Well, look what we have here.
PROLOGUE
The Unknown Regions, 40 ABY
The lone spacecraft glided through the canvas of stars that surrounded the aptly named Unknown Regions. The uncharted territory that lay beyond the Outer Rim had been scarcely explored even in the decades following the fall of the Galactic Empire. Stories spun of the unknowable dangers that lurked in the Unknown Regions scared off even the most daring spacers, and most galactic governments were wary of spending the resources to send out scouts that may never return.
Jacen Solo was well aware of these dangers. In fact, it was because of these dangers that he had come here in the first place.
His personal journey in exploring other practices of the Force had brought him far and wide across the galaxy. From the Baran Do Sages of Dorin to the Theran Listeners of Nam Chorios, he exposed himself to a variety of cultures centered around different views of the Force than those of the Jedi. In the process, he had expanded his own understanding of the Force and had come to the realization that the galaxy was much bigger than either the Jedi or the Sith. Much bigger.
His recent visit with the Fallanassi on Pydyr had led him here to the Unknown Regions. It was during his training with the Fallanassi that he had heard this “call”; like some sort of beckoning towards this particular region of space. The call had only gotten stronger the further out he had ventured, yet he was still no closer to deciphering it or pinpointing its exact location than he was back on Pydyr. Instead, he had decided to put his trust in the Force and let it guide him where he needed to go.
Where he had ended up was a region of space that did not appear anywhere on his navigational map or in any of the astrography databases that he could bring up on his computer. There were no nearby star systems or nebulae that he could detect; instead, only a cluster of red cosmic dust lay ahead of him, standing out amongst the blanket of stars that surrounded him. The call was coming from there, he could tell. He could feel it. Against his better judgment, he moved his ship into the Red Nebula.
As soon as he entered the cosmic cloud, his mind was struck by an invisible force. Clutching his head, he screamed into the canopy of his vessel as a barrage of images assaulted his mind.
Lightning flashed on a stormy desert. A fleet of Star Destroyers surrounded an ancient temple. At the epicenter of the temple was a throne situated upon a stone pedestal, jagged spikes jutting from either side. A dark man sat upon the throne, his face concealed by a black cloak over his head. All Jacen could make out were a pair of glowing white spheres serving as eyes. A raspy voice spoke out, though it was difficult to distinguish from the rumble of thunder in tempo with it.
“Mine.”
The scene changed. Ossus, the Jedi Temple, was on fire. A figure clad in black armor stood surrounded by the flames, laughing as he raised his hands to the night sky. The planet’s twin moons, Mim and Nerit, seemed to glow with a white aura around them.
“Mine.”
Ossus turned into Coruscant. Republic and Imperial flags both burned as the dark man — the same one on the throne — gesticulated to a bowing crowd, cackling as his eyes burned like white hot suns.
“Mine.”
Jacen lurched out of the vision just as his ship lurched out of the nebula, as if repelled by some invisible force. He spiraled out of control for a moment until he was able to regain his composure and control of his ship. For a long time, Jacen just sat there, staring at the nebula as he tried to process what he had just seen.
The temptation to venture back in roared in his mind, but he quickly silenced such thoughts. If what he had just seen truly had any bearing on the future, then he could no longer waste time following threads. He had to return to Ossus. He had to warn the Jedi of what was to come.
If it wasn’t already too late.
The Unknown Regions, two years later
The scarlet glow of the Red Nebula reflected in the thin visor of the masked man standing on the bridge of the Supremacy. The Mega Star Destroyer, shaped like the edge of a scythe, orbited the nebula along with its escort of Resurgent-class Star Destroyers. As the personal fleet for the Supreme Leader of the First Order, the Supremacy and her escorts rarely moved from this region of space so as to maintain secrecy among even the highest echelons of the Order.
Kylo Ren did not mind secrecy. What he did mind was having secrets being kept from him.
In all the years he had been to the Red Nebula, he had never been made privy to what was on the other side. For everything his master had taught him, that was one thing the Supreme Leader had refused to so much as hint at an answer to. Whatever laid beyond the nebula was something Snoke did not want him to know. Naturally, this made the knowledge all the more enticing.
Still, he did not dare do something that would get himself in his master’s bad grace. There was still more he needed to learn from Snoke, and he could not learn if he was dead.
In the distance, he could see the Supreme Leader’s personal shuttle emerge from the Red Nebula, flanked on either side by TIE fighters. He watched as they flew towards the Supremacy and glided beneath the massive Star Destroyer’s underbelly.
For the longest time, Kylo Ren just stood there, hands clasped behind his back as he gazed at the nebula. After several long moments that felt more like hours, he heard the distinct sound of boots clicking together and he turned to see a man in the dark gray uniform of a captain standing before him, chin raised high.
