Moonlight Sonata

Chapter 1

Blue lights broke through the dust clouds as an Upsilon-class command shuttle began its descent. Jakku was a worthless wasteland with rolling dunes and unpredictable storms; even from thousands of feet in the air, there was no denying that its landscape was one of absolute desolation. The planet was full of sand: coarse, rough sand that got everywhere. Kylo Ren didn't like it.

The ship landed silently; with a wave of Ren's hand, the hatch opened. He stepped out. Puffs of steam marked his entrance as he glided down the ramp. Troopers covered his flanks, flooding out of the ship and arresting any other civilians he deemed traitorous. Then he saw the old man, tangled in the midst of stormtrooper arms, struggling a little. He had the map. Lor San Tekka, if the word inconvenience was a human being. Ren approached the man, a sorry sight he was- squirming in the grasp of armoured hands.

"Look how old you've become."

"Something far worse has happened to you," San Tekka said. "Or rather, will." Even as he stood before Ren, defenceless and humiliated, he still had the audacity to insult him.

"You know what I've come for," the young Solo's modulated voice grated in the poor man's ears.

"I know where you come from. Before you called yourself Kylo Ren."

"The map to Skywalker, we know you've found it and now you're going to give to the First Order."

"The First Order rose from the dark side... you did not."

"I'll show you the dark side."

"You may try, but you cannot deny the truth that is your family-"

"You're so right."

"...And you cannot deny what I will do to you."

In a fit of fury, he raised his gleaming lightsaber. The red blade burned with the fiery rage that was so intrinsic to Ren. His own stormtroopers backed away as the sword came sweeping down.

Lor San Tekka wasn't afraid. His fate had already been sealed from the moment that Upsilon-class command shuttle had touched down. First, though, he had to give Ren the parting gift he deserved.

He lunged at Ren. With the last of his strength, he grabbed the man's shoulder... with his teeth. He bit down hard, his jaws only sinking in deeper as the fearsome Commander tried to shake him off. A horrid squelch sounded as Ren tossed his lightsaber aside and tried to push San Tekka off of him. A flurry of Stormtroopers swarmed the old man, clawing at the fabric of his clothes to pull him back. By the time they had managed to yank him off of their Commander, it was already too late.

Some kind of searing pain tore through Kylo Ren's body, reverberating from the top of his shoulder, all the way down his arm.

Kylo could feel whatever flesh was in San Tekka's mouth rip away with the man himself. He cried out as the feral beast finally let go.

Phasma rushed up to Ren, swiftly pulling out a medpack from her utility belt. "Sir, are you-"

Ren rushed around and stopped the hurtling blaster bolt. Poe dropped the gun and tried to scramble away. A foolish attempt. Troopers grabbed him by the arms and brought him before Kylo Ren. A stormtrooper kicked him in the back of his knee and he fell. The Commander knelt down to meet Poe's beaten and bloodied face.

"So who talks first? You talk first? I talk first?" the pilot chuckled in spite of his split lip.

"I talk first. I always talk first."

Poe glared at the man in front of him with a mixture of intimidation and utter confusion.

Ren sighed; he began to mumble through the modulator. "Look, technically you've just talked first, but-"

Poe raised a hand and pointed at Kylo Ren's mask. "It's just very hard to understand you with all the..."

"Goddamn it! Now this entire conversation has been derailed, so congratulations for that!"

He looked to his platoon.

"Take him away."

"Sir, you should head to the infirmary once we're on board on the Finalizer and have that properly seen to. Human bites are some of the nastiest, it could easily get infected," Phasma spoke tentatively. She was the very soul of caution when conversing with the foul-tempered Kylo Ren. No one wanted to aggravate him, especially at a time like this.

"I'll see that I get this fixed."

"And the villagers?"

"Kill them all. Every. Single. One."

Ren clutched at his shoulder as he hobbled his way back to the command shuttle. The bite would heal.

At least, he hoped that it would.