded by a massive forest. “A measly crumb from the table of absolute power. For two years, Tempest and the Equestrians have launched wave, after wave, after wave, against my troops. Now, my forces are on the brink of collapse. I have little confidence that we will survive the winter, unless... I can find a leader with a power great enough to turn the tide in my favor. ” Kylo Ren scoffed and turned his back to the creature. “You're referring to me. ” “Why not?” answered Strife. “Clearly you are a being of great power. This does not tempt you in the slightest?” Kylo Ren imagined himself leading an army of warriors against the likes of Sandy Beaches and his kind. He couldn't help but laugh at the sheer ridiculousness of the thought. “If you knew the armies I commanded, the systems that bowed to my will, you would not dare ask a question so naïve. I have no interest in your intercontinental conquests. I came to your land in search of something that revealed itself to me in a vision—a great wellspring of power. All I need to begin the search is my ship. You will return it to me, or suffer the consequences.” "Come now, outsider," Strife replied, diplomatically. "Surely there's no reason we can't be civilized about this? Perhaps we can come to an agreement that will benefit us both. There are many places of power on this planet where one could increase their strength. One only needs to find the right guide to show them the way. If you would consider—" “Not. Interested.” Kylo Ren growled. “Insult me again, and I will separate your arms from your head.” Strife gave a long, disappointed sigh. "You are certain then that there is there is nothing I can do to change your mind?" Kylo Ren let his intense glare give the creature its answer. "I see..." whispered Strife, sadly. He paused for a few moments, but eventually recomposed himself and folded his hands, saying, "Unfortunately, Outsider, I do not know the location of this ship that you continually refer to. However, if I had to wager, I would wager it has fallen into enemy hoofs. The Equestrians have captured every one of my fortresses north of here. It is not unreasonable to assume your ship is now among their claim." Kylo Ren scoffed. The thought of miniature equines guarding his ship did little to intimidate him. "They are no match for the dark side." the knight said matter-of-factly. "That, my friend, I have no doubt," nodded Strife, sagely. "However, I warn you not to underestimate their power. The Equestrians are relentless. They are not to be taken lightly." "Neither am I." With that, Kylo Ren wheeled around and started for the exit to the tent. He was nearly there when Strife's voice called from behind; "Are you sure there is nothing I can do to change your mind?" Kylo Ren stopped in his tracks and slowly turned around to glare at Strife over his shoulder. "I sincerely doubt it." he muttered. "Then that truly is a shame," said the creature with another sigh. "For how else am I to learn what... this is..." Kylo Ren watched in amazement as Strife produced a pyramid-shaped device that glowed in the dimly-lit room. He immediately recognized it for what it was and stopped in his tracks. "Impossible," whispered Kylo Ren, breathlessly. Strife gave what appeared to be a sly smile. "So you do recognize it. Good. I had a feeling you would. Someone with your knowledge of the darkness ought to know such things—including how to open the device. You do know how to open it, don't you?" Rather than answer the question, Kylo Ren narrowed his eyes beneath his mask and stretched out with his feelings into the Force. There was obviously something special about this character that he hadn't realized before. No mere mortal could come by a Sith holocron without some help from the Force. And yet... as he felt deeper into the force... there was nothing. Strife was nothing. It was almost as if he did not exist at all. "You surprise me, Strife..." Kylo Ren admitted, his tone failing to conceal his newfound fascination with the creature. "So feeble, and yet... there is more to you than meets the eye. How did you come by the holocron?" Strife chuckled. "You mentioned you came to this world because of a vision. Well, I had a vision too, once. A great warrior would come from the sky and lead me to a wellspring of unfathomable power. Visions do not lie, outsider. You are the prophet—my guide to powers unknown. Now do you see why you must join me? It is the only way for us to achieve what we both desire." Kylo Ren studied the creature before him holding the holocron and contemplated a response. He didn't know what to think about the creatures so called "vision," but he did know that finding a being in possession of a sith artifact was not to be taken lightly. Perhaps entertaining the creatures illusions for a short time could be beneficial in the long run, after all. Besides, what did he have to lose? There was so much about this planet that he had yet to discover. Perhaps playing along for now would prove be the wisest decision at the moment. Kylo Ren watched as the creature slowly extended his hand to him and gave what looked like a smile. “I believe we have an accord?" said the creature, calmly. Kylo Ren took the creatures hand and gave a single nod. "We do." Meanwhile, in farthest outskirts of unexplored space... The Finalizer continued to loom silently in front of the massive ion storm just beyond its scopes as its sister star destroyers followed suit. Unfortunately, however serene the enormous battle ships looked from the outside, the scene within was far from anything so tranquil. First order officers dashed from one side of the bridge to the other in a frantic mission to reestablish contact with their Supreme Leader, Kylo Ren, who at the moment had dropped off their scopes for more than twenty-four hours. The loss of The Knight of Ren's signal had marked a near non-stop frenzy that continued well throughout the night and well beyond any reasonable measure. This was not surprising. Many feared the retribution that often followed such catastrophic failure. After all, heads had rolled in the past for far less. General Hux watched from the corner of the bridge as the officers under his command stumbled over each other to repeat their tasks in exhaustion. There wasn't really any more they could do—they had tried everything. General Hux chuckled to himself in amusement as the officers slaved away in futility. Their efforts ultimately amounted to nothing, of course—General Hux had seen to that. The ion-charge he had secretly planted inside Kylo Ren's ship had no doubt stranded the Supreme Leader deep within the ion-storm by now where no technology