STAR WARS: War for the Outer Rim

IgnusDei · Jul 31, 2018

STAR WARS:

WAR FOR THE OUTER RIM

Episode 1:
The Battle of D'Qar

Written by IgnusDei

(fanfiction.net link)

"I once heard someone say that war makes for strange bedfellows. Bedfellows get to love one another for a moment. We aren't so lucky."
-Leia Organa

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

EXT – SPACE - HIGH ORBIT OF PLANET D'QAR

A vast expanse of stars serves as the background for the title, as glorious trumpets and drums play that familiar score. The roll up begins its crawl towards infinity.

It is a dire time for the New Republic. Despite
the destruction of Starkiller Base, chaos reigns
across the galaxy as warlords and crime syndicates
attempt to carve out their own empires out of the
Core World territories, forcing the remnants of the
Republic fleet to fight an uphill battle to maintain order.

Meanwhile, an undaunted First Order
begins an immense assault across the Outer Rim, a blitzkrieg
that will secure valuable resources and manpower for
the inevitable final push in the Core.

The only thing standing in their way now is a ragtag fleet
gathered above the skies of the planet D'Qar,
the headquarters of the Resistance.

Thus the first battle of the Outer Rim War has begun...

PAN DOWN to reveal a massive FIRST ORDER STAR DESTROYER. A single TIE FIGHTER streaks across, then two, then three, then a dozen. We TRACK the flight of TIE FIGHTERS, then PAN towards their destination: a small fleet of various, exotic warships and transports engaged in battle with four more STAR DESTROYERS.

CUT TO: Another flight of TIE FIGHTERS. We TRACK them as they streak across the space battle, evading blaster fire from enemy turrets, firing at any target of opportunity that they come across. Eventually they are obliterated by a hail of blaster bolts, and we PAN up to see the cause of their doom: a MON CALAMARI SUPERCARRIER with the word RADDUS painted across the side of its hull, written in aurebesh. It suffers a barrage of turbolaser fire, but its shields hold fast.

POE (Radio)
This is Black One! Their point defenses are down!

ACKBAR (Radio)
Launch the Salvo!

Hatches open across the side of the Raddus, and twenty Assault Proton Torpedoes emerge, trailing plasma behind them. They bypass the STAR DESTROYER's shields completely, and penetrate its hull, causing it to explode from the inside out.

CUT TO: INT – RADDUS COMMAND BRIDGE – SPACE Surrounded by crewmen, Admiral ACKBAR and General LEIA ORGANA look at holographic map of the battle as a small bright red triangle 'explodes'. In the background, the STARDESTROYER is engulfed in flames. At her post, communications officer KAYDEL KO CONNIX desperately attempts to sort of the frantic chorus of radio chatter – mostly casualty reports.

LEIA
So far, so good.

ACKBAR
A little too good. They're holding their trump card back.

LEIA
Their mistake.
[to KAYDEL]
Kaydel! Give me a status report on the evacuation!

KAYDELL
Aye aye!
[to her headset]
Raddus to base, ETA on complete EVAC?

EXT – RESISTANCE BASE DOCKS – SURFACE OF D'QAR

The battle rages in the sky above. PAN DOWN to the RESISTANCE BASE as TRANSPORTS arrive and land on the docks. Their doors open, and hundreds of resistance personnel scramble to get inside, carrying all kinds of important materiel. VOBER DAND, a male Tarsunt, looks on as he speaks in his communicator.

VOBER
Base to Raddus, the Transports just landed and the last group
is on its way out, we just need ten more minutes before
we can take off!

KAYDELL (radio)
Understood, hangars one through four will be notified.

INT – RADDUS COMMAND BRIDGE – SPACE

ACKBAR
Good, now hail Captain Elson and order him to move his
corvettes to Navpoint Beta! Those Transports will need cover fire!

Suddenly, and alarm beeps on the console of the bridge's SENSOR OPERATOR.

SENSOR OPERATOR
Admiral! I've got a massive Quantum
Waveform on the scopes! Incoming Hyperspace Jump!

LEIA
Oh, no...

ACKBAR
Alert the fleet! Incoming Dreadnought!

EXT – SPACE - HIGH ORBIT OF PLANET D'QAR

Three STAR DESTROYERS move into battle. Suddenly, behind them, a FIRST ORDER DREADNOUGHT, the ECLIPSE, appears from Hyperspace, dwarfing each STAR DESTROYER by a factor of ten. A Blood Stripe has been painted across its hull, marking it as a Special Forces warship.

INT - ECLIPSE COMMAND BRIDGE – SPACE

CUT TO: CLOSE UP the Blood Stripe on the uniform of Captain PAXTON FELL, a grizzled Imperial war veteran from Galactic Civil War and leader of the First Order's Special Forces, oversees the young men and women of his command crew as they work calmly in their shallow pits. The Bridge is bathed in a sickly red light, contrasting sharply with the blues of the crew's holographic consoles.

NAVIGATOR
We have arrived.

FELL
I know, I have eyes, sailor.
[To the Flight Controller]
I want all Interceptors out there and on Point Defense, and
the Bombers —

HUX (Off-screen)
Belay that. Tell the pilots to stand down, they will not be needed.

From the shadows, ARMITAGE HUX, General of the First Order, appears, and approaches FELL.

HUX
The Eclipse can deal with anything the Resistance
can throw at it. Ready the main gun, target the planet.

FELL (confused)
But the Raddus is right there, we can just—

HUX (seething)
Are you questioning the orders of your general, captain?

There is a tense moment where HUX and FELL stare at each other, and it is obvious that FELL has nothing but contempt for the young general.

FELL
...No, sir.
[To his crew]
All fighters stand down. Gunnery, ready the main gun, single reactor ignition—

HUX
Dual reactor ignition! I want the surface to burn!

EXT – SPACE - HIGH ORBIT OF PLANET D'QAR

The Eclipse's prow splits open, revealing crystalline apertures that glow a bright blue-green, the telltale light of a Superlaser.

INT - ECLIPSE COMMAND BRIDGE – SPACE

FIRST ORDER GUNNERY OFFICER
Weapon is charging, ready to fire in... ten seconds.

HUX (smirking)
Fire on my mark...

Discreetly, PAXTON FELL taps a few keys on a holographic interface mounted on a wristband.

INT - ECLIPSE FIGHTER HANGAR– SPACE

CUT TO: CLOSE UP of the same wristband on a young man. PAN UP to his face, which is marked by a prominent scar above his eyebrow. He reads the message from PAXTON:

Be Ready.

The pilot puts on his helmet and prepares to board his TIE Interceptor just as it is being fitted with missile pods. The words ALPHA ONE is stenciled on his helmet, and the INTERCEPTOR is emblazoned with a White Crow over a Black and Burgundy shield, the emblem of the 181st Carrion Crows Elite Starfighter Squadron. He makes it several steps on the boarding ladder before FLIGHT CONTROL's voice blares over the loudspeakers.

FLIGHT CONTROL [Off-screen]
"All fighters stand down."

Alpha One, whose name is MALEK FELL, pointedly disobeys, and steps into the high-tech, advanced cockpit of his starfighter. He is followed in by floating, black octahedron-shaped droid with a red optic, which slots itself behind the pilots seat.

INT – MALEK'S INTERCEPTOR's COCKPIT

Malek begins the startup sequence by flipping switches and manipulating holograms, as mechanical arms put his ship into a launch tube. Then... he waits, patiently, for his father's signal to deploy.

INT - ECLIPSE COMMAND BRIDGE – SPACE

The GUNNERY OFFICER watches the Superlaser's status on his console.

FIRST ORDER GUNNERY OFFICER
Weapon is fully charged, sir!

HUX (eagerly)
FIRE!

EXT – SPACE - HIGH ORBIT OF PLANET D'QAR

Particles gather into the mouth of the superlaser into a ball, and it spews a ray of blue-green energy. PAN to the planet D'QAR...

EXT – SPACE - LOW ORBIT OF PLANET D'QAR

The beam streaks past a squadron of X-wing starfighters lead by a BLACK X-WING, blowing through the hull of Red ASSAULT FRIGATE MKII, and continues on through the atmosphere of D'QAR. CLOSE UP of the BLACK X-WING's cockpit, as its pilot, POE DAMERON, looks on in horror.

POE
No....

EXT - SURFACE OF D'QAR

The beam impacts the ground, which shatters under the raw firepower of the superlaser. A shockwave erupts from the impact.

EXT – RESISTANCE BASE DOCKS – SURFACE OF D'QAR

VOBER looks behind him and sees of a wall of dust and fire, rapidly making its way towards the base. He is almost awed by its size, and utterly terrified.

VOBER
TAKE OFF! TAKE OFF NOW! WE—

He is cut short by an earthquake, and the ground cracks beneath him, splitting into deep chasms with the bright orange glow of lava at the bottom. VOBER and his crew fall into the chasms, screaming in terror, and are quickly followed by the one transport that failed to engage its repulsorlifts in time. The Transports that managed to take off switch on their afterburners, a desperate move to stay ahead of the shockwave and make it to the RADDUS.

TRANSPORT PILOT 1 (radio)
Keep going! Keep going! We're almost safe!

TRANSPORT PILOT 2 (radio)
This is transport 2! Our engine's too hot! We're not—

TRANSPORT PILOT 2's ship lags behind significantly, and is torn apart by the shockwave, then another Transport's engines fail, then another, and another...

INT – RADDUS COMMAND BRIDGE – SPACE

LEIA puts her hand over her chest, stumbles, and leans against the holotable. Through the Force, she feels the death of every man and woman on D'Qar as she watches the once verdant planet turn into a ball of ash and lava. Every death is a stab in the heart. ACKBAR looks at her, worried.

ACKBAR
Princess...

LEIA
I'll be fine...

She composes herself.

LEIA
[to the sensor operator]
How many transports did we lose?

SENSOR OPERATOR
I've confirmed four of the twelve signals going silent, the rest...
[narrows eyes at his consoles]
IFF confirmed! They're alright! They're alright! ETA six minutes!

KAYDELL
Elson is reporting in! Nav Beta is secure!... wait...
[To Leia]
The Dreadnought is transmitting across all frequencies - it's General Hux!

LEIA
Of course it is... put it through.

HUX [Radio]
Rebels...

EXT – SPACE - HIGH ORBIT OF PLANET D'QAR

TRACK POE DAMERON and his BLACK SQUADRON as they fly through the battle, and it becomes apparent that the sight of D'QAR turning volcanic is demoralizing their fleet. While the RESISTANCE ships are holding the line at great cost, their allies, who are PIRATES, MERCENARIES, or MILITIA, are breaking formation and singled out for destruction by the STAR DESTROYERS and their TIE FIGHTERS. As they do so, HUX keeps transmitting.

HUX [cont'd, off-screen]
You are beaten. Your cowardly assault on Starkiller Base was all for nothing.
Our numbers are limitless, and the might of our weapons are matched only by our resolve.
Look upon the world below you as it turns to ash, and know that all your homeworlds and all your peoples will suffer the
same fate... unless you surrender, and submit to the mercy and grace of the Supreme Leader!

INT - ECLIPSE COMMAND BRIDGE – SPACE

HUX [cont'd]
You have five minutes to comply.

Hux motions the comms officer to cut the channel.

FELL
You underestimate Organa. She didn't break at Alderaan,
and she certainly won't shed tears for some backwater.

HUX [sneering]
That was then, this is now. Organa is old, and weak...

HUX nods at the holotable, as a handful MILITIA and MERCENARY warships attempt to break off their engagements and hyperspace away. The radio station picks up their demoralized chatter. HUX smiles.

HUX [cont'd]
She could not hold her pitiful alliance togther,
and now it falls apart before her very eyes.
Her surrender is inevitable.

COMMS OFFICER
General! Incoming hail from the Raddus! It's Organa!

HUX
[to Fell]
See?
[to comms officer]
Patch her through on the holotable.

LEIA, clad in her officer's uniform, appears before FELL and HUX as a hologram. She looks defeated.

FELL [respectfully]
Your Majesty.

HUX
So you come to your senses at last!
Order your ships to stand down, before
I lose patience and show you the real power
of this mighty warship!

LEIA
General Hux, I have received your message, and as the leader
of Resistance I speak for every man, woman and droid within it
when I say...

BEAT

HUX
Yes?

LEIA
Go kiss a wookie, you snot-nosed, arrogant little boy.

HUX's left eye twitches as he trembles with rage, while FELL suppresses a chuckle.

FELL
That's some surrender.

HUX
It's disintegration, then.
[to the helmsman]
Helm! Keep the prow trained on the Raddus!
[to the gunnery station,]
Target their flagship and FIRE!

FIRST ORDER GUNNERY OFFICER
Sir, we can't fire!

HUX
WHAT?!

FIRST ORDER GUNNERY OFFICER
Our heat sinks are still cooling the main gun! If we fire now the primary reactor will blow!

HUX
How long is it going to take?!

CUT TO: INT – RADDUS COMMAND BRIDGE – SPACE

SENSOR OPERATOR
Four minutes, based on my readings.

LEIA
Those transports can't go any faster,
We need more time...

ACKBAR
We'll get it.
[to Kaydell]
Get Commander Dameron and Vice-Admiral
Celchu on the line, plan B is go!

INT - POE DAMERON'S X-WING'S COCKPIT - SPACE

POE
Roger that, plan B is go! Black Leader to Black Squadron, report booster status!

INT - 'SNAP' WEXLEY's X-WING'S COCKPIT - SPACE

SNAP
Black two, boosters charged and standing by!

INT - JESS PAVA's X-WING'S COCKPIT - SPACE

JESS
Black three, standing by!

INT - NIEN NUMB's X-WING'S COCKPIT - SPACE

NIEN NUMB
[in Haya]
Black four, standing by

INT - KARÉ KUN'S X-WING'S COCKPIT - SPACE

KARÉ
Black five, standing by!

INT - C'AI THRENALLI'S X-WING'S COCKPIT - SPACE

C'AI
Black six, standing by!

INT - POE DAMERON'S X-WING'S COCKPIT - SPACE

POE
Good! follow my lead and ready your Mag Pulses,
We're taking the Eclipse to the dentist!
Taika, think your boys can keep up with us?

EXT – SPACE - HIGH ORBIT OF PLANET D'QAR

A squadron of nine REFITTED V-WING STARFIGHTERS, painted in various personalized paint jobs, blast their way past some TIE FIGHTERS and form up alongside BLACK SQUADRON

INT - TANAKA'S COCKPIT - SPACE

TAIKA, a Weequay man clad in the trappings of a space pirate, grins eagerly under his transparent helmet.

TAIKA
Ha! Keep up?! Black Leader, by the time your reach
the dreadnought you'll be choking on my exhaust!

Suddenly, TAIKA's spherical radar readout blinks orange, and twelve pips appear on it.

EXT – SPACE - HIGH ORBIT OF PLANET D'QAR

JESS [Radio]
We've got incoming!

A squadron of TIE/FO FIGHTERS moves in to intercept BLACK SQUADRON and the PIRATES, and just as they reach optimal firing range their most of them are quickly shot down by a group of VULTURE-CLASS DROID STARFIGHTERS. TRACK The VULTURES as they come around for another pass at the scattered TIE/FO FIGHTERS, then we PAN up to a PROVIDENCE CLASS CRUISER that has been extensively patched up over the years.

INT - PROVIDENCE BRIDGE - SPACE

A tall tactical droid stands in the center of the bridge, cables running through the back of his head as it micromanages his crew's every task.

KALANI
This is Captain Kalani, Vulture droids A1 through A10: protect the X-wings at all costs.

VULTURE DROIDS [Radio]
Roger-Roger. Glory to the Free Droids Alliance.

EXT – SPACE - HIGH ORBIT OF PLANET D'QAR

POE [radio]
You heard the clanker, we're clear! Lock S-foils into cruise position...

TRACK the X-wings as their wings close. As they line up towards CLOSE UP of an X-wing's rear, modified with a booster. The booster's nozzle begins to glow...

POE [radio]
Go into overdrive on my mark...

CUT TO: The spherical astromech droid, BB8, swivels his head around, and beeps fearfully as it looks at the ECLIPSE.

INT - POE DAMERON'S X-WING'S COCKPIT - SPACE

POE
[aside, to BB8]
Don't worry, buddy. The force is with us.
[loudly, to the squadron]
...MARK!

EXT – SPACE - HIGH ORBIT OF PLANET D'QAR

The BLACK SQUADRON X-WINGS' boosters light up, sending them forward at triple their normal acceleration. Almost as quickly, both the VULTURE DROIDS AND V-WINGS activate their afterburners. They streak past enemy and allies, X-wings and TIEs, Assault Frigates and Star Destroyers. The squadron clears the melee completely, and we ZOOM OUT to see that they are rapidly crossing the starry void between the ECLIPSE and the cluster of fighting warships.

INT - ECLIPSE COMMAND BRIDGE – SPACE

FIRST ORDER SENSOR OPERATOR
[confused]
Sir? Incoming X-wings and... ships I haven't seen before.
Twenty-eight readings, coming in fast.

Concerned, FELL checks out the readings on the holotable, and recognizes the VULTURE DROIDS.

FELL
Fighter-Bombers. They might be a problem.
Should I should send out the Interceptors now?

HUX glances at the holotable and refocuses his attention back to the raging battle hundreds of kilometers in front of the Eclipse.

HUX
[dismissive]
Obsolete machines from a time best forgotten.
Let the flak towers take care of them.
They'll be dead before they can reach torpedo lock range.

EXT – SPACE – DORSAL HULL OF THE ECLIPSE

Twenty gun towers come to life, each equipped with turreted cannons of various sizes. The larger ones fire first, loosing bolts of plasma that burst six kilometers away, forming a curved wall of plasma flak that would dissuade any sane pilot from even approaching the massive capital ships. Of course, POE was not known for his sane flying.

INT - ECLIPSE COMMAND BRIDGE – SPACE

FIRST ORDER SENSOR OPERATOR
They're not slowing down...

HUX
An attack of desperation.

FELL
Wait, how fast are they going?

FIRST ORDER SENSOR OPERATOR
two-hundred and forty megalights, sir.
At this rate they'll be in torpedo lock range in ten seconds.

HUX
And dead in six.

Fell checks the holotable, and sees the x-wings clustered closely together. Realization dawns on his face.

FELL
...They're giving their torpedoes a boost!
[yelling]
THEY'RE IN RANGE! STOP FIRING! EVASIVE MANEUVERS!

The helmsman, a young man barely out of his teens, freezes in confusion and uncertainty, unable to comprehend the threat. Before he can fire the lateral thrusters...

EXT – SPACE – D'QAR HIGH ORBIT

POE
FIRE MAGPULSES!

In bursts of three, The x-wings fire three salvos of Mag Pulse torpedoes, aimed at the three forward Flak towers of the ECLIPSE. The torpedoes fly past the wall of flak, some of them exploding before they can reach their target. The rest bypass the Eclipse's shields completely, and impact against the gun towers. The electromagnetic pulses of the warheads cause the electronics in the three defense towers to fry, leaving a huge gap in the Flak wall that the resistance squadron takes advantage of. The fighters fly past the disabled towers, and spread out amongst the rest.

POE
Time to pull their teeth! S-foils open! Full power to guns!

WEXLEY[radio]
Remember, don't play chicken with those things!

The fighters begin their strafing runs, and quickly the ECLIPSE loses its point defense coverage as TAIKA's V-WINGS fire impressive barrages upon the First Order's guns. None of them can keep up with POE, who manages to take down four by himself, before firing one last Mag Pulse at the dorsal shield generator.

KALANI
[Radio]
X-wing Bombing run successful. Attack of opportunity detected.
Vulture droids A1 to A3, arm proton torpedoes, destroy the Eclipse' bridge.

VULTURES A1, A2 and A3
[Radio]
Roger-Roger.

INT - ECLIPSE COMMAND BRIDGE – SPACE

As HUX rants and raves at the command crew, FELL sees the VULTURES coming and presses a key on his wrist comm.

EXT – SPACE – D'QAR HIGH ORBIT

The VULTURE DROIDS ready their single torpedo launchers. We assume one of Droid's POV, and see a target lock reticle centered on the ECLIPSE's bridge, quickly shrinking.

VULTURES A1, A2 and A3
Target locked. Firing—

They don't have a change to fire as MALEK's fires his INTERCEPTOR's four wingtip beam cannons. One of the droids explodes, while the rest scatter and are picked off by lances of green light.

VULTURE A3
Error, error, it came from—

A3 is the last to be destroyed.

JESS [radio]
Interceptors! They've launched Interceptors!

SNAP [radio]
Wait, I only see the one!

MALEK outmaneuvers and kills another flight of VULTURES.

SNAP [cont'd]
Who in Malachor is that guy?!

TAIKA [radio]
A dead man! Poe! Drop the buoy! My boys will handle that Interceptor!

INT - ECLIPSE COMMAND BRIDGE – SPACE

HUX points at MALEK's INTERCEPTOR.

HUX [outraged]
Who is that?! I gave no order to launch!
Activate that fighter's self-destruct immediately!

FELL
That interceptor just saved your miserable life, you lunatic!

EXT – SPACE – D'QAR HIGH ORBIT

POE flies his X-WING a kilometer above the Eclipse's dorsal hull. A small hatch on the underside of the fighter opens, revealing a small beacon. The beacon ejects, and activates, signaling LUMI CELCHU's ship to jump in.

INT - ECLIPSE COMMAND BRIDGE – SPACE

FIRST ORDER SENSOR OPERATOR
Captain! Detecting a quantum waveform
above us! Cruiser displacement!

EXT – SPACE – D'QAR HIGH ORBIT

The STORMBLOOD, an MC45 Assault Frigate hyperspaces in, along with a squadron of Mark II Y-wing light bombers, a flight of H6 medium bombers. Their escorts, a wing of RZ-2 A-wing starfighters led by TALLIE LINTRA, form up on their flank. The STORMBLOOD's side hangars open, making way for four STARFORTRESS heavy bombers.

INT - ECLIPSE COMMAND BRIDGE – SPACE

HUX [enraged]
WHERE ARE THE FIGHTERS?! I NEEDED
THEM LAUNCHED FIVE MINUTES AGO!

Fell glares daggers at Hux.

EXT – SPACE – D'QAR HIGH ORBIT

To meet them, the ECLIPSE (finally) manages to launch a squadron of TIE/FO and SF space superiority fighters, and a wing of TIE/SF INTERCEPTORS. Before the ECLIPSE can launch more, the STORMBLOOD fires its ion cannons on the Dreadnought's dorsal hull, causing hangar malfunctions that expose crews to empty space, Turbolasers servos to lock up, and launch tubes to stay closed.

But something is wrong - we PAN to POE's X-wing and the buoy, and we see that the STORMBLOOD is nowhere near it.

INT - POE DAMERON'S X-WING'S COCKPIT – SPACE

POE
No, no, NO! They misjumped!
The Stormblood's too far!

SNAP [Radio]
The Starfortresses will be cut
to ribbons before they can even fire!

C'AI [Radio, furious]
If we survive this, I'm personally
going to strangle their navigator!

INT - RADDUS' COMMAND BRIDGE - SPACE

KALANI appears as a hologram on the holotable.

KALANI
Our strategy has failed. We will not destroy the ECLIPSE in time.
We must initiate emergency hyperspace protocols immediately.

ACKBAR
The Transports don't have hyperdrives!
We'd be abandonning thousands to the First Order!

KALANI
All aboard are expendable. All are acceptable losses.
The alternative is our complete destruction. General Organa:
You must give the order.

ACKBAR [pleading]
Leia, the boy can still pull it off, you must have faith in him!

LEIA [grimly]
Navigator, spool up the hyperdrive.

ACKBAR
Leia!

LEIA
[to KAYDELL]
Signal the fleet: Emergency jumps,
rendez-vous at meeting point

EXT – SPACE – D'QAR HIGH ORBIT

The ECLIPSE's fighters, outnumbering the RESISTANCE bombers and their escorts two-to-one, attempt to swarm the huge, slowly accelerating T-shaped STARFORTRESS bombers. The STARFORTRESSES manage to keep the TIEs at bay, thanks to their ball turrets outfitted with rapid-fire pulse lasers. The First Order pilots brave enough to evade the laser fire manage to land a few hits on the STARFORTRESSES, managing to take out their flimsy shields but doing nothing against their tough armour. The Resistance pilots are valiant, but the casualties are slowly mounting, and Resistance comms are full of frantic calls for help and enraged cries, until LUMI CELCHU's voice cuts through it all:

LUMI [radio]
This Vice-Admiral Celchu to Storm Squadron - we have been ordered to retreat.
All StarFortresses RTB. All fighters are to blind jump immediately!

POE assists TALLIE in taking out two TIE/SFs chasing her, and she returns the favour by taking out an INTERCEPTOR about to fire at POE.

POE
Storm Squadron! Belay that! We can still take this thing out!
No, we MUST take this thing out!

LUMI [radio]
Black One! You are out of order! Abandon
the attack immediately or I—

INT - POE'S X-WING'S COCKPIT

POE presses a few buttons on his console and tunes out LUMI's signal.

POE
Everyone! Listen to me! You all saw it! The Eclipse is a planet killer, and
we can run and let another Hosnian Prime happen, or we can
be heroes and save billions of lives! Who's with me?!

