Star Wars: 30 Years Later The Real Story - Chapter 21

Rey continued advancing and had succesfully evaded the stormtroopers but she had this horrible premonition and sense of danger, as if she was being hunted by a predator so powerful that could not be defeated.

– “Such silence”- she said after a while and noticed that not only did she not see any person or animal in the area, but she also did not listen any sound at all which was really weirtd in the middle of a forest and more when she knew there was a battle going on.

She started to panic when apart from the sound she also noticed that the forest that before looked so green and beautiful, not had turned dark and somber. It was as if the colors had gone and she was just in the middle of a maze. She felt like a lost child and once she felt a terrible danger lurking behind her. Her senses started to catch sounds, smells and things that should not be there.

– “Luke Skywalker…”- a voice resounded in her surroundings. Rey felt that the voice was ethereal and out of this world- “where is he?”

– “Who…?”- she said when she heard steps but even though she knew somehow that it was only one person, she could hear whoever it was coming from multiple directions- “leave me alone!”

– “Answer to me!”- said the voice again and this time Rey felt a cold shiver in her back since she had felt the voice as if someone was whispering to her ear.

– “No!”- she said decisely and immediately she knew where the voice was coming from and raised her pistol aiming at the place.

The shots flew at her target but almost immediately a reddish brilliance appeared out of nowhere with a buzzing sound and the shock of Rey it intercepted and even reflected her shots. Rey was absolutely stunned and she did not believe that to be possible. Almost immediately, a tall and slender figure outfitted in a black attire and armor appeared and in his hand he wielded the device that was creating the red laser that had just fended her shots. The device had the form of a cross and apart from the big laser that was created from the upper tube, it also presented two small beams of light from the sides in the form of a laser sword.

– “Impressive…”- said the man who used a metallic helmet which made his voice sound robotic and very unnatural. For a moment Rey felt as if a demon was talking to her- – “So you’re the girl I’ve heard so much about… you do have some skill to be able to break from the illusion…”

Rey’s instincts creamed her to run but for a moment she could not even move or breathe. She felt as if she were in front of an invincible giant that belonged to another level. One thing she knew was that there was no way she could defeat this man and her only chance was to escape.

– “Move…!”- Rey shouted to herself and she shot again while running and taking cover but the man once again blocked, deflected and even sometimes just evaded her attacks while walking slowly and confidently to her. Rey was extremely terrified since no matter how much she ran, the man seemed to cover more space just by walking. Rey tried to run in different directions but after many tries, somehow the man started to appear in front of her blocking her path. Rey started to wonder if there were many of them. Rey also had this horrible tingling sensation in her head and she somehow knew that the man in front of her was doing something which was the reason of him not having killed her yet.

– “I see…”- said finally the man who sounded a little fun- “so many problems caused by a mere scavenger…”

Rey had the horrible idea that the man had been peeking on her memories and she just shot again after permitting the man to get close to her but the man delflected her shots once again with an inhuman speed and then raised his arm in her direction. Immediately Rey felt her right arm lowering against her will and her body being immobilized. Her expression turned to one of terror since no matter what she tried, her body just did not obey her will. She saw in distress how the man advanced closer to her and Rey finally could see the man with more detail. Her desperation only grew depper when she realized that she had seen this person before. That mask and armor and even the lightsaber in his hands. It was the same man that had appear in her vision under Maz Castle.

– “I see… your name is Rey…”- said the man and Rey confirmed that he was reading her mind- “you have seen the droid but more importantly… you have seen the map… ”

The tingling sensation increased to a more violent and painful drilling and Rey wanted to scream but she could not even do that under the immobilizing power she was feeling.

– “Sir!”- said a stormtrooper bringing a holo device- “we have received new data.”

The soldier activated the device but Rey could not turn her head to see it. She could feel the change in the man’s attitude.

– “I see”- said he after some seconds and then he passed his hand in front of her and she felt very sleepy- “pull the division out… we have what we need!”

Rey’s body did not fall into the ground but she started to float in midair. Kylo Ren started to walk without any sign of hurry while the inconscious Rey followed him floating behind. After some steps however, Kylo Ren stopped and turned around looking at the distance.

– “Mnn?”- the normally cold and aloof figure clenched his fists and his aura changed to one of wrath- “well played! I’ll return the favor in the future.”