“The Supreme Leader requests your presence,” Captain Yago said curtly.
Kylo Ren said nothing as he walked past the captain and headed for the turbolift located at the other end of the bridge. Even the trip from the overbridge to the throne room felt excruciatingly long, despite the short distance between the two chambers.
As the doors parted, Kylo was once again faced with red. Opaque scarlet curtains were draped behind the large throne situated at the end of a wide walkway. On either side stood four of the Supreme Leader’s Elite Praetorian Guard, clad from head to toe in red armor. Other than the black floor and the dark gray throne itself, the only color that separated the sea of red flooding Kylo’s vision was the golden robe the Supreme Leader wore himself as he sat comfortably in his seat.
Walking across the railed walkway, Kylo Ren came up within several feet of the throne before dropping down to one knee, his head bowed. A dry chuckle graced his ears but he did not dare lift his gaze from the floor.
“You seem troubled, my young apprentice,” Snoke said, his tone soft yet deep. “Tell me, what is bothering you?”
“It is nothing, master,” Kylo Ren replied, his voice modulated by his mask.
He felt a twitch of annoyance from Snoke through the Force, though whether it was because he knew the Knight of Ren was lying or simply disdain for the mask he wore, Kylo could not tell.
“Nothing, you say?” asked the Supreme Leader. “You know it is useless to lie to me, apprentice. Please, tell me; perhaps I can help ease your worries.”
Kylo hesitated in answering. He knew that voicing his curiosity over the Red Nebula would simply earn him a sharp rebuke, as it had plenty of times before.
Instead, he said, “I was merely wondering when our next move will be.”
“Ah.” Snoke chuckled again, seeming to relax in his seat. “Restless, are we? I can understand why. Long have we been planning the execution of our schemes, making it so tempting to simply let loose and unleash our wrath on the galaxy. But we must exercise patience if we wish to succeed, Kylo Ren.”
“Yes, master,” Kylo replied, head still bowed.
“Rise.”
He obeyed the command and rose to his feet, lifting his head to gaze upon Snoke fully. The golden robe the Supreme Leader wore hid the distorted shape of his body, though he wore nothing to disguise the decayed flesh of his gaunt, scarred face. His sharp blue eyes seemed to pierce through the visor of Kylo’s mask as he studied the Knight of Ren, resting a chin on his large hand.
“I do have a task for you,” Snoke said softly. “One you may find challenging.”
“I am ready for any challenge you have for me,” Kylo replied confidently.
Snoke smirked. “You don’t even know what it is yet.”
Kylo watched as the Supreme Leader slowly rose from his throne, extending himself to the full seven feet of his height. Clasping his hands behind his back, Snoke began to pace around the chamber, eying his apprentice with every step.
“The Galactic Alliance is falling apart,” he began. “For all his failures, one thing that Darth Taral managed to do that was beneficial to our plans was to install a weak leader in the Alliance. Despite his strong reputation as a senator, Luewet Wuul lacks the strength and responsibility of a proper Chief of State. Already the Senate is divided over their decision of having elected him and there are rumors of potentially impeaching him and replacing him with another fool.
“What’s more, the collapse of the Imperial Remnant has left several sectors — especially those on the Outer Rim — paranoid and fearful of their own stability. Even as we speak, there have been talks of secession from the Alliance and establishment of their own government. This would reduce the Alliance back to its original state as the New Republic, perhaps with even fewer members than it did during its nascent years.
“While I have already planted agents within the Alliance to sow further discord among the Senate, I know that alone will not be enough to deal a mighty enough blow against the Alliance. There are still those in the Senate who have lived through the days of the Empire and remember what Palpatine had done to create it. They will therefore notice and stop any attempts at replicating what the Emperor had done.”
Kylo tilted his head, meeting his master’s gaze. “What would you have me do then?”
“Losing the Rim worlds would be no severe blow to the Alliance, as they would still have control over the Core and thus still be able to spread their reach outward and perhaps pull those Rim worlds back in.” A sly smile creased Snoke’s broken face. “If they lose control of the Core Worlds, however… then that would be a different story.”
“Why not send your agents to the Core, then? Why send me?”
“Oh, I already have.” Snoke’s grin broadened. “You’ll just be another one of those agents. But the world I am sending you to is one that may have some… sentimental value to you.”
Kylo felt himself tense up, struggling to translate the gleam in the Supreme Leader’s azure eyes. “What world, master?”
Snoke’s cracked lips formed the word “Corellia,” but Kylo could barely hear it over the ringing in his ears.
STAR WARS: VERGENCE
Book I: The Corellian Conspiracy
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