A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...

STAR WARS

EPISODE IX

A NEW ORDER

Prologue

The Galaxy is secretly divided under First Order control. Many fear for the stability of the First Order under the command of the new Supreme Leader, Kylo Ren, and his aide, General Armitage Hux.

Luke Skywalker's death diminished some hope for the Resistance. Among the battle-weary groups, there are whispers of a new hero, a young girl named Rey, who could free the Galaxy.

Resources are limited, however, and recruits appear to be few, compared to the vast power of the First Order.

Chapter 1 - As It Stands

Ben Solo strides confidently down the corridor, disguised as Kylo Ren. The title of Supreme Leader now rests on his shoulders, and his mask provides a comfortable barrier between his Galaxy and his feelings. Almost no one outside the First Order has seen him without it. His long blue cape swishes behind him as he travels to meet General Hux for their appointment on the upper deck of his new command ship. Six of his Knights of Ren, dressed as blue Praetorian guards, stay in step with him as he walks.

General Hux is never late. The appearance of blue in the throne room—Ben's long cape, the guards' new uniforms—doesn't bother him. Thus far, Snoke's former apprentice hasn't interfered too much with his day to day tasks, and has managed to maintain a certain dignified presence that Hux appreciates. Red, blue, it's all the same to Hux. He notices that Ben's shoulder insignia are missing their hexagonal box, but he says nothing as they walk side by side to meet the diplomats of Mandalore at the docking bay.

The Supreme Leader always speaks first. Without wasting time, he's polite and straightforward. Everyone who meets him has the same experience; in his mask, he is foreboding, but his brief words and formality of manner instantly offset the feeling. His voice is deeper from within the mask, but less distorted than the diplomats of Mandalore once thought.

"Welcome. We are pleased to have you aboard. As you can see, your support has been well used." Ben's words though the mask are sincere. What more can they expect? Everyone in the Galaxy knows General Hux is the one who does the most of the talking. "You can see the design is sleeker, much more economical. Very fast. Allow me to give you a tour." The red-headed man bows his head slightly, a gesture that, although many find him too proper and grating, inevitably invites trust. As the group follows the two men, younger than so many of their subjects, even the most discerning of diplomats would have a hard time finding anything to reprove.

Distant against the purple rising moon of a desert planet, Rey escorts a group of Resistance supporters onto the Millennium Falcon. As she closes the door, her mind flashes back to the time, almost a year ago, she closed the door to Ben as they left Crait. Dozens of missions and reconnaissance flights since then failed to lessen the feeling of that moment. But she had no other choice. She felt no regret, but Ben's unwillingness to connect since had left her wondering if there was an alternative path she hadn't considered at the time.

She remembers waking up the night she and Ben defeated Snoke and pulled the broken lightsaber to her with the Force. Stumbling as she stood, she had picked up a light blue crystal from the ground, examining it briefly. Looking toward the hangar for Snoke's escape vehicle, she had stood over Ben, still knocked out on the floor of the throne room. Seeing the other piece of the lightsaber just past him, she reached over him to pick it up, whispering something in his ear before leaving him to escape.

Ben stands at the windows of his new throne room, looking out at the stars. Proportional to the rest of the ship, it's smaller than Snoke's throne room in the Supremacy, but no less grand. Three large windows serve as the backdrop, with blue lights giving the base of the windows a serene glow. The Guards' uniforms seem to almost blend in with the star-studded sky.

He feels Rey seeking to connect, and it brings him back to the old throne room in an instant. He'd lain unconscious after they had pulled his grandfather's lightsaber apart with the Force, but had felt her closeness as she'd leaned over him. He was unable to move or respond. Closing his eyes as if to relive the moment, he once again hears her words. "I still believe in you."

Ben clenches his fist around the small blue shard of crystal. Not again! Rey has tried connecting with him countless times, but he can't bring himself to let her see him. Reaching with the Force he can almost see her clearly as she pilots the Falcon a system away, and quickly shuts her out.

"Supreme Leader," Hux's words slice through Ben's tranquility. "There seems to be a skirmish on Varshand. The workers are rebelling against their local government; they're requesting back up to quiet down the rebellion." Ben tries to sound more interested than he is. "Why? What happened?"