STORM SQUADRON BOMBER PILOT 1 [radio]
We're with you Poe!

STORM SQUADRON BOMBER PILOT 2 [radio]
Let's make these bastards pay!

STORM SQUADRON BOMBER PILOT 3 [radio]
FOR HOSNIAN PRIME!

INT - STORMBLOOD'S BRIDGE - SPACE

LUMI CELCHU watches as the emboldened RESISTANCE FIGHTERS fight harder than ever, and no one hyperspaces out. She is less than pleased by this, but her ice-cold demeanor hides her anger well.

LUMI
Black Squadron! Storm Squadron! I am ORDERING YOU TO—

STORMBLOOD COMMS OFFICER
Ma'am, our bombers have switched channels. They're not longer listening to us.

LUMI
Curse him! He's committed us to a suicide attack...

STORMBLOOD HELMSMAN
Hyperdrive spooled up, ma'am, ready to jump out on your order.

LUMI seems to struggle as to what to do next for a moment, then:

LUMI
Standby on lightspeed. Gunnery! Keep those ion cannons firing!
Keep the Dreadnought unbalanced for as long as possible!

INT - POE'S X-WING'S COCKPIT

LEIA[Radio, very angrily]
POE! What the hell are you doing you
insane—

POE
Y-wings, get those heatsinks!

EXT – SPACE – D'QAR HIGH ORBIT

At POE's command, the Y-WINGS split off from the StarFortresses at full speed, shooting TIEs with their small turrets. They take a few losses, but they manage to loose their torpedoes at the radiators that line the ECLIPSE's side trenches. Alarm klaxons blare as the hexagonal reactor pit in the middle of the First Order Dreadnought opens up, releasing coolant fumes into the void.

POE [radio]
There's our opening! Everyone, focus on that reactor!
Do as much damage as you—

TAIKA
POE! POE! I could REALLY use your help here!

CUT TO: TAIKA'S painted V-WING as it dodges and weaves around MALEK's autoblaster fire.

TAIKA [radio]
That ace just downed all my boys by himself, and now
he's after me!

MALEK scores a hit.

TAIKA [radio, desperate]
Shields down! I don't know how long I can last!

TALLIE [radio]
I see the ace! He's got friends coming!

POE [radio]
I'll take care of his friends, you go help Taika!

TALLIE [radio]
Roger that!

TALLIE's A-wing afterburns towards MALEK's interceptor, and he disengages from TAIKA to focus on her. MALEK lets TALLIE chase him closely, dodging her blaster shots, and briefly reverses thrust, getting behind her. Computer tones confirm target lock, and he fires a SIDEWINDER-class concussion missile from one of his INTERCEPTOR's missile pods at her. TALLIE attempts to evade the missile by dropping chaff, but it doesn't work. Her only option is too engage her boosters and outfly the missile.

TALLIE [radio]
Got a sidewinder on me! Need to make a getaway!

As TALLIE escapes, MALEK sees POE engage his reinforcements, and watches helplessly as the two INTERCEPTORS's hulls erupt in flames under a barrage of blaster fire from POE's X-wing.

INT- MALEK'S COCKPIT - SPACE
CLOSE UP of MALEK's face, covered by his helmet, with an intense gaze visible through the eye slits.

MALEK
You're going to pay for that, Rebel scum.

INT- POE DAMERON'S COCKPIT - SPACE
CLOSE UP of POE's uncovered face, with a determined smile on it.

POE
Come and get it, Imp.

EXT - D'QAR HIGH ORBIT - SPACE
POE'S X-WING and MALEK'S TIE/SF INTERCEPTOR face each other off, about to play deadly game of chicken. We can hear them both growl as they come nose to nose, neither of them willing to disengage.

INT- ECLIPSE COMMAND BRIDGE - SPACE
Two dots, one green, one red, fly past one another in the middle of the holotable as FELL, in the background, glares intensely at the hologram of the battle raging just above the ECLIPSE. HUX, in the meantime, barks orders that nobody can really obey.

HUX
ANY AND ALL TURBOLASERS, FIRE AT THE HEAVY BOMBERS!

FIRST ORDER GUNNERY CHIEF
We can't! Their rotors are still glitching!

FELL
Comms! Patch me through to Beta and Gamma flights!

FIRST ORDER COMMS OFFICER
Patching through! You're on, sir!

FELL
Beta, Gamma, focus fire on the outermost STARFORTRESSES.
Dumbfire your missiles at max distance
at their wings and get them to huddle!

BETA LEADER
Understood!

GAMMA LEADER
Roger that, killing locks, preparing to dumbfire...

FELL [to his wrist comm]
Alpha One? Alpha One!

INT- MALEK'S COCKPIT - SPACE

FELL [radio]
Malek! Do you read?

MALEK
I read you! I'm a little busy!

FELL
Get ready to disengage on my mark and take out that central Starfortress,
just like we practiced on the sims!

MALEK
I've got three aces to deal with!

FELL
Son, have faith: if anyone can do it and save this ship it's you!
Now go full evasive and wait your cue!

MALEK
[sighing]...understood, sir.

INT- ECLIPSE COMMAND BRIDGE - SPACE

FIRST ORDER SENSOR OPERATOR
Sir! Starfortresses will be in assault torpedo range in twenty seconds!

HUX
SUPERLASER STATUS!

FIRST ORDER SENSOR OPERATOR
Two minutes!

HUX
No!
[turns to Fell]
Fell, what are you doing?!

FELL
Saving our hides!

EXT - D'QAR HIGH ORBIT - SPACE
The Resitance fleet manages to down another Star Destroyer, clearing the way. The lighter picket ships make their blind jumps while the larger workhorse vessel sync their navigational computers to the RADDUS'. The Transports are still trying to make it to the Raddus's hangar on time. One of them blows an engine, but still accelerates.

TRANPORT PILOT #6 [radio, scared]
Raddus! What's happening?! Why are the corvettes leaving?! Why aren't the hangars open?!

TRANSPORT PILOT #5 [radio, panicking]
Please! Don't leave us! Don't abandon us!

CPT. ELSON [radio]
Elson to transports, don't worry! We're still with you! We're still with you!

INT - RADDUS COMMAND BRIDGE - SPACE
KAYDELL hears this, and looks back at LEIA, unsure what to say next.

KAYDELL
...What do I tell them?

LEIA
Tell them nothing.
[to the helmsman]
Lightspeed.

The RADDUS' mighty hyperdrive begins to hum across the entire ship. The stars on the viewport begin to stretch...
...Only to snap back to normal. The Hyperdrive sputters and shuts down.

LEIA
What the hell?!

KAYDELL
Engineering reports the Hyperdrive's been sabotaged!
Lightbringer and Vigilance report their hyperdrives are malfunctionning too!

LEIA
How long until they can fix the problem?!

ACKBAR
Not before the Eclipse fires... we're trapped.

LEIA turns to the holotable, and sees BLACK and STORM squadrons still fighting the ECLIPSE.

LEIA
It's up to them, now...

EXT - D'QAR ORBIT - SPACE

STARFORTRESS 1's PILOT [radio]
We're almost in range! Readying Assault Torpedoes...

Hatches on STARFORTRESS 1's long thick wings open up in the front and back, revealing the massive warheads of capital-class assault proton torpedoes, and their corresponding engine nozzles to prevent the backblast from cooking the inside of the ship.

STARFORTRESS 1's PILOT [radio, cont'd]
Arming warheads...

CUT TO: MALEK gracefully evading POE's blaster barrage. TAIKA and TALLIE join in, putting even more pressure on MALEK by raining red bolts upon him. Despite this, the First Order ace manages to take an opportunistic shot at Jess, who had tried to suprise him from the flank. The autoblaster shots tear past her shield, her engines, and her astromech droid...

POE
Jess!

JESS [panicked, screaming]
EJECTING! EJECTING!

INT- POE'S X-WING'S COCKPIT

POE watches as JESS's cockpit breaks off, microthrusters pushing it away from burning X-wing as it breaks apart. It explodes, but JESS's pod is far away from the blast.

JESS [radio]
I'm okay! I'm okay!

POE [to himself]
That guy's really starting to piss me off.
[to his radio]
Snap! Get her out of here!

SNAP [radio]
On it!

INT - ECLIPSE COMMAND BRIDGE - SPACE

At the holotable FELL waits... and the moment he was looking for arrives.

FELL
[to his wrist comm]
Now.

♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪

EXT - D'QAR ORBIT - SPACE

MALEK is galvanized into action, setting his throttle to maximum as he beelines across the batteflied towards the central STARFORTRESS. He makes his INTERCEPTOR spin and twist, firing his lateral thrusters to confuse POE, TALLIE and TAIKA's tracking. Glancing hits are landed, but MALEK doesn't slow down, not even to get out of an H6's way.

POE
Kamikaze! He's going for StarFortress 1! Stop him!

TALLIE
I'm trying!

TAIKA [radio]
Bastard just won't die!

POE [radio]
StarFortresses, you've got an Interceptor packed
with missile pods coming at you fast!

STARFORTRESS 1 [radio]
Roger that, full power to shields,
All turrets, focus on that interceptor!

The StarFortreses' turrets fire a hail of blaster bolts at MALEK...

INT – MALEK'S COCKPIT – SPACE

MALEK's breath becomes louder and more ragged as TALLIE, TAIKA and POE's blaster fire for from controlled bursts to continuous in a desperate attempt to take MALEK out. He presses a few keys on his console, and a screen blinks ALPHA STRIKE – FULL SPREAD in aurebesh. Malek fingers the secondary trigger on his joystick, waits the right time... and pulls it.

EXT- D'QAR ORBIT – SPACE

MALEK'S INTERCEPTOR empties its four missile pods, unleashing a swarm of twenty-three SIDEWINDER concussion missiles. They veer off course, well away from the STARFORTRESSES.

TALLIE
What's he doing?! He can't take them out without—KARK!

Suddenly, MALEK ejects his now empty missile pods, making his ship lighter by tons and therefore even more agile. TALLIE barely dodges one in time, but her left engine is hit, and she loses control. Meanwhile, the turret gunners, panicking at the sight of so many dangerous, agile missiles, begin firing on them, hoping to take them out before they hit their marks.

POE [radio]
He's making cover! Gunners, keep shooting the TIE!
Those missiles aren't going to—

TURRET GUNNER [radio]
Are you nuts?! Ignore him! Take out those missiles!

POE keeps shooting and narrowly missing the Interceptor, and MALEK gets closer to his target...

POE
Taika! Keep firing! Keep firing!

And closer...

TAIKA
My guns are melting, Poe!
I can't keep this up!

The missiles explode, creating a wall of fire. TAIKA panics and veers away. The Turret gunners are utterly confused and stop shooting.

POE's guns run hot. Malek gets closer...

POE
Come on...

POE's guns begin to deform and slag, ruining his accuracy.

POE [desperately]
Gunners!
Shoot him! Shoot him!

GUNNER
We can't see anything!

STARFORTRESS PILOT 1
TORPEDOES HOT, FIR—

MALEK's INTERCEPTOR emerges from the black clouds, trailing black smoke, and Time stops as he cuts his twin ion engines, letting the inertia carry him forward while vernier thrusters turn his ship towards STARFORTRESS 1's cockpit. CLOSE UP on one of the interceptors' wingtip beam guns, fully charged and about to fire.

INT - MALEK's COCKPIT - SPACE
CLOSE UP of MALEK's visor, the reflection of the bright orange cross-hair blinking over his right eye.

MALEK
I win.

Malek pulls the trigger.

INT – STARFORTRESS 1 cockpit - SPACE

The pilot looks to his right, as a overcharged green lance of light hits the left side of the ship, hitting nothing important as far as he could tell. He watches as the INTERCEPTOR speeds away, Ion engines glowing bright.

STARFORTRESS 1 Pilot [relieved]
Huh. He mi—

And then the ASSAULT TORPEDOES that MALEK did in fact hit explode, killing the pilot immediately. The crew and the gunners have just enough time to scream in agony before the other warheads detonate, obliterating the heavy bomber.

EXT – D'QAR ORBIT – SPACE

The cyan fireball of energized protons expands slowly, and engulfs the other two nearest STARFORTRESSES, whose payloads detonate in turn. The fourth one manages to get away from the blast, only to get ravaged by shrapnel. Its crew section, along with its engine, gets gutted like a fish, spilling people and parts into the void. All fighters, friend and foe alike, attempt to outrun the fireball. Most make it, but are disabled by the shockwave. Others are destroyed by the shrapnel, causing a small Kessler effect.

INT – RADDUS's BRIDGE

LEIA and ACKBAR hang their heads in defeat.

LEIA [grimly]
We're doomed.

INT – ECLIPSE'S BRIDGE
Fell sees the heavy bombers destroyed and breathes a sigh of relief.

FELL
We're saved.

HUX adjusts his hair, and as a drop of sweat flows down the side of his face.

HUX [smugly]
As there were any doubts.
This ship is invincible.

FELL
Status of the Reactor core?

CREWMAN
Still venting heat. The Y-wing's torpedoes have put
a few dents on the core, but its nothing critical.

FELL
Sitrep on the battle?

FIRST ORDER SENSOR OPERATOR
A handful of friendly and enemy fighters are still engaged, sir.
Their lighter bombers are making blindjumps.

FIRST ORDER COMMS OFFICER
Star Destroyers Galvanizer and Enforcer report
they are still engaged with the Resistance Flagship and request fire support.

HUX
Status of the main gun.

FIRST ORDER GUNNERY CHIEF
Ready in sixty seconds!

HUX
Good. Order the Galvanizer and Enforcer to keep their distance.
Set Superlaser aperture to a three degree spread. We will wipe out the
Resistance fleet in one blast!

EXT – D'QAR ORBIT – SPACE

POE's X-wing's shield emitters short out, illuminating scars on its hull.

INT – POE's COCKPIT – SPACE

POE's head hangs, his face covered in blood. His eyes are shut. BB8 beeps frantically, hoping to wake him up. Suddenly, his eyes snap open, and he takes in the sorry state of the Resistance squadrons. A handful of fighters are still shooting at each other, but its only a matter of time before the ECLIPSE spits out all four of its fighter wings and overwhelms them all.

The STORMBLOOD tries to break off, but it's soaking turbolaser fire. TAIKA makes his blind jump, getting the last laugh on three TIEs, but abandoning his friends.

POE [sighing]
We had to try, buddy.

BB8 beeps sadly.

POE
We did our best... it just wasn't good enough.

Static bursts into his radio.

SNAP [radio, static]
Jess? What are you doing?!

POE
Snap? Snap! Are you still alive?

SNAP [radio]
Jess, don't do it! The radiation will kill you!

POE tries to catch Jess' response, but it's not clear through the static.

POE
BB8? I can't see too good, can you see what's going on?

BB8's head swivels, scanning space with his big optic. He beeps excitedly. POE sees what looking at: Jess' escape pod just docked with the tumbling STARFORTRESS 4.

EXT – STARFORTRESS 4 COCKPIT.

JESS, her helmet fully closed and a radiological alarm blinking in the side of her helmet's visor, pulls the dead pilot of the ruined cockpit and floats in his seat, pushing past floating shards of transparent plastic and twisted metal. She tries to switch on the ship's HUD and holo-displays, and succeeds after giving the computer a few kicks.

SNAP [radio]
Jess, don't do this! This is crazy!

KARÉ [radio]
You've got no engines!

JESS
You're wrong.

The flickering displays show the STARFORTRESS's payload's status. All missiles read fully armed and operational. Jess presses each of the holographic missiles, overriding safeties and triggering their mag clamps.

JESS
I've got twelve.

JESS presses the joystick's secondary trigger, launching all the missiles. The mag clamps hold fast, keeping them inside the ship as the backblast propels it forward. The acceleration is powerful but turbulent, and JESS has to keep the verniers firing to make sure it stays on target: The ECLIPSE's reactor pit.

INT – ECLIPSE COMMAND BRIDGE

FIRST ORDER SENSOR OPERATOR
STARFORTRESS! COMING IN HOT!

FELL
Alpha One! Intercept kamikaze, now!

HUX
FIRE EVERYTHING!

EXT – D'QAR ORBIT

MALEK is just about to finish TALLIE off when he hears his father's warning. He immediately spots STARFORTRESS 4 and makes a bee line for it.

INT – POE'S COCKPIT

POE watches in horror as JESS evades turbolasers against all odds only to see MALEK's interceptor move in for the kill. He quickly restarts his X-wing, the engines struggling to rev up.

POE
BB8, can you give me guns, missiles, anything?

BB8 beeps frantically

POE
Slower beeps! What DO we have, then?!

BB8 keeps beeping, and the booster gauge and hyperdrive readouts light up.

POE
Okay, I can work with that.

EXT – D'QAR ORBIT
BLACK SQUADRON valiantly attempts to keep enemy TIES off JESS's back long enough for her to get a good angle to loose the torpedoes. A Gunner inside STARFORTRESS 4 wakes up, and manages to down a TIE before dying from his wounds.

INT - MALEK's COCKPIT
MALEK approaches, lines up a shot at the ruined STARFORTRESS 4's cockpit, and manages to fire a short burst before a loud thud echoes through the hull and he suddenly veers out of control.

MALEK
What?!

POE [radio]
STILL ALIVE, SCUMBAG!

EXT – D'QAR ORBIT

ZOOM IN on POE's X-wing and MALEK's Interceptor, their wings interlocked as they spin out of control, their verniers pumping out plasma plumes as MALEK tries to wrestle his ship away, but it's no use – the s-foils are closing tight. POE makes a rude gesture at MALEK as the BB8 pops out of his Astromech slot and clamps on POE's cockpit with his magnetic harpoons. The X-wing's cockpit breaks off, and the hyperdrive spools up. MALEK screams impotently as he is dragged along the blind hyperspace jump.

POE [radio]
And so long!

NIEN NUMB
[in Haya, radio]
Someone get Poe!

TALLIE [radio]
On it! On it!

POE [radio]
Jess, you've got a perfect angle at the core!
Cut the torpedoes loose!

Jess doesn't respond.

POE [radio]
Jess? Jess! Do you read me!

EXT – STARFORTRESS 4's COCKPIT
Jess is wounded. Two of the autoblaster shots hit close, causing slag to pierce her leg. One of the autoblaster shots managed to graze her suit, letting the cosmic radiation in. She goes in an out of unconsciousness, and POE's pleas in her helmet's speakers gets her to focus on her situation. She's still lined up with the reactor, all she had to do now was disengage the mag clamps on the torpedoes and they would win. She tries just that. It doesn't work.

She sees the engine light go green, and she laughs.

JESS
Oh, that's just perfect. [gasps] Now? Really?

POE [radio]
Jess! Jess! Cut them loose and bail out,
Snap's ready to pick you up!

JESS [coughs]
Everyone? Anyone...anyone, do you hear me?
I need you guys to do me a favour, okay?
Tell my sister...

CARÉ
You'll tell her yourself, okay? Bail out!

JESS
Tell her I love her with all my heart...

Jess sets the throttle to maximum, and speeds up towards the core. She takes more fire.

JESS
And that I'm sorry...

♪♪♪♪♪♪♪

Missiles and blaster shots hit the STARFORTRESS, but it earns its name, soaking up blast after blast until finally the entire cabin ignites and bathes JESS in fire. Her pained cries echo across the battle through every radio in the Resistance Fleet, and every rebel watches somberly as the heavy bomber, now a small comet of plasma, slowly sinks into the Reactor pit...

INT – ECLIPSE COMMAND BRIDGE

FELL
ALL HANDS BRACE FOR IMPACT!

EXT – D'QAR ORBIT

THE ECLIPSE'S insides erupt into flames, thick armour plates fly off, ejecting thousands of First Order crewmen and fighters and empty escape pods.

POE, his pod clamped on TALLIE's underside, watches the Eclipse explode, his expression weary. TALLIE flies her A-wing and forms up on BLACK SQUADRON and what remains of the Droid fighters and Storm Squadron.

POE
Jess did it... She saved the Resistance.

NIEN NUMB
[in Haya, radio]
The Force was with her, and now...

TALLIE
Hyperdrive is go... Blue Squadron, let's get out of there.

CARÉ
Wait... wait, something's wrong. That explosion should have be bigger.

Suddenly, the Eclipse's flames go out.

INT – RADDUS' COMMAND BRIDGE
The command crew had been rattled and shaken off their seats, and HUX was scrambling to get up while FELL tends to a wounded crewman.

HUX [livid]
STATUS REPORT!

CREWWOMAN
Primary core is down! Bulkheads are sealed,
Death Star protocols are engaged and damage is contained!
Secondary core is coming online!

HUX (still livid)
GUNNERY!

The gunnery officer doesn't respond, and HUX sees him unconscious at his post.

HUX [still very livid]
Up to my ARMPITS in incompetence!

HUX scrambles up to Gunnery and sees that the weapon is ready to fire. He raises his fist gloriously...

HUX [rapturously]
FOR THE FIRST ORDER!

… and brings it down upon a big red holographic button.

EXT – D'QAR ORBIT
The Eclipse's armored prow opens to reveal the superlaser aperture once more, revealing the glow of the superlaser, and the growing sphere of energy inside...

TALLIE [radio]
Oh, no... no not like this, it can't all have been for nothing...

A cone of green light emerges, bathing the entire Resistance fleet in energy particles. The heat isn't quite enough to destroy everything, but it soon would be.

CARÉ [radio]
Somebody fire a torpedo at its mouth!
Or-or a hand blaster, a kriffing rock! Anything!

C'AI [Radio]
It would take a miracle to save the fleet now!

INT – CHISS WARSHIP'S BRIDGE
A man stands in shadow as Chiss crewmen calmly go about their duties. Having observed the battle since the beginning, he gives the order that will change the fate of the Galaxy.

CHISS CAPTAIN [calmly]
Fire.

EXT – D'QAR ORBIT

From a far point above the fleeing Stormblood as it clears enough ion interference to make its blind jump, we see a flash of light, and we track a glinting ray of metal as it flashes across space. It hits the ECLIPSE's prow from above, and under several gigatons of kinetic energy its armour and structure buckles like so much paper before exploding. With the aperture unable to contain the energy, the cone of light vanishes, and the sphere of light begins to slowly expands, devouring the prow, and slowly, the ship.

INT – RADDUS' COMMAND BRIDGE

RADDUS FLIGHT CONTROLLER [elated]
Transports are in! All are accounted for!

KAYDELL [hopeful]
Engineering reports Hyperdrive is ready to go!

ACKBAR
[to himself]
They've done it. They've really done it.
Get us out of here. Now!

INT – ECLIPSE'S COMMAND BRIDGE
HUX's expression of pure rapture vanishes, replaced with utter despair as the Resistance fleet escapes and the sphere of energy approaches him...

HUX
No... no, this isn't fair.

Behind him, FELL moves quickly to a nearby wall, smashes a glass panel surrounded by red metal, pulls out a metal cylinder, turns it, and pushes it back in just before the Eclipse's bridge disappears into the light. The Eclipse was gone, utterly annihilated by its own weapon.

Against all odds, the Resistance had just won a victory. A costly one, but a victory nonetheless.

INT – CHISS WARSHIP'S BRIDGE
The CHISS CAPTAIN and EXECUTIVE OFFICER confer over their own version of the holotable, with a spherical display set up to observer the aftermath of the recent battle.

CHISS EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Humans. Such mad creatures. The odds were not in their favour
and yet they still attempted that suicidal bombing run.

CHISS CAPTAIN
And technically, they succeeded.

CHISS EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Only with our help.

CHISS CAPTAIN
Give them some credit. We merely.... hastened the inevitable.
The heat from the core was already melting the ship, after all.

CHISS EXECUTIVE OFFICER
What happens now?

The Chiss Captain approaches the globe, and its blue light illuminates the aged, scarred face of THRAWN.

THRAWN
Now? Now, my dear commander S'jet,
we send our report back to command. Once they've seen
What the Resistance is capable of they will be easier to convince of the plan.

EXECUTIVE OFFICER S'JET
The plan?

THRAWN
The plan to rally the Resistance.
To rebuild it, improve it, enhance it...
and with that weapon in hand we will slowly,
but surely destroy the First Order, ship by ship, crew by crew...
Every man, woman, and yes, even child.

S'JET
And if they don't approve of
your revenge, Thrawn? What then?

THRAWN smiles confidently at S'JET, turns away, and steps back into the shadows.

THRAWN
Dump the railgun's heat and
engage stealth systems.
We will stalk the Raddus until Command sends a response.

S'JET
Understood.

THRAWN stops for a moment, recalling something.

THRAWN
Oh, and one last thing, signal Omega-1 that her request is granted.
Her great interest in that X-wing pilot appears to be quite warranted.

TRACK's S'JET's gaze as he looks at a holographic bust of POE DAMERON.

SMASH TO BLACK.

END OF EPISODE 1

--------------------------------------

PREVIEW of EPISODE 2

EXT. AHCH-TO ISLAND – STONE STRUCTURES - DAY

On an island on the remote planet of Ahch-To, a girl named REY, who had trekked across entire star-cluster following a star-map to this place, approaches a robed man standing in a clearing of rock and grass. He notices her, and pulls back the hood on his robe to reveal his face. Despite never meeting him before, REY feels she recognizes him. This is LUKE SKYWALKER.

