Chapter 64: Attack
In which the attack on the Jedi Academy begins.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
The moment that Ben took his hand, Snoke knew that this man -- this man who could provoke so many conflicting feelings inside him -- trusted him, completely and utterly. He could trust Ben, in turn, to carry out his mission, to bring balance to the galaxy where the Jedi had been far from able to.
It seemed, Snoke thought, that his dreams of making a better galaxy were finally coming to fruition, and it was glorious.
“So what do we do now?” Ben said.
That would come in time. “Go to the antechamber of the ship and await my presence. You’ll find others waiting for you -- others intending fully to follow me.”
“I’ll head there right now,” Ben said.
Even as Ben walked away, Snoke could not help but feel a sort of satisfaction. For the first time in a long while, it seemed that things were falling into place.
Over the Force, he could feel Senator Organa’s horror, and her grief. No. It can’t be. You won’t have my son.
And yet here I am. He will help me in this endeavor, Senator. To bring peace to the galaxy where you could not.
He would never belong to you. Senator Organa-Solo’s voice, shredded, in shock. He would never help you. Never.
Oh, he will. He was as much my child as yours and Han Solo’s, Senator. He was as much my child from the start. Moreso even. I’m merely claiming what is mine by right.
He’s not yours. He was never yours.
He was, Senator. Even his face -- he never was truly yours nor Han Solo’s, was he? He was the Dark’s. How ironic that such a thing of beauty could have come from such disgusting, unworthy people. Even thinking about it was enough to make Snoke despise Leia all the more. Spoiled, spiteful, selfish, arrogant princess, with a vicious streak that would make Yoda impressed. Self-centered, negligent smuggler. They may have copulated, but the product of their union was Snoke’s alone. I have come across disgusting, unworthy beings in my lifetime, but you are in a category all your own, the sorts of vermin who believe that you’re righteous. You, who would start a war to satisfy your childish sense of being a hero. You, who abandoned your own son. You, who have killed so many and still believe yourselves to be unassailable, who believe your victims deserved every last piece of harm. You, who believe that the galaxy revolves around you to cater to your pseudomorality and revenge fantasies and can’t stand when it isn’t the case. You, who don’t care about who gets killed as long as you get to live out your glory days. You, spiteful, traitorous, thankless, murderous, merciless, self-righteous. Murderer, traitor, thief. You were never good enough for your son -- you were never good enough for any being in this galaxy. Hero, mother, senator, royalty -- you are none of these things. You are not good enough. You are less than good enough. You are nothing.
He could already feel Senator Organa’s anger over the link. You could never understand.
I understand too well. And I know your son will too. He will come to accept me, to serve me, to love me in all things. He will be a son to me, as I am a father to him. I will be the parent to him that you were too pitifully inadequate to be.
You would never be a parent to him.
I would. You were never good enough. And now, Senator, you’re going to reap what you’ve sown.
***
It took a while for Ben to find the antechamber, but once he got there, he knew it was the place.
There was a whole crowd gathered, a whole audience, completely still, looking up at the empty podium. Ben took his seat in the audience, looking out there for Snoke, wherever he was.
“Tonight’s the night.” one of the people next to him, a Knight of Ren no doubt, said. “Tonight is no doubt the night we march. I was wondering when it would become a reality.”
“It took that long?”
“Aye. The Leader, however...he was quite obsessed with you. He must have seen something in you, something unique.” The Knight of Ren paused. “You are an odd one. I can feel it.”
“So I’ve been told,” Ben said.
The crowd fell silent even as Snoke arrived.
Snoke all but towered over the crowd, majestic in that moment, imposing, the sort that the moment he stepped forward, the ranks of Ren and the other soldiers dropped what they were doing to look up at him.
“Beings of the First Order.” Snoke’s voice was quiet, and yet it seemed that the mythical Snoke of the Forest, he who had led his people to victory long ago, spoke through him. “My brothers, my sisters, my kin -- today is a momentous day in our history.”
My brothers, my sisters, my kin. Snoke of the Forests had used those words in his speech long ago, when he had encouraged others to march. Ben had read it long ago when his Snoke had decided to educate him about Milaran history.
“The Republic has failed the galaxy time and time again,” said Snoke. “Long ago, when the Republic was established, they promised to protect those who needed it most. Innocents. The downtrodden. Soldiers swore an oath to defend the Republic, and they defended corruption and weakness instead. They failed countless people -- instances such as this date back only to a long, terrible legacy of failure that they’ve failed to learn any lesson from. The Empire brought order and peace for a short time, before Vader’s fall. Before the Emperor’s. All at the hands, or should I say words, of Luke Skywalker.”
The crowd roared in fury. It was as if they roared with one voice, Ben thought. One voice, standing up to the Republic to say no more.
“And in their place will be a better galaxy,” Snoke said. “From despair will come renewal, and from desolation will come prosperity. The galaxy will be safe, as it should have been from the start, and we shall have the balance we were denied. Let the First Order march then, into battle, into victory -- let us honor what the Empire began so long ago. In the name of Lord Vader, the Emperor, and others who died that terrible day at Endor, let it be known that we will finish their noble work. For they are not dead. Their spirits, their passions, their hearts -- they live in us, and we shall make sure they echo in eternity.”
