"The Emperor has awoken. His next target is you."
Emperor Palpatine's eerie laugh startled Kylo Ren awake. He shot up in bed and spoke just one word: "No."
Han Solo's son did not know what was worse: Hux wanting his position as Supreme Leader of the First Order or learning that Palpatine somehow reigned.
***
With his hands behind his back, General Hux paced back and forth on the bridge of the First Order's newest Star Destroyer, The Limpton. He barked orders at his comrades, but only a few obeyed him. In Hux's opinion, he thought he would make a much better Supreme Leader than that whiny Kylo Ren. Oh, how much he hated him! Since he declared himself the new Supreme Leader, Hux's only goal was to get rid of him as fast as possible. However, the young Dark side user caught him every time he went for the kill.
In fact, Hux rested his finger on the trigger of his blaster right now, but he loosened his grip when, behind him, the door opened, and his worst enemy came in.
"General Hux," Kylo Ren said behind his newest mask, "I've lost track of all the times you've tried to kill me. What number is this?"
"I wouldn't do such a thing, Supreme Leader," Hux spoke through gritted teeth. "The First Order's never had a leader as reliable as you." Oh God, just saying that out loud gave him an upset stomach.
"That's more like it." Ren pushed past him and rudely shoved the general's shoulder. He headed toward one of The Limpton's windows. "Set our course for Phonolukamy," he ordered.
"Phonolukamy?" Hux rubbed his shoulder as he tried to dissect Ren's words. "I thought we were going to conquer the Resistance base on Supher."
"Not while she's there."
"What?"
"You heard me. There's been a change of plans." Ren stopped at the window he was interested in. Clenching his fists, he peeked outside to space.
Hux approached him from behind. "Supreme Leader, do you not know what we must travel through to reach Phonolukamy?" he asked. "I think The Limpton's far too big to fit through it."
"Are you questioning my orders, General?"
"Not at all, sir. I'm just trying to come up with a better plan."
Hux should not have said that. Before he knew it, Ren seized his neck with the Force and started to choke him. He screamed so loudly that the First Order members on the bridge stopped what they were doing. "The girl is growing stronger, and you're all acting like a bunch of pansies!"
"I like pansies. They're my favorite flower," Hux choked out.
"Silence! I didn't ask for your opinion on the situation, General!" Ren chucked Hux across the room. He smashed into the wall. "I won't ask you again! Set our course for Phonolukamy!"
"Yes, sir!" The ship's mechanics quickly put Phonolukamy's coordinates in their computers. Hux tried to catch his breath on the floor.
Meanwhile, Ren stormed out of the bridge like a ferocious giant.
***
Kylo stomped down the hall of the starship and slipped into his throne room. Just standing there and staring at the throne, he remembered the day he and Rey teamed up to defeat Snoke's Praetorian Guards. He felt so alive when it happened. To Ren, he felt like he and Rey were two peas in a pod, so it was understandable why he was so upset when she turned him down. Ren had to get her back.
He sat down on his throne and tried to devise a plan. He took his mask off his face, revealing Ben Solo's conflicted, scarred face. Without the mask, he felt weak. He wore it around his comrades for a reason. He didn't want them to see how conflicted he was. The thought of Rey, though, strengthened the young Sith. However, it also caused his Light side energy to burst out of his system.
Ben thought about the Emperor, the most feared man in the galaxy. He shivered when he remembered his ominous laugh from his dream. He did not understand how he could be back, but what if he was? Ben didn't want another monster like Emperor Palpatine to rule the galaxy. That was why he had to capture Rey again. She communicated much better with the Dark side of the Force than he did. What if Rey herself took out Palpatine and became the new Empress of the galaxy? Then Ben could rule by her side. Would that balance the Force and finish exactly what Darth Vader started many years earlier? It was destiny, or so Ben thought, that a Skywalker and a... What the heck? He just realized something.
His jaw dropped, and his lightsaber fell from his hand. It bounced off the steps of his throne and rolled to the heart of the room. He looked like a zombie when he went to retrieve it. A sparkle of light reflected in his dark eyes as he leaned down and picked up his weapon. "It can't be," Ben whispered. He studied the saber up and down. "The girl. I need the girl." He scurried out of the throne room with his mask back on his face and returned to The Limpton's bridge.
***
"General Hux!" Ren shouted.
"Ugh," Hux groaned from where he stood. "Not again." His head fell back, but he went ahead and faced his Supreme Leader. Forcing a smile, he asked through gritted teeth, "What can I do for you, Supreme Leader?"
"Prepare my ship," was Ren's answer. "I have an errand to run."
"Prepare your ship? What are you talking about? You can't leave us all alone out here with no leader."
"You won't be alone. In my absence, I want you, General Hux, to be Supreme Leader."
"Me?" It was tough for Hux not to crack a smile. "You're promoting me? Why? What can I do as Supreme Leader?"
"It's what you've always wanted, isn't it?" asked Ren. "Don't tell me you've tried to kill me numerous times in the past six months just for the heck of it. My mission will be quick, but until I get back, hold off on Phonolukamy and just sit on the damn throne!"
"Yes, sir!" Hux dipped his head and bowed to his superior. "We will prepare your ship."
***
Kylo Ren's TIE Silencer zoomed through deep space. In the cockpit, the Dark side user again removed his helmet. His mind was so full of questions and realizations that he almost felt like his head was about to burst. It now made sense why Rey was so powerful. Why did he not notice it earlier? The answer was so simple, and he could have grasped it if he paid more attention to her on Starkiller Base. If Ben's plan had any chance of succeeding, he had to find Rey again. It was the only way to stop the Emperor from rising to power and repeating history.
It was strange. Kylo Ren/Ben Solo was trying to save the galaxy, not destroy it, which was very unusual for a Dark side user.
Taking a deep breath, Kylo punched the button for lightspeed. His eyes popped when it whooshed him away. He forgot what it felt like.
During his journey, Ren assumed there was some hope for the galaxy. Perhaps it did not need a Resistance army to take out the First Order? What if the galaxy's future rested in Rey and Ben's hands instead? While that may be true, someone definitely wanted to mess up their mission—Emperor Palpatine himself.
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