Hux explains, "The workers refuse to work until their conditions are improved, and they've sabotaged some of the worksite."

"Why is the local government refusing to aid the workers?" This is just the thing that tires Ben easily. Disgusted with the response, Hux can't understand why he and Ben so often fail to see eye to eye on state matters. "Because they're only factory workers."

Ben fears that turning toward Hux will allow him to see his irritation. He pauses to make sure his feelings don't show in his voice. "Why do we feed our armies so well, General?" "What?" responds Hux incredulously. "Answer the question," Ben responds evenly.

"They are more compliant and capable when well provisioned, of course." Hux sees where this is going, but still doesn't agree with Ben's solution.

"Send some troops to aid in seeing that the workers get what they deserve, Hux. Commander Gow will make sure the planet's leaders are compliant." "You want to aid the disrupters?" Hux demands. "I want to show the people that the First Order is on their side." Ben replies. Hux sniffs in disdain. "Are we?"

Ben feels the urge to pummel Hux's superiority complex into the next room with the Force. Instead, he turns so that Hux can see the look in his eyes.

"Are they armed?"

"I don't think so."

"Threatening the Order?"

"Not really—I..."

"With the Resistance?"

"No, but they...."

"Then support them." Ben turns back to the window, longing for a time he might once again see Rey's face in person. "They support us by producing what we need; let's make sure they know they're on the right side." Confused, Hux can't find anything to say. "As you wish, Supreme Leader."

Relieved by Ben's clear effort not to torment him, he is nevertheless suspicious. "What's wrong with you?" he demands. Ben flashes him a look that makes him fidget where he stands. "Nevermind." The general hurriedly turns to leave. With his back to Ben, his confidence grows, but he can't decide if now is the time to say more. The Knights of Ren standing in their places by the door irritate Hux. Why does the Force wielder have personal guards? Because he was beaten by a scavenger. Hux grits his teeth at the thought of this before taking a step down from the dais.

"On second thought," Ben says, changing his mind, "I'll go myself to escort the troops. I'd like to debut our newest fighters." Always, it seems that when Hux has decided he can no longer be at Ben's side, he surprises him. For all his faults and immaturity, Ben Solo has had some very brilliant ideas that Armitage Hux could not deny, and he was genuinely excited about their new fighters. "Very good, Supreme Leader."

Varshand was the perfect place for manufacturing fighters, with wide open plains and many willing workers from all over the Galaxy. At any given time, ships in construction bays and on test flights dotted the ground and skies. The planet was a major hub for spacecraft construction, and a steady job was always available. The workers had formed a union, which for the most part had been upheld by the government. Their uprising had started as an accident, but the main factory workers in the northwestern hemisphere had taken it as an opportunity to make their complaints known. But now, their demands had been met; First Order ships circled the planet, and the rumors of tyranny had turned out to be untrue, at least for them.

As part of the Resistance X-wing fleet races toward the Varshand on one side, the Millennium Falcon circles and lands on the other side, in one of the forested areas near the largest factory. Finn and Rose, dressed as Death Troopers, exit the ship, and Ren waves them off. She looks to the sky and sees the First Order ships entering the lower atmosphere. Her first instinct is to get far away, and fast. But she doesn't move to leave, hoping to test whether she can sense something she can't see, something beyond the red windows of the lead fighter she's expecting. She wonders if fear holds her back.

[Leave now! Quickly!] The familiar voice of warning in her head overtakes her curiosity; reluctantly, she obeys. "Chewie, let's get to the moon as planned!"

A flood of Tie fighters instantly follow the Resistance band, and they're prepared for a fight. Inside his X-wing, Poe Dameron communicates an update, "Alright, Rose and Finn are on the ground. Here we go! They are after us hard. You know what to do!" "Copy that," crackles Fighter One's comm. "Let's do this!" says Fighter Two.

Their mission is simple now that Finn and Rose have been delivered: Extract the leaders that are in danger from the First Order and destroy as many Tie fighters as possible. The X-wing fleet races back and forth, firing on the Tie fighters. As they fly low, they can see that the people are not happy to see them, which is surprising. They have always been the good guys, but on this day they seem unwelcome.