The crowd roared in agreement. Ben, meanwhile, could only listen, entranced despite himself. The way Snoke spoke -- it was the sort of voice that would compel anyone into battle.
Snoke continued. “It will be a difficult fight without a doubt. No victory has ever been acquired without great struggle, without great strife. But we will do what we must. The Jedi Order is a dangerous foe. These beings are killers at their very core, and will not hesitate to kill us first. They will not hesitate to lay waste to your homes and families in the name of their cause. An excursion such as this is self-defense, not murder.”
Ben listened. He could not argue. If Uncle Luke had gone after Snoke, who knew who else would go after Snoke? And they would kill him. Or they would make him wish he was dead.
Either way, Ben doubted he could allow it.
“Let us defend our homes, our livelihoods, our very lives this day. Let us honor what the Empire worked so hard to achieve. In the name of the living and the dead, let us finish what Lord Vader started.”
The crowd saluted.
Ben saluted with them. All the while, there was something in him that felt almost as if he were on a path to something that he could never turn back from. And yet he was doing the right thing, wasn’t he?
There was everything wrong with the Republic. But there was nothing wrong with them.
As the crowd dispersed, Ben walked towards Snoke. “You gave a wonderful speech,” he said.
“Never underestimate the power of words, Ben. Words can stir the very soul. There’s a reason why language is so prized in Milaran culture.”
“They’d take a blaster bolt for you in a heartbeat,” Ben said, and he knew that in that moment, if necessary, he would too. He loved this man. Not like Poe, but a sort of undying devotion that a soldier felt for his General, a student for his teacher. A victim for the being who saved him.
“If necessary,” said Snoke.
“Is there anything I need to do?”
“You, Ben, have your own duties to fulfill. Down on the planet of Yavin IV is where you begin. The elements align for this moment.”
“What do I need to do?” Ben said.
“You must go to the Jedi Enclave and take care of the Jedi there. I know it repulses you, Ben, but to lose the Order is better than what they will do when they catch up with us. They will not hesitate to kill either of us, or make us wish they did. They are not beings who can be reasoned with, Ben -- they are killers to the core, all of them.”
“Not all of them.”
“But many of them. They’re monsters, Ben,” and it was there that Snoke’s voice became as heated, as passionate, as it was in his speeches. “Monsters who prey on younglings. They will not hesitate to do harm to us. It is better that we strike at them first than they strike at us.”
Ben bit his lip. “Isn’t there an alternative to killing them?”
“I doubt alternatives are available, Ben.” Snoke took a deep breath. “Captain Phasma, you will be working alongside Ben Solo.”
A woman in chrome stormtrooper armor stepped forward and Ben’s breath hitched.
I saw you in a vision. A nightmare. It seemed as if in that moment that his worst nightmare that he had seen on Milara was coming true.
“A pleasure to be working with you, sir,” Phasma said.
“And with you.” All the while, Ben felt as if he had stepped into a nightmare. Perhaps it was a nightmare and he’d wake up and there would be no First Order, nothing like that at all --
Snoke must have sensed his discomfort because he said, “Captain, if I may...I would like to speak with Ben Solo.”
“As you wish, Supreme Leader.”
Snoke guided him away from Phasma. Then he spoke again. “Do you have doubts, Ben?”
“I’ve never done this before. It’s so big.”
“It’s hardly the first time you’ve put your lightsaber to work.”
“But that was...different. My friends and family -- ’’
Snoke’s voice was gentle. “They will show you no mercy, Ben. They will hate you, if only for the decision that you’ve made. They won’t care that you’re doing the right thing. The good thing. The only thing that dutiful citizens of the galaxy, those who are not cowards, would do. They won’t even care that you were their blood. They will not hesitate to kill you when they have the chance. Show no mercy, Ben. Mercy is a trait that your family has never shared.”
“And even my parents -- ’’
“When they come for you,” said Snoke, “They won’t show you mercy. They won’t hesitate to kill you.”
Even that knowledge was enough to make Ben’s chest clench. “They -- ’’
“They won’t hesitate to kill anyone they see as the enemy.”
Ben took a deep breath. “Even me?”
“Even you, Ben. Whatever they come for you, you must be prepared. You must be ready.”
Ben nodded. “I will do whatever I can to defend myself.”
“Exactly,” said Snoke. “There is one more thing, Ben -- there is something I would like to give you.”
He held out a helmet -- a small, rounded helmet that looked so very strange, almost naked. Ben couldn’t help but wonder how it was supposed to fit him. And then there was something about the mask that looked familiar...
“It looks like Revan’s mask,” Ben said. Even looking over the mask, he could not help but be reminded of what he had read in holobooks about the Mandalorian Wars.
“I thought it would be fitting,” said Snoke. “After all, Revan...he might as well be a Milaran warrior on par with the first Snoke. Like the first Snoke, he sought to bring balance and peace to a galaxy that was torn by hardship and strife. We’ll bring that peace to this galaxy, I know this, my Knight.”