He is much older than she expected, white haired and bearded. He looks at Rey with a confused kindness in his eyes. He doesn't ask her who REY is, or what she's doing here. Rey assumes it's because he already knows.

She pulls something out of her ruck-sack: a metal cylinder of chrome, long as two hand spans. This is ANAKIN SKYWALKER'S LIGHTSABER, once wielded by LUKE against DARTH VADER in the depths of Bespin Cloud City.

LUKE stares down at the weapon of a bygone age for a moment, then back to REY. The girl smiles, and eagerly awaits his response, no doubt a revelation, or a pearl of wisdom, or...

LUKE [confused]
What is this?

REY's expression falls, as she realizes something terrible. Old age had ravaged LUKE's mind. He had forgotten everything.

Everything.

COMING SOON:
STAR WARS: THE WAR FOR THE OUTER RIM
EPISODE 2:

THE SIRENS OF AHCH-TO

Teal · Jul 31, 2018

Reading a script never meant for production is hell man. Regular prose would be a lot more digetible.

IgnusDei · Aug 5, 2018

The script's been updated and is now complete!

IgnusDei · Aug 7, 2018

STAR WARS:

WAR FOR THE OUTER RIM

Episode 2:
The Sirens of Ahch-To, part 1

Written by IgnusDei

"We cannot walk towards the future without a foothold to the past."
-Luke Skywalker.

Once upon a time, in a forest of shadow and magic...

EXT - DARK FOREST - DAY

All is blackness, and a voice echoes in the dark.

THE WITCH (echo)
Rey...

WIDE SHOT of a dark forest, made up of gnarled, twisted trees, their bark both burnt and slick with sap, their branches bare save perhaps for the silken webs woven around them. The sounds of beasts and insects can be heard, distany and faint. PAN DOWN into the trees, between the branches, so thick they might as well be walls... until we reach a road, the trees arching over it. Crickets sing from the shadows, soon joined by wailing unseen KATARN WOLVES.

This is the DARK FOREST, or at least, a dream of it.

THE WITCH (echo)
Open your eyes...

Suddenly, a girl, scared out of her wits, rises into the frame. Her hair his wild and dishevelled, her face is covered. Her dress, a simple weave, is torn and dirty. This is REY, or at least, a dream of her. The wolves are aroused by her scent, the scent of prey, and food, and REY's eyes and head dart about to spot the source of the growls. Unwilling to wait for them and be devoured, REY stands up and flees down the path. As she runs past the threes, she spots eyes and teeth in the darkness, the the giggles of goblins and the grins of ghouls, and countless things that live in the dark, eager to devour a poor maiden like her.

Rey runs and runs, but the growls of the KATARN WOLVES grow louder, and she looks back to see the shadowed forms of horned hounds getting close and closer to their Prey

THE WITCH (echo)
Don't be scared...

REY stumbles and nearly falls, but her footing holds. Her breath becomes ragged, her expression becomes more desperate. The growls are getting closer, the brances of the forest seem to close in on her... until she sees a light at the end of the path, which grows brighter and brighter, and then...

♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪

EXT - DARK FOREST CLEARING - FOREST MANSION - DAY

REY finds herself in a clearing in the Dark Forest, illuminated by a shaft of sunlight. Past the light she can make out a great tree, darkened but nevertheless alive with leaves that glow with blues and greens and purples even in the shade. At the center of the clearing, amidst wondrous flowers and oddly adorable spider familiars, there is a blindfolded woman in a long dark dress, its fabrc embroidered with leaf patterns. Her hair is midnight, her skin is alabaster, her voice? A dream. She spins and spins in place, her hands reaching out of find something she cannot see. Her movements, just like the pollen around her, feels slow.

This is the WITCH.

THE WITCH (echo, playful and sing-song)
Rey? Reeeyyy, wheeeere aaaare yooouuu?

We assume REY's Point of View as she approaches the WITCH, and it becomes apparent that the woman is very tall, or that Rey is very small. A small pair of hands appear into the frame from below, holding with them a bouquet of freshly picked flowers. The hands are dirty, riddled with small cuts. The WITCH's own hands, with their graceful slender fingers, find REY's, and we see her smile under a dark silk veil as she removes her blindfold. Her eyes, though an eldritch gold, are filled with warmth and love, then worry as she sees the wounds on the child's tiny hands.

CUT TO: The child's face, awed by the very sight of the WITCH, so much so that the pain of her wounds might as well not be there. Her skin is almost as fair as the WITCH, through her eyes and hair are matching shades of hazel, just like her father.

CUT TO: Rey's point of view, as the WITCH whispers something which, even at a distance, feels like it is channeled straight into REY's ears. The words are a jumble, but they have power: the wounds glow and scab over, and when the incantation is done the WITCH blows air onto the wounds, causing to scabs to disintegrate and scatter to the winds, leaving only behind unmarked, unbloodied skin on Little REY's hands.

INT - DARK FOREST MANSION - NIGHT

The inside of the Mansion is pretty much one would expect the inside of a tree to be like, everything made up of the dried flesh underneath the bark. Everything was grown to suit a person's needs, from beds to shelves, from sinks to chairs. The walls and shelves were decorated with the WITCH's trophies, gear and sundries: A Rancor doll, a coiled LIGHTWHIP, a set of black VIBROKNIVES, bundles of clothes, specimen jars of eyes, bird hearts, mushrooms and eggs suspended in liquid... As for what couldn't be grown, it had to be carved and cut, such as the stairwell REY climbed up to follow the Witch.

From REY's POINT OF VIEW, the Witch beckons her to follow her, bouquet in hand. The WITCH doesn't step so much as float towards the fireplace, and she kneels besides it, so that REY can have a good look at the flower she picks from all the rest - a POPPY. The WITCH shifts the POPPY between her fingers, mutterring something, before crushing its petals and spreading over the open fire. Smoke emerge from the flames, taking various shapes, before settling into butterflies that fly all around REY, making her giggle. The Witch traces a symbol into the ashes with fire poker, and beckons REY once again to come closer.

THE WITCH (echo)
This sign will protect you...

Rey tries to focus on the sign, but the trails of smoke the butteries leave around her make her dizzy, and her sight blurs...

INT - RUINED FOREST MANSION - NIGHT

The lights go out, and the Witch is nowhere to be found. Rey looks at her hands, sees the dirt and scratches, and realizes she is grown and disheveled again. The Katarn wolves growls barely register over the sound of thunder that pierces the darkness.

THE WITCH [Off Screen, Whispering]
Run... Rey, run...

The flashes highlight the shadowy silhouette of a hooded man in a cloak, frightening Rey so much she falls back on the ground. The cloaked man approaches, seemingly growing larger with every step, and every step resounding louder on the wooden floor.

REY (frightened)
Please... don't...

The figure looms, casting an imposing shadow over her. Something ignites in his hands, creating a burning pillar of green fire that pierces the roof and sets the entire mansion on fire.

REY
No... NO!

The figure holds the sword up, and then brings it down on REY, killing her.

INT - TENT - AHCH-TO SURFACE - MORNING

Rey's head comes into the frame as she shoots up from her cot, rivulets of sweat streaming down her face, hiding tears. The tent's entrance flutters in the wind, giving us a glimpse of the outside - a lightly clouded morning sky, over rocky horizons of muted grass and dirt. The sound of water waves crashing over rocks and beaches comes through the opening. We are on one of the Islands of the planet AHCH-TO. Suddenly:

REY
NOOO!

REY gasps in shock and fright, and gulps nervously as she looks around her makeshift tent, wary of danger, but finding none. She lets out a sigh of relief.

WOOKIE [in Shyriiwook]
Rey? Rey, are you alright?

REY (shouting)
I'm okay! Just... just give me a moment, I'll be right out!

EXT - AHCH-TO SURFACE - ANCIENT ISLAND - MORNING

Rey steps out of the tent, and takes a deep breath, savouring the air of the sea world.

The tent is revealed to be a piece of tarp supported by the side of an old, heavily modified YT-1300 Light Transport, better known across the Galaxy as the MILLENNIUM FALCON. Much its top plating had been removed in order to effect some repairs on the ship, as it has suffered some damage during the long trip towards the sea planet of Ahch-To. A WOOKIEE with light brown fur and a bandolier strapped across his chest removes a part, examines it, shakes his head, and puts it back. This is CHEWBACCA.

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook]
Nope, not the problem.

Below CHEWBACCA, a white and blue astromech beeps and whistles. This is R2-D2.

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook]
You just keep working on that comms interference.
If I can't fix the hyperdrive...

REY
You haven't fixed the Hyperdrive?
[hopeful]
...Do you need me to help?

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook]
Oh, no, you're not touching anything - not after
pulling out that compressor regulator!

REY
Hey, I didn't know that would deregulate the Hypermatter containment unit!

CHEWBACCA (angrily, in Shyriiwook)
That's basic engineering! That's literally the FIRST thing they TEACH
in ANY ship's mechanic course! Jawas know not to pull a regulator out,
for crying out loud! You're lucky I caught the problem before we jumped
to Starkiller, we would have been splattered across the very
fabric of the universe!

REY winces at CHEWBACCA's growls.

REY
I'm sorry... but I just feel so damned useless, right now.
There's absolutely nothing to do here.

CHEWBACCA's shoulders sag.

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook]
Look, I'm sorry, it's just that...
[pause]
I might have to field strip the hyperdrive later, and I could use
an extra pair of hands for it, so I'll call on you. In the meantime, check on the old man...
But before you do that, R2-D2 found a waterfall you could use.

REY
A waterfall? What for?

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook]
To take a shower, what else? You stink, girl!

R2-D2 (in binary)
Coming from a Wookie, that's saying something!

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook]
Shut it, droid! But seriously, you smell like Happabore snot!

REY
Alright, maybe I do! but... what's a shower?

CHEWBACCA just stares at her in disbelief.

SMASH CUT TO:

EXT - AHCH-TO SURFACE - WATERFALL - MORNING
Rey, now clad in undergarments visible through a long, thin shirt that ends below her hips, stands beneath a waterfall, gasping in excitement. Besides her is a bottle of soap and a beige TOWEL.

REY
OH MY STARS THIS FEELS WONDERFUL!

CUT TO:

EXT - AHCH-TO SURFACE - MILLENNIUM FALCON LANDING - MORNING

Chewbacca keeps working on the FALCON. The waterfall is quite a ways in the background, and the bottom, where REY is showering, can't quite be seen. REY's joyous voice carries quite some way, it seems.

CHEWBACCA [shouting in Shyriiwook]
I'll bet you never saw that much water on Jakku, huh?

REY [shouting]
No, never! Do people on other planets really do this every day?!

CHEWBACCA [shouting in Shyriiwook]
So I'm told!

EXT - AHCH-TO SURFACE - WATERFALL - MORNING

CLOSE UP of Rey's face, her eyes closed as the water flows around her.

REY [To herself, softly]
Well, of course they would... why wouldn't they?

As Rey relaxes, time seems to slow down, and before long everything feels like a dream. Rivulets of water hang in the air, and Rey admires the sunlight they scatter as rainbow colours. It reminds of her of something. She looks back up, and begins to spin in place.

REY
It feels like... like rain...

Her eyes flutter under her eyelids.

CUT TO:

EXT - DARK FOREST CLEARING - FOREST MANSION - DAY
The WITCH holds Little Rey high up with her hands as they spin together joyfully, rain falling on their faces as they look up.

CUT TO:

EXT - AHCH-TO SURFACE - WATERFALL - MORNING

CLOSE UP of REY's face as her eyes open suddenly, as she feels like she's being watched by something. She looks around, and she shrieks in fright.

CUT TO:
Fifty small, beakless fat birds with a plumage of orange and white just standing there, the big empty soulless pools of darkness that serve as their eyes just staring at Rey's body. These are PORGS, and Rey absolutely hates them. It's the eyes! So close together, a cluster of black holes that would trigger a phobia in anyone!

REY [angrily shrieking]
Go away, you foul feathered freaks!

PORGS 1 through 50
Wark.

She throws a rock at them, hitting one of them right in the face. The rest don't flinch. Infuriated, REY taps into the force, and with a gesture sends a bolt of kinetic energy at the school. There's a small explosion of feathers as the PORGS scatter away. But REY knows that the damned things will be back.

REY [screaming]

I HOPE CHEWIE EATS YOU ALL!

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook, Off-screen]
Hey, what's going on over there?

REY [livid]
It was those creepy, fat birds again!

CHEWBACCA [happily, in Shyriiwook, Off-screen]
Ooh! Time for second breakfast!
Would you like some?
Let me get my bowcaster!

Rey grabs the towel and begins drying herself.

REY
I'll stick to my rations, thanks!

CHEWBACCA [happily, in Shyriiwook, Off-screen]
Your loss! Oh, there's one!

A bowcaster shot rings out across the island.

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook, Off-screen]
Gotcha, you little bastard!

As REY dries herself, she hears someone whispering, though this time the sound lacks the dream-like echo she had been hearing lately. She turns to try and find the source, and looks past the waterfall to see the mouth of a dark cave. Wary, but curious, Rey walks up to the cave entrance and peers in the dark. Finding nothing, she walks away, shivering, but unaware that something was looking back and smiling.

EXT - AHCH-TO SURFACE - ANCIENT ISLAND - HILLS - MORNING

As REY climbs the hillside, she curiously pokes at her new clothes - a set of white short robes and trousers with grey bands of embroidered cloth wrapped around them. Her hair is down, and still drying. Hardly presentable, but she doesn't care about such things. She checks her SATCHEL: everything's in there.

She passes by the stone husks of ancient buildings, built by a civilization long forgotten. Alien to it all is LUKE'S HUT, made up of glassy stone that had to be cut by lightsaber, and assembled with the force. It is a simple, humble abode, good enough for a Jedi to live comfortably.

At the top of the hill there is a man clad pale robes with a dark brown robe draped over his shoulders. He is old, almost past his sixties, and his hair is almost done greying. His right hand, lost a long time ago, has been replaced by a cybernetic prosthesis that hasn't been maintained in a while.
This is LUKE SKYWALKER, and the years have not been kind to his health.

His back is turned to REY as he sits on a rock near a cliff, a long fishing rod in his hands as he waits for the fish to bite. REY approaches LUKE carefully, not wanting to frighten the old man, but something makes him look back nonetheless. He sees her, and gives her a warm smile, the kind given to strangers, hoping to make friends of them.

LUKE
Oh, hello there.

REY smiles back at him, a mixture of happiness and weariness.

REY
Hello, Luke.

LUKE
Say, what's your name, traveller?

REY
Again, it's Rey.

LUKE
Again? Have we met before?

REY
A few times.

LUKE
...Sorry, I don't remember.

REY (weary)
I know.

REY sits next to LUKE.

REY
So, what are you doing?

LUKE
Fishing, obviously.

REY
Oh? They don't that on Jakku. What's involved?

LUKE
Well, a lot of waiting.

REY
What for?

LUKE
For the fish to bite.

REY
...And then?

LUKE
Well, then you reel it in, and you either
let it go or you cook it on a pan and eat it.

REY
Ah. Does it taste good?

LUKE [shrugging]
Depends on the fish. Depends on the cook. Hungry?
I should get a bite any moment, now.

REY
No, but thanks for the offer.

REY smells something and looks at a basket by Luke's side. It's full of fish, though Rey isn't sure what those actually are.

REY
Aren't those fish?

LUKE
Hm?

Luke sees the basket and his eyes widen in surprise, then he laughs, and he stops fishing.

LUKE (cont'd)
Well, I'll be a monkey-lizard's uncle!
Where did those come from?
[looks at REY]
Thank you, thank you, I appreciate you bringing
me something to eat!

REY [confused, impatient]
But I didn't bring you those.

LUKE [puzzled]
Oh? Well, no matter. Are you hungry?

REY [frustrated]
No. Look, is this some kind of test?
To see how patient I am?

LUKE [puzzled]
Why would I test you?

REY
Because that's what Jedi do!

LUKE folds up his fishing rod and puts it in the basket.

LUKE
Who's a Jedi?

REY [frustrated]
You are!

LUKE
I am?

REY
Yes!

LUKE
How could that be?
I don't even know
what a Jedi is!

REY gets up, and takes out something out of her SATCHEL. It's ANAKIN'S SKYWALKER'S LIGHTSABER. She shoves it at him, and he recoils in surprise.

REY
This, THIS is the weapon of a Jedi!
And it's yours!

LUKE
It is?

REY [desperately]
Yes! Leia told me! You lost it when you fought
Darth Vader in the depths of the Cloud City!

REY grabs LUKE's mechanical arm, and shoves the LIGHTSABER in his hand.

REY
You lost your hand in that duel!
You've got to remember that, at least!

There's a moment, full of hope, when Rey thinks she's finally gotten through to him, but it fades, and LUKE goes back to smiling at her, dumbly. Rey is on the verge of tears.

REY
Look, I give up, okay? It's been three days,
and I don't know how much Jedi are supposed
to put with, but I'm obviously not making the cut, alright?

LUKE examines the LIGHTSABER, surprised, as if it just popped into his hand. REY turns to leave, fed up with all this, and feeling guilty for not having the patience required for this trial, whatever it's supposed to be.

REY
I was supposed to tell you that as soon as our ship's
fixed, we'll be leaving to meet your sister.

LUKE
You have a ship?

REY
Yes, obviously, it's over there.

LUKE
Why can't you just take my ship?

REY [surprised]
You have a ship? Wait, of course
you do, but where did you put it?

LUKE points to another cliff on another side of the island, further away.

LUKE
In the cave. It's a nice ship.

REY
I'll go find it, you stay put.

LUKE
Okay.

Rey leaves, and makes it about twenty steps before Luke calls to her.

LUKE
Miss, is this yours?

He holds up and shakes the lightsaber at her.

REY [sighs]
I guess.

REY holds out her hand and, through the Force, calls the weapon to here. LUKE is a bit puzzled at the featn of Telekinesis, but then shrugs.

LUKE
Makes sense.

Luke rebuilds his fishing rod, and goes back to fishing. REY is well past earshot, now.

LUKE [cont'd]
Its heart calls to you.

Meanwhile, the Porgs were watching...

EXT - AHCH-TO SURFACE - ANCIENT ISLAND - CLIFFSIDE - MORNING

Rey finds a rope ladder, and climbs down to the opening of the cave. The ladder is a bit far from the opening, and Rey has to swing to reach it. Once her footing's good, she steps in...

INT - AHCH-TO SURFACE - CLIFFSIDE CAVE- MORNING

WIDE SHOT of a makeshift hangar, a room of stone ruined by millennia of sedimentation and water damage. At the center of this chamber is a vessel in a state of disrepair. Some of its parts are not stock, but it's quite recognizable as a Incom T-65 Starfighter.

This is LUKE'S CUSTOMIZED X-WING.

CLOSE UP of Rey's awed face, whose attention is focused solely on the X-wing.

REY
A T-65! And it's whole!
Well, mostly whole...

Titanium hull panels are strewn across the stone floor, revealing the ship's internal components. There's a nearby greasy tarp with engine parts on it, as well as S-foil grilles. A stone table and stool are nearby, built into a smooth wall of rock with a few holes that made for good shelves. Sundries have been placed on them: Consumables, X-wing blueprints, a few holo-recorders, and some soil and flower samples. There's a dirty metal dish, with some porg bones on them. What little meat was on them rotted away a long time ago, or picked clean by insects.

R2-D2 [binary, happy beeps]
Is that what I think it is?!

REY turns around, and sees R2-D2 with his side thrusters deployed floating into the cave. He lands right next to REY, and rays of light stream out of his main optic as he scans the craft.

REY [overjoyed]
You can fly?!

R2-D2 [binary]
Of course I can!

REY
Well, you're a lot more spaceworthy than this old thing... hey, R2?
Is this... is this the actual x-wing that took out the Death Star?

R2-D2 [binary]
Well, no, but it's definitely the ship from his Rogue Squadron days.

REY [frowning]
Brilliant, another disappointment.

R2-D2 [binary]
Hey, come on, now... here, check this out.

R2 points a beam at the side of the cockpit, on which was printed several kill marks, most of which were TIE FIGHTERS.

R2-D2 [binary]
See those eight marks under the regular TIEs? Those are TIE Defender kills!
I printed those for him after the Battle of Pellaeon!
We never did break Wedge's record, though...

REY [awed]
Eight TIE Defender kills?! That's..
[sheepishly]
I actually never heard of those.
Or of the battle of Pellaon, really. Are Defenders tough?

R2-D2 [binary]
The toughest. We lost a lot of our best pilots to these things.
Farlander, the Azzameen brothers...

REY's awe fades as she looks back to where she came from, and recalls the sad state LUKE is now in.

REY [sadly]
But that was a long, long time ago, wasn't it?

R2-D2 [binary, sad beeps]
Yeah... yeah, it was.

REY takes a moment to examine all the parts.

REY
Hey... I think I could put this thing back together. Wanna help?
I could use some tools.

Compartments all over R2-D2's body open, revealing a vast arsenal of tools.

R2-D2 [binary]
I got you covered.

REY [smiling]
Brilliant! Just let me have a look at these, first...

REY walks up to the table, intent on examining the blueprints of the x-wing laid on the table, when something catches her eye. CLOSE up of a small bronze disk with three silver prongs curved radially around it - This is LUKE'S HOLOPROJECTOR, and there is a small light blinking on it.

REY
What's this?

She presses a button on the side, and the image of a middle-aged LUKE SKYWALKER appears. The hologram's appearance is shockingly different from that of the man still fishing on that hill. He was far healthier looking, with a soldier's build, a shorter head of hair, and a well-trimmed beard. His eyes were weary, but still had a bright spark of intelligence and will. Rey smiles at the sight, as the Hologram speaks:

LUKE [hologram]
Luke's journal, day 3, local time. Finally managed to fish my X-wing out
of the sea. Water damage is minimal, doesn't look like oxidation
is going to be a problem... but, the crash really shook up a lot of internals.

REY
Hm, I wonder how many more of these there are.

LUKE [cont'd]
I still don't know what went wrong, one minute
all the instruments were fine, the next...

R2-D2 [binary]
Could you leave it on while we work?

REY
Yeah, sure.

MONTAGE as Rey, with R2-D2's help, begins re-assembling the LUKE'S X-WING, first by going over the schematics, then performing task after task, each one a feat of engineering more complicated and more difficult than the next. As they do so, LUKE's holographic recording keeps playing as the day goes by.

LUKE [Voice-Over]
Day 7. Rogue Squadron survival training is getting me through the food situation.
Good news is the local fauna has these birds that breed as fast as Gizkas.
Pretty rich meat, too. Never thought I'd have to worry about getting fat in a survival situation.
[laughing]
Still, I need to be careful with these things - eat too much too soon and there won't be anything left to eat.

LUKE [Voice-Over, cont'd]
DAY 8, still no luck with the commslink. I've been transmitting the SOS all week, and no one's responded.
Not likely to: Every frequency I try listening in on has static, so something's definitely jamming it...
probably the sun's radiation. Fixing the X-wing's my only hope of leaving this place.

LUKE [Voice-Over, cont'd]
DAY 12... Creepy things, these birds: They always seem to watch me.

LUKE [Voice-Over, cont'd]
DAY 25, X-wing's flight-worthy again, Repulsorlifts are calibrated and the broken thrusters can burn fuel again.
Test flight tomorrow morning, and... well, gonna feel real silly about making those recordings.

LUKE [Voice-Over, cont'd]
Day 26, Test flight was good, except for the hyperdrive test. It's crystal oscillator's blown.
I can fly all over the planet, even the system, but I can't get really leave. Damn it all.

LUKE [Voice-Over, cont'd]
Day 47, Not giving up hope. Crystal's blown but with some rocks and some creative uses
of the force and my lightsaber, I've managed to build a small kiln to reshape the crystal.
Gonna have to provide the pressure myself. That's gonna burn some calories, I expect.
...Hope the strain doesn't kill me.

REY finds the kiln, basically a small stone spherical mold that fits in a stone box. There's a small cylindrical slot on top, wide enough for a LIGHTSABER's beam emitter , and Rey admires the ingenuity of it.

LUKE [Voice-Over, cont'd]
Day 48... not enough crystal left for a whole oscillator. Things aren't looking good...
No, no, I haven't given up, not yet. There should be some rare earths in the caves good enough to make a proper crystal,
strong enough for one trip, and get me far enough away to signal for help. I didn't come to this damned planet to die, and I'll be damned
if I spend my last days in the middle of nowhere!

LUKE [Voice-Over, cont'd]
DAY 49, I'm in luck - the caves are full of treasure! Aphra and Tekka would love it there.
None of it is what I'm came here for, but I've found some gemstones that will do the trick for the oscillator.
Just need to bake them into shape.

REY pops the last panel in place, lets R2-D2 solder it shut, and wipes the sweat off her greasy face. WIDE shot of the fully restored X-wing, as REY admires the craft, her chest swells with some pride. She smiles, then yawns: It's already dusk. MONTAGE ENDS.

EXT - AHCH-TO SURFACE - ANCIENT ISLAND - CLIFFSIDE - DUSK

REY [yawning]
Well, that was fun!
Shame it's getting so late though.