Suddenly, Kylo Ren's fighter enters the atmosphere with a small fleet of black X-wing ships, First Order insignia painted in deep blue on the wings and sides. Confused, the Resistance fighters can't make sense of what this means. "Uh, Commander, you see what I see?" Fighter One is disconcerted. Fighter Two is just confused. "Are those ours?" Poe tries to get a better look. "Yeah, I see. No, they aren't. Just stick to the plan."

As the Millennium Falcon leaves the atmosphere, Kylo Ren passes too close for comfort. Ben looks at the bigger ship, but stays focused and barrels toward the planet's surface. Fighter Two can already see that the black X-wing has singled out their leader. "Looks like he's gunning for you, Poe. Want us to cover you?" "Nah, I'll draw him off. Get done what you can and I'll see you back home!" Poe isn't worried about his abilities to escape, and in the meantime, save his fleet to finish their mission.

Poe draws fire from Ben as he flies across a small inlet of water and around some large boulders. He's impressed that Ben can keep up, and smiles to himself, until Ben's voice comes into the cockpit of his X-wing. "You don't know what you're doing here, Captain." Ben's voice is disturbingly calm. Poe isn't sure how Ben is talking to him and it makes him uneasy, but he brushes it off. "Sure I do. And it's Commander. What are you and your little black friends playing at, anyway?" "You're doing yourselves more harm than good here." Ben's voice fills the small cockpit. Not understanding Ben's meaning, Poe sneers, "You tell that to every planet you take over?" Ben's voice becomes more commanding. "You're on the wrong side of this fight. If you don't leave now, I'll blow you out of the sky."

Despite the wisdom Commander Dameron has gained in the past year, he isn't one to back down from a challenge. "I'd love to see you try!" he dares.

The two fighters race around after each other, and with each turn, Poe feels he should be losing Ben. But Ben only gets closer; he makes a move to shoot Poe, but misses. Too close for Poe's comfort, he maneuvers his craft as fast and as far as he can, but to no avail. Ben's fighter flips upside down around a corner, and to Poe's dismay the rear end of his fighter ignites, crashing into the trees. There is nothing but very disturbed beeps from BB8.

Finn and Rose have arrived at the largest X-wing factory and find the director of production. They explain why they're here, and what they're looking for. The middle-aged alien hovers in place nervously, darting glances left and right every few seconds. He knows Finn and Rose, and is determined to help them. They duck into his office and speak in more hushed tones.

"So you see," the director points out, "even if we sabotaged the whole operation, they'd just come after us. They'd wipe us out. Did you see what they did to Arkanis a few months ago? These are people with families. We need the production orders to keep them working. The galactic economy isn't growing the way it used to before the First Order took control." Disappointed, Finn asks, "Who would they turn to if your factories were destroyed?" The alien shrugs. "Who would the Resistance turn to? When we aren't making stuff for the First Order, we're making it for you." Rose is mystified by the idea that the First Order is constructing a fleet to match their own. "So what's with their sudden interest in buying X-wings?" The alien shrugged again. "I don't know, but it's a big order."

Rose, Finn and the director look through the window as the X-wing parts pass along the factory assembly line. Rose has spent the last few months shadowing Leia, learning diplomacy and duty. They come naturally to her, as they did to Leia, and the older woman had taken her under her wing. Unlike Rey, she could see that Rose possessed the ability to keep her emotions from affecting her decisions. Rose seemed much more like herself than her late husband and brother, and she adores her young protégé for that. With all the potential of becoming a great leader, Rose's love for the people motivates her, helping her approach problems now as fiercely as she always did behind the pipes of the ships.

"What if we built in a flaw?" she asked. "A flaw like what? It's been done before. How would they not know?" Finn wondered, unsure how that would work. "Something that wouldn't be immediately noticeable at first, like navigation gaps, but something that would, with a little use, blow up the fighters?" Intrigued, the director mused, "Yes, that could actually work. We're set up to finish this order soon, but we could get it done before these batches are complete." As they go over the plans, Finn stands guard at the door. It has been a busy year, gathering the Resistance from nothing. He's watched Rose blossom into a great diplomat. Through it all, she has never mentioned her feelings for him, and he never mentioned the kiss, so their friendship continues unchanged. He admires her, but not the way she had hoped. Finn feels close to her, and comfortable enough to be honest with her, if she ever asked.