As he spoke, images flickered across Ben’s mind. Famine, eradicated. Drought, eradicated. Milara, habitable again. Abuse, oppression, and so much more, eradicated. He saw Snoke sitting on the throne as Supreme Leader of Milara, the First Order, and making things right. And himself, standing next to Snoke, carrying out his commands and keeping the peace by any means necessary.
There was such an innocence to the images, such a sort of fairytale-like quality, that Ben was taken aback. “You believe it so much, don’t you?”
“Every inch of it, my Knight. Every part. And I believe that you can help me. If we work together, we can give Milara a future. We can give the galaxy a future.”
“Do you love Milara?”
“For my part, I do. The memories I have of her are not pleasant ones. But I know I would do anything to defend her beauty, her history, her wisdom. And I will not be alone.”
“I can only hope that I can save Milara...Snoke.” He couldn't call him Yana anymore, and yet the name Snoke still sounded so odd on his tongue. Snoke. Such a peculiar name for such a man. “Should I call you Snoke?”
“It is not my birth name, so you may. Supreme Leader, Leader Snoke, or simply Snoke...those are my names.”
“So Snoke it is, then.”
“Yes. In this case, names are important.” Beat. “And think nothing of Aldric, Ben. Aldric was unworthy.”
“I see.” It seemed unfair, however, condemning your former self simply for being a child. Illogical too.
“Now, the mask...I gave this to you, so you are always protected from your enemies. And there will be many as we go along. Masks have special properties, my dear Ben. I can only hope that you have the protection of prior Milaran warriors before you.”
“Thank you.” And I hope I do too. I will need them.
“Put it on. I want to see you in it, my Knight.” And Snoke’s voice became rumbling, almost a command.
Ben obeyed him.
Slipping the mask on was almost akin to putting on a blindfold, if the blindfold had some eyeholes, limited eyeholes at that, to see out of. The moment Ben put it on, it was as if his vision drastically narrowed, and everything else became like seeing out of the wrong end of binoculars. Snoke seemed blurry at first before solidifying again, and yet everything still seemed so narrow, so closed in. Ben idly wondered if that was how Revan felt when he had first worn his mask. Or, for that matter, Vader. Little durasteel cages where the eyes could peek out at the galaxy, but never truly see.
Snoke spoke. “Can you see me?”
“Barely,” Ben said. “I feel like I’m wearing this wrong.” And even his voice sounded funny. Muffled, strange.
“No, you’re wearing it right, Ben. It will take some time getting used to. Of course, the eyes are no more than sentient constructs and can be easily deceived. The Force is your guide. Your eyes, your ears. Trust in it.”
“I do.”
“Do you trust me?”
“I do.” To stop the war, to stabilize the galaxy, Ben would do anything.
“Go, my Knight. And may ren be with you in your endeavors.”
“And in yours, Leader.”
“It will be,” said Snoke. “It will be.”
The planet below was already raining furiously. Even stepping out, long after Phasma had descended to the planet, Ben doubted that he had ever seen a rain like this on Yavin for quite some time. His eyes were protected from the worst of the storm, the rain that wouldn’t stop pounding on his helmet, spattering his cloak, and yet it seemed as if ahead of him was a blur in the rain.
“How are we supposed to see in this?” one of the Knights said. He was an older Knight, more wheezy-voiced, but Ben knew that age in and of itself was no hindrance when you had the Force.
That was a good question, actually. It was then that Snoke’s voice echoed in his mind.
Stretch out with your feelings.
Right. Your eyes could deceive you. That made sense - eyes were only sentient flesh constructs. They could be fallible as anything.
Even as Ben stretched out, he could feel the energy emanating from different places on the planet -- the Light was almost blinding even as he reached out. So much blue, and so much white...in between the steadily falling rain and the Force energy he sensed, he could identify with the Knight on that part -- sight was nigh impossible.
Then again, eyes alone were no way to experience the galaxy. The Miraluka had “seen” through the Force for years. So the fact that he was wet, cold, near-blind wasn't going to slow down his progress in the slightest.
“What are you doing?” the Knight said.
“Trust me,” Ben said.
They headed towards the Academy just then, the rain all but bearing down on them, and Ben wondered what they were going to do next. Knock on the door? Kill everyone there? He could only hope that they wouldn’t have to do something like that. He wasn’t quite ready to kill.
Then again, maybe nobody was dying around here. Maybe...maybe no one was going to die. Maybe they didn’t have to die, not really.
They reached the Academy. In contrast to other times Ben had been there, it was quiet, completely quiet. Had the Jedi gone in to protect themselves from the storm?
It was drawing closer that Ben saw it.
There were bodies lying everywhere. Some were stormtroopers, some were Jedi of varying ages. And out in the rain, it was a battlefield.
The stormtroopers had already made short work of some of the Jedi, and now the Jedi were already flooding out, cutting down troopers that continued to advance towards them. Blaster bolts flew through the air, and when that failed, when they were deflected back at the troopers, grenades flew through the air.