After saying this, he continued walking with Rey and he just dissapeared in the forest.

(…)

Finn was unable to react for some moments after he had heard what the Knight of Ren had said. Was this a joke or a way to distract him? He did know that these scary people did not have sense of humor and that he probably did not need to use deceit with him since he was overwhelmingly superior to have the need to do so.

– “What are you talking about?”- asked Finn more for the gaining time but he had to admit that the words of his opponent had piqued his interest- “I never was part of the Knights of Ren.”

– “Weren’t you part of the FN corps?”- asked the knight of Ren smiling to him with an arrogant attitude- “you were even one of the most outstanding members of it, am I wrong?”

– “So what?”- asked Finn keeping his defensive stance.

– “Do you think that the training you received in that corps was normal?”- asked the knight and Finn found himself a little confused.

The training that they had received was certainly different. They all knew that the FN corps was a very special unit under Captain Phasma where only the best of the best were accepted. They trained longer and harder than the rest since more and better results were expected from them. They had the typical physical and theorical curriculum that any stormtrooper would have but Finn had to accept that there were many strange tests and activities that he never understood.

“Control your breathing and adapt to the rythmn of your opponent”- Finn remembered being tutored by his instructors while facing a cadet with a practice sword.

There was the intense focus in melee combat with weapons like staves and swords that were totally impractical in this era. It was also regular to fight against other cadets while using helmets that did not permit one to see or hear at all. Finn had always thought it was a crazy and stupid waste of time but he had to admit that if he was still alive after the exchange with the knight of Ren it was due to that training.

– “Focus… it all depends on the mental image”- he remembered another instructor while doing a ridiculous mental test.

This crazy activity consisted in putting a kind of mechanical crown that was supposedly a device to amplify the mental powers of people. They were supposed to make objects move without touching them or try to read the mind of other person who was looking at a figure and guess what he was watching. He had only managed to guess some of the images by luck. Finn furrowed his eyebrows while remembering those activities that made no sense and then he looked at the Knight of Ren.

– “I suppose you’re starting to understand”- said the black person who seemed to be enjoying the reaction of Finn- ” the FN Corps is a special unit where we gather special candidates that have a high possibility of becoming Knights of Ren

– “I didn’t know”- said Finn honestly- “nobody told me about it”

– “You didn’t need to”- said the knight of Ren- “after all, if you failed and die before you could show your potential then it would have been for nothing.”

– “So that’s it?”- asked Finn with a very dissapointed tone- “anyone would do as long as they are in the top charts? It is kind of boring to tell you the truth.”

– “If that were the case you wouldn’t be chosen since you were children, don’t you think?”- said the knight of Ren with a teasing voice- “all the cadets in the FN corps are different… but I can’t tell you more here… if you want to know the full story then you must come with me.”

Finn lowered his defense and turned off the light saber. He seemed to be thinking about his proposal. He seemed to be interested and curious and definitely wanted to know more so he started to approach the knight of Ren.

– “If I return, will they just ignore what I did until now?”- Finn asked with a worried expression- “will I be punished?”

– “As a knight of Ren you will have inmunity for past crimes”- said the knight of Ren who seemed to be very pleased since Finn was accepting his offer and advanced some steps to him- “if you prefer, you will be given a new identity so nobody will know who you are.”

– “I see…”- said Finn who seemed to have taken a decision- “in that case…”

Finn ignited the lightsaber and swang it at his opponent with all his strenght. The knight of Ren smirked and evaded the attack as if he had known it was coming which took Finn by surprise.

– “That was the most stupid thing you could have done, FN-2187”- said Black Three- “but I admire your courage. Since you won’t be coming willingly, I’ll have to cut your legs.”

– “You need a lot of training…”- said Black Three who touched Finn’s shoulder and immediately cut his leg making him kneel- “you must learn how to use your anger in an effective way.”

– “My name… is Finn”- said he and tried to attack with just his fists but he felt a terrible pressure in his neck which stopped him on his tracks.

Finn took his hands to his neck trying to liberate himself but he was surprised to feel no hands. He clearly felt the terrible choke that was impeding his breathe and he also felt horror when he felt being pullled up into the air. He opened his eyes in disbelief and then he saw the knight of Ren having his hand pointing at him at the distance. What was this? what kind of magic was this?