As they leave the director's office, he can't help but let her know he's impressed. "It's really incredible and scary how your mind works sometimes." "Thanks." She doesn't let herself smile all the way. The mission comes first.

After getting word that Poe's fighter went down, their mission was somewhat jeopardized. The First Order death troopers had since left the planet, and no storm trooper would approach them and question why they were still there. The next point of contact wouldn't be for a few hours, and they needed to blend in until then.

Finn knew all the protocol, and they headed to the open area where all the storm troopers would be gathering for midday rations at the outdoor cafeteria. They sat down at an empty table with their food, removing their helmets as Finn scanned the faces of the troopers. He watches the next line across the way, nervously confirming his anonymity. Rose can't help but notice; they haven't been this close to storm troopers since their near execution on Snoke's ship.

"Do they scare you?" Rose asked quietly. "They don't know me. Older generation." Finn took a few bites, keeping his eye out. Rose can't always hide how cute she thinks he is when he's scared. "Do you ever miss it?" Her question brings Finn back to the moment. As hectic as the last months have been, he almost can't believe her query. "Being a storm trooper? I miss the food sometimes. The feeling that everyone knew where you were coming from, you know, until I left and they didn't."

Finn took a drink and made a strange face at the taste. Rose looked at her own cup and took another sip. "What? I think it's good." "Don't drink it," Finn ordered quietly. "It's what they give the storm troopers. They say it's vitamins or something, but the day of my first mission I was feeling strange, so I went to sick bay. I missed breakfast but thought I'd be fine until lunch cuz of how I was feeling. By the time we launched I knew something was off. I figured out how to keep from taking it for a couple of days after that, and it was like I could—"

"Feel?" Rose looked thoughtful. "Exactly. Think, too. I knew I had to get out of there." Finn shakes his head as he takes another bite and checks the time. Rose watches him carefully and pushes her drink to the side. He never told her that before, and she's been careful not to ask too many questions. Her feelings for Finn don't get in the way of her daily decisions, but most of her ideas stemmed from her sympathy for him.

A slow smile crosses Rose's face. She shoots a quick whisper across the table, "I wonder how chaotic it would be if all of them suddenly stopped taking it all at once?" They exchange a knowing look, and can't wait to be picked up so they can put it to the others.

Inside the Millennium Falcon, as they travel back to base, BB8 rolls back and forth behind Poe as he paces in front of Leia's hologram. Poe is looking rough after his crash. Finn and Rose are still in their storm trooper outfits. Rey stands to one side with her arms folded, not sure what to think as the Commander addresses Leia in frustration.

"I don't understand! The First Order is systematically destroying every semblance of the Resistance in the Galaxy!" "And in the meantime aiding even the lowliest people who have made them wealthy," said Rose, shaking her head. "They've been putting down troops in the most remote of places to make sure the masses who support them are taken care of."

"Yeah, for now. Until the First Order turns and crushes them," Finn offered. "At least you're alive," Leia reminds him. "The word from the fighters was that you didn't make it." "Well, my fighter didn't." BB8 beeps anxiously alongside him. "Man, he's a crack shot!" "I need you to focus, Poe," Leia seems to plead with him. Poe stops pacing and his gaze passes through Leia's hologram to rest on Rey. "It's a strategy," he concludes. "What is their endgame?"

"They're winning over the Galaxy with food and a sense of security, that's why fewer and fewer people are willing to help us. They're contented, and the First Order hardly looks like the bad guys now," Rose laments. Finn is not convinced. "Yeah, but what happens when they start to show their true colors?" Poe's eyes lose a little hope. "It might be too late then. It's like someone has a history book of every detail of the rebellion, and they're beating us with it. We're running out of places to hide."

Rey can sense Poe's shift in confidence and chimes in. "Then we'll have to get more creative. Make a brand new strategy." Poe is reminded of the words of Kylo Ren