Ben stepped forward in that moment and stood in front of the other Knights. And it was there that the other Jedi froze.
They could recognize him. Even through the helmet, they recognized him. By the stars, they recognized him.
“I come here on orders from Supreme Leader Snoke,” Ben said. “Surrender your Academy to the Knights of Ren and more needless bloodshed may yet be avoided.”
Mercy, Ben? The Supreme Leader’s voice echoed over their link. And Ben was not afraid. Indeed, he was far from afraid. This man was practically a second father figure to him now. He trusted him. Loved him.
Who knows? They may yet be useful. That was bargaining, of course. Ben was already hoping he wouldn’t actually have to kill anyone else.
Master Mei spoke up. “Ben? What are you doing here?”
“I have sworn my allegiance to the Supreme Leader. He has shown himself to be the best one to heal this broken galaxy and make it strong again. I have no desire to kill any one of you, but if necessary, I will do what I must.”
“As will we,” said Master Mei. She turned towards the younglings. “Go!”
They ran, and Ben was left to face the Jedi in the rain.
“I had hoped to avoid all this,” he said. He turned towards Phasma. “Open fire.”
And from there, the battleground became a symphony of lightsabers and blasters.
***
Back on the Liberator , the Supreme Leader waited for the incoming transmission. He could sense, at least, that his new would-be apprentice was safe, and that was what mattered. As for Hux...
Hux appeared then on the viewscreen, ramrod straight, having a certain dignity to him in an almost sculpted way. “Supreme Leader.”
“General.” Snoke sat back then, casually, overlooking Hux. “How goes our strategy?”
“Quite well, Supreme Leader,” Hux said. “The loathsome Jedi Order are yet to be subdued, but I would say that my men have been doing a solid job.”
“I felt as much,” Snoke said. “You’re doing quite well, General. I’m impressed.”
Hux looked skeptical for a moment before composing himself. Hux was a man of science, thinking two-dimensionally as opposed to seeing all perspectives. Indeed, on the outside, Hux would seem more slimy than anything else; there were times where Snoke wondered if he left an oil slick when he talked. Humans would say “as slippery as a Hutt’s tail”, and Snoke would be inclined to agree with them.
But even the slimy could be dangerous.
One had to be careful, of course, with one such as Hux. He was a loyal General, and an efficient one as well, but there was always ambition that wove through him, a sort of belief that he should be the one to rule the galaxy as it was his right to do so. Snoke was not yet a ruler, but he knew that if there was anyone who could put the galaxy in place, heal its broken parts and shattered edges, it was Snoke, not Hux.
So one always had to maintain control with Hux. Subtle, but there nonetheless. Among Dark Siders, ambition and murder were virtues. But that was among Force users, not soldiers. And even among Force users, one had to continue to secure their allegiance.
“Go, General,” Snoke said. “Continue with your conquest.”
“Yes, Supreme Leader.”
The hologram faded and Supreme Leader Snoke was left alone with his thoughts. He had not expected to end up coming back to kill his own kin, but sometimes ren made you have to make choices you never thought you would have to make. You had to kill those who you never thought you would have to kill, you had to fight those you never thought you would have to fight. Such was the way of ren. She could be a cruel mistress.
But ren was necessary nonetheless. The Jedi were a threat to balance in the galaxy. They had to be destroyed. They were cruel and corrupt and needed to be rooted out. They needed to be found, and destroyed before they could cause any more harm to the galaxy.
The Jedi would fall this day. And in their place would be a stronger institution, not chained by corruption and archaic views, stagnated, hypocritical, uncaring, isolated, but an institution that would give the galaxy what it needed. Stability. Order. Where foolishness such as an argument over taxation on trade routes would be limited to no more than a border skirmish, quickly over and done with, and the galaxy stabilized.
Snoke smiled to himself. It was a new dawn for the First Order, and he fully intended to take advantage of it.
***
When the Academy fell, Leia Organa-Solo felt it, and she couldn’t believe that she was even feeling it. And yet here it was. Her son, her own son, massacring the Academy, willingly, with others at his side helping.
No. Leia couldn’t accept it. She simply couldn’t. Even after all this time... No...
What is the matter, Senator? It’s a fitting role for him, is it not? You always thought he had too much Vader in him. It appears you’ve got your wish.
“You’re a monster.”
I am what ren made me, Senator. And ren, cruel a mistress as she is, can occasionally be just as well. The Jedi could not be allowed to continue. Nor could the Republic. Now, listen, Senator...listen to the death of corruption in this galaxy, or at least one part of it.
Leia didn’t have much of a choice but to listen, actually. It was too much like being on that bridge of the Death Star, watching the Death Star turned up to its maximum setting destroy Alderaan in one shot. Her father, holding her back as her true father and mother, her friends and family, burned.
And her son...her son was butchering countless people. What he didn’t butcher, others did for him.
“You disgusting, monstrous beast...”
Call me what you will, Senator. It is the will of ren this happen. I only thought it would be interesting you would watch.
Leia Organa-Solo did not scream. Even when Alderaan was destroyed, she had not so much as whimpered.