R2-D2
Test flight first thing after breakfast?

REY
You bet.

LUKE [Voice-Over, cont'd]
Day... I forget. Fifty? Fifty. Yeah. I think I woke something up down in the caves. Something I can't sense in the Force, or...
No, no, I've been here too long, I'm becoming paranoid.
I really need to get out of there.
I hate this place.

REY walks up to the HOLOPROJECTOR to turn it off.

LUKE [Voice-Over]
Day...six? Seven? Rogue Squadron survival training hasn't stuck, it seems. My rations are already gone.
Good news is the local fauna has these delicious birds that breed as fast as Gizkas.
[coughs]
Pretty rich meat, too. Never thought I'd have to worry about getting fat in a survival situation.
Creepy things, though, these birds... they never stop—

As if on cue, the device runs out of power, and goes into sleep mode.

REY
That's odd... I guess it was set to loop?
Not that it matters, the power cell's low.
If only I had a...

R2-D2 rolls in besides her, and opens one of the drawers in his body.

R2-D2
I've got an internal wireless charger.

Give it here.

REY
Oh, you can charge it? Well, here you go, then.

REY places the HOLOPROJECTOR in the drawer, and it beeps as wireless energy flows into it.

REY
I wonder what else might be in there...

In the shadows, the PORGS are watching...

EXT - AHCH-TO SURFACE - MILLENNIUM FALCON LANDING - NIGHT

CLOSE UP of a small box by CHEWBACCA's side, filled with singed BOWCASTER Flechettes with some dried blood on them. FOCUS on the background, and PORGS on a spit, roasting above a campfire.

WIDE SHOT of the camp site. Besides the Falcon, CHEWBACCA had set up the campfire to keep the cold of the night away... and to cook dinner, of course. Above the fire, several PORGS are roasting on a spit, having been previously plucked, gutted, beheaded, and marinated, if the small vat of sauce besides CHEWBACCA was any indication. REY sits on a stone opposite of CHEWBACCA, staring into the fire, tracing symbols in the ash with a branch out of boredom.

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook]
So where were you? I called you about the Hyperdrive.

REY
Sorry, I was putting Luke's X-wing back together.

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook]
Is that right? Can it fly?

REY
It should be good for sub-light. I'll see tomorrow.

CHEWIE puts a roast PORG on a metal PLATE, and hands it to REY. He then grabs a spit for himself, with three stuck Porgs on it.

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook]
There you go, careful, it's hot.

REY
Oh, thanks!

REY eats for a bit, finding the meal quite tasty, but she's not quite regaling herself. Something is on her mind.

REY
What will tell General Organa
when we get back? With Luke, I mean?

CHEWBACCA stops eating, and it's clear that he's been pondering that same question for a while, now.

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook]
We'll tell her the truth, what else?

REY
...and then what?

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook]
That'll be up to her. We might drop Luke off at
a hospital on Kamino, or Manaan.

REY
Kamino? Manaan? Can they help him there?

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook]
I hope so... but we should focus on getting out of here.

REY
I can't help but worry...
Chewbacca?

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook]
Hm?

REY
Why did you ask Leia bring me with you?

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook]
Well, I had a good feeling about you... and I thought
that you and Luke should meet right away.

REY
Oh? Did you think Luke would train me in the force?

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook]
Well, yes. But...
[sighs]
That's not happening any time soon, is it?

REY
It's not fair. It's not right that all that's left of the Jedi just...
dies in Luke's mind, or lives on in...
[disgusted]
...in Kylo.

CHEWBACCA says nothing at that, the events leading to Han's death still fresh in his mind. He and REY finish their meal, and the girl yawns, and prepares to go to bed.

REY
Good night, Chewie.

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook]
Goodnight, kid. Sweet dreams.

EXT - AHCH-TO SURFACE - NIGHT
The twin moons of Ahch-To, one red, one pearl, shine upon the island as a chorus of benign alien insects sing a song that echo through the night, backed by the gentle waves of the sea. REY is fast asleep, and R2-D2 is in sleep mode, connected to the Falcon's power train to recharge. The hitherto unnoticed POPPIES begin to bloom all around the island. Only Chewie is awake, a blanket draped over his head and shoulders, as he watches the flames, wondering of things that would be. As the flowers bloom and glow with the colours of the moons, his eyelids feel heavier and heavier, blinking more often until they flutter for a moment before closing completely. CHEWBACCA is asleep.

Suddenly, the insects stop singing.

The silence makes way for whispers, cackles, cruel laughter... and the soft song of a woman's voice echoing across the island.

Woman [off-screen]
Luke...

Neither CHEWBACCA or R2-D2 are stirred by the sound.

Woman [off-screen]
Luke... come to me...

REY stirs awake, groaning, barely opening her eyes. She manages to catch sight of a figure in the darkness, only for it to vanish in the shadows as she blinks. Her eyes focus on something else: LUKE SKYWALKER, stumbling in the dark as someone calls to him.

Woman [off-screen]
Luke...

LUKE
Mara...

REY hears the name... as a shadow crawls over her cot, moves to her face, and all is darkness.

SMASH TO BLACK

???
What's... this...?

EXT - DARK FOREST - DUSK(?)

REY finds herself in the DARK FOREST once again, only this time, time has stopped, and the dim light that permeates the area has washed out most of the colour. Black spores hang in the air, and REY looks around, confused, but wary of more wolves. She takes a few steps down the road...

CUT TO: EXT - DARK FOREST CLEARING - FOREST MANSION - DUSK(?)

And she finds herself back at the Witch's home, though the woman is no longer here.

REY
Hello? Hello!

WITCH'S VOICE
Remember...

Everything is quiet. Everything is still...

REY
Eek!

Save for a small spider climbing up her leg. Normal young women would be frightened beyond belief, but REY isn't quite normal, and simply lets the small creature climb over her, past the shoulder, and finally to Rey's palm. REY holds the tiny insect up closer to her face, to get a better look at it. It's body, black and purple and flecked with white, is barely the size of REY's thumb, with disproportionately large eyes and tiny legs. Being a spider, it should look horrific. Instead, Rey thinks it's actually kinda cute, like BB8.

Suddenly, the spider's black, glinting eyes widen, and it cowers in fear. REY turns around, and we assume her POV as she scans the area for whatever it is that frightened the spider so. Off the corner of her sight, something - made of black rags - crawled into a hole, hiding from REY's sight.

The spider jumps on REY's palm three times, getting her attention, before bouncing off like a cricket towards the mansion.

REY
Hey, wait!

INT - DARK FOREST MANSION - NIGHT(?)

REY chases the spider through the wooden halls of the mansion, unaware that she's being navigated through patches of void where the dream of the mansion simply cannot be. The spider leaps into the gap between two vast doors, and REY bursts through them, and finds herself...

INT - DARK FOREST MANSION - LIBRARY - DAY (?)

...Inside a vast library, at least four stories tall. At the center of that vast room was the WITCH, kneeling, held fast by the frozen passage of time. On her shoulder is the spider, bouncing up and down. Rey walks towards her, and we see that that WITCH's face is mostly gone, disintegrated into little prisms and shapes that hang in the air. REY's gaze follows the WITCH's arms, which are spread down to display the items by her knees: Various books, two of which are opened to specific pages. REY's eyes can't focus on the script, but the stark, black and white illustrations are clear enough: one of a poppy, the other a more complicated sign: a vertical eye, set inside a bird made of fire, its wings spread out in flight.

The WITCH, while frozen, can apparently still speak, as her voice rings out, clear as a bell.

WITCH
Remember...
the ward...

REY [frustrated]
I don't understand!
What good is a winged eyeball?!

The spider once again begins to cower, and REY turns around... and this time, she sees what the spider fears. Her eyes widen as six grasping hands grab hold of her neck, her face, her hair...

CUT TO: EXT - AHCH-TO SURFACE - ANCIENT ISLAND - MORNING

REY gasps as her eyes open, her irises contracting from the rush of fear coursing through her.

REY
NOOO!

She shoots up from her cot and blanket, and sees that she's back on Ahch-To. From far atop the falcon, CHEWBACCA calls to her.

CHEWBACCA
[in Shyriiwook, worried]
Rey? Rey, are you alright?

REY
I'm okay! It's the nightmares again!

CHEWBACCA
[in Shyriiwook, confused]
...Again?

REY
Yes, again. Just give me a minute...

REY tastes something foul in her mouth, and feels something on the corner of her mouth, she wipes it off, and smears something pale and green on the back of her hand.

REY
Ew...

EXT - AHCH-TO SURFACE - FALCON LANDING - MORNING

After a light breakfast of polystarch bread and veg-neat, REY goes to see how CHEWBACCA is doing. He's removes a part from the FALCON, examines it, shakes his head, and puts it back.

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook]
Nope... not the problem. Hm.

REY
Have you started working on the hyperdrive?

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook]
No, had to check one of the plasma manifolds.

REY
...But didn't you check that part yesterday, already?

CHEWBACCA rubs the back of his head, a bit confused. Then, he spits a pale green wad of spit, away from the falcon.

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook]
...I might? Yeah, I did. Huh, I guess
Luke's not the only one getting too old.

REY
Will you be needing my help?

CHEWBACCA
Sure, soon.

REY
...What? No chewing me out over the compressor bypass?

CHEWBACCA
What? Oh, that. I didn't give you grief over it.
Why would I? It saved our hides.

REY [curious]
But you did, yesterday, in fact!

CHEWBACCA
Well, if I did, I'm sorry.
Look, I should be have the hyperdrive pulled out
by the afternoon. Can you wait until then?

REY
Sure, R2 and I aren't done with Luke's X-wing.

CHEWBACCA
Luke's X-wing is here? Wait, of course it is...

REY eyes CHEWBACCA curiously, wondering if something is wrong with him.

INT - AHCH-TO SURFACE - CLIFFSIDE CAVE- MORNING

R2-D2 and REY make their way back into LUKE's makeshift hangar, and find his X-WING there, waiting for them. REY climbs into the cockpit, eager to get started, while R2-D2 hoists himself up to the Astromech slot.

INT - LUKE'S X-WING'S COCKPIT - MORNING

REY
Damn, no helmet.

R2-D2 [binary]
Eh, you don't need it.

REY
Fair enough, ready to get started?

R2-D2 [binary]
Ready when you are!

REY
Alright then!

REY powers up the console, and pushes a sequence of buttons that cause the X-wing's engines to hum and stutter back to life. REY is elated - she had always wanted to fly a classic.

REY
Just like the simulators back home...

R2-D2 [binary]
Systems check out, ready for take off!

REY slowly pulls the repulsorlift throttle up, and the X-wing begins to rise... Suddenly, inside the craft, the CRYSTAL OSCILLATOR blows, causing a power surge that arcs through every component of the ship, damaging some. Alarms framed in red pop-up all over the HUD as the repulsorlifts stutter and die, and the X-wing falls back down.

REY [angrily]
Blast!

CUT TO: The insides of the X-wing, as REY removes a panel and she peers inside. Seeing what's wrong, she pulls out a part - the CRYSTAL OSCILLATOR.

REY
That thing's been slotted in reverse!
No wonder the thing surged!

She shakes it close to her ear, and the tingling of glass can be heard.

REY
Yep, that blew the crystal alright.
I couldn't have made that kind of rookie mistake, couldn't I?
[unsure]
...Couldn't I?

R2-D2 [binary]
No, I was there, checking your work. You put that thing back in right.

REY
Well, clearly I didn't. Still...

CUT TO: The hangar's workbench. REY sits down and lays the OSCILLATOR on the table, and ANAKIN SKYWALKERS Lightsaber. Using the tools laying on the stone table, she begins taking the oscillator apart.

R2-D2 [binary]
What are you doing?

REY
A quick fix! You can get a few extra hours out of these things
If you slot in a power crystal from a blaster, and since lightsabers
work pretty much the same...

R2-D2 [binary]
How do you know that?

REY doesn't answer as she opens up the middle of the lightsaber, revealing its crystal chamber. Instead of the traditional primary and focusing kyber crystals, however, REY finds a black marble that glows outwardly with blue light, small enough to fit into the modified primary crystal mount. REY pulls it out with a pair of tweezers, and admires the jewel, its magical light glinting in her eyes.

This is a KRAYT DRAGON PEARL.

REY
What the? I didn't know Kyber crystals looked like... that.

R2-D2 [binary]
They... don't. That's no Kyber crystal.

REY
It's not? Well, not that it matters, the shape's wrong, it won't slot into the oscillator.

With a sigh, REY slots the gem back in, an act that causes her to FLASHBACK to another moment in time, when she was smaller. The images are fleeting: Little REY's eyes peek over the edge as she watches a man put the pearl inside ANAKIN'S LIGHTSABER, the original kyber crystal's shards spread around the table, glinting in candlelight. The FLASHBACK quickly ENDS, and REY resumes her work. She ignites the saber, testing it to make sure she hasn't broken it. REY wistfully looks back at the X-wing.

REY
The main drives are good, but with no oscillator and the blown repulsorlifts...
That X-wing's just not getting off the ground.

R2-D2
Hey, don't lose hope...

REY
Eh, it was a pipe-dream anyways.

REY gets up from the table, packs the LIGHTSABER in her sack, and with a shrug, decides to pack in the oscillator as well.

EXT - AHCH-TO SURFACE - MILLENNIUM FALCON LANDING - NIGHT

CLOSE UP of a small box by CHEWBACCA's side, filled with singed BOWCASTER Flechettes with some dried blood on them. FOCUS on the background, and PORGS on a spit, roasting above a campfire.

WIDE SHOT of the camp site. Besides the Falcon, CHEWBACCA had set up the campfire to keep the cold of the night away... and to cook dinner, of course. Above the fire, several PORGS are roasting on a spit, having been previously plucked, gutted, beheaded, and marinated, if the small vat of sauce besides CHEWBACCA was any indication. REY sits on a log opposite of CHEWBACCA, staring into the fire, tracing symbols in the ash with a branch out of boredom.

REY
Wait...

REY looks around, confused.

REY [cont'd]
How did I get here?

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook]
You walked?

REY
No, I mean...
I don't remember getting here.

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook]
You don't remember helping me fix the hyperdrive?

REY
No... did we?

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook]
Sure, we replaced the oscillator together.
[pointing at the falcon]
R2 is inside, cooking the Hypermatter. We'll be good to go by the morning.

REY [unsure]
That's... that's good.

REY massages her eyes, hoping to rub the weariness away. Absentmindedly, she draws a symbol of an eye with wings, but it's not quite right, not yet.

REY
I can't wait to leave this place.

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook]
You and me both.
Get some sleep.

REY [yawning]
Alright...

REY gets into her sleeping bag, and turns away from the fire, and closes her eyes. The Poppies bloom, the insects stop their song, and all is quiet, until...

MARA'S VOICE
Luke....

REY wakes a the sound, but is still groggy. She tried to go back to sleep, but...

MARA'S VOICE
Luke... come to me, my love...

LUKE
Mara...

LUKE's distant voice gets REY's attention, and arouses her curiosity. Through tired eyes she manages to catch his form, highlighted by the moonlight... and the ghostly figure of a woman, her blazing red hair and emerald-green dress floating in unseen waters. She watches on as LUKE follows the ghostly figure as it beckons him to follow.

REY gets on her feet, and tries to wake CHEWBACCA, slumped over the log he is sitting on.

REY [whispering]
Chewie... Chewie, wake up!
Come on, wake up!
Something's wrong!

But CHEWBACCA doesn't wake, not even when REY shakes him.

REY looks back at LUKE, and is about to call to him, when something in the back of her mind tells her that it would be a very bad idea. Instead, she shoulders her satchel, and stalks the elder Jedi as moves towards the phantom, ever out of reach, no matter how longingly he reaches out for her.

Unseen by REY, the symbol she traced glows.

EXT - AHCH-TO SURFACE - WATERFALL - MIDNIGHT

The glowing ghost floats towards the waterfall, and moves past it, untouched by the water, and disappears into the cave.

MARA
Luke... Luke... come to me...

REY hides behind a nearby rock, and watches on as LUKE follows the ghost into the cave, and hesitates to follow him in. She reaches into her satchel, and pulls out ANAKIN'S LIGHTSABER. She grasps it with both hands, as if drawing pure courage from the legendary weapon.

REY
I can do this.

It works: she stops hiding and enters the cave.

INT - AHCH-TO CAVERNS - MIDNIGHT

REY's first few steps into the cave are slow, and careful. The deeper she goes, the dimmer the moonlight behind her becomes, until it is too dark to see. She ignites the LIGHTSABER, and while the blade is bright, the light barely illuminates the walls of the caves. The blue glint reflecting from the wet surfaces, however, allow REY to travel through the network of tunnels that lie beneath the island.

Unfortunately, her sense of direction is led astray, and she becomes lost. The very shadows seem to stalk her, and some thing whispers around her. Still, she presses on, and on... until she sees something glow in the dark, in a passage to her left. Apprehensively, she approaches the glow, and begins to hear something:

OBI-WAN's VOICE [faint]
These are your first steps...

LEIA'S VOICE [faint]
Aren't you a little short...

HAN'S VOICE [faint]
But who's gonna fly it...?

REY [hopeful]
Han?

REY puts her hand over her mouth, feeling like she had alerted something in the dark, but nothing comes, and she continues on. The voices become clearer...

APHRA'S VOICE
...Are you in, Jedi?

KREEL'S VOICE
You can call me Gamemaster...

...And clearer, until she reaches their source.

INT - AHCH-TO CAVERNS - THE CHAMBER - MIDNIGHT

REY comes across a chamber so vast the light of the lightsaber cannot reach the walls, but it does illuminate the rocky ground. Thousands of glass marbles, some of them the size of a man's fist, some of them no larger than a pea, are set into the ground, in grooves carved in haste and glued with hardened REY approaches one, kneels, and sees images moving inside of it. She peers into the glass, narrowing her eyes to get a better look... and sees none other than Darth Vader, crossing lightsabers with someone, someone who was right there...

All these pearls are containers for LUKE'S SKYWALKER'S MEMORIES.

REY goes from memory to memory, only getting the barest glimpse of them. Some of them are painful...

LUKE'S VOICE [anguished]
That's not true! That's impossible!

...And others are filled with rapturous joy.

MARA'S VOICE
I do.

LUKE'S VOICE
I do.

All had been cruelly stolen away from him, along with his sense of who he was, and his duty to the rest of the galaxy.

Something glows above REY, and she looks up to see LUKE floating upside down, a spinning black pyramid right beneath his head. Hundreds of tendrils of light protrude from it's smooth obsidian surface, permeating LUKE's flesh.

This is the ENTECHMENT MACHINE, and it is draining LUKE's very lifeforce away.

But before REY can do something about it, something drips on her shoulder, something green, pale and milky... She looks are the source of the drip: a shadow made of six legs, six arms, and six eyes leering at her through a mass of hair and rags... hanging on the ceiling. The shadow falls on REY before he can scream.

SMASH TO BLACK

INT - REY'S MIND - DARK

This time there are no trees, or Katarn Wolves, or strange magical abodes. There is only a profound darkness, in which REY floats helplessly... and yet, she is unafraid, and oddly accepting of this.

Then, from a infinitely long strand of silk, the tiny purple jumping spider rappels down in front of her.

REY
Hello, you.

The friendly spider waves at her, then traces a strand around her hips. She feels a tug, and Rey drifts forward towards a light in the dark.

THE WITCH's VOiCE
Child, this is your last chance...
After this, all hope is lost...

REY
I don't understand.

THE WITCH
You must remember the sign...
Remember the flower...
Remember the eye...
These are the things...
That will set you free.

The Witch's speech is punctuated by flashes of dreams/memories: the poppies burning in the hearth, the symbol of the flying eye drawn in ink in the book, the Krayt Dragon Pearl in the lightsaber.

Suddenly, the strand snaps, the spider reaches out for REY, distraught, but it can do nothing as the girls falls into the abyss...

...And drowns in a sea of pale green milk.

???
Drrrrriiiiiink...

INT - TENT - AHCH-TO SURFACE - MORNING

REY's waking is slow, and lacking any distress. Her eyes open, but the light behind them, the very thing that makes her REY, is mostly gone... and now she is just THE GIRL.

The GIRL feels something tart on her tongue, but doesn't spit or wipe her mouth. The GIRL hears rain outside, but doesn't sit up, instead enjoying the sense of safety that comes being sheltered from the weather. For hours, she lays under her blanket, staring out of the opening in her tent, watching the tiny bursts of a millions upon millions of drops of water crashing against stone and metal and dirt.

Then she feels a rumbling in her belly, and decides that it's time to get up.

♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪

EXT - AHCH-TO SURFACE - FALCON LANDING - MORNING

The GIRL steps out into the rain, and shivers, but doesn't go back into the tent, which, as it turned out, was attached to large piece of machinery. Atop that machinery there was no one, but the GIRL caught sight of a big hairy creature standing in front of the machine, as if admiring it.

It's CHEWBACCA, or at least it was. Now it's just a WOOKIE.

GIRL
Hello.

The WOOKIE just growls and whines at her, but she can't understand a word he's saying.He makes no sudden movements, makes no sign that he means her harm.

GIRL
I don't understand you...

He makes no further attempts at communication, and simply stares at the ship, or something far, far away, beyond it... as a drop of green liquid drips from the corner of his mouth. The GIRL sees an open ramp leading into the machine...

INT - MILLENNIUM FALCON - DAY

The GIRL explores the inside of the machine, fascinated, but recognizing nothing.

GIRL
Hello? Is anyone here?

There is no reply, and no sound, save for the hammering of rain on the hull. The GIRL comes across a machine unlike the others: it's R2-D2, but she doesn't recognize the unmoving machine, nor does she know how to reconnect the power cell that had been so violently pulled out of his body.

EXT - AHCH-TO SURFACE - HILLS - MORNING

The rains continue, as the GIRL explores the island. Her mind emptied, a certain magic is now freed to act through her, and an invisible aura around seems to catch the rain, holding it place, causing droplets to dance around her. She smiles, amazed and dazed, while dancing along with the flow.

She catches sight of her reflection on a puddle atop a stone tile, and kneels besides it, examining it with both curiosity and narcissistic fascination. Fascination makes way for a bit of worry, as she notices that a lock of her wet hair has become silvery white.

Then, another face appears behind her, and she sees it in the reflection. She turns around, and stares at LUKE SKYWALKER as she gets up... but she doesn't recognize him. As far she's concerned, he's just an OLD MAN, wearing a cloak to shield himself from the rain. She approaches him, as he eyes her curiously, and she puts her hands on her face, fascinated by the wear and tear of old age, tracing his many wrinkles, and admiring the sheer whiteness of his hair. Her face is inches from his.

OLD MAN
Who are you?

GIRL
I don't know...

OLD MAN
Why are you here?

GIRL
I don't know...

OLD MAN
Where are you from?

GIRL
I...

The questions give the GIRL pause. She can feel the answers bubbling under the surface, but they escape her.

GIRL
I don't know...
What about you? Who are you?
Why are you here?
Where are you from?

OLD MAN
I... I don't know, either.

They laugh at the absurdity of it.

EXT - AHCH-TO SURFACE - LUKE'S HUT - NOON

The GIRL and the OLD MAN sit side by side on a wooden bench, silently watching as the rain lets up. The GIRL, still dripping wet, had been pondering the OLD MAN's questions for a while. Finally:

GIRL
I think I'm waiting for someone.

OLD MAN
Waiting for who?

GIRL
A friend. He's asleep, but he's going to wake up soon.
I'll see him again, I just have to wait.

The OLD MAN says nothing, having already forgotten the conversation. The GIRL notices something on the ground - a flower, but its petals are shut, despite the sun's rays piercing the clouds to reach them.

GIRL
What are those?

OLD MAN
Moon Poppies.

GIRL
Why do you call them that?

OLD MAN
Because they only bloom in the moonlight.

The GIRL sees hundreds of these closed MOON POPPIES on the field, and decides to pick one up. She rolls the petals between her fingers, and as if by magic, they bloom, soaking in the sunlight, changing their lunar colour from white to a dark shade of purple.

A vision flashes in the GIRL's mind: the witch, the hearth, the fire...

GIRL
A present. A present for my friend.

The Old Man looks on as the GIRL picks MOON POPPIES on the islands, turning them purple with her fingers. Before long she's got a whole bouquet of them, but she constantly needs to just pick one more flower. The last one, the important one, has something inside of it as she forces it to bloom.

A tiny, adorable SPIDER. As it wakes, it opens its big glassy eyes, and shakes off

GIRL [with pity]
Oh, you poor thing. Were you trapped in there?

The SPIDER nods, and the GIRL marvels at the fact that it can understand her.

GIRL
Can you talk?

The SPIDER shakes his head, sadly.

GIRL
Oh, that's a shame. Are you alone?

The SPIDER nods.

GIRL
Would you like to come with me?

Happily, the SPIDER leaps out from the flower, and catches onto one the GIRLS locks. He climbs up, and hides between the strands of her hair, making a home out of her mane of hair.

The GIRL gathers up all her flowers, and holds them firmly into a bouquet again. Quickly the spider moves across the GIRL's arms, and wraps strand after strand of spider's silk around the flower stems, binding them together.

