Bonded

Chapter 5: Coming Home

"Eighty Silencers, fresh off the production line," The Vultan man's voice swells with pride. He walks between rows of black TIE fighters, arms extending to the ships on either side.

A masked Kylo Ren strides behind him, hands clasped loosely behind his back.

"Prototype 2, all engineered to your specifications." The Vultan juts his chin up. "And we've added several improvements based on your post-flight reports." The olive-skinned man looks back, ridged folds of flesh lining his forehead. "We do appreciate the detail you put into those. With such thorough feedback from the customer, we can aim for perfection."

"I expect perfection." Kylo Ren's voice is distorted. "Nothing less."

"Of course, your grace, of course." The Vultan looks forward. "Let's take a closer look at one, shall we?" He slows, turning to one of the Silencers. Kylo and the aerial captain beside him follow.

Suddenly, the captain jerks to the side, the sound of footsteps approaching quickly.

"Supreme Leader!" An officer halts before the men, out of breath.

Kylo Ren faces the Silencer, his back to the officer.

"Whatever it is, it can wait." He doesn't turn around.

"But... sir..." The officer stammers. "You said you wished to be informed immediately if we ever came to possess the Millennium Falco—"

"You have it?" Kylo whips around.

The officer shrinks.

"Where did you find it?" He charges to the man, stopping just in front of him. "Where is it now?"

"It..." The man struggles to look at the mask towering over him. "It was abandoned in the outer rim." He tries to sound confident. "On Denash, I believe. We received some reports that Resistance scum were stirring up trouble in the area so we sent a team to investigate."

"Did you take any prisoners?" The mask gets closer.

The officer fights the urge to back away.

"No sir." The man shakes his head. "We combed the area thoroughly but found nothing. We confiscated the ship and secured in the command port with your shuttle."

Kylo straightens.

Then, he steps around the man, striding away.

"Continue the inspection, captain," he calls back. "Report to me when it's done."

Kylo walks swiftly between the TIE fighters, boots clicking against the pristine floor. Each step stokes his anticipation, the images flashing in his mind.

It's been years since he's seen the Falcon, really seen it. It's strange to think about now. It feels like he spent half his life in that piece of junk. He can picture the interior with astonishing detail— the tattered seat in the lounge, stained with sweat, the grimy holoboard that barely works... the scraped-up technical station... Every corner... every crevice...

Kylo smiles inside his mask.

And he sees it being ripped to shreds, destroyed beyond all recognition, reduced to chunks of metal, frayed wires, and ash.

He's imagined it for over a decade, toying with different scenarios. He's seen the ship pulverized with lasers, ripped apart by asteroids, smashed into a thousand pieces against the side of a mountain. And the day has finally come...

He moves quickly through the halls of the dreadnaught, fantasies of destruction playing in his mind. Soon, he rounds the corner to the command port, the Falcon coming into view. He slows as he nears the ship, ignoring the technicians bowing as he approaches.