But by the stars, even as her son’s rampage went through the Force, she wanted to.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
The moment that Ben took his hand, Snoke knew that this man -- this man who could provoke so many conflicting feelings inside him -- trusted him, completely and utterly. He could trust Ben, in turn, to carry out his mission, to bring balance to the galaxy where the Jedi had been far from able to.
It seemed, Snoke thought, that his dreams of making a better galaxy were finally coming to fruition, and it was glorious.
“So what do we do now?” Ben said.
That would come in time. “Go to the antechamber of the ship and await my presence. You’ll find others waiting for you -- others intending fully to follow me.”
“I’ll head there right now,” Ben said.
Even as Ben walked away, Snoke could not help but feel a sort of satisfaction. For the first time in a long while, it seemed that things were falling into place.
Over the Force, he could feel Senator Organa’s horror, and her grief. No. It can’t be. You won’t have my son.
And yet here I am. He will help me in this endeavor, Senator. To bring peace to the galaxy where you could not.
He would never belong to you. Senator Organa-Solo’s voice, shredded, in shock. He would never help you. Never.
Oh, he will. He was as much my child as yours and Han Solo’s, Senator. He was as much my child from the start. Moreso even. I’m merely claiming what is mine by right.
He’s not yours. He was never yours.
He was, Senator. Even his face -- he never was truly yours nor Han Solo’s, was he? He was the Dark’s. How ironic that such a thing of beauty could have come from such disgusting, unworthy people. Even thinking about it was enough to make Snoke despise Leia all the more. Spoiled, spiteful, selfish, arrogant princess, with a vicious streak that would make Yoda impressed. Self-centered, negligent smuggler. They may have copulated, but the product of their union was Snoke’s alone. I have come across disgusting, unworthy beings in my lifetime, but you are in a category all your own, the sorts of vermin who believe that you’re righteous. You, who would start a war to satisfy your childish sense of being a hero. You, who abandoned your own son. You, who have killed so many and still believe yourselves to be unassailable, who believe your victims deserved every last piece of harm. You, who believe that the galaxy revolves around you to cater to your pseudomorality and revenge fantasies and can’t stand when it isn’t the case. You, who don’t care about who gets killed as long as you get to live out your glory days. You, spiteful, traitorous, thankless, murderous, merciless, self-righteous. Murderer, traitor, thief. You were never good enough for your son -- you were never good enough for any being in this galaxy. Hero, mother, senator, royalty -- you are none of these things. You are not good enough. You are less than good enough. You are nothing.
He could already feel Senator Organa’s anger over the link. You could never understand.
I understand too well. And I know your son will too. He will come to accept me, to serve me, to love me in all things. He will be a son to me, as I am a father to him. I will be the parent to him that you were too pitifully inadequate to be.
You would never be a parent to him.
I would. You were never good enough. And now, Senator, you’re going to reap what you’ve sown.
***
It took a while for Ben to find the antechamber, but once he got there, he knew it was the place.
There was a whole crowd gathered, a whole audience, completely still, looking up at the empty podium. Ben took his seat in the audience, looking out there for Snoke, wherever he was.
“Tonight’s the night.” one of the people next to him, a Knight of Ren no doubt, said. “Tonight is no doubt the night we march. I was wondering when it would become a reality.”
“It took that long?”
“Aye. The Leader, however...he was quite obsessed with you. He must have seen something in you, something unique.” The Knight of Ren paused. “You are an odd one. I can feel it.”
“So I’ve been told,” Ben said.
The crowd fell silent even as Snoke arrived.
Snoke all but towered over the crowd, majestic in that moment, imposing, the sort that the moment he stepped forward, the ranks of Ren and the other soldiers dropped what they were doing to look up at him.
“Beings of the First Order.” Snoke’s voice was quiet, and yet it seemed that the mythical Snoke of the Forest, he who had led his people to victory long ago, spoke through him. “My brothers, my sisters, my kin -- today is a momentous day in our history.”
My brothers, my sisters, my kin. Snoke of the Forests had used those words in his speech long ago, when he had encouraged others to march. Ben had read it long ago when his Snoke had decided to educate him about Milaran history.
“The Republic has failed the galaxy time and time again,” said Snoke. “Long ago, when the Republic was established, they promised to protect those who needed it most. Innocents. The downtrodden. Soldiers swore an oath to defend the Republic, and they defended corruption and weakness instead. They failed countless people -- instances such as this date back only to a long, terrible legacy of failure that they’ve failed to learn any lesson from. The Empire brought order and peace for a short time, before Vader’s fall. Before the Emperor’s. All at the hands, or should I say words, of Luke Skywalker.”
The crowd roared in fury. It was as if they roared with one voice, Ben thought. One voice, standing up to the Republic to say no more.
“And in their place will be a better galaxy,” Snoke said. “From despair will come renewal, and from desolation will come prosperity. The galaxy will be safe, as it should have been from the start, and we shall have the balance we were denied. Let the First Order march then, into battle, into victory -- let us honor what the Empire began so long ago. In the name of Lord Vader, the Emperor, and others who died that terrible day at Endor, let it be known that we will finish their noble work. For they are not dead. Their spirits, their passions, their hearts -- they live in us, and we shall make sure they echo in eternity.”