GIRL
Thank you.

EXT - AHCH-TO SURFACE - FALCON LANDING - NIGHT

The GIRL waits, and waits, and waits, but the one she's waiting for, has always waited for, has yet to come. But she is not alone, the OLD man sits opposite her on a stone, frying some fish over a campfire. He sees her, and the WOOKIE, and greets them as friendly strangers. They smile at him back. Quietly, they share a meal of grilled fish, courtesy of the OLD MAN's fishing.

The meal done, they sit in silence, the OLD MAN meditating on the flames, the WOOKIE curiously examining a crossbow, and the GIRL admiring the bouquet of PURPLE POPPIES. The SPIDER appears from her hair, and crawls to the back of her ear. Its eyes glow a bright purple, but only for a moment.

THE WITCH'S VOICE [faint]
Remember...

Inspiration strikes the GIRL, and she picks a small branch to trace something in the campfire ash. At first it's all curls and waves, but eventually she traces something almost perfect in its symmetry.

An eye under a soaring flaming bird.

The LUNAR POPPIES on the ground bloom, and before long the OLD MAN and the WOOKIE lay down on the ground and let themselves fall asleep. Only REY remains awake, but only barely. Her eyes flutter, and close.

This will the last night they spend on Ahch-To.

SMASH TO BLACK

???
Tonight, the ritual ends...

EXT - AHCH-TO SURFACE - MILLENNIUM FALCON LANDING - MIDNIGHT

The GIRL is stirred awake by a noise. The Wookie still sleeps, snoring, as does the OLD MAN.

Suddenly, she hears a voice, distant and faint, but it becomes clearer, and clearer... and she realizes who it is.

MAN'S VOICE
Rey...

The girl rises from her spot to see the source of the voice, and her eyes widen with joy as she beholds a man's silhouette, past the campfire's flames. His face is shadow, but his aura is a wondrous bright light.

It's her FATHER.

FATHER
Rey... Rey, come to me, my child.

The FATHER reaches out, and beckons her to come. The GIRL begins to rise, but notices something on the ground: the BOUQUET. She picks it up, gets up, and holds it out to her FATHER.

GIRL
This is for you... for your return.
Just like I always did...

FATHER
Come to me, follow me...

GIRL
Just like mum and I always did, when you returned home.

FATHER [losing patience]
Rey come.

GIRL
Don't you want these?

FATHER
No. Come.

GIRL
But they're for you...

REY approaches her FATHER, but he recoils in fear. Dazes, she reaches out, and holds the flowers over the flames with both hands, as an offering. As she does so, the SPIDER comes out of her hair, and crawls over her right arm.

FATHER [angrier, deeper]
PUT THESE AWAY.

GIRL
...They've always been for you, always, always...

The SPIDER produces two short, blunted fangs from its mandibles, and with all its might, bites REY's hand.

GIRL
Ow!

Her grip loosens, and time slows to a crawl as the flowers fall...

FATHER [furious]
NOOOOO!

...And are ignited by the flames. There is a flash of purple as a cloud of smoke of smoke erupts from the campfire, and the signs she traced all around it glow with a magical energy. The FATHER fades away as purple embers swirl around the flames. Butterflies of smoke stream out, and find their way into the nostrils of REY, CHEWBACCA and LUKE. They wake as they convulse, and retch until they spew out a foul pale green liquid onto the ground.

This is the CRONE'S MILK. This is what had made them docile, and lost, and clouded their memories, and now that it was expelled from their bodies they are sane once more, and remember who they are.

Lightning splits the night sky, and thunder soon follows behind it. Dark clouds gather overhead, obscuring the light of the moons, and rain begins to pour.

♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪

More butterflies emerge, a swarm of smoke and purple embers spiraling outward from the campfire, revealing something invisible in the dark, three figures appear around LUKE, CHEWBACCA and REY, the glamour dispelled. Each of them are taller than a wookie, their bodies piles of black rags that seem to float underwater. Their limbs are bare, wrinkled, veined, and far too long. REY could only barely make out their ugly, warped faces in the dark, but the glow of fire within their irises is clear, along with the glint upon their teeth.

These three CRONES are the SIRENS OF AHCH-TO.

These three witches are the SORCERESSES of SSI-RUUK.

CHEWBACCA roars, and attempts to shoot one of the YOUNGER CRONE right between the eyes. She seems to vanish for a moment, letting BOWCASTER BOLT passing through a haze of heated air, before appearing in front of the wookie. She grabs him by the ankle, and tosses him over her shoulder. CHEWBACCA roars impotently as he soars into the dark, disappearing into it, before a distant splash is heard. The YOUNGER CRONE giggles.

LUKE
CHEWIE!

ELDER CRONE [croaking]
The girl has the Gift! She can resist us...

MIDDLE CRONE
Then we finish with the old man.

The ELDER AND MIDDLE CRONES perform the same vanishing feat as earlier - QUICKENING - and grab luke, and hold him into an embrace as they practically merge into a single being, with four legs and four arms. LUKE screams in protest, struggling to free himself from their grasp. Alas, years of ENTECHMENT have left his body far too weak to pull free.

LUKE [angry]
Let me go!

REY
Get away from him!

MIDDLE CRONE
Sister... break the girl.

The merge crones flee, vanishing into the dark with their prize as LUKE screams' fade in the distance. The rain extinguishes the campfire's flames. Now, REY is all alone in the dark against an ancient horror.

YOUNGER CRONE
The shadows unfurl, plaything! And it is time to play-play!

As the CRONE approaches, REY's eyes frantically search for something, while her hands search her sides for her SATCHEL, with the lightsaber inside... it's not there.

The YOUNGER CRONE smiles, and her bony hands reach into her floating rags... and produces ANAKIN's LIGHTSABER.

YOUNGER CRONE [amused]
Looking for this?

REY [scared]
Oh, no...

The YOUNGER CRONE's jaw splits opens to reveal a thick prehensile tongue half as long as her elongated arms. She wraps the tip around the LIGHTSABER, and ignites it. The glow reveals her visage, smooth, like a doll's but framed by an infestation of coral and barnacles. The CRONE QUICKENS in front of REY, then behind her, then besides her, before taking a wide swipe with the stolen LIGHTSABER.

========================[===]

REY rolls out of the way, but it's obvious she's only being toyed with. Once the CRONE gets bored, REY is guaranteed to lose a limb, or worse.

The cackling CRONE herds REY towards the falcon, and allows her to enter...

INT - MILLENNIUM FALCON - NIGHT

REY desperately mashes the CLOSE button by the entrance, making the FALCON'S RAMP rise. It is inches from closing shut before the CRONE, with a strength that could only come from magic, pulls the ramp down, making the RAMP's six hydraulics groan.

The CRONE's eyes peer over the edge of the ramp, smiling. REY would be trapped inside the FALCON with her...

REY
STAY AWAY!

REY draws her arm back, drawing from the Force, and sends an invisible bolt of kinetic energy at the CRONE'S face, knocking her head back with the force of a battering ram. Still, the CRONE hold fasts, and it takes two more blasts before she lets go of the RAMP, allowing it close and lock itself. REY sighs in relief, feeling safe.

That feeling disappears quickly when she hears the CRONE knocking against the hull.

REY rushes towards the FALCON's cargo bay and searches frantically for anything that might serve as a weapon, tossing aside pieces of useless junk as the CRONE attempts Finding nothing that could hurt a monster, she moves on to another area of the ship, where she finds R2-D2 with some his parts spilled out on the floor.

REY
Oh no, please be alright, please be alright...

REY's hands move quickly, reconnecting the astromech's parts with rapid, practiced ease. R2-D2 comes back to life, much to REY's relief.

R2-D2 [binary]
Whoa, what happened?!

One minute I was cooking Hypermatter, the next...

The entire ship rumbles as the CRONE tried to make her way in, screeching all the while.

YOUNGER CRONE [Off-Screen]
Girl! GIRL! Come out, plaything!
I am not done playing with you!

R2-D2 [binary]
What the hell is that?!

REY
There's no time! Look, I need you to do exactly what I tell you...

EXT - MILLENNIUM FALCON - NIGHT

Atop the FALCON, the CRONE screeches, snarls and cackles as she pounces on the ship, then stabs the lightsaber into the hull, hoping to frighten the girl trapped inside. It doesn't work, but she does a lot of damage.

Suddenly, the engines come to life, and it looks as though the FALCON is about to take off. Her eyes narrow at the cockpit, now full of lights....

INT - MILLENNIUM FALCON'S COCKPIT - NIGHT

The CRONE quickens, her face appearing inches from the canopy. She grins upon seeing R2-D2, plugged into the FALCON's computer. The droid, programmed to feel fear, beeps frantically at the sight of the creature.

CRONE
What's this? The toy-box lives again?

R2-D2
REY, SERIOUSLY, WHAT THE KRIFF IS THAT?!

The CRONE smashes her fists against the canopy, breaking the bones in her hands. In an act of madness, she smashes her own forehead against the solid transparisteel plates, and does no better. R2-D2 watches as her hands mend, and her face snaps back into place.

The madness fades, and she ignites the saber...

R2-D2
REY! HURRY UP! SHE'S CUTTING THROUGH!

EXT - MILLENNIUM FALCON - NIGHT

Outside, the FALCON's top QUAD LASER CANNON slowly moves, its whirring hidden by the rain...

INT- MILLENNIUM FALCON'S TOP TURRET - NIGHT

REY's hands are at the gun's controls. Her face is illuminated by the gun cam's screen light, the CRONE slowly coming into view, the cross hair just a few degrees away from being zero'ed in on her...

REY
Easy... Easy...

EXT - MILLENNIUM FALCON - NIGHT

The CRONE almost finishes tracing a circle on the cockpit with the lightsaber.

Suddenly, the CANNON's servomotors, badly maintained, grind, alerting the CRONE.

YOUNGER CRONE
What?!

INT- MILLENNIUM FALCON'S TOP TURRET - NIGHT

The reticle is centered on the CRONE, and REY's fingers presses both triggers...

EXT - MILLENNIUM FALCON - NIGHT

...unleashing a rain of proton bolts upon her target. The CRONE screeches in agony as her rags are perforated by laser fire, streaming glowing embers as she falls and disappears under the FALCON.

INT- MILLENNIUM FALCON'S TOP TURRET - NIGHT

REY
Is she dead?
R2? R2, is she dead?

INT - MILLENNIUM FALCON'S COCKPIT - NIGHT

R2-D2 peers out of the canopy, but can't see the CRONE's body.

R2-D2
I don't know! I can't see it!

INT- MILLENNIUM FALCON'S TOP TURRET - NIGHT

REY
Nobody could survive—

Suddenly, the QUAD LASER CANNON is ripped out of its mount, providing the wounded but enraged CRONE a handy club to smash the Transparisteel gunport, giving her access to its occupant. REY screams as the CRONE grabs her...

EXT - MILLENNIUM FALCON - NIGHT

...and hoists her up before tossing her away and into the ground. REY lands and rolls on the ground, sparing her broken bones, but the wind is definitely knocked out of her. Stunned, REY is unable to get away from the CRONE as she leaps on top of her. Pale, long fingers coil tightly around REY's upper arms, pining her in place. The CRONE's tongue writhes, Lightsaber at the tip, and openings at the side vibrate:

YOUNGER CRONE
You're no fun any more!
I'll cut off your feet,
And then my sisters and I will
gorge ourselves on your power!

The tongue extends, stabbing the lightsaber into the ground, right by REY's ankles. REY panics, frantically kicking at the tongue to keep the beam away from her flesh. The tongue wraps itself around REY's right leg, and the CRONE giggles as the blade is but a centimeter away from REY's ankle...

Suddenly, a furious Wookie bellows a war cry as he unleashes a cluster of bowcaster flechettes at the CRONE. It's CHEWBACCA, very much alive and not happy at all about being casually tossed into the water.

CHEWBACCA
NOBODY!
TOSSES!
A WOOKIE!

CHEWBACCA's roars are punctuated by BOWCASTER fire, each shot stripping bloodless chunks of flesh from the CRONE's body, but the wounds mend too quickly for her to die. It definitely hurts, though, and the CRONE loosens her grip on REY, her attention now focused on the Wookie. She QUICKENS all around him. Until she's got him right where she wants to kill him...

The SPIDER, unnoticed by the CRONE, had leapt from REY's hair and onto the crone's tongue, and is now crawling towards the tip. The intelligent arachnid deploys his fangs, now much, much pointer, and injects a purple venom within the glossy piece of flesh. That hurt the CRONE far more than the flechettes, causing her coiled grip on the lightsaber to unfurl mid-swing, saving CHEWBACCA from being beheaded.

The lightsaber is tossed in the air, and REY reaches out to it with the force, calling it to her. The saber flies into her hand, and she ignites it, smiling. She shouts as she charges the CRONE, but the creature QUICKENS in and out of range and smacks REY across the face.

YOUNGER CRONE
Enough! Enough! A pox on you all!

The CRONE's tongue lashes out a REY, and wraps itself around her ankle.

REY
Oh no you don't!

REY swings down, slicing off the tongue. The broken off piece disintegrates, sloughing away from her ankle, and the tongue remains a cauterized stump, blue embers glowing upon the wound. The CRONE panics, and attempts to QUICKEN, but something holds her in place.

It's CHEWBACCA, twisting her right arm and applying as much force and leverage as he can on it to break it in half, and kicking her shin out while he's at it. The CRONE pushes him to the ground, but it's already too late. REY is already on her, swinging wildly and madly, screaming as she lops off black rags and two limbs.

REY [furious]
Just DIE already! DIE!

The CRONE is now flat on her back, the fight completely out of her. Too angry to give her any mercy, REY gives the CRONE the coup-de-grace, stabbing down into her vile, black heart.

YOUNGER CRONE
No, NO, NOOO! I must live! I was going to live forever! FOREVEEEEER!

REY
SHUT UP, JUST SHUT UP!

YOUNGER CRONE
GIRL! PLAYTHING! CATTLE!
I CURSE YOU!

REY
MY NAME IS REY!

REY stabs the CRONE again and again, and the human girl's eyes begin to glow an eldricht blue, matching the light of the saber... and the deep light of the KRAYT DRAGON PEARL. The CRONE bursts into blue flames, and lets out an otherwordly while as she dies. REY is amidst the flames, but is unhurt by them, and only when the CRONE is nothing but ashes does she stop stabbing.

REY steps out of the dying flames, exhausted. She deactivates the lightsaber, and lets herself fall back, and sits down. She looks over at CHEWBACCA, standing there, a look of pride and victory on his face. REY can't manage the same sentiment.

REY [wearily]
There's two more of these things...
They still have Luke.

Then, the ground begins to shake.

REY [angry]
No, what is it NOW?!

The island cracks, and the FALCON suddenly finds itself a bit too close to an edge. The ground seems to get lower, and the sea becoming higher...

CHEWBACCA
The island is sinking! Get on the Falcon, now!

REY
We can't leave Luke here!

CHEWBACCA
We're no good to him dead or
without a ship! GO!

EXT- AHCH-TO SURFACE - NIGHT

The crew onboard, the FALCON rises with difficulty, the damage from the CRONE's onslaught hobbling the ship. The main thrusters roar, and the FALCON begins a circular flight around the island as the water around it begins to be pushes away, revealing the rocks to be the but the tip of a stone tower encrusted by sediments and coral.

INT - MILLENNIUM FALCON'S COCKPIT - NIGHT

REY
Oh, my stars...

EXT- AHCH-TO SURFACE - NIGHT

The water whirls farther and farther away. Lighting cracks, and for a moment, we can see what lies at the bottom of the water: buildings, streets, homes... temples.

INT - MILLENNIUM FALCON'S COCKPIT - NIGHT

CHEWBACCA is at the controls, while REY is in the co-pilots seat. They both look to the right, seeing the buildings.

REY
A city...

CHEWBACCA
No... not a city.

EXT- AHCH-TO SURFACE - NIGHT

The structures begin to rise as more and more lightning strikes it. The shape of the city becomes more apparent, a six pointed star, its points long and narrow. Still, it keeps rising, and rising, until its barnacle infested depths are well above the sea, dumping sea water back where it belongs through a hundred waterfalls. Graviton Engines hum to life. Lights all over the buildings blink awake. It's a starship, and its egress is getting faster and faster.

This is the ANCIENT CITY-SHIP OF FIRWIRRUNG, once long forgotten, now awakened from its millenia-long slumber.

Awakened by the waning life force of LUKE SKYWALKER.

INT - MILLENNIUM FALCON'S COCKPIT - NIGHT

REY exchanges looks with R2-D2, and CHEWBACCA. Nothing more needed to be said. They were going in, and nothing would stop them from rescuing THE LAST JEDI.

Nothing.

TO BE CONTINUED

IgnusDei · Aug 19, 2018

Episode 2 is now complete! Now with less shooting script nonsense, let me know what you think!

IgnusDei · Aug 19, 2018

Some fanon Lore. May contain some Final Fantasy YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. Also, that bit of retcon I allowed myself earlier in the thread. I'll also be updating this page with whatever nugget of lore i come up with as I write.

THE KNIGHTS OF REN

SIGIL
[A drop of blood set into a cross-bladed sword, surrounded by a hollow black escutcheon on a blood red field. To be designed later.]

Mottos:
"Victory through Sacrifice." Dark Knights
"None shall pass," Gladiators.
"Knowledge is not to be feared." Scholars.

The Holy Order of the Blood of Ren, also known as the Knights of Ren, is an elite religious paramilitary organization currently affiliated with the First Order, made up of Force Sensitive individuals trained in various disciplines of war and magick. Besides serving as the elite guards of the leader of the Cult of Ren (Supreme Leader Snoke), the Knights of Ren are also expected to serve as both spiritual leaders and guardians of the law to the people of the First Order, effectively making them the equivalent of the Jedi Knights before the Ruusan Reformation. This has led some to believe that the Knights of Ren are an offshoot of the Jedi from that era, but in truth the inception of the Knights of Ren had nothing to do with the New Sith War, and everything to do with the fall of the Valendian Empire.

What primarily differientiates the Knights of Ren from the Jedi and the Sith is the object of their worship: The Holy Decanter containing the Blood of Ren. The Knights regard it as their most holy of relics, believing it to be the source of all their power, and thus guard it jealously within the depths of the Flagship Agreus, their primary headquarters. While it is doubtful that the Force comes from a glass bottle, the mutagenic properties of the Blood of Ren do grant (amongst other physical mutations) Force Sensitivity to any sapient that ingests or auto-injects it, although they quickly become physically and psychologically dependent on regular dosage or risk severe withdrawal symptoms. Furthermore, the Knights have a keen interest in the research and development of Kyber-based weapons, cybernetics and midichlorian biotech, which some among the Jedi and Sith would consider heretical.

The finances of the Knights of Ren are nebulous, though it is largely suspected by the Chiss that they own and control their own bank. The Chiss further extrapolate that the organization's fortune is vast, since Jerec Ren, master of Scholars, has managed several archeological expeditions and digs across the Outer Rim and Unknown Regions that should have cost close to half a billion credits to fund. These expeditions have borne a lot of relics, and even more treasure.

Currently known Knights of Ren (will elaborate on Knights of Ren organizational structure later)

LEADERSHIP:

Disciples of War:

Master of the Dark Knights: Kylo Ren. The Grand Master (human male). The Empty Shell, bearer of None, born without a sign.
Master of Gladiators: Ceadeus Ren, the Paladin (human? male). Bearer of Hashmal, Born under Leo.
Master of Archers: Irvine Ren, the Hunter (human male). Bearer of Shemhazai, Born under Sagittarius.
Master of Marauders: Maw Ren, the Berserker (Boltrunian Male). Bearer of Chaos, Born under Taurus.
Master of Bushi: Enki Ren (human-devaronian male). Bearer of Adrammelech, Capricorn.
Master of Uhlan: Sariss Ren (human female). Bearer of Mateus, born under Pisces.
Master of Mechanists: Karras Ren, the Gunslinger (human male). Bearer of Exodes, born under Libra.
Master of Rogues: Sofia Ren, the Assassin (Ratataki Female). Bearer of Zalera, born under Gemini.
Master of Monks: Hamaon Ren, the Holy Fist. Bearer of Famfrit. Born under Aquarius.

Disciples of Magicks

Master of Priestesses: Kainé Ren, the Saint (human female). Bearer of Ultima, Born under Virgo.
Master of Scholars: Jerec Ren, the Arcanist. (Miralukan Male). Bearer of Zodiark, Born under the forgotten star, Serpentarius.
Master of Alchemists: Saryn Ren, Bearer of Cuchulain, born under Scorpio.
Master of Thaumaturges: Vodal Ren, The Pyromancer (human male). Bearer of Belias, born under Aries.
Master of Oracles: Kadann Ren, the Astrologer (human male), Bearer of Zeromus, born under Cancer.

Ceadeus Ren - Race unknown, possibly human or devaronian. Height: 208 cm. Weight: 108 kg. Known as the Brute by members of the Free Droids Alliance due to the particularly brutal deaths of [REDACTED], [REDACTED], and [REDACTED] during the [REDACTED]. 'Master' of the Ordo Gladiator within the Knights of Ren, with the title of "Paladin". Close Combat Specialist, favours sword and shields augmented by built-in ranged weapons. When these ranged weapons run out of charges or are disabled, Ceadeus has demonstrated an ability to weave in telekinesis to his melee abilities

Never seen without horned helm, always wears a full suit of armour beneath article of clothing (update: known as 'Gambeson').

Often mistaken for Kylo Ren at parties and meetings.

Known abilities: Force push, Force pull, Force Speed, Force Leap.

Easily one of the most physically formidable Knights of Ren next to Maw, Ceadeus is responsible for the deaths of several former Rebels a year ago, and more recently and infamously, former senator and retired Chancellor Mon Mothma. Currently leading an attack on Ryloth with his flagship the Alexander with the assistance of Irvine Ren and Astraea Ren. UPDATE: Attack successful. Capital sacked. Premier Noblet publicly executed, along with his entire family and his cabinet.

"Have you had but a single idea as to what throwing coin at Noblet has wrought?"
"We meant it for the best! Noblet was to use it all to restore Ryloth! We had no idea—"
"Hold your tongue, mummer! Your farces will not stay my hand."
"...I'm not afraid of you, and I am not afraid of death."
"Fear? Hahaha... Fear is not what you owe the orphans of Ryloth. Nay, what you owe them is pain eternal."
"Wait... wait! what are you doing?"
"Showing you but a glimpse of the Great Darkness."

—Ceadeus Ren and Mon Mothma, audio recording aboard the Spirit of Mending shortly before the latter's death.

Jedi Master Ezra Bridger, Garazeb Orrelios, Sabine Wren, Castle Caladan Mission.

BANSHEE CANNONS:

Mounted on the Grandship Agreus, Banshee turrets are capital ship weapons unique to the Knights of Ren. designed to focus an incredible amount of exotic energies and project them to a target, usually another starship. The exposed central component, disturbingly enough, is a force-sensitive woman connected to the machine through several cybernetic ports along the spine and arms. This component is drawn from a pool of force sensitive women (usually aged 18 standard) who have failed Prime Communion with the Blood of Ren, or Communion with a Master Thaumaturge, Scholar, or Astrologian.

The name 'Banshee' refers to an old Alderaan myth of screaming female ghosts, and the term is appropriate: whenever a Banshee cannon fires, the central component screams, and the sound can somehow be registered in the void of space, due to Phantom Energy distorting space. During this, holographic rings appear in front of the central component. The purpose of these rings are unknown, but it is probably meant for targeting purposes.

Banshee Cannons are sometimes used by Vodal Ren as siege weapons

IgnusDei · Aug 20, 2018

EXT — ACH-TO LOW ORBIT — SPACE

The beautiful blue curve of Ahch-to, aglow with the light of the sun, becomes slowly obscured by the pronged shadow of a ship's prow. The craft, a modified MandalMotors Corvette, armed to the teeth with heavy blaster cannons and quad laser turrets, is just now coming into the planet's orbit, flanked by sixteen G1-M4-C DUNELIZARD FIGHTERS and four M22 GUNSHIPS. An audible, echoing ping is heard in the airless void of space. The Corvette is scanning for something.

Across the Corvette's side these words are painted in Aurebesh: RED REAVER.

INT — RED REAVER'S BRIDGE — SPACE

A man in a long coat overlooks a crew of red-clad cyborgs, his face illuminated by lights beneath the grille that served as the bridge's floor. Hundreds of holo-screen flicker in the gloom, overseen by augmented crewmen connected to the ship via high-bandwidth cables. The man, BALA-TIK, a high-ranking member of the GUAVIAN DEATH GANG, is pacing about, eager for something: payback. Payback against HAN SOLO.

The REAVER's SENSOR OPERATOR, a cyborg with a heavy metal visor, speaks with a metallic, warbling voice.

RED REAVER SENSOR OPERATOR
We've got a response to the sensor ping.
It's the tracking beacon.

BALA-TIK [smiling]
Unkar was true to his word. Show me.

The image of AHCH-TO appears on the BRIDGE's main screen. The planet spins to its night side, and the screen zooms in on the planet until the damaged MILLENNIUM FALCON is fully into view.

