The Lady of Ren

Banshee

Junia's words still linger fatally in your ear like a worm digging its way into your brain.

She hadn't been wrong. Kylo did order for her family to be executed, but not without good reason. Junia's father turned out to be a spy for the Resistance and the rest of her family would follow suit eventually. But not Junia, who was faithful to the First Order and to you, mostly because she hadn't known about her father until it was too late, and partially because she had no other choice but to remain loyal.

Junia was a good friend. You'd miss her partnership and her skillset. But there were much more clever fish in the sea; fish who were awaiting opportunity to work with the First Order with rapid pulse. And as much as you liked Junia – even loved her – she was liability in the most austere sense.

On the Ichor, yourself, the Knights, and what's left of the Bruler squadron have sat patiently, awaiting a call from Captain Phasma which would announce her eager arrival at any moment now. So when the commlink in your hand buzzes erratically, everyone jumps in their skin.

"Ambassador Ren," says a female voice – prim though stern.

"Captain Phasma." A smile presents itself in your voice. "How delightful to finally hear from you."

"I apologize about the wait, Ambassador, but there's been..." she pauses, and you hear the gulp in her throat. "There's been an accident with the Supremacy."

There's some feedback on her end of the comm and you hope you've heard her wrong.

Your limbs have locked in their joints.

The captain begins more cautiously. "The Raddus...it's crashed into the mothership..." She stops, assessing the pause in your response, and concluding that you've lost all sensibility from the length of it. "From what I gather, Commander Ren was aboard..."

Yes, you think, I know.

"Is he..." you begin weakly. Your soul is slipping from your chest cavity.

"Not that I know of, ambassador. I haven't heard from General Hux, but he's evaluating the damage as we speak."

The comm slips from your hands and shatters upon the floor. The entire ship has just heard what's been uttered. Sim steps forward in order to catch you, but she doesn't reach you in time. You feel like your bones have shattered. Your knees meet the durasteel with a crack, the bones crunching against the sinew of your tendons...

But the pain is dulled compared to what comes next. You close your eyes, reaching out into the stillness of the Force to search for him. You find its silence is deafening and something inside of you breaks when you can't feel him. There is only blackness – no rays of vivid color, no sparks of energy...there is nothing...

...until you hear a whimper in its aura.

Cool tendrils of fainted light caress your cheek from far away. At first, you don't recognize the impression, but then a voice whispers your name with weak anticipation.

Kylo. It's Kylo's voice.

His presence fails to reach you completely. Just as soon as he calls out to you, his lifeforce vanishes with an intake of rapid breath.

Then there is nothing. Just the muteness of the Force – of the universe.

You gasp, coming to, and find the Knights surrounding you with paled faces and distress depressing the wrinkles around their greyed eyes.

"The commander...!" you scream, lungs aching and esophagus burning.

A banshee's howl.

"...-the commander is dead!"