The crowd roared in agreement. Ben, meanwhile, could only listen, entranced despite himself. The way Snoke spoke -- it was the sort of voice that would compel anyone into battle.
Snoke continued. “It will be a difficult fight without a doubt. No victory has ever been acquired without great struggle, without great strife. But we will do what we must. The Jedi Order is a dangerous foe. These beings are killers at their very core, and will not hesitate to kill us first. They will not hesitate to lay waste to your homes and families in the name of their cause. An excursion such as this is self-defense, not murder.”
Ben listened. He could not argue. If Uncle Luke had gone after Snoke, who knew who else would go after Snoke? And they would kill him. Or they would make him wish he was dead.
Either way, Ben doubted he could allow it.
“Let us defend our homes, our livelihoods, our very lives this day. Let us honor what the Empire worked so hard to achieve. In the name of the living and the dead, let us finish what Lord Vader started.”
The crowd saluted.
Ben saluted with them. All the while, there was something in him that felt almost as if he were on a path to something that he could never turn back from. And yet he was doing the right thing, wasn’t he?
There was everything wrong with the Republic. But there was nothing wrong with them.
As the crowd dispersed, Ben walked towards Snoke. “You gave a wonderful speech,” he said.
“Never underestimate the power of words, Ben. Words can stir the very soul. There’s a reason why language is so prized in Milaran culture.”
“They’d take a blaster bolt for you in a heartbeat,” Ben said, and he knew that in that moment, if necessary, he would too. He loved this man. Not like Poe, but a sort of undying devotion that a soldier felt for his General, a student for his teacher. A victim for the being who saved him.
“If necessary,” said Snoke.
“Is there anything I need to do?”
“You, Ben, have your own duties to fulfill. Down on the planet of Yavin IV is where you begin. The elements align for this moment.”
“What do I need to do?” Ben said.
“You must go to the Jedi Enclave and take care of the Jedi there. I know it repulses you, Ben, but to lose the Order is better than what they will do when they catch up with us. They will not hesitate to kill either of us, or make us wish they did. They are not beings who can be reasoned with, Ben -- they are killers to the core, all of them.”
“Not all of them.”
“But many of them. They’re monsters, Ben,” and it was there that Snoke’s voice became as heated, as passionate, as it was in his speeches. “Monsters who prey on younglings. They will not hesitate to do harm to us. It is better that we strike at them first than they strike at us.”
Ben bit his lip. “Isn’t there an alternative to killing them?”
“I doubt alternatives are available, Ben.” Snoke took a deep breath. “Captain Phasma, you will be working alongside Ben Solo.”
A woman in chrome stormtrooper armor stepped forward and Ben’s breath hitched.
I saw you in a vision. A nightmare. It seemed as if in that moment that his worst nightmare that he had seen on Milara was coming true.
“A pleasure to be working with you, sir,” Phasma said.
“And with you.” All the while, Ben felt as if he had stepped into a nightmare. Perhaps it was a nightmare and he’d wake up and there would be no First Order, nothing like that at all --
Snoke must have sensed his discomfort because he said, “Captain, if I may...I would like to speak with Ben Solo.”
“As you wish, Supreme Leader.”
Snoke guided him away from Phasma. Then he spoke again. “Do you have doubts, Ben?”
“I’ve never done this before. It’s so big.”
“It’s hardly the first time you’ve put your lightsaber to work.”
“But that was...different. My friends and family -- ’’
Snoke’s voice was gentle. “They will show you no mercy, Ben. They will hate you, if only for the decision that you’ve made. They won’t care that you’re doing the right thing. The good thing. The only thing that dutiful citizens of the galaxy, those who are not cowards, would do. They won’t even care that you were their blood. They will not hesitate to kill you when they have the chance. Show no mercy, Ben. Mercy is a trait that your family has never shared.”
“And even my parents -- ’’
“When they come for you,” said Snoke, “They won’t show you mercy. They won’t hesitate to kill you.”
Even that knowledge was enough to make Ben’s chest clench. “They -- ’’
“They won’t hesitate to kill anyone they see as the enemy.”
Ben took a deep breath. “Even me?”
“Even you, Ben. Whatever they come for you, you must be prepared. You must be ready.”
Ben nodded. “I will do whatever I can to defend myself.”
“Exactly,” said Snoke. “There is one more thing, Ben -- there is something I would like to give you.”
He held out a helmet -- a small, rounded helmet that looked so very strange, almost naked. Ben couldn’t help but wonder how it was supposed to fit him. And then there was something about the mask that looked familiar...
“It looks like Revan’s mask,” Ben said. Even looking over the mask, he could not help but be reminded of what he had read in holobooks about the Mandalorian Wars.
“I thought it would be fitting,” said Snoke. “After all, Revan...he might as well be a Milaran warrior on par with the first Snoke. Like the first Snoke, he sought to bring balance and peace to a galaxy that was torn by hardship and strife. We’ll bring that peace to this galaxy, I know this, my Knight.”