BALA-TIK
There you are, you burnt-out old has-been.
[curious]
What are they chasing?

The screen zooms out, and shifts towards the huge, six-pointed star shape of the FIRWIRRUNG, slowly spinning. The screen's HUD displays sensor readouts: size, mass, speed, energy...

RED REAVER SENSOR OPERATOR
Starship, Class 5. Scans show a carbon-date of at least 2500 standard years.
Building on surface suggests habitat - estimated population, 95000 sapients.
Lifesign scans... inconclusive.

BALA-TIK [awed]
...I take it back, looks like the old man
had been hunting for treasure all along...
And look at the prize he's got. Too bad we're about to take it from him.

BALA-TIK turns to his comm officer.

BALA-TIK
I want all fighters to intercept the FALCON and shoot it to pieces, the Gunships—

An alarm blinks on the SENSOR OPERATOR'S console.

RED REAVER SENSOR OPERATOR
Quantum waveforms detected. We have incoming.

BALA-TIK
Who?!

EXT — ACH-TO LOW ORBIT — SPACE

A STAR-GALLEON FRIGATE bursts out of hyperspace, with its eclectic escort of SCYK FIGHTERS, QUADJUMPERS, Z-95 HEADHUNTERS, and KIHRAXZ STARFIGHTERS. The Frigate had been modified for piracy, but it was in an obvious state of disrepair. Corrosion and metal patches marr its hull, and its escort matches it in their ramshackle state. They do, however, outnumber the GUAVIAN squadron 3 to 1.

The name of the STAR GALLEON has been scoured across the hull in Huttese: LEYAK.

INT — LEYAK'S BRIDGE — SPACE

Sitting on the captain's chair hunched over with his head propped up by his arm, the captain of the LEYAK sees what the RED REAVER sees on the planet, displayed in a holo-pit in front of him. The man's tanned face is scarred with the ravages of digestive acids, having suffered the horrible ordeal of being swallowed up by a RATHAR, courtesy (or so TASU believes) of HAN SOLO.

This is TASU LEECH, leader of the KANJIKLUB GANG. Standing by his side is his lieutenant RAZOO QIN-FEE.

TASU [in Huttese]
I knew the old scoundrel was up to something!
Look at this, just look at this. The ship alone must be worth
billions in Credits! RAZOO! Alert the boys! We're going to take that prize
from Han Solo's cold dead hands!

RAZOO [in Huttese, worried]
Tasu, we're not equipped to capture a Dreadnought
AND fight a bunch of Guavians! We should back off, and—

TASU grabs RAZOO by the collar and pulls him close.

TASU [in Huttese, enraged]
...I will chase SOLO from MALACHOR to the deep end of the MAW before I
even think about backing off!

TASU lets RAZOO go, and dismisses him. He bellows order at the rest of the crew.

TASU [in Huttese, enraged]
All hands, prepare for battle! All ships, full burn towards that flying city!

RAZOO leaves the BRIDGE, and goes to prepare his men.

RAZOO [in Huttese, worried]
I have a bad feeling about this...

EXT — ACH-TO LOW ORBIT — SPACE

The KANJIKLUB ships' engines glow as their output outmatches their safety limits. They accelerate well past the GUAVIANs as they enter AHCH-TO's atmosphere.

INT — RED REAVER'S BRIDGE — SPACE

BALA-TIK
ALL SHIPS, INTERCEPT THOSE KANJIKLUB GOONS!
DON'T LET THEM GET TO THE PRIZE!

EXT — ACH-TO LOW ORBIT — SPACE

The GUAVIAN ships accelerate towards AHCH-TO, unaware of the horror that awaits them on FIRWIRRUNG...

IgnusDei · Sep 29, 2018

STAR WARS:

WAR FOR THE OUTER RIM

Episode 3:
The Sirens of Ahch-To, part 2

Written by IgnusDei

==========================[]======}

EXT - SKIES OF AHCH-TO - NIGHT

The MILLENNIUM FALCON's engines roar as CHEWBACCA pushes its engines and verniers to the limit, evading ion cannon shots from Guavian death gang fighters amidst storm clouds, torrential rain, and lighting bolts. The shots barely graze the FALCON'S shields, but it's only a matter of time before they go down, and once the ion shots started hitting the hull, the FALCON would crash in the water. The FALCON rises, then levels out, exposing its belly to its pursuers, exposing its pursuers to its bottom QUAD LASER CANNON's firing arc. Bursts of photon stream out of the weapon, scoring a few hits against the Guavian's DUNELIZARDS, causing them to disperse.

INT - MILLENNIUM FALCON, BOTTOM TURRET- NIGHT

REY is sitting at the TURRET's controls, its chair swiveling around as she rakes the flight of DUNELIZARDS with the QUAD LASER before focusing a single target. She manages to get a few good hits in, but not enough to down it. It makes a run for it, before being replaced by another flight of DUNELIZARDS.

REY
Finn made it look so easy...
[to her headset]
They've got shields!

INT - MILLENNIUM FALCON, COCKPIT - NIGHT

CHEWBACCA sits in the pilot's chair, hands on the joysticks. He growls as the FALCON rumbles, and something bursts into sparks behind him.

REY [intercom, cont'd]
They're too tough, I can't kill them fast enough!

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook]
Just focus on scaring them away, we're almost there!
R2! How much longer?

INT - MILLENNIUM FALCON, ENGINE ROOM - NIGHT

R2-D2's many tools frantically move over a piece of machinery as he's smothered by clouds of coolant.

R2-D2 [in binary]
I'm almost done, just give me one more minute!

EXT - SKIES OF AHCH-TO - NIGHT

Clouds part ahead of the FALCON, revealing the RED REAVER and the LEYAK, and FIRWIRRUNG some distance in front of them. They hover in the sky, trading turbolaser fire as their squadrons of fighters dogfight with one another, supported by their capital ship's own point defense blasters. Some of the KANJIKLUB fighters, including a custom-painted, heavily modified KIHRAXZ STARFIGHTER, break off from the battle and go after the FALCON. There's at least 8 of them.

INT - MILLENNIUM FALCON, COCKPIT - NIGHT

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook]
Oh, come on, REALLY?!

REY [intercom]
That's too many!

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook]
Relax, I've got just the thing that will even the odds.

CHEWBACCA opens up a panel on his console, revealing a panel of switches and buttons. He pulls one of the switches...

EXT - SKIES OF AHCH-TO - NIGHT

And a panel slides open above the FALCON's main loading ramp, revealing a rack of MISSILES.

INT - MILLENNIUM FALCON, COCKPIT - NIGHT

CHEWBACCA listens to a tone as he locks on to one of the KANJIKLUB ships — a QUADJUMPER with tractor beam emitters — at the center of their formation. The tone confirms lock, and he pushes a red button with the word LAUNCH printed on it.

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook]
Happy Life Day! Enjoy your present!

EXT - SKIES OF AHCH-TO - NIGHT

A high-yield ASSAULT MISSILE flies out of the FALCON's missile rack, trailing orange plasma. The KANJIKLUB QUADJUMPER attempts to evade, but is hit right in the cockpit, obliterating it. The explosion's shockwave catches six other KANJIKLUB fighters, destroying three of them and severely damaging the rest, leaving them easy pickings for REY's QUAD LASER as the FALCON streaks past the KANJIKLUB formation.

INT - MILLENNIUM FALCON, BOTTOM TURRET- NIGHT

REY [victoriously]
One! Two! THREE!
I got three of them!

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook, radio]
Don't get cocky, we still have a Kanjiklubber on our tail!

REY [confident]
I'll get him, too!

REY lines up the CUSTOM KIHRAXZ on her scopes, and opens fire... only for it to perform a barrel roll around her shots. REY can only graze its shields.

REY [under her breath]
Or maybe not. This guy's good, who is he?

INT - KIHRAXZ STARFIGHTER COCKPIT - NIGHT

RAZOO QIN-FEE snarls as his shield display blinks red, registering a hit.

RAZOO [menacingly, in Huttese]
You're gonna pay for that, Solo...

He flies up to get a better shot at the FALCON's dorsal hull, but CHEWBACCA keeps him on its narrow profile... not that it matters, as RAZOO switches from the KIHRAXZ's blasters to its ION MISSILE launchers. He almost has a lock... before the entire cockpit shakes. RAZOO's shield display blinks red, and is now a constant orange.

RAZOO [angrily, in huttese]
The hell?!

EXT - SKIES OF AHCH-TO - NIGHT

The DUNELIZARDS that are also chasing the FALCON are throwing some of their firepower RAZOO's way, forcing him to disengage for the FALCON to defend himself. He manages to take out one of the DUNELIZARDS with his blaster cannons, and they decide that he's the bigger threat.

But the FALCON isn't out of trouble - The two warships are keeping pace with it, and CHEWBACCA can see the STAR GALLEON opening its Tractor beam array...

INT - MILLENNIUM FALCON, COCKPIT - NIGHT

R2-D2 [intercom]
SLAM is ready to go!

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook]
About time! Alright then, hang on!

INT - MILLENNIUM FALCON, BOTTOM TURRET- NIGHT

REY
Wait, what's SLAM?

REY watches as four orange capacitor displays slowly fade as the QUAD LASERS lose power...

INT - MILLENNIUM FALCON, ENGINE ROOM - NIGHT

...while the machine R2-D2 was working on begins to glow yellow. R2-D2 clamps down, securing himself for what is to come.

INT - MILLENNIUM FALCON, COCKPIT - NIGHT

CHEWBACCA flips up another panel, this one hiding a bigger, redder button with the word SLAM printed on it.

REY [worried, radio]
...Guys? seriously, what's SLAM?

Without reply, CHEWBACCA slams the SLAM button, activating the Falcon's SubLight Acceleration Motor. CHEWIE is slammed back against the pilot's seat as the FALCON suddenly accelerates to an ludicrous 300 Megalights! The Wookiee laughs while REY shrieks in the background...

EXT - SKIES OF AHCH-TO - NIGHT

... as the FALCON streaks towards the LEYAK, loosing several missiles just as the kanjiklub ship attempts to pull in the modified transport with its tractor beams. There had been no tone lock - the Missiles are being pulled by the beams, tripling their acceleration and the power of their impacts before the warheads detonate. The FALCON freed, Chewbacca makes a hard turn back towards the flying city, grazing the STAR GALLEON's with the YT-1300's shields, leaving behind sparks in the air and scorch marks on the enemy warship's hull.

INT - LEYAK'S BRIDGE - NIGHT

PAN across the bridge's side viewport as we try to track the FALCON as it speeds past. TASU LEECH snarls at the sight as alarms lights flash red.

LEYAK BRIDGE CREWMAN [in huttese]
We've lost our starboard tractor beams!
Damage reported across deck three, four and five! Casualties—

TASU LEECH [in huttese, furious]
I don't care! Full speed ahead! Shoot that piece of garbage out of the sky!

EXT - SKIES OF AHCH-TO - NIGHT

Panels on each side of the LEYAK open upon to reveal missile racks packed with HOMING MISSILES, which swarm out like a school of fish as they race towards the FALCON, trying and failing to keep up with it as it streaks towards the FIRWIRRUNG. The Falcon almost makes it, but suddenly the engines begin to stutter and cough.

INT - MILLENNIUM FALCON, ENGINE ROOM - NIGHT

R2-D2's built-in fire extinguisher sprays out foam all over the SLAM unit, choking out its flames.

R2-D2 [in binary]
The SLAM unit's fried!

INT - MILLENNIUM FALCON, COCKPIT - NIGHT

CHEWBACCA watches as thirty blips on the sensor display begin to approach. Quickly, he presses a button...

EXT - SKIES OF AHCH-TO - NIGHT
... and the FALCON releases sixty flares in an attempt to trick the HOMING MISSILES' guidance systems. Half of them veer off, chasing bright light and smoke instead of their intended target. The other fifteen missiles continue the chase, slowly gaining on the FALCON as it reaches FIRWIRRUNG.

INT - MILLENNIUM FALCON, COCKPIT - NIGHT

REY [intercom]
I still haven't got power back to the guns!
I can't shoot those missiles!

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook]
That's alright.

CLOSE UP of CHEWBACCA as he pops his neck and readies himself for something.

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook]
Let me show you what I've learned from the Corellian Kid.

EXT - FIRWIRRUNG - NIGHT

CHEWBACCA flies the FALCON at full speed into the city atop the flying stone star, making the craft weave across gothic towers and spires of dark green stone. The missiles follow the same course, but not perfectly, and one by one they impact against the walls of FIRWIRRUNG's ancient buildings, until none remain.

INT - MILLENNIUM FALCON, COCKPIT - NIGHT

CHEWBACCA lets out a roar of victory, and he is joined by R2-D2's whistles and beeps and REY's cheer over the intercom.

They are quickly drowned out by the alarm on the sensor screen.

EXT - FIRWIRRUNG - NIGHT

From behind a tower, RAZOO's fighter emerges and turns to face the FALCON.

INT - KIHRAXZ STARFIGHTER COCKPIT - NIGHT

RAZOO [in huttese]
You're mine.

RAZOO presses the trigger on his flight stick...

EXT - FIRWIRRUNG - NIGHT

...Unleashing a barrage of blaster fire from his twin linked heavy cannons. Large bolts of energy hammer against the FALCON's shields, bringing them down. The cannons fire one last bolt before they overheat, hitting the Falcon's hull.

INT - MILLENNIUM FALCON, COCKPIT - NIGHT

The shields meters on CHEWBACCA's dashboard blink red as the FALCON reels from the blast. Meanwhile...

INT - MILLENNIUM FALCON, BOTTOM TURRET - NIGHT

...REY tracks the KIHRAXZ with the quad laser, but the capacitor gauges are still empty.

REY [to her headset]
He's coming around for another attack!

R2-D2 [in binary, intercom]
Working on it!

REY
Hurry up!

R2-D2 [in binary, intercom]
I can give you four shots!

The four gauges light up, and they each only have one glowing red pip on them.

R2-D2 [in binary, intercom]
Make them count!

REY lines up a shot, and fires, and it goes wide.

REY
Blast!

Another shot, and this time the KIHRAXZ performs a twist that throws her off, causing her to hit a building instead.

REY [frustrated]
Come on...

The KIHRAXZ steadies his course, baiting her to take another shot. REY does so, just as the enemy pilot jukes around it. Another miss.

REY [angry]
Come on!

LUKE'S VOICE [echo, off screen]
Breathe...

REY [surprised]
...Skywalker?

LUKE'S VOICE
Calm yourself. Close your eyes. Focus.

Against all sense, REY does what the voice in her head tells her to do, taking the extra step of shutting down the targeting screen on the TURRET CONTROL. She breathes deep, closes her eyes...

EXT - FIRWIRRUNG - NIGHT

The FALCON'S QUAD LASER turns towards the KIHRAXZ as it comes about for another pass.

CUT TO:

INT - MILLENNIUM FALCON, BOTTOM TURRET - NIGHT

CLOSE UP of REY's face, her eyes shut, calm and focused.

CUT TO:

INT - KIHRAXZ STARFIGHTER COCKPIT - NIGHT

CLOSE UP of RAZOO's face, his eyes narrowed in cold anger, focused on his crosshairs as he lines up—

EXT - FIRWIRRUNG - NIGHT

The FALCON's last shot pierces the KIHRAXZ's left engine exhaust, causing it to spin out of control.

INT - MILLENNIUM FALCON, BOTTOM TURRET - NIGHT

REY breathes a sigh of relief.

REY [relieved]
I got him.

INT - KIHRAXZ STARFIGHTER COCKPIT - NIGHT

Screaming in rage over the alarms, RAZOO manages to tame his out of control fighter long enough to aim its nose at the FALCON again, taking one spiteful shot at it.

RAZOO
DIE, HAN!

EXT - FIRWIRRUNG - NIGHT

The heavy blaster bolt hits the FALCON right in the engine!

INT - KIHRAXZ STARFIGHTER COCKPIT - NIGHT

RAZOO smiles, and he pulls the ejection lever.

EXT - FIRWIRRUNG - NIGHT

The KIHRAXZ's cockpit erupts as its pilot ejects, his seat soaring high before a chute deploys and he is caught by the winds. The fighter crashes into a building.

Meanwhile, the FALCON's engines sputter, smoke and fire streaming from the blaster hole.

INT - MILLENNIUM FALCON, COCKPIT - NIGHT

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook]
Come on, old girl, hold it together, I know you can do it...

CHEWBACCA frantically tries to keep her flying, but...

EXT - FIRWIRRUNG - NIGHT

The FALCON's engines die, and there is a moment when all that can be heard is the wind flowing past the ship as it glides through the air, before its nose begins to tip downwards. CHEWBACCA activates the emergency thrusters, and jets of high-pressure cold gas vent below it, but the FALCON is still on its way down.

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook]
Brace yourselves!

The FALCON glides down, moving past the flying city's central tower, then grazing the lighting rod of a CLOCK TOWER. Then, its starboard side grinds against a LIBRARY, smashes against the roof of a TEMPLE, before finally hitting the cobblestones of a main street, sliding on and on until it is meters away from the edge of one of FIRWIRRUNG's six arms - the TEMPLE DISTRICT.

Above the FALCON, on the opposite end of the city, the LEYAK and the RED REAVER loom overhead, still trading fire as transports and dropships make their way towards the crashed transport.

CUT TO:

One of the FIRWIRRUNG's long dormant lightning cannons comes to life, and fires a stream of electricity at one of the dropships, which chains to the others in the formation. It doesn't quite destroy them, and their pilots lose control of the craft. Larger weapons wake up, aimed at the LEYAK and the RED REAVER, and these cannons loose lighting balls that blow through the large vessel's hulls.

The RED REAVER, being the more sleek vessel, is the most damaged, but it launches several escape pods before its reactor core overloads and obliterates the ship in a conflagration of plasma. The LEYAK, meanwhile, does not explode, nor does it launch escape pods, instead, it manages to crash in the middle of the TEMPLE DISTRICT, kilometers away from the FALCON.

INT- FIRWIRRUNG CATACOMBS - NIGHT

Within the depths of FIRWIRRUNG, far blow the streets and well past the sewers, there are vast interconnected ossuray chambers, the ceilings supported by gothic pillars and arches. Inside each of these chambers are intricately decorated stone pods, arrayed against the walls, caked in centuries of sediment and sea flora.

A song echoes across the stone and bone of the walls, a lullaby in an old tongue, sung by a mournful ELDER CRONE.

One of the pods hisses, as copper bolts slide out. It opens, ever so slightly.

Clawed fingers slide out.

SMASH TO BLACK

ELDER CRONE [off-screen]
It is time to feed...

INT - MILLENNIUM FALCON, BOTTOM TURRET - NIGHT

Suspended above the ground by the straps of the gunner's chair, REY opens her eyes with a start as sparks pop around her. She winces in pain, there's a cut on her forehead, and she can feel a welt on her skull.

REY [pained and dizzy]
Oh, my head...

At the top of the conduit that leads to the rest of the ship, CHEWBACCA's growls and roars can be heard.

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook, off screen]
Rey? Are you still in one piece?

REY
Yeah, I'm okay! Just a little dizzy, that's all!

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook, off screen]
Then hurry to the main hold!
[growing faint]
We haven't got much time!

REY
Alright, alright, just let me...

REY undoes her seatbelt, and falls to the ground.

REY
Oof!

INT - MILLENNIUM FALCON, MAIN HOLD - NIGHT

The wall panel pops off after a couple of knocks in the right spots, and CHEWBACCA moves it away, revealing his private arsenal of firearms, vibroweapons, and other equipment. Her STAFF in hand, REY walks up behind the Wookiee, surprised.

REY
Bloody hell, what's all this?

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook, proudly]
Souvenirs from the clone wars, and the Thrawn campaign.

MONTAGE as CHEWBACCA equips himself with weapons and equipment from the hidden rack: A CERAMITE VEST with a PERSONAL SHIELD, a LARGE REPEATER BLASTER, a SAWED-OFF CONCUSSION RIFLE, a pack of LASER TRIP MINES, and a WOOKIE VIBROSWORD.

To REY, he hands a small COMM-LINK, and an UTILITY BELT, complete with a PERSONAL SHIELD with a full charge, a SMALL MEDKIT, and a clipped-on FLASHLIGHT. CHEWBACCA points at the SHIELD's emitter.

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook]
Personal shield, great against blasters,
not so great against slugthrowers and vibroblades. Got it?

REY
Got it. I could use a blaster though...

CHEWBACCA's hand hovers over several impressive assault rifles and carbines... before subverting REY's expectations and going for a much smaller K16 BRYAR PISTOL instead.

REY [disappointed]
That's it?

CHEWBACCA hands it to her, holding it by the leather holster.

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook]
The rifles are all to heavy for you.

REY
But..

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook]
Hey, the Bryar's a good gun:

Press and hold the trigger, release it, and the charged

shot will punch through several meters of armour. This thing

has downed AT-STs!

REY [skeptical]
If you say so...

REY grabs the pistol by the grip, and suddenly, just like the first time she grasped Anakin's lightsaber, the BRYAR PISTOL's history came to her in a vision as her surroundings twist into another place and time. ZOOM IN on REY's right eye, as we FADE TO the POINT OF VIEW...

FLASHBACK: TAK BASE - NIGHT

...Of and ELITE REBEL MERCENARY as he kills his way through the fiery ruins of a Rebel Base, taken over by Palpatine's IMPERIAL STORMTROOPERS.

STORMTROOPER's VOICE [terrified]
Emperor protect us, it's HIM! It's —

The stormtrooper barely has time to aim his blaster rifle before the MERCENARY perforates his brain with a shot from his BRYAR PISTOL - the very same gun REY is grasping in her hand. Moving snapshots appear of every stormtrooper killed by the weapon, each death causing more and more terror in their living comrades, who would soon join them.

IMPERIAL OFFICER'S VOICE [frustrated]
It's just one man! You outnumber and outgun him!
Shoot him!

STORMTROOPER'S VOICE [scared]
We ARE shooting him!
He just won't DIE!

Trooper corpses litter the halls of TAK BASE, amidst the smoking corpses of the Rebels and refugees they had murdered. The MERCENARY is creative with his kills, and favoured close quarters. When the troopers got very close, the insane, murderous rebel used his vibroknife.

STORMTROOPER
No, NO!

The Stormtrooper gurgles as the vibroknife into his neck, below the ear, as the MERCENARY shoots another trooper in the face. The snapshots continue, each one a more brutal stormtrooper's death than the last, until things finally settle down. The slaughter is almost over...

FLASHBACK: TAK BASE CENTRAL CONTROL - NIGHT

We see through the MERCENARY's POV as he wipes blood on his knife off a dead IMPERIAL OFFICER's jacket. Whimpering can be heard off-screen, and the merc turns to see a quaking, surrendering stormtrooper, his weapon at his feet amidst a growing puddle of urine.

SCARED STORMTROOPER
I surrender! I surrender!

The merc approaches him... slowly.

SCARED STORMTROOPER [crying]
Have mercy, please!

The Merc stops, and turns his gaze to the left towards the charred corpses of a family. Mother, Father, and son. To the right, Rebel soldiers. Survivors. Shot in the back of the head.

No Mercy.

Suddenly, the MERC grabs the last stormtrooper by the neck, and presses the barrel of the BRYAR under the stormtrooper's chin, before holding the trigger. The Stormtrooper cries frantically until...

CUT TO:

INT - MILLENNIUM FALCON, MAIN HOLD - NIGHT

The vision bleeds away, and REY is back aboard the FALCON, in the present. She stumbles backwards, and puts her hand over her mouth, trying to suppress the urge to puke.

The PISTOL is still in her hand.

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook]
Looks like you've got a concussion, hold still...

CHEWBACCA quickly fishes out a disposable hypo from his medkit.

REY
No, I'm okay, it's just...
[she stares at the gun]
This weapon... it's got a history! Where did you find it?!

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook]
A story for another time.

There's a beep as CHEWBACCA injects REY with a light stim.

REY
Ow!

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook]
Come on.

EXT - FIRWIRRUNG, TEMPLE DISTRICT - NIGHT

The FALCON's main loading ramp's door opens with the groan of rusty metal, revealing REY and CHEWBACCA and R2-D2. The two bipeds jump down from the ramp onto the rain-slick cobblestone ground of FIRWIRRUNG, while the droid fires his thrusters. As he lands, REY looks up in the darkened sky, watching for the fleet that had pursued them.

Only a DUNELIZARD fighter remains, and it is promptly shot down by a LIGHTNING GUN TURRET. As it crashes into a nearby district, we PAN across the city, and we see pillars of smoke emerging from crash sites, roaring fuel fires defying the rain.

REY sees what remains of the LEYAK in this very district, its hull clearly molten through with plasma.

REY
Oh, my stars...
Chewie, what's the plan now?
If we try to escape...

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook]
Nothing's changed. Head for that big tower, save Luke...

He looks at the FALCON... it doesn't look like it will fly again for a very long time, judging by the damage.

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook, continued]
...find a ship, and then we get the hell out of here.

R2-D2 [in binary]
And, you know, disabling those lighting guns
would be a big plus.

CHEWBACCA switches his REPEATER BLASTER CANNON on.

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook, continued]
Right. Let's go save ourselves a Jedi.