– “I understand… Finn”- said Black Three increasing the pressure in Finn’s throat- “we’ll talk later… so for now… go to sleep.”

Finn felt his conciousness scoming down and he knew that there was nothing he could do and soon his body relaxed and everything went black. However. before going black he clearly heard the sound of a blaster and then he felt hitting the floor.

(…)

Maz continued to command her forces the best she could but the situation was not good. The casualties kept rising and the destruction of her defense system seemed to be unstoppable.

– “Teams Blue and Violet destroyed!”- informed one of Maz staff- “survivors ask for help!”

– “Batteries and cannons in sector Z-24 completely annihilated!”- said another one- “engineering personnel is being surrounded!”

– “Ground forces in the Northwest are being pushed back!”- said one of the male operators- “Knight of Ren confirmed as commander of the forces!”

– “General Solo has ordered a retreat!”- informed an operator on Maz’s left- “he’s ordered the remaining forces to join the main force and he also confirms the presence of a knight of Ren!”

Maz felt a terrible headache now and she knew that the things could only go worse from here on. She had utterly understimated the capabilities of the First Order. It was true that the presence of Kylo Ren and his knights had a powerful impact on the battle but she had not expected that the regular pilots and stormtroopers were so well trained. The First Order forces were advancing steadily even in zones where there were no knights of Ren. Many mercenaries that had accepted the mission were abandoning the area and trying to escape and even though she was angry, Maz could not blame them. Credits and benefits were of no use if you were dead. Maz sighed and immediately started to prepare ways to counter the enemy.

– “Reassigned the survivors of Blue and Violet teams to Magenta Team”- ordered Maz with a confident voice- “tell them to join them in sector D56 and tell Magenta Leader to prepare a small ambush there!”

– “Tell engineering personnel from sector Z-24 to use the secret tunnels to area J-09. Give the leader the codes”- she continued issuing the next problem- “tell their leader to leave an explosive surprise for when they storm into their position before leaving.”

– “Order the ground forces to ignore the knight of Ren and focus in the other troops”- she told the male operator- “send the sniper team there and have them eliminate all the commanders and captains.”

– “General Solo informs he will engage the Knight of Ren in his area”- informed the operator in charge of the communication with him with a worried tone- “should we send reinforcements?”

– “No!”- said Maz with a decisive voice- “have the remaining forces meet in sector B-38 and attack the flank of the ground enemy forces.”

The operator sent the orders to the commanders but she seemed to be a little upset since she thught that Maz had abandoned General Solo who was a very important hero for this operator since he had personally rescued her family when she was younger. She felt a hand on her shoulder and she discovered Maz next to her who had a very warm smile on her face.

– “Don’t worry about Han, my darling”- said Maz conforting her- “I’m not sending forces since they would only be in his way… you may not know this but Han and Chewee are not only famous for being smugglers… they have another important nickname…”

– “Show me the visuals in space!”- ordered Maz with a frown since she knew that reinforcements for the First Order would mean the end of the battle.

– “Excuse me, Captain”- said operator not being able to control her curiosity- “what’s the title the General and Commander have?”

– “Oh! That?”- said Maz trying to calm down until the information appeared in the screens-“they are called Knight Slayers! You can imagine the reason…”

The visuals finally were shown and Maz was so shocked by what she saw that she started trembling a little.

– “This can’t be true…”

(…)

The knight of Ren felt the attack just too late and his armor received the blaster with full power. The pain forced him to let Finn go and he started to look for the origin of the attack. He saw a figure running on the distance and Black Three was about to move when once again he felt danger from behind and he managed to evade using his monstruous reflexes. However, he was utterly dissatisfied since once again, he had not felt any danger coming from there and if not for the green light

he had seen on his periferical vision, he would have been hit again.

– “What is happening?”- Black Three did not understand the situation and tried to focus once again but almost immediately another blaster came from his side forcing him to to make a weird move to deflect it with his lightsaber- “why don’t I feel anything?”

There was not pause and one after another multiple red and green shots were thrown at him from different places and with such precison and coordination that he knew that it was not an accident. He tried to find the source, but the shots were so fast and continuous that he could not focus enough. He started to run to find cover and analyze the situation while evading the shots and he stood behind a wrecked starfighter.