As he spoke, images flickered across Ben’s mind. Famine, eradicated. Drought, eradicated. Milara, habitable again. Abuse, oppression, and so much more, eradicated. He saw Snoke sitting on the throne as Supreme Leader of Milara, the First Order, and making things right. And himself, standing next to Snoke, carrying out his commands and keeping the peace by any means necessary.
There was such an innocence to the images, such a sort of fairytale-like quality, that Ben was taken aback. “You believe it so much, don’t you?”
“Every inch of it, my Knight. Every part. And I believe that you can help me. If we work together, we can give Milara a future. We can give the galaxy a future.”
“Do you love Milara?”
“For my part, I do. The memories I have of her are not pleasant ones. But I know I would do anything to defend her beauty, her history, her wisdom. And I will not be alone.”
“I can only hope that I can save Milara...Snoke.” He couldn't call him Yana anymore, and yet the name Snoke still sounded so odd on his tongue. Snoke. Such a peculiar name for such a man. “Should I call you Snoke?”
“It is not my birth name, so you may. Supreme Leader, Leader Snoke, or simply Snoke...those are my names.”
“So Snoke it is, then.”
“Yes. In this case, names are important.” Beat. “And think nothing of Aldric, Ben. Aldric was unworthy.”
“I see.” It seemed unfair, however, condemning your former self simply for being a child. Illogical too.
“Now, the mask...I gave this to you, so you are always protected from your enemies. And there will be many as we go along. Masks have special properties, my dear Ben. I can only hope that you have the protection of prior Milaran warriors before you.”
“Thank you.” And I hope I do too. I will need them.
“Put it on. I want to see you in it, my Knight.” And Snoke’s voice became rumbling, almost a command.
Ben obeyed him.
Slipping the mask on was almost akin to putting on a blindfold, if the blindfold had some eyeholes, limited eyeholes at that, to see out of. The moment Ben put it on, it was as if his vision drastically narrowed, and everything else became like seeing out of the wrong end of binoculars. Snoke seemed blurry at first before solidifying again, and yet everything still seemed so narrow, so closed in. Ben idly wondered if that was how Revan felt when he had first worn his mask. Or, for that matter, Vader. Little durasteel cages where the eyes could peek out at the galaxy, but never truly see.
Snoke spoke. “Can you see me?”
“Barely,” Ben said. “I feel like I’m wearing this wrong.” And even his voice sounded funny. Muffled, strange.
“No, you’re wearing it right, Ben. It will take some time getting used to. Of course, the eyes are no more than sentient constructs and can be easily deceived. The Force is your guide. Your eyes, your ears. Trust in it.”
“I do.”
“Do you trust me?”
“I do.” To stop the war, to stabilize the galaxy, Ben would do anything.
“Go, my Knight. And may ren be with you in your endeavors.”
“And in yours, Leader.”
“It will be,” said Snoke. “It will be.”
The planet below was already raining furiously. Even stepping out, long after Phasma had descended to the planet, Ben doubted that he had ever seen a rain like this on Yavin for quite some time. His eyes were protected from the worst of the storm, the rain that wouldn’t stop pounding on his helmet, spattering his cloak, and yet it seemed as if ahead of him was a blur in the rain.
“How are we supposed to see in this?” one of the Knights said. He was an older Knight, more wheezy-voiced, but Ben knew that age in and of itself was no hindrance when you had the Force.
That was a good question, actually. It was then that Snoke’s voice echoed in his mind.
Stretch out with your feelings.
Right. Your eyes could deceive you. That made sense - eyes were only sentient flesh constructs. They could be fallible as anything.
Even as Ben stretched out, he could feel the energy emanating from different places on the planet -- the Light was almost blinding even as he reached out. So much blue, and so much white...in between the steadily falling rain and the Force energy he sensed, he could identify with the Knight on that part -- sight was nigh impossible.
Then again, eyes alone were no way to experience the galaxy. The Miraluka had “seen” through the Force for years. So the fact that he was wet, cold, near-blind wasn't going to slow down his progress in the slightest.
“What are you doing?” the Knight said.
“Trust me,” Ben said.
They headed towards the Academy just then, the rain all but bearing down on them, and Ben wondered what they were going to do next. Knock on the door? Kill everyone there? He could only hope that they wouldn’t have to do something like that. He wasn’t quite ready to kill.
Then again, maybe nobody was dying around here. Maybe...maybe no one was going to die. Maybe they didn’t have to die, not really.
They reached the Academy. In contrast to other times Ben had been there, it was quiet, completely quiet. Had the Jedi gone in to protect themselves from the storm?
It was drawing closer that Ben saw it.
There were bodies lying everywhere. Some were stormtroopers, some were Jedi of varying ages. And out in the rain, it was a battlefield.
The stormtroopers had already made short work of some of the Jedi, and now the Jedi were already flooding out, cutting down troopers that continued to advance towards them. Blaster bolts flew through the air, and when that failed, when they were deflected back at the troopers, grenades flew through the air.
Ben stepped forward in that moment and stood in front of the other Knights. And it was there that the other Jedi froze.