REY and company run down the cobblestone street. We slowly ZOOM OUT...

INT- FIRWIRRUNG CORE ROOM - NIGHT

...until the group is framed by the translucent edges of an orb, held aloft in the pale, wrinkled, elongated hand of VERTHANDI, the MIDDLE CRONE. From the shadows, her elder sister, AISA, speaks, her voice as pleasant to the ears as a rasping cough.

AISA [off-screen, sadly]
Poor, poor Nona. So young...

VERTHANDI
Ah, but her death has stoked embers in the girl's blood.
Aisa, do you feel it? The power in her, awakening...

AISA [off-screen, chiding]
Stoked by death, Verthandi.

VERTHANDI
And pain, and blood! Go, Aisa. Stir the flames in her.

AISA [off-screen]
As you wish, sister.

A splash of water echoes in the dark, leaving VERTHANDI alone with LUKE SKYWALKER, floating over the entechment prism that slowly drains him of strength and wirelessly transfers the stored energy to the rest of FIRWIRRUNG's ancient machines. He's beginning to wear thin, and he won't last the night.

LUKE [pained]
You don't have to do this.

Verthandi moves like a shadow, circling around him like a predator toying with a wounded prey.

LUKE
I can help you...

VERTHANDI
But you ARE helping, Je'daii... Our city lives again, all thanks to you.

LUKE
There's a better way... I can show you...

VERTHANDI
There is NO other way. Firwirrung's hunger is deep, and it would have taken
the ritual sacrifice of millions for it to fly once more. But the power in your blood is worth that number,
and the girl... the girl as twice as much, slumbering in her veins. What other power is there?

LUKE
The Force.

The word angers VERTHANDI

LUKE
...it's all around us, you just—AAAARGH!

The entechment prism glows red, and drains LUKE some more, causing him great agony.

VERTHANDI [seething]
The Force? The Je'daii spoke of the force, when they unseated us from our thrones!
They sang of the Force, as they destroyed our armies!
They chanted of the Force, as it drove them to hunt my people down to the last child!
Do you think you can convert me? I, who had to suffer through
the Blood War your masters declared on my kin and kind?
No... No... it is YOU who will be converted, converted into power that will fuel
the resurrection of the Ssi-Ruuk!

The draining stops, and LUKE gasps in relief.

VERTHANDI
Fear not... I will not kill you just yet. The girl, after all, seems to care about you a great deal...

VERTHANDI approaches Luke.

VERTHANDI [whispering]
Your daughter?

LUKE [pained]
...No.

VERTHANDI [taunting]
A bride, then? A girl groomed, just for you? What would poor, poor Mara say?

LUKE turns away, disgusted and hurt, and then gathers enough defiance to look VERTHANDI straight in the eye.

LUKE
Continue with this madness, and she will be your slayer.
She has too much of her father in her to give you any mercy.

Verthandi laughs, and has the prism make him scream some more.

EXT — FIRWIRRUNG, TEMPLE OF SSI-RUUK — NIGHT

The main street REY and company strode on curves around a plaza, and at the center of that circular park stands the TEMPLE OF SSI-RUUK.

Like all the buildings of in this flying city, the TEMPLE OF SSI-RUUK is an architect's serenade to the Gothic Revival on some blue world in a galaxy far, far away, decorated with the bas-relief patterns of the aztecs, which are in turn themed after the sea, and all of its wondrous flora and fauna. It stands out from the other buildings surrounding it. Despite resembling the TEMPLE greatly, the homes and shops had some brass machinery stuck on them. The dark stone walls were four meters thick at leadst, marred with green algae, barnacles and coral branches, and they had withstood the test of time for centuries, maybe even millennia.

Unfortunately, the TEMPLE had not weathered a STAR GALLEON crashing into it as well. The LEYAK and the TEMPLE were now merged together, a mess of broken stone and bent durasteel, lit up by the blazing husks of fuel tanks.

Hidden behind some cover, REY is admiring the sight, while CHEWBACCA scans the area with a pair of EV2 Macrobinoculars.

REY
What are we waiting for? Luke's in pain... I can feel it.

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook]
Deciding if we should go around or power through...
There's no telling what we'll face either way.

REY looks to her left, at one of the dark, foreboding alleys of the district, and gulps.

REY
I vote through, no telling what's waiting in the dark.
[she looks at the LEYAK's wreck, and shivers]
At least the fires will be warm.

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook]
[To R2-D2]
Anything on sensors?

R2-D2's periscope shoots up, and scans the area.

R2-D2 [in binary]
I've got a few erratic life-signs...
[lowers periscope]
Nothing we can't handle.

Suddenly...

KANJIKLUBBER [off-screen]
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRGH!

Blaster fire echoes through the temple, joining a faint chorus of weapons across the city... then the echo dies.

REY [nervous]
On second thought, maybe the dark alleys...

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook]
No.
[readies his Repeater gun]
We're going through, as the crow flies. I'll take point.
You stay behind me and keep your eyes peeled for...
whatever made that man scream.

Grasping her STAFF out of habit instead of the BRYAR sheathed at her hip or the LIGHTSABER clipped on her belt, REY steps behind CHEWBACCA as he steps towards the TEMPLE, with R2-D2 not far behind them.

INT — TEMPLE OF SSI-RUUK — NIGHT

The circular lock between a pair of thick metal doors slowly turns and unlocks, and are pushed open by CHEWBACCA and REY. The doors are huge, easily thrice the size of CHEWBACCA, and are incredibly heavy.

The inside of the Temple is a vast chamber that dominates the entirety of the building, illuminated by the LEYAK's fires. It is surrounded by balconies, and topped by a fresco dome on which the rise of a god-fearing civilization — led by a trinity of beautiful, almost divine women — is elaborately painted on. Much of that story, sadly, lays on the floor in pieces of broken stone, thanks to the damage caused by the LEYAK. Amazingly, despite the lack of visible pillars, the ceiling does not completely fall.

The floor is no less harmed: a portion of the LEYAK's nose is buried under the floor of polished jade chips, close to the central altar, itself surrounded by three statues of the same alien women on the fresco. One is young, another is old, and another is middle-aged.

INT — TEMPLE OF SSI-RUUK, ALTAR — NIGHT

The group moves through hundreds of the radially configured biers on their way towards the door on the opposite end of the one they came through. They pass the central Altar, and REY catches a glimpse of a Kali Ma dagger made of obsidian, inlaid with gold. Her scavenger's instincts make her reach out for it, eager for a prize, but reality begins to distort, much like when she touched ANAKIN SKYWALKER'S LIGHTSABER for the first time, or the MERCENARY'S BRYAR PISTOL.

REY looks up, and sees the statue of the middle-aged woman, wielding that same knife on one hand... and what looks like a heart, on the other. She winces.

Wisely, REY backs away from the altar, and hurries back to CHEWBACCA.

They arrive at the double doors, and CHEWBACCA attempts to turn its lock... but fails to even make it budge.

CUT TO:

EXT — TEMPLE OF SSI-RUUK — NIGHT

On the other end of the door is the accumulation of a close to a thousand years of sediment, on which coral and barnacles have thrived. The lock is held fast by it, and even CHEWBACCA's strength is not enough to make it move.

CUT TO:

INT — TEMPLE OF SSI-RUUK — NIGHT

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook]
Locked! blast it!

R2-D2 [in binary]
Nope, stuck. Sensors show a major build up
of ceramic and rock behind that thing.

REY
Let me try something.

Quickly and with almost practiced ease, REY twists one of the ends of her STAFF, revealing a mount for various pieces of equipment. The mount is wide enough to receive the LIGHTSABER, and after some tightening of a couple of bolts, REY activates the saber.

She has made herself a makeshift LIGHTSABER PIKE.

REY
Alright, look away!

Shutting her eyes and looking away to avoid blinding herself with the inevitable flash, REY plants the lightsaber into the lock, hoping to slice past both the door and the build-up. After a few seconds, she stops to check her progress.

She watches in surprise as the white hot glow quickly fades back to cold metal.

REY
Blast... I forgot, this is a starship. The whole place is probably built for space travel...

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook]
Try the window.

As CHEWBACCA watches for anything lurking in the dark, REY attempts to cut a hole big enough for a Wookiee to pass through on a large window right by the door... The lightsaber's blade eventually pierces through the incredibly thick glass, but...

R2-D2 [in binary]
Hate to sound like Threepio, but... at this rate?
I calculate you'll cut that hole in exactly one hundred eighty-seven minutes and 45 seconds.
We might as well go back around.

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook]
Outside is perfect ambush country, not an option. We stay on the main path.

R2-D2 [in binary]
Well, that leaves the big hole that frigate made...

R2-D2 shines a light on the LEYAK. We TRACK the light's beam until it shines on the huge hole in the temple walls, some four stories above. The gap is soaked in burning fuel. He shines a light on a spiral staircase.

R2-D2 [in binary]
I see some stairs up... don't think you can walk through the flames, though... which leaves...

Track R2-D2's light as it moves to the LEYAK's bridge. The windows around its main bridge are shattered, their frame utterly twisted.

Emergency rope ladders lead up to it, no doubt deployed by the surviving crew.

INT - LEYAK'S BRIDGE - NIGHT

The LEYAK's bridge was reinforced against impacts, but even that didn't save it against the crash. Broken cables hang from the ceiling from twisted, rusty girders and broken panels. Lights from consoles flicker with flashes of blue, which contrast with the orange of a few console fires, and the blood red of the emergency lights.

R2-D2 flies through one of the windows, and scans the area with his periscope scanner. The only organics he can detect are from the mangled corpses at their stations.

The captain's chair is empty.

R2-D2 [in binary]
All clear. Come on up.

CUT TO:

REY and CHEWBACCA climb their way up. As they do so, R2-D2, plugged into one of the bridge's data ports bypasses some badly maintained hardware and activates the ship's fire suppression system. Jets of foam hiss out, automatically aimed at sources of heat stronger than one thousand degrees.

R2-D2 [in binary]
That should clear us a path.

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook]
Got a better reading on those lifesigns?

R2-D2 [in binary]
Sorry, still spotty. those internal sensors
haven't had proper maintenance in decades.
...Uh oh.

REY
Uh oh? What do you mean, uh oh?
Please tell me the reactor isn't going to blow?

R2-D2 [in binary]
No, the reactor's cold.
It's just that the nearest hatch was on deck four, right by the
tractor beam bank. According to diagnostics,
it's been fused shut by an explosion. We're going to have to go further back, in deck one.

REY
Ship's tilted. That's gonna be a quite a climb...
Aren't we going to be too high up, though?

R2-D2
Don't worry, I got that covered.

INT - LEYAK CORRIDORS - NIGHT

Guns in hand, REY and company move the through the corridors of Leyak, scoured by recently extinguished fires. Backup power is failing, the emergency lights flicker, and soon the only illumination come from their flashlights. Noises from elsewhere echo through the airvents: Blaster shots, snarls, and the occasional scream.

Things move in the shadows.

CHEWBACCA [Nervous, in Shyriiwook]
Well, this is bringing back ugly memories of the Purge.
Speaking of which, if you see a zombie, shoot it in the legs and run.

REY [confused]
...What's a zombie?

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook, dead serious.]
A dead man that yet lives, and his only desire is to devour the contents of your skull.

REY glares at CHEWBACCA.

REY [sarcastically]
Oh, that's great, I really need something like that on my mind right now.

INT - LEYAK GALLEY - NIGHT

The ship's GALLEY, much like the rest of the ship, is covered in soot, and metal twisted by heat. The tables are bolted down, but trays, untensils, and blocks of food lay amidst puddles of charcoal-burnt food processor slop.

REY enters first, taking point, BRYAR in one hand, supported by the other forearm, itself carrying the FLASHLIGHT in a reverse grip. REY keeps the gun close, an ideal close range stance.

An ideal military stance.

CHEWBACCA looks at her curiously.

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook, curious]
Where did you train?

REY
I'm sorry?

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook]
The way you hold your gun...

REY
Oh, am I doing it wrong?

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook]
No, it's fine. Almost perfect, even.

REY
Then what's wrong?

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook]
...Nevermind, it's not that important.

Suddenly, there's a noise in the dark, followed by a beeping sound from R2-D2.

R2-D2 [in binary]
Lifesign! It's close!

They can hear something moving behind the walls, making the metal creak, the sound echoing through the metal, making REY and CHEWBACCA point their weapons and flashlights all over the galley walls, looking for something hostile.

REY [whispering]
I don't see anything...

CHEWBACCA merely growls in response.

R2-D2 casts his light over a door.

R2-D2 [in binary]
There! Reading's constant!

Carefully, REY and CHEWBACCA approach the door. Then, REY presses a button besides it, and the door slides up to reveal another hall... as well as the KANJIKLUBBER in front of them. Even with guns pointed at him, the man is obviously relieved.

KANJIKLUBBER
Oh thank the Maker, I thought you were one of those things—

Suddenly, the airvent bursts open and a clawed hand grabs the KANJIKLUBBER who screams frantically as the hand tries to drag him into the vent. Rey shoots up at the opening while CHEWBACCA tries to save the KANJIKLUBBER, but he isn't quite fast enough: the boot he grabs slides off the man's foot.

KANJIKLUBBER
NO NO NO HELP ME!

The KANJIKLUBBER's screams echo through all the airvents, before fading away completely.

REY
What the hell was that?!

R2-D2 [in binary]
Whatever it was, it's got friends! Clear life signs, coming up right behind us!

As if to confirm this, snarls can be heard down the hall they came through.

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook]
RUN!

INT - LEYAK, STAIRWELL - NIGHT

The group hurries down the stairwell to the lower levels of the ship, a task made difficult by the awkward angle of the ship. Snarling and hissing can be heard from above, and CHEWBACCA fires a long burst of his REPEATER CANNON to give the unknown pursuers a scare while REY opens the door.

R2-D2 [in binary]
We're almost there!

After following REY and R2 in, Chewbacca lays a LASER TRIP MINE right by the door.

INT - LEYAK, HALLWAY, LEVEL ONE - NIGHT

As they run, something trips the laser mine. Its explosion resonates through the ship, and REY looks back, hearing more inhuman wails and snarls.

REY
Stars, I hope that slowed them down!

INT - LEYAK, HALLWAY, ENGINE ROOM - NIGHT

The heavy metal double door slides open as CHEWBACCA steps through, scanning the area down the sight of his REPEATER. Them he urges the other two to:

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook]
Get in! Get in!

Once REY and R2 run in, CHEWBACCA closes the door, and shoots its electronic panel, hoping to delay their pursuers. R2-D2 activates his rockets, and flies up to the main engineering console on raised platform, right under the main reactor.

R2-D2 [in binary]
Cover me! This won't take long!

There is a scratching on the door, as the pursuers try to pry their way in. The door groans open, and claws peer through the gap. CHEWBACCA shoots at them.

REY [in binary]
R2, what are you doing?! The reactor's cold, we don't have time for it to boot!

R2-D2 [in binary]
Yeah, but the emergency super-capacitors still have a charge, I just need to... there!

INT - LEYAK'S BRIDGE - NIGHT

The helm control console comes to life as the program that R2-D2 left inside of it is triggered by the successful reconnection of the emergency super-capacitor's to the ship's power grid. The words REPULSORLIFT ACTIVE and ENGAGING VERNIERS blink red in Aurebesh as their accompanying icons become animated.

INT - TEMPLE OF SSI-RUUK - NIGHT

The thrusters under the LEYAK's nose fire. Pivoting on the wall, the ships rear end quickly falls down...

INT - LEYAK, HALLWAY, ENGINE ROOM - NIGHT

R2-D2 [in binary]
HOLD ON!

REY and CHEWBACCA lose their balance as the ship shifts...

EXT - TEMPLE DISTRICT - NIGHT

...the rear engines smash against the ground, causing it to crack...

INT - LEYAK, HALLWAY, ENGINE ROOM - NIGHT

...and REY and CHEWBACCA fall upon impact. The normal lights brighten, and the creatures hounding the trio screech in pain, and their echoes faint into silence.

CHEWBACCA [angrily, in Shyriiwook]
You stupid droid! You could have killed us!

R2-D2 flies up to a door right above a ladder, leading starboard.

R2-D2 [in binary]
Snarl later! The power won't last!

EXT - TEMPLE DISTRICT - NIGHT

The airlock close to the rear of the ship opens a story above the ground, allowing CHEWBACCA and REY to leap down. As the wookiee's feet hit the ground, there is a slight rumbling that causes REY to instinctively crouch and widen her stance. She looks down... and sees the cracks on the cobblestone. R2 is about to land.

REY
Careful! The ground looks like it's about to give!

R2-D2 [in binary]
It'll be fine. It would take a lot more weight, or a big explosion for it to crumble.

REY
Really? So why are you coming down so slow?

R2-D2 [in binary]
[landing gently]
...No sense in being careless.

They begin to run towards the city's central tower when two M22-T Gunships belonging to the GUAVIAN DEATH GANG fly in low, beneath the LIGHTNING CANNONS' coverage. They hover above the group, casting their spotlights on them.

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook]
Oh, you've got to be kidding me.

BALA-TIK [loudspeaker]
CHEWBACCA! STAY WHERE YOU ARE!

INT - GUNSHIP 1 COCKPIT - NIGHT

BALA-TIK is at the gunship's gunnery seat, while the PILOT sits in front of him.

BALA-TIK
We've got unfinished business!

EXT - TEMPLE DISTRICT - NIGHT

The group begins to run, but BALA-TIK aims his GUNSHIP's nose turret at the ground in front of them and bars their way with a wall of autoblaster fire.

BALA-TIK [loudspeaker]
I SAID: DON'T. MOVE.

REY looks up at BALA-TIK's gunship - it's been damaged, and a component at the front, right by the large transparent canopy, is shorting out.

REY [whispering, realizing]
It's got no shields.

REY keeps her BRYAR at her side, and holds the trigger down. There's a hum as the weapon builds up a charge...

BALA-TIK [loudspeaker]
WEAPONS ON THE GROUND, GET ON YOUR KNEES,
AND HANDS ON THE BACK OF YOUR HEADS!

REY
Chewie, were you exaggerating about this gun? About AT-ATs?

CHEWBACCA
Just as long as you don't miss...

REY closes her eyes, takes a deep breath, and focuses, just as she did earlier in the falcon's turret.

REY
I won't.

BALA-TIK [loudspeaker]
I SAID—

She raises her gun, aims it right at BALA-TIK'S GUNSHIP's cockpit, and releases the trigger. There a flashing beam of light, and a loud boom as the recoil knocks her back a step.

REY
WHOA!

INT - GUNSHIP 1 COCKPIT - NIGHT

The Pilot's eye is pierced by a stream of photons, which continues on and grazes the side of BALA-TIK's face. The dead pilot slumps over his controls...

EXT - TEMPLE DISTRICT - NIGHT

...causing the craft to spin.

CHEWBACCA seizes this chance to draw his SAWED-OFF CONCUSSION RIFLE, and aims it at the other GUNSHIP. An ovoid made of blue energy surges out of the barrel, and hits the second gunship square on the nose. Its shields hold, but the kinetic energy causes its nose to shoot up.

INT - GUNSHIP 2 COCKPIT - NIGHT

The pilot frantically tries to regain control, while the gunner behind him attempts to line up a shot at the group below, who have already begun to make a run for it.

GUNSHIP 2 GUNNER
Go after them!

The cockpit is bathed in another flash of blue, as another concussion shot shakes the gunship.

GUNSHIP 2 PILOT
I'm trying!

EXT - TEMPLE DISTRICT - NIGHT

Atop the wreck of the LEYAK, out comes TASU LEECH, walking out of a gaping hole in the hull. His torn clothes are covered in alien blood, matching the colour on his High Frequency Machete. Slung over his bacj is a huge QUAD SMART-MISSILE LAUNCHER. His eyes are wide with madness as he sees the GUAVIAN GUNSHIP chase after CHEWBACCA, the blue bubble of his shields blinking as some autoblaster shots hit him in the back.

TASU LEECH [screaming]
YOU GUAVIAN DOGS!

He shoulders the LAUNCHER, and aims it.

TASU
HAN SOLO IS MINE!

The multipurpose missile flies towards the Gunship's rear. REVERSE SHOT of it exploding behind REY, CHEWBACCA and R2-D2. The Droid and the Wookie make a dash for it, but REY, lacking the former's built-in rockets and the latter's powerful long legs, quickly lags behind.

REY
Wait!

The gunship crashes nose first behind her, causing one of its engines to explode. The shockwave knocks REY and CHEWIE down, and a predicted by R2-D2, causes the cracked ground down to break completely. As REY recovers, the cracks widen and elongate towards her...

REY
Oh no...

Meanwhile, BALA-TIK'S GUNSHIP moves in to cut off CHEWBACCA's escape. A dozen panels on its side open, each revealing a cybernetically enhanced GUAVIAN SECURITY SOLDIER. Each soldier is clad in red from head to toe in lightweight red armour, armed with TL-50 HEAVY REPEATER assault rifles, and stun sticks. They drop from four stories high, repulsorlifts grafted into their bodies slowing down their fall inches from the ground, and slowly march in formation towards CHEWBACCA, who is struggling to get back up.

A pit widens beneath REY, and horror dawns on CHEWBACCA's face as he realizes what is about to happen. He begins to run towards her, but the soldiers are already upon him, smacking him down with their stun sticks. The cracks widen, the stone gives way beneath REY, and she falls into the depths of FIRWIRRUNG, crying out to CHEWBACCA to help her.

EXT - TEMPLE DISTRICT, SEWAGE DRAINS- NIGHT

RAZOO's eyes open as he gasps, galvanized into consciousness by a splash of water on his face. He takes stock of his situation: he's hanging by his parachute from one of FIRWIRRUNG's many sewage drains, which was spilling relatively clean sea water upon his head. A gust of wind pushes him, and the piece of fabric keeping him from falling into the water far down below tears up just a little. The tangle of cables attaching him to the parachute can't be climbed.

RAZOO [in basic]
Well, Peck.

Fortunately, he notices another nearby sewage drain, some distance below and in front of him. Pulling out his HF MACHETE from his thigh sheath, he begins to swing himself back and forth towards the drain , and when he has enough forward momentum he swings the blade over his head, cutting the wires and propelling himself towards the opening. Immediately, he throws the machete towards the drain, freeing his hand. It clatters on the stone spout a second before he lands... except he almost doesn't make it. He catches the edge of the drain with both hands, but he stone is slippery, and his left hand loses its grip.

RAZOO [scared]
Crap, crap, CRAP!

Summoning his strength, he manages to regain a firm grip on the edge, and pulls himself up. He breathes a sigh of relief, takes a moment, and presses a button on his WRIST COMLINK.

RAZOO [in huttese]
Razoo to any Klubber out there!
Do you read?

Static.

RAZOO [in huttese]
This is Razoo! Is anyone out there?

Finally, something comes on the radio channel: the insane laughter of TASU LEECH. Razoo sighs, and switches his COMLINK off.

RAZOO [in basic]
[shakes his head]
I guess not. Damn you, Tasu... You should have listened to me!

RAZOO shivers under the rain, and looks behind him for refuge. The drain's bars are too narrow for him to fit through. He picks his MACHETE up, switches it on...

INT - TEMPLE DISTRICT SEWERS - NIGHT

The bars clatter into the flow of brackish water, both ends red hot. RAZOO steps over them, peering into the dark and seeing nothing. A SHADOW moves , but RAZOO doesn't see it before he reaches for a slow burning SIGNAL FLARE and ignites it. The light bathes the wide passage... and RAZOO finds nothing else. The way illuminated, the gangster proceeds forward...

INT - TEMPLE DISTRICT CATACOMBS

REY's body lies on the floor amidst pieces of rubble, made wet by the leaks of broken pipes above her. She groans in pain: miraculously, the fall neither killed her nor broke her bones, at least not completely. She is, however, badly bruised.

From above, a PORG flies down and perches itself on a jagged piece of rock, and stares at REY.

ZOOM IN on its eye...

INT- FIRWIRRUNG CORE ROOM - NIGHT

ZOOM OUT away from VERTHANDI's orb, as she stares into it. With a gesture, the vision inside the orb changes into the image of AISA.

VERTHANDI
Aisa... the girl has fallen into the catacombs, and she is alight with pain.
Go, go before she wakes, and bring her to me.

VERTHANDI switches the orb's vision back, and something jumps at the PORG's eye:

It's the PURPLE SPIDER.

INT - TEMPLE DISTRICT CATACOMBS - DARK

The SPIDER lands right onto the Porg's face, and the round bird takes flight, attempting to shake off the insect. Suddenly, it falls like a rock behind a piece of debris. There's an awful sound of flesh being torn and devoured... and the SPIDER reappears, none worse for wear, and lets out a tiny burp.

It leaps and bounces towards REY, and attempts to wake her up by tickling her nose. Her eyes flutter open, before focusing on the SPIDER.

It waves at her.

REY [groaning]
Hey... ooh!
Oh... I hurt all over.

REY doesn't bother to get up as she reaches for the medkit on her belt and pulls out a small one-use hypo of fast acting bacta. She injects it in her arm, and in seconds the bruises on her skin begin to shrink. She sits up, tests the motion of her arm, and winces.