– “Just wait until I find you… eh?”- he could not end his hateful comment because he saw that there was a mine just next to him and the explosive artifact had just shown a red light- “DAMN IT!”

BOOM!

He used all his strenght to jump very high in the air trying to escape but even though he managed to escape from the explosion, he still received some damage due to the shards. He was still in the air when he was shot in midair by the green and red blasters once again. Black Three furiously swang his lightsaber to deflect the red blaster but he received the green plasma shot on his leg making him lose the equilibrium. Since he could not control the fall, he smashed the floor cracking it. Black Three felt the air escape his lungs and he had to make a great effort in order to breathe again.

Bip, bip, biiiiiiiiiip

He had just managed to get oxygen again when he heard the bipping sounds next to him and he noticed in horror that he was just next to two thermal detonator.

BOOM! BOOM!

It had just ocurred too fast for him to do anything. He had just been in too much pain to focus and his leg was almost unusable due to the shot he had received. The area was destroyed and there wasn’t any signal of movement from the knight of Ren.

– “I think we got him, Chewee”- said Han carefully ȧssessing the situation.

– “Gruaaaaoww!”- said Chewee

– “Yes, yes, you were incredible”- said Han who seemed to be in a hurry- “let’s pick up the kid and let’s go before reinforcements come”

– “Greeeeu”‘ said Chewee- “Garrr guurrrr”

– “Agreed”- said Han seeing Chewee getting close to Finn with a very cautious attitude- “I’ll cover you. Be careful.”

However, just when Chewee was some meters away from Finn he felt a powerful pushed that made him fly various meters until he smashed a depot.

– “Chewee!”- Han shouted and he tried to find the knight of Ren but he had just started to aim when he felt a tremendous pull that made him fly in the air and slide on the floor a big distance before stop.

Han felt a huge pain and he knew he was bleeding. He forced himself to raise his head and he saw a figure not very far from him. It was the knight of Ren but he was extremely different from before. His armor was in shatters and his leg was bent in an unnatural angle. Han noticed that he just had one arm and that he was bleeding profusely from the other. His helmet had been destroyed as long with part of his face which presented horrible burns due to the explosion. Only one of his eyes seemed to be functional and it presented a very shining yellow tone with red borders. This figure made him feel as if a fiend of hell had come to the surface to destroy all humanity.

– “SOLOOOO!!”- he roared in fury while dragging his feet and Han could only wonder how could he even stand.

The knight of Ren extended his arm and the lightsaber that had been lost in the explosion returned to his hand. Han knew this was bad. Chewee had been knocked out and he had lost his blaster. To his horror he also felt being dragged again to the fiend who was growling like a hungry beast anxious to devour its prey.

-“DIE!!!!”- bellowed Black Three in blind fury. He did not care that his orders were to capture Solo alive, he just wanted to chop the bastard in front of him to pieces.

He saw that Han was taking out a pistol and was pointing at him. Black Three jst smirked and prepared his lightaber to meet the blaster ad reflect it to the old man. He was just dciding were to aim since he did not want to kill him too fast.

BANG! BANG!

The sound that came from the gun was not the typical one of a blaster but Black Three was too furious and anxious to care and just let the Force guide him to block the shot. There was not a red laser but a small metallic bullet that was blocked by his lightsaber. Almost immediately, however, Black Three knew that something had gone extremely wrong.

– “Ahhhhhhhh!”- Black Three howled in pain while touching his face- “Bleeeegh!”

He started to cough blood and he started to feel extremely weak. His lightsaber had manage to block the bullets but then it had automatically deactivated. The bullet had been melted and the shards had flown directly to his face. The second bullet had gone with no obstacle to his ċhėst. Black Three knew it was mortal and he started to feel more fear than ever before.

– “How…?”- he said with the last strength he could find to tell those words. He noticed Han was still aiming at him with a grin in his face

– “Cortosis bullets”- said Han and Black Three could not believe someone still carried those extremely rare ammo- “Never fails against force users.”

– “Solo… You!!!!”- said Black Three trying to say something but Han did not give him any chance.

BANG!

Black Three fell to the ground dead after receivng a bullet directly on his forehead. The last emotions that he had before passing were those of regret and unwillingness along with fear fopr the man in front of him and he only had a final thought very clear in his head.

– “I never should have tried to cross Han Solo…”