They could recognize him. Even through the helmet, they recognized him. By the stars, they recognized him.
“I come here on orders from Supreme Leader Snoke,” Ben said. “Surrender your Academy to the Knights of Ren and more needless bloodshed may yet be avoided.”
Mercy, Ben? The Supreme Leader’s voice echoed over their link. And Ben was not afraid. Indeed, he was far from afraid. This man was practically a second father figure to him now. He trusted him. Loved him.
Who knows? They may yet be useful. That was bargaining, of course. Ben was already hoping he wouldn’t actually have to kill anyone else.
Master Mei spoke up. “Ben? What are you doing here?”
“I have sworn my allegiance to the Supreme Leader. He has shown himself to be the best one to heal this broken galaxy and make it strong again. I have no desire to kill any one of you, but if necessary, I will do what I must.”
“As will we,” said Master Mei. She turned towards the younglings. “Go!”
They ran, and Ben was left to face the Jedi in the rain.
“I had hoped to avoid all this,” he said. He turned towards Phasma. “Open fire.”
And from there, the battleground became a symphony of lightsabers and blasters.
***
Back on the Liberator , the Supreme Leader waited for the incoming transmission. He could sense, at least, that his new would-be apprentice was safe, and that was what mattered. As for Hux...
Hux appeared then on the viewscreen, ramrod straight, having a certain dignity to him in an almost sculpted way. “Supreme Leader.”
“General.” Snoke sat back then, casually, overlooking Hux. “How goes our strategy?”
“Quite well, Supreme Leader,” Hux said. “The loathsome Jedi Order are yet to be subdued, but I would say that my men have been doing a solid job.”
“I felt as much,” Snoke said. “You’re doing quite well, General. I’m impressed.”
Hux looked skeptical for a moment before composing himself. Hux was a man of science, thinking two-dimensionally as opposed to seeing all perspectives. Indeed, on the outside, Hux would seem more slimy than anything else; there were times where Snoke wondered if he left an oil slick when he talked. Humans would say “as slippery as a Hutt’s tail”, and Snoke would be inclined to agree with them.
But even the slimy could be dangerous.
One had to be careful, of course, with one such as Hux. He was a loyal General, and an efficient one as well, but there was always ambition that wove through him, a sort of belief that he should be the one to rule the galaxy as it was his right to do so. Snoke was not yet a ruler, but he knew that if there was anyone who could put the galaxy in place, heal its broken parts and shattered edges, it was Snoke, not Hux.
So one always had to maintain control with Hux. Subtle, but there nonetheless. Among Dark Siders, ambition and murder were virtues. But that was among Force users, not soldiers. And even among Force users, one had to continue to secure their allegiance.
“Go, General,” Snoke said. “Continue with your conquest.”
“Yes, Supreme Leader.”
The hologram faded and Supreme Leader Snoke was left alone with his thoughts. He had not expected to end up coming back to kill his own kin, but sometimes ren made you have to make choices you never thought you would have to make. You had to kill those who you never thought you would have to kill, you had to fight those you never thought you would have to fight. Such was the way of ren. She could be a cruel mistress.
But ren was necessary nonetheless. The Jedi were a threat to balance in the galaxy. They had to be destroyed. They were cruel and corrupt and needed to be rooted out. They needed to be found, and destroyed before they could cause any more harm to the galaxy.
The Jedi would fall this day. And in their place would be a stronger institution, not chained by corruption and archaic views, stagnated, hypocritical, uncaring, isolated, but an institution that would give the galaxy what it needed. Stability. Order. Where foolishness such as an argument over taxation on trade routes would be limited to no more than a border skirmish, quickly over and done with, and the galaxy stabilized.
Snoke smiled to himself. It was a new dawn for the First Order, and he fully intended to take advantage of it.
***
When the Academy fell, Leia Organa-Solo felt it, and she couldn’t believe that she was even feeling it. And yet here it was. Her son, her own son, massacring the Academy, willingly, with others at his side helping.
No. Leia couldn’t accept it. She simply couldn’t. Even after all this time... No...
What is the matter, Senator? It’s a fitting role for him, is it not? You always thought he had too much Vader in him. It appears you’ve got your wish.
“You’re a monster.”
I am what ren made me, Senator. And ren, cruel a mistress as she is, can occasionally be just as well. The Jedi could not be allowed to continue. Nor could the Republic. Now, listen, Senator...listen to the death of corruption in this galaxy, or at least one part of it.
Leia didn’t have much of a choice but to listen, actually. It was too much like being on that bridge of the Death Star, watching the Death Star turned up to its maximum setting destroy Alderaan in one shot. Her father, holding her back as her true father and mother, her friends and family, burned.
And her son...her son was butchering countless people. What he didn’t butcher, others did for him.
“You disgusting, monstrous beast...”
Call me what you will, Senator. It is the will of ren this happen. I only thought it would be interesting you would watch.
Leia Organa-Solo did not scream. Even when Alderaan was destroyed, she had not so much as whimpered.
But by the stars, even as her son’s rampage went through the Force, she wanted to.