Darkness At Dawn • Kylo Ren [1]

ⅩⅩⅠ

"There's been an awakening. Have you felt it? The Dark side, and the Light."

∫

In the twilight night, Poe and Elara's ship landed near a village on the planet Jakku. BB-8 was let down from his pod and followed Poe and Elara up a small sand hill. Elara leant her head slightly over, directing her vision to the nearby villagers who seemed harmless enough.

Poe shoved his hands into his pocket. "All clear?"

"Yeah, I can't spot out anything unusual." Elara closed her eyes and relaxed. "Or feel anything unusual either."

Poe slid down the sand hill, offering his hand to help down Elara as she slid down behind him. Together, the two walked towards a hut which was said to belong to Lor San Tekka. Confident with his skills and mission, Poe sometimes displayed an impatience that arose from only wanting to fulfill the task at hand. His worn down red and beige hued flight jacket had been with him for as long as he could remember, so wearing it now seemed like his best moment. Elara wore the opposite, she actually looked quite sexy for a woman with two children. She wore a tight black shirt followed by tight black pants that had a belt to fasten a mini blaster and her lightsaber in case she needed it. She covered her wavy hair and young complexion with a black cloak which itched her skin as she followed Poe into the hut.

Lor San Tekka appeared physically capable of being intimidating, he didn't play the part well when he immediately smiled and welcomed his guests. Though their visit had been brief, the pilot and Jedi felt quite confident with their discovery.

Coming close, Tekka placed a small leather sack in Poe's hand, then covered both with his own hand.

"Legend send this map is unobtainable." Poe noted. "How'd you do it?"

The older man just smiled, clearly not ready to give up all his secrets yet.

Elara spoke up. "I've heard stories about your adventures since I was a kid. It's an honor to meet you. We are very grateful."

Tekka shrugged. "I've travelled too far and seen too much to ignore the collective anguish that threatens to flood the galaxy in a dark despair. Something must be done."

Poe placed the sack in Elara's hand. "The general has been after this a long time."

"General? To me she's royalty." Tekka winked and Elara couldn't help but beam.

Elara was about to speak when BB-8 came in frantically beeping. The three exchanged a glance before rushing out towards the hut's door. Poe had his quadnocs in his hand, aiming them towards the sky. The automatic tracker caught sight of what he feared.

"You need to hide." Poe turned to Tekka.

"And you need to leave." Tekka looked worriedly at the sky.

Poe grabbed Elara's hand and they began running towards the ship, BB-8 following closely behind. Those harmless villagers armed themselves in defense. In this, bravery was a poor match for trained stormtroopers who began to raid the village. It was over almost as soon as it started.

Anxiety fled Poe's emotions as he desperately tried to start the ship. "Come on!"

"Poe!" Elara yelled, spinning her head around. "Hurry up."

BB-8 frantically beeped, reminding them that stormtroopers noticed the ship.

"We're going!" Poe thumbed another control. "Almost there..."

He was almost off the ground when the ship was hit. Poe swore and pressed a button so BB-8 could drop from his pod. Elara jumped out from the cockpit, swinging her legs over and jumping into the sand. Immediately, she looked at the damage. "Shit, we aren't going anywhere."

The X-Wing pilot followed close behind, dropping to his knees in front of BB-8. "Take this, it's safer with you. Get as far away from here as possible. I'll come back for you." Poe placed the sack inside BB-8. "Now go!"

BB-8 hesitated at first but then began to roll away, stopping to look back.

"Forgot  you had a romantic relationship with your droid." Elara hid herself behind the X-Wing.

"Shut up." Poe grabbed a blaster from a fallen stormtrooper. "It can't get much worse than this..."

∫

The tall, hooded figure whose arrival was so unexpected, a trooper who was beyond shell-shocked made his way directly to Lor San Tekka, who was being held hostage.

Seeing him approach, Tekka halted and waited. The village elder recognized who was coming towards him and knew there was no point in running. They each shared an even glance, staring at each other from head to foot. Tekka had once known the man himself, indicating that only the mask was left. Metal instead of man.

Ren spoke first. "The great soldier of fortune, captured at last."

"Whereas something far more worse has happened to you." Tekka replied.

The words had no effect on Ren as far as Tekka could tell. The only emotion Ren showed was impatience. "You know what I've come for."

"I know where you come from." Tekka smoothly spoke. "From a time before you called yourself Kylo Ren."

"Careful." Ren seethed. "The map to Skywalker, we understand you've acquired it and now you'll give it to the First Order."

"You don't belong with them." Now, Tekka was just wasting time. "The First Order arose from the dark side, you did not."

"Enough witless banter old man, give it to me!" Ren snapped.

"I don't have it, it's long gone by now." Tekka knew what he was in for.

Ren ignited his unusual looking lightsaber and thrashed it into Tekka, watching the man drop dead before his eyes.

Poe and Elara watched from afar. While Elara was terrified out of her mind, she remained quiet but Poe saw the saber come to life and deliver a lethal act. Thoughts raced through his mind and as stealthy as he was, he was unable to do what he had planned.

Too late and too slow, he told himself as he continued to fire at Kylo Ren. Ren reacted immediately, a hand rose sharply at the threat and froze both Poe and the blaster shot.

Elara gasped, about to run after him.

Initially driven by pure rage, Poe found that he could not move. He was paralyzed as two troopers came to take him from his frozen spot and push him in front of Ren. Had they not held onto him, he would of fell right over.

"Who talks first?" Poe questioned. "I talk first? You talk first?"

Poe's nerves twinged as Ren spoke. "Search him."

Poe made a face as two stormtroopers searched his body. "I find it hard to understand you with all that-" He indicated the mask.

A stormtrooper suddenly dropped down dead as Elara thrashed her lightsaber into his chest. The fallen stormtrooper released Poe and he fell to the sand, face first. Elara's cloak covered her face as her purple lightsaber reflected against Ren's mask. The blade was pressed so close to his chest, she could smell the burning fabric.

"A Jedi?" A metal stormtrooper with a female voice responded, pointing her gun at Elara.

Nobody could see the reaction on Kylo Ren's face but Elara was positive it was a smirk. "Put your weapon away Captain Phasma."

As quick as Elara was, she did not see Ren's kick which knocked her straight on the ground. Her cloak's hood fell off her head and Ren stopped dead in his tracks. Elara scrambled away, kicking sand towards Ren. Ren grabbed Elara's lightsaber and ignited it, watching the blade move with every movement.

"Lord Ren?" Captain Phasma asked. "Do we terminate the hostages?"

"No. Keep them." Ren took one final look at Elara before walking towards the ship.

Enraged, Elara screamed. "That's all you have to say?"

Ren kept walking, unable to reply. He kept her lightsaber on his belt before disappearing into the ship.

Elara turned to the stunned Poe Dameron. "It got much worse."