Episode IX: Legacy of the Chosen

Chapter Three: Son of Darkness

The listless remains of General Organa's transport, flanked by a Star Destroyer and a dozen TIE fighters, floated among the stars.

Eerie silence gripped the darkened hallways.

The bay door slid open, allowing light to pour in around a towering silhouette. A crack in the ceiling passed overhead of the dark figure. It cast a lone beam of light down the length of his face, tracing a scar that told of a battle so long ago.

The door slammed shut behind Kylo Ren as he strode away.

He sensed the familiar presence in the Force. At last, he had tracked General Organa down.

With that realization, a blaze of emotion surprised him. After a moment of vulnerability, he channeled it into anger at everything she'd done to him. All those years ago, when he needed her most, she'd sent him away to train with Luke. She'd betrayed him. Conspired to kill him. Finally, he would end this war, but most importantly get revenge.

At last, he stood at the entrance to the bridge. He hesitated for a moment, mentally preparing himself. At last, with the reassurance of boiling anger coursing through his veins, Ren reached deep into the dark side and destroyed the blast door.

Nothing could have prepared him for what he saw.

She was not strong, standing with blaster cocked, prepared to blast him into oblivion. Quite the opposite.

She was just a shadow of a crumpled heap on the floor, surrounded by the massive, panoramic viewscreen of the stars.

The anger evaporated just as quickly as it had come. And Ren, in the moment, strode to her side a little more quickly than he intended.

Her graying hand lay to the side, still wearing her blue-jeweled ring. He kneeled and, reaching out with a trembling hand, carefully grasped her fingers. Suddenly, at his touch, her hand returned the slightest grasp.

He drew a sharp breath.

If he hadn't been utterly silent, he might have missed her whisper.

"Promise me... Ben."

Her hand grasped his for a fleeting moment.

Then it went limp.

His eyes darted, desperately searching for any sign of life. It took several long moments for him to accept he would never find it.

And as he searched for that life he had just vowed to destroy, something inside him faded away. Some kind of calm strength... a subtle reassurance... perhaps even a mother's hope that her son would one day come home.

He had never even noticed it until it was gone.

He took her hand in both of his, clenching his eyes tight. Tears escaped and trickled over the scar on his right cheek.

For a few fleeting moments, Kylo Ren let himself be Ben Solo again.

***

Rey and Chewbacca had been silently watching the hyperspace lines from inside the Millennium Falcon.

Rey glanced up suddenly as she felt a familiar presence disappear, leaving a massive void in its wake.

***

After what seemed like an eternity, Ren finally allowed himself to place his mother's hand back on the floor. Her jeweled ring sparkled in the soft light of the stars.

Promise me... Ben.

He gently eased the ring off her finger and clenched it tight in his fist.

Suddenly, hollow footsteps echoed off the walls. Ren bolted upright, swiped his face with his sleeve, and deliberately faced away from the door. A squad of stormtroopers led by General Hux rounded the corner.

"Well?" Hux demanded impatiently.

Ren buried his emotions as well as he could manage. "General Organa has been eliminated."

Hux let as much of his anger show as he dared. "I thought we were taking prisoners! We were to coax the Resistance out of hiding so the entire galaxy would see as we obliterated the last of their puny--"

Ren whirled around in a fit of rage. "GENERAL!"

An invisible grip wrapped around Hux's throat. He clutched at his collar, rising a meter off the ground, until he managed to sputter, "Long... live... the Supreme Leader."

The grip released him and he tumbled to the floor, panting for air on his hands and knees. His anger boiled even hotter now that Ren had humiliated him in front of his troops, but he kept it to himself.

"Did you alter the transmission as ordered?" Ren hissed.

"Yes, Supreme Leader," Hux winced, adjusting his collar as he stood up. "We have the Resistance on a string. It will not be long until they come to rescue their precious General."

Ren swept his cape as he turned to gaze out the window. "The plan has changed. Once the Resistance find themselves without a leader, their destruction will come from the inside."

Hux's contempt for Ren's plan was obvious, but he was wise enough to not voice it. He briskly dusted off his uniform and glared at his troopers. "Back to the ship," he barked.

Once Ren was certain they were gone, he took a small tracking beacon from his pocket and activated it. Its red glow illuminated the room.

He knelt down and hesitated for a moment, considering otherwise. The contemplation lasted longer than he intended, and when he caught himself in the middle of such conflict, he decided to carry through. He slid the tracking beacon's strap over her wrist, making sure to disguise it far under her sleeve.

He stood back to his full height and clenched her ring in his fist, giving a final gaze before he turned and strode away.