the First Order possessed could find him. Unless the astrological phenomenon had somehow regurgitated him out of the other side of its maw (an extremely unlikely circumstance by his own calculations), then the Supreme Leaders fate was more than certain at this point. General Hux let out a long-anticipated sigh of relief. At last, Kylo Ren would trouble him no more. The First Order could finally recover from its humiliating defeat at the hands of the loathsome resistance and take its rightful place in the galaxy. Hux would have smiled if it wouldn't have given him away. A significant number of officers already knew his feelings towards the Supreme Leader were hard, so it was best to avoid adding suspicion to their already suspicious ranks. Besides, there were more exciting things to smile about on the horizon. Specifically, the man who would be soon crowned as the new Supreme Leader of the First Order. General Hux imagined himself standing before a great multitude of storm troopers, accepting the mantel of Supreme Leader for himself. Of course, he wasn't the first in line to be granted such an honor—realistically, the Supreme Counsel would elect a member of its own cabinet to be the future Supreme Leader—but as long as that leader wasn't Kylo Ren, it suited the ginger general just fine. General Huxs mind was just beginning to run wild with all sorts of glorious fantasies about the new and improved First Order, when all of a sudden something happened that he did not expect. A young officer, distinctly that of an intelligence variety, quickly approached the him with a look that carried "good news." "Sir," said the lieutenant, a slight smile tugging at the corner of his lips. General Hux furrowed his brow as the officer continued; "We've just received a partial transmission from one of the probe droids we sent into the storm. According to the fragments we've managed to piece together, it appears the Supreme Leader made it out alive and crash landed on an unknown planet just beyond ion cloud. We have no word as of yet if the Supreme Leaders condition is stable or not, but our analysts project a very good chance that he only sustained minimal injuries. We've already contacted Maelstrom and Reclaimer with the news. Should we send in an attachment to retrieve him, sir?" General Hux's face turned pale. He couldn't believe the words he was hearing. Kylo Ren, alive?! How was that possible?! The measures he had taken to ensure the Supreme Leaders demise had been so precise! There must be some kind of mistake! Perhaps the analysts were mistaken? General Hux shook his head. No, that didn't make sense. They wouldn't have come to him with the information that they did unless they were sure it was true. The First Order rarely operated on bad intel. Perhaps it was just a dream? Yes, that's it—just a dream! Soon General Hux would awaken and all would be well. General Hux stared blankly at the officer, waiting for the nightmare to end. The officer returned his neutrality with a look of confusion as he wondered why his superior made no effort to reply. "Sir?" asked the officer, observing Hux's odd behavior. "Are you alright?" General Hux didn't know what to say. He waited a few moments for something to happen, but eventually reality began to sink in and he realized he had to do something. Hux shook himself out of his daze and gave the officer a weak smile. He was just about to will some semblance of coherent dialogue into existence when all of a sudden a familiar voice spoke up behind him and answered the the lieutenants question for him. "Quite alright, I assure you, Lieutenant Prynn," said the voice in a strange tone. "The General is just too overcome with emotion at the moment to speak. Isn't that right, General Hux?" General Hux turned around towards the the source of the voice and inwardly gasped as his gaze fell upon the man who had spoken for him. The man was Supreme Councilman Pryde, a First Order General Kylo Ren had only recently appointed as part of his inner circle mere cycles before their current mission. The councilman was already generally regarded as the natural pick for the new Supreme Leader should Kylo Ren be killed—meaning Kylo Ren trusted him absolutely. At least, that was the assumption. One could never be too sure of such things. General Hux gathered the thoughts racing through his head and nodded respectfully, mustering enough strength to appear somewhat composed. "General Pryde," said the cowardly man in a voice that did little to conceal his surprise. "W-what an honor! I-I was not expecting to hear from you until the next council session...” “There are more pressing matters at the moment, wouldn’t you say, General Hux?” said the General With a frown. "And now that the Supreme Leader has been found, I would say that fact is even more glaring, wouldn't you agree? General Hux swallowed another a lump in his throat and gave a nod. “Y-yes, of course...” General Pryde 'humped' at Huxs reply and strode past him so that every officer on the bridge could see him in the center. “Lieutenant Prin,” called Pryde to the officer who had just given his report to Hux moment earlier. “Relay that report to us once more.” The officer replied, ”In summary, General, one of our probe droids found the Supreme Leaders ship crash-landed on an alien planet. At the moment, we believe he may be alive; though in very real danger.” The General nodded and turned away to address the rest of the officers on the bridge. “As some or all of you may already know, my name is Pryde, and I am a member of the Supreme Council. Although I’m sure General Hux believes his authority over this ship and its crew is absolute, it is not. By the authority of the Supreme Council, for the duration of this operation, I will be overseeing the reacquisition of Kylo Ren, our Supreme Leader. General Hux will offer his assistance, but let us be clear—you answer to me. Am I understood?” The officers exchanged glances and said nothing. General Pryde gave a satisfied nod. “Good. Lieutenant,” said Pryde, turning back to the officer he had spoken to earlier. “Deploy the extraction team straight away. I want a full platoon of stormtroopers accompanying them to the planets surface. Should there be any native resistance, eliminate them at once. The situation is far too delicate to handle diplomatically.” The lieutenant gave a salute to General Pryde and hurried off to do what he was told. With that, General Pryde glared once more in General Hux's direction and strode out of the bridge. The General could only watch his retreating figure as the doors closed behind him and left the humiliated man in a state of bewilderment.