REY [pained]
Ack! I guess this stuff takes time to work...

REY looks up, trying to estimate how far she fell, and thus how far she'd have to climb. It's a long, long way up.

REY [awed]
It's a miracle I'm alive...
[shouting]
CHEWIE! ARTOO! ARE YOU UP THERE?

Nobody answers.

REY notices the spider crawling on her knee. She cups her hands near it, and the spider leaps onto them.

REY
Hey you. I had almost forgotten about you...

The SPIDER nods.

REY
You're with me for the long haul, aren't you?

The SPIDER nods again, smiling with his big eyes.

REY
I guess I ought to call you something, then. How about... how about Peter?

The SPIDER shakes his head, frowning.

REY
Yeah, you're right... how about Cuddles, then?

CUDDLES nods happily.

REY
Cuddles it is, then.

REY puts CUDDLES on her shoulder, and notices her makeshift LIGHTSABER PIKE on the ground a few meters away. She reaches out to it, pulling at it with the force, but only the tip of the staff moves, as if the Force could only affect the ligthsaber stuck on it. Thus, the weight slows REY's FORCE PULL quite a lot. It eventually makes her way in her hand, if a bit awkwardly.

REY
Cuddles? Have you seen my blaster? It's... black, with a mag on the side.

CUDDLES bounces a couple of times on her shoulder before jumping off. REY gets up, following CUDDLES to her weapon, and upon seeing it she reaches out with Force, just as she did with the PIKE.

The pistol doesn't move.

REY is puzzled by this, but tries again, and this time it barely moves. Frustrated, she picks it up by hand, and puts it back into its holster.

Suddenly, steps echo through the wide sewer pipes above. They are heavy, and steady, and accompanied by the sound of sheers opening and closing.

AISA [off-screen]
Giiiirl...

REY gasps at the sound, as the frightened spider jumps into her hair and hides between the strands, quaking with fear.

AISA [off-screen]
Wheeere are yoooouuuuu...?

Frantically looking for a way out, REY only finds a passage amidst the rubble that would lead her deeper into the catacombs. She runs to the mouth of the dark passage, peers into it, and hesitation stops her...

AISA [off-screen]
There you are!

REY glimpses the CRONE coming through the pipe, and fear trumps her hesitation. Flashlight in hand, she runs limping deeper into the passage.

AISA leaps off from the broken mouth of the sewer pipe, and gives chase. She is slow, but her strides are long, and steady, and loud...

INT - TEMPLE DISTRICT CATACOMBS' PASSAGE - DARK

...And their sound follows REY, no matter how far she runs.

The passages are almost labyrinthine: interconnected passages of finely carved rock, inlaid with the bones of the city's dead. REY tries to maintain a straight course, using her flashlight to look ahead and avoid dead ends. But always, the steady footfalls hound her.

REY looks at the flashlight, and something occurs to her.

CUT TO:

Aisa's legs as she strides through the passages, the unseen shears' blades grinding against each other menacingly - the promise of a gruesome death. Progressively, the halls ahead become brighter with the light that AISA had been using to track REY. The strides become faster, the shears grind harder...

CUT TO:

The FLASHLIGHT, with AISA's barnacle-infested feet stepping right besides them. A hand, covered in a gauntlet of hardened coral, pokes the portable light with a taloned finger out of curiosity, then picks it up.

AISA
Clever girl...

AISA holds up the flashlight, and smiles.

AISA
Clever, clever girl...

CUT TO:

Rey rapidly limping through the passages, her way dimly illuminated by the light of the PIKE in her hands. There is the echo of a croak as AISA calls for aid, and the sound is answered by the same snarls that had dogged her back on the LEYAK.

REY [frightened]
Oh no...

REY hurries but winces in pain, the Bacta having yet to reach her damaged ankle, or her bruised lung.

REY [frightened]
There's got to be a way out, there's gotta be!

REY limps down a hall, and suddenly the blue light illuminates a wall.

It's a dead end.

The snarls are getting closer...

REY [despairing]
No, no, no...

The wall is made of solid stone, but something had cracked it a long time ago, to the point that here's a visible hole in the wall, the center of a web of cracks. Something is barely visible behind it, but that doesn't matter: the wall is only a decimeter thick and Rey attempts to cut through the rock with the LIGHTSABER... but it's taking too long.

The snarls are getting closer...

Desperately, REY shoulder checks the wall. Some chips of stone fall off, and she burns herself on the white hot stone, but the wall holds.

She tries again.

The wall holds.

Again.

It holds.

And the snarls are getting closer, and turn into eager hissing.

Suddenly, REY's eyes glow gold, and the dark side, borne out of fear, wells up in her heart and surges out of the throat:

REY [enraged]
BREAK, DAMN YOU!

The FORCE SCREAM's shockwave hits the wall, and the stone shatters outwards. Revealing the UNDERCITY. The snarls turn frantic, and REY steps through....

INT - TEMPLE DISTRICT UNDERCITY - DARK

...and finds herself in the center of a wide street, with thousands of buildings on each side of it, each one taller than the last the further from the main street one went, giving the impression of waves of stone and brick about to crash into each other. Everything is very faintly lit by the blue gloom of countless orbs of light
, which are mounted on tall, elegantly decorated lamp posts on every street, or set to light fixtures atop arches or onto pillars.

Switching off her lightsaber, REY runs into the dark, and finds a place to hide.

Suddenly, AISA steps through the broken wall, her weapon hidden beneath her tattered, hooded cloak.

Behind her, a dozen shadows move behind AISA, then stop, awaiting her commands. They are shorter than she is, and lack her deformations. Their slender, athletic bodies are covered in worn hooded cloaks, beneath which the glow of their reptilian eyes can be seen.

These alien humanoids, with the features of men, lizards and fish, are the REAVERS.

Suddenly, AISA raises her hand, and speaks her native tongue's word for 'light'.

AISA
T'leth...

The glow within the lamp spheres of the UNDERCITY brighten, and together glow as bright as the moon. In other places, such as the markets, the lamps glowed a bright pale yellow...

It is beautiful, but it flushes REY out of her hiding spot in the shadows.

AISA [in ikhthýs]
Spread out, find her.
...
Drain her.

The REAVERS pull out their daggers - the same design as the one REY saw on the altar - and move as blurs across the Undercity. Meanwhile, AISA approaches a nearby canal, and leaps into the water.

There is no splash.

REY finds another hiding spot, behind a stack of crates, and a REAVER is on the other side. She winces, her wounds have not yet healed.

The reaver moves closer, and REY instinctively goes for the BRYAR, knowing that with her wounds getting into a fight with one of those monsters was suicide.

As her hand grips the weapon, she the world spins, and suddenly she is somewhere else:

FLASHBACK - EXT - SCARIF, IMPERIAL SECURITY COMPLEX - NIGHT

It's all quick flashes, but REY sees outside herself as she watches the MERCENARY stalk STORMTROOPERS right outside an imperial facility built in the jungle of SCARIF, evading searchlights, flashlights, and the narrow gaze of troopers.

JYN ERSO [off-screen]
Too many. How do you want do this?

More flashes. Crouchwalking behind cover. Waiting for the right moment to move. To strike. Stabbing a man in the right spot to kill him and stop him from screaming. Chokeholds. Takedowns. The memories of a killer.

MERCENARY [off-screen]
Stay in the shadows... avoid the light... and follow my lead.

INT - TEMPLE DISTRICT UNDERCITY - GLOOM

Rey shakes the vision away... and the WITCH suddenly appears besides her, moves her face close to REY's and whispers something in her ears.

WITCH
Move as he once did. Embrace the shadows... and these creatures shall be your prey.

INT - TEMPLE DISTRICT UNDERCITY - GLOOM

REY shakes the vision away, and looks around - the WITCH is nowhere to be found.

The REAVER moves in, and just as he about to catch REY... she moves quietly around the large crate, keeping it between herself and her stalker. Eventually he looks away, and REY takes that opportunity to make a dash for an open window.

CUT TO:

Another Reaver, its eyes scanning left and right. We TRACK it as it passes by a shadow cast by a large OBELISK in the center of the UNDERCITY. FOCUS on the shadow as the footfalls of the REAVER become more distant. There is a small gasp after REY stops holding her breath and she emerges from the shadow, hidden from view as if by magic.

CUT TO:

A crystal lantern framed in steel, handled by a patrolling REAVER in the marketplace. REY stalks him, keeping any cover between herself and the light, thus... staying in shadow.

A PORG looks on above, and fails to see REY. But it does see the group of GUAVIAN soldiers coming through the plaza...

CUT TO:

The four Guavian soldiers, moving in formation, scanning the area down the holographic sights of their HEAVY REPEATERS. They stop by a large fountain, a stone statue of the three priestesses of Ssi-Ruuk erected at the center. REY is watching them from afar, hidden in shadow.

BALA-TIK [radio]
Bala-Tik to all scout teams. Found anything?

LEAD GUAVIAN SOLDIER
Scout team four here. We've found a whole city down here. Sending automap data.
Nothing that looks like treasure so far. Over.

BALA-TIK [radio]
Data received. Keep looking... whatever Han was looking for, it had to be good.

Suddenly, there's a sound coming from the statue, a lullaby, hummed so gently even a killing machine like the Guavian is pulled in. One of the soldiers approaches the fountain, and peers into it, staring at his own reflection.

Suddenly, two black blades, wreathed in a dark red aura spash out, and come together, digging into the soldier's neck. AISA rises from the water, hoisting the soldier up as the obsidian shears drain the life out of the cyborg.

AISA
Flesh and Clockwork, working in accord? Fascinating.

AISA lifts her shears and opens them, sending the GUAVIAN soldier flying up, before slicing him in two as he comes down. His two halves turn to dust.

LEAD GUAVIAN SOLDIER
HOSTILE! OPEN FIRE!

REY watches in horror as the REPEATER blasts seem to be absorbed by AISA's hardened skin. The younger crone had at least reacted to being shot. AISA moved unbothered by three streams of blaster bolts. REY doesn't stick around as AISA slices another GUAVIAN in two, and takes advantage of the distraction to get away into an alley, and runs like hell.

REY [ruefully]
So much for them being the prey...

She spots a door, leading into the basement of a house. It's ajar...

CUT TO:

INT - UNDERCITY DWELLING, BASEMENT WORKSHOP - DARK

REY carefully closes the door, and locks it. She breathes a sigh of relief.

REY
Finally, a place to hide....

Then, she leans against a wall, and lets herself fall down.

REY [cont'd]
...And rest a bit.

Just as REY lets her head fall on her knees, a hears the whirr sawed-off blaster carbine's

RAZOO [quietly]
Hands in the air.

REY sighs miserably as she looks to her left. and sees RAZOO QIN-FEE holding said blaster, some three meters away. He is obviously wounded: there's blood on his face, mixed in with the sweat.

The carbine is wrapped in cloth.

Rey gets up, and puts her hands in the air.

REY
I mean you no harm! I-I'm not with those red guys!

RAZOO shushes her, angrily, looking at the windows nervously. He approaches, kicks her in the back of the knee, and forces her down before relieving her of her BRYAR. He keeps frisking her any hidden weapons.

RAZOO [quietly]
Who are you? Which gang are you with?

REY
I'm not with any gang!

RAZOO
Guess you're with Han's crew, then.
Any reason why I shouldn't just waste you right now?

REY
I got exactly one.

RAZOO
Which is?

REY
Cuddles.

RAZOO
You're not my t— URKH!

RAZOO's eyes roll up as he gurgles while CUDDLES sinks his teeth in the man's neck. The poison isn't strong enough to kill RAZOO, but he falls flat on his face and into unconsciousness all the same.

Cuddles leaps back on REY's shoulder.

REY
Thanks. Now, what to do with him?

EXT - TEMPLE DISCTRICT, LIBRARY - NIGHT

Hidden from view, R2-D2 makes his way down a street until he makes it the LIBRARY, a large imposing building the GUAVIANS has set up as a temporary headquarters. He spies CHEWBACCA being brought into it under guard. Several SOLDIERS are also being brought in on stretchers, either in bad need of a mechanic, a medic, or both.

INT - LIBRARY, LOWER MEZZANINE - NIGHT

Tied in high-tensile strength rope, CHEWBACCA is on his knees, at the mercy of BALA-TIK.

BALA-TIK
Where's Han Solo?

CHEWBACCA growls, and BALA-TIK shocks him with a stun stick.

BALA-TIK
Where's the treasure?

More shocks.

BALA-TIK
Where's Han Solo?

On and on it goes. It's almost as if BALA-TIK doesn't care, simply looking for an excuse to torture the wookiee. Meanwhile, a bored GUAVIAN SOLDIER examines one of the many books on the shelves. He skims through it, unable to read the alien script… and casually tosses it over his shoulder.

CLOSE UP of the book as it lands in a puddle with a thump, its pages ruined by the water.

A PORG is watching.

INT - UNDERCITY - GLOOM

Zoom in on AISA as she looks over her shoulder, and snarls.

AISA
Defilers…

She turns to her REAVERS, wiping a GUAVIAN off her shears.

AISA
Keep looking for the girl. I have an infestation to cleanse.

AISA walks to a fountain, and vanishes into its water.

EXT - TEMPLE DISCTRICT LIBRARY - DARK

Suddenly, there's a beeping sound. It's R2-D2's comlink.

REY [radio, static]
Chew.... D2? Is anyone...?

R2 compensates for the interference, and REY's voice becomes clearer.

R2-D2 [in binary]
Rey? You're alive!

REY [radio]
Oh, stars! You're alright!
Where are you? Is Chewbacca...

R2-D2 [in binary]
Chewie's okay! They've taken him

prisoner to what looks like a library...

REY [radio]
A what?

R2-D2 [in binary]
A place with lots of books in it. The Guavians have taken it over.

Where are you? Underground?

REY [radio]
Yeah, and I honestly have no idea where I'm going.
If I had a map, I could...

R2-D2 [in binary]
A map?... Wait!

R2 accesses the holo-projector inside his recharging rack and quickly sifts through the data he had re-organized.

R2-D2 [in binary]
Rey, you're in luck. Guess who's been exploring this place between fugue states?

REY [radio]
Luke?

R2-D2 [in binary]
Got it in one! Open up your comlink - incoming download!

INT - UNDERCITY DWELLING, BASEMENT WORKSHOP - DARK

REY receives a map of FIRWIRRUNG in her wrist comlink, which displays the city in some detail. She manipulates the hologram, and the OBELISK she passed by earlier catches her eye.

REY [quickly, to herself]
There's the obelix, so that means I'm here...which means... yes! I'm going the right way.
Oh, thank you, Luke!

R2-D2 [radio, in binary]
See that building? According to Luke's logs, it's a station for a public hover tram system.

REY
A tram?

R2-D2 [radio, in binary]
It's got small vehicles that will take you up to the library's underground station.

You'll get here in minutes.

REY [pensively]
But it's so far, and I'm surrounded by monsters... How am I going to get there on my own?

CUT TO:

INT - UNDERCITY DWELLING, UPPER FLOOR, LIVING ROOM - DARK

REY smacks RAZOO across the mouth.

REY
Wake up!

RAZOO
Ow!

Razoo shakes his head, tasting something odd in his mouth. He takes stock of his situation: the girl sits down in front of him on a wooden stool, her gun is back in its holster, there's an empty small medkit on the table besides her.

Also, Razoo is tied up tightly against a leather couch by sheets of linen.

REY
Feel better?

RAZOO
I suppose I should say thanks for the bacta.

RAZOO, spitefully, doesn't say thanks.

REY holds up RAZOO's carbine, without the cloth. It's obviously too damaged to work.

REY
Clever, by the way.

RAZOO smiles at her.

REY
I need your help.

RAZOO
You have a funny way of asking.

REY
Was that you?

REY points at something off-screen.

WIDE SHOT of the living room, well furnished in ancient alien furniture. On the floor is a REAVER, a machete sticking out of its face. It's covered in scarred-over cuts and blaster holes, and appears to be dead.

RAZOO
What? Friend of yours?

REY
No, but if you're good enough to kill one, then I need your help.
I've got a map that can lead us out of here.

RAZOO
Is that right? Where is it?

REY [pointing at her head]
Up here.
There's a... tram station that leads to the... library?
I've got a friend there, the Guavians have taken him prisoner and—

RAZOO
Take it your friend is either Han or that walking carpet of his?

REY
His name is Chewbacca.

RAZOO
Heh. No deal. The Wookie can rot, for all I care.

REY
Right, well, the alternative is me leaving you to rot here.

RAZOO
Go ahead. My friends will find me eventually.

REY
No, they won't. Your friends are all dead.

RAZOO's eyes widen.

RAZOO
What?

REY
I've been through the Kanjiklub's Star Galleon: it's empty, the crew's gone. The ship itself is full of holes and the reactor's so cold it'll take a day to restart it.

RAZOO
...Doesn't matter. I'll find my own way out. There's got to be a working ship somewhere.

REY
Doesn't matter, you'd be shot down by those lightning cannons immediately. You're just not getting home. Unless...

RAZOO
Unless?

REY gets up.

REY
Unless we disable those guns, and do you know how we do that?

RAZOO
Do tell.

REY
The central tower. We take that over, we control the guns and we might even ride this city ship right out of the system.

RAZOO
Right, and then Han shoots me in the back first chance he gets.

REY
... He won't. He can't.

RAZOO
Why not?

REY
Because he died.

RAZOO laughs.

RAZOO [smiling]
Really? How?

REY
His son killed him on Starkiller Base.

RAZOO says nothing: even a crook like him would balk at patricide, apparently.

RAZOO [genuinely shocked]
That's... well, Peck, that's... that's not how I wanted to see him go.
[considering]
Well, If the old scoundrel's not a factor any more...

REY
We're wasting time...

REY pulls the machete out of the corpse, and its finger twitch goes unnoticed by her. She moves right besides RAZOO.

REY
Are you in or not?

RAZOO [relenting]
Fine, whatever. Get me out of these things.

REY cuts RAZOO's bonds.

REY
I didn't catch your name...

RAZOO
Name's Razoo Qin-Fee. Yours?

REY
Name's Rey.
[sadly]
Just Rey.

Suddenly, the Reaver surges back to life and leaps at them.

CUT TO:

EXT- UNDERCITY DWELLING - GLOOM

Outside the windows of the upper floor, there's roaring, screaming and shouting coming from all parties inside, and suddenly the Reaver - missing an arm - bursts out of one of the thick glass panes, LIGHTSABER blade coming out of his back, with REY following him out, holding the PIKE by both hands.

The REAVER's corpse breaks REY's fall as they land on the street below. It lets out an agonized wail as the blade of the lightsaber finally ignites its flesh, and it burns to ashes. Its brethren hear its cries, and respond in kind.

RAZOO's head pokes out of the broken window as he looks out of the broken window. His MACHETE is covered in fresh REAVER blood.

RAZOO
You're a kriffing JEDI?!

REY
Well...

RAZOO demonstrates some of his free-running skills by rapidly making his way down. The REAVERS howl, announcing the hunt, and the two unlikely allies begin to sprint.

As they do:

RAZOO
Why didn't you say you were a Jedi in the first place?!
My people owe a Jedi their lives and freedom!

REY [stammering]
I-I'm just a trainee!

RAZOO
A Padawan?! What's a Padawan even doing here?!

REY
I was trying to rescue Luke Skywalker!

RAZOO [shouting]
Are you kidding me?! THAT'S THE JEDI THAT SAVED US!

REY [shouting]
Well I didn't know, Okay?!

RAZOO [shouting]
How much further?!

REY [shouting]
A few more blocks, keep running!

REY leads RAZOO through the maze of streets, evading and sometimes killing their pursuers... right up until they come across a steep impasse of rubble.

REY stops and is about to curse, while RAZOO keeps going, using his acrobatic skills to scale the rocks. He notices that REY isn't keeping up with him, and once he's on top of a pile of rocks he reaches out to REY.

RAZOO [urging]
Come on!

REY takes a running start and jumps up, catching RAZOO's hand. He pulls her up.

REY
Thanks!

RAZOO
I thought Jedi could jump?!

REY [insistant]
Trainee!

They continue on together, and quickly arrive at the...

EXT - UNDERCITY TRAM STATION - BRIGHT

Another testament to the local masonry and architecture, the open platform of stone is berth to several automated HOVER TRAMS, which are made of smooth dark green metal decorated with brass. Each one a small train car topped with a GLOSSAIR RING ENGINE.

The place is lit up by powerful golden lamps, illuminating all hiding places.

The unlikely duo run up the stairs. Rey is showing clear signs of exhaustion, but RAZOO, who is a much better athlete, is barely winded.

They for the nearest TRAM, and REY easily finds her way inside of it.

RAZOO
Tell me you can work this thing.

REY
Sure I can, all I have to do is this.

She goes for the lever atop the main control panel set in front of the vehicle and pulls it.

Nothing happens.

RAZOO
That's just pecking great.

REY
I can fix this! I can fix this!

REY kneels, and pops open the maintenance panel under the control console.

RAZOO
It's out of power!

REY
Look around you! There's plenty of power!
There's a bypass in there, i know it! I just-

Suddenly, REAVERS drop onto the platform from the open ceiling.

RAZOO
Rey, hurry up!

REY
I need more time! You're just going to have to hold them off!

RAZOO
Right then.

RAZOO raises his machete... to swipe at the LIGHTSABER PIKE's straps, and promptly takes it once it comes loose from REY's back.

REY
HEY!

RAZOO
I need it more than you do!
Don't worry, you'll get it back!

REY
I damn well better!

RAZOO steps out of the TRAM and stays close to the door, wielding the pike with both hands. Before him, three REAVERS appear, viciously waving their draining knives, thinking they could scare the kanjiklubber. RAZOO was unimpressed.

RAZOO
Let me show you what a pit fighter can do, lizards.

RAZOO lets out a war cry as he explodes into action, the lightpike a blur of motion as he cuts the first REAVER apart with shocking ease. REY looks up from her work, and sees RAZOO rapidly pummel another REAVER into submission with the pike's metal shaft before impaling it throught the heart. The last Reaver attempts to stab RAZOO in the back, and the Kanjilubber responds by back-kicking it in the groin, opening it up for a beheading swipe of the PIKE.

REY [impressed]
Oh, wow.

Five more REAVERS appear, and just as they are about to attack, one of their fallen brethren ignites in blue flames. They recoil in fear.

RAZOO [taunting]
Afraid of a little fire, you pecks?!

As RAZOO assaults them, REY works out a bypass, and the Tram's computer comes to life:

TRAM's COMPUTER [in ikhthýs]
Hello! And welcome to the city transit system, please insert proper coinage
to continue on your wonderful trip!

RAZOO
What the hell did that thing just say?!

REY
It wants something called 'coinage'!

RAZOO
You're kidding, right?!

REY
I don't think it's trying to make me laugh, no!

Just as a REAVER falls from one of RAZOO's acrobatic counter-moves, he hears the clanking of coins. There is a sack of it on the corpse's belt. With a deft swipe of his machete, the purse is cut from the belt, and RAZOO kicks it towards REY. The bag falls next to her, coins spilling out. She stares at them confused.

She's never handled hard currency before.

REY
What am I even supposed to do with those?!

RAZOO
Put them in the slot!

Rey grabs the sack and tries to find a slot, and there's a box with one right by the sliding doors.

She tries a large piece... it doesn't fit.

REY
Too big!

She tries a small coin. The box spits it out.

REY
Too small?

She tries a medium size coin. It is accepted.

REY
Ah! Perfect!

She adds more coins, until the machine is happy. A map of the city's stations appears, and the computer speaks again.

TRAM's COMPUTER [in ikhthýs]
Thank you. Please select your destination.

REY
Yes!

RAZOO swings the LIGHTSABER PIKE, and misses his target as the REAVER leaps back, now wise to his moves. Razoo tries again on anothe REAVER, but hears the whirr of a CHARGED SHOT behind him. He looks back, and sees REY pointing a gun at his head.

REY
Get down!

The CHARGED SHOT flies right over RAZOO's hair as he ducks, and pierces the chest of one REAVER, to continue through the flesh of two more. The first two fall screaming, while the rest run for cover even as REY's gun goes into cooldown mode, hissing coolant vapours.

REY
Come on!

RAZOO runs into the tram as REY looses another CHARGED SHOT, keeping another six REAVERS at bay by piercing two at once. The HOVER TRAM's sliding doors close, and the craft itself speeds off as soon as REY punches in the destination. The GLOSSAIR RINGS glows brightly, leaving a trail of light as it flies towards a tunnel on the UNDERCITY's ceiling.

A REAVER tries to leap on the TRAM, but fails.

The duo was safe, for now.

INT- LIBRARY TRAM STATION - DARK

There is a chime as the TRAM docks with the underground Library tram station, and its doors open. REY and RAZOO step out, wary, but the place is clear.

RAZOO
Here you go.

He hands REY her staff back.

REY
Thanks.

REY activates her COMLINK

REY
Artoo? Are you there?
Is Chewie still okay?

R2-D2 [In binary, radio]
Rey, something's wrong. The inside of the Library's gone dark.

I'm not picking up any lifesigns in there.

REY [horrified]
Oh no, Chewie...

R2-D2 [In binary, radio]
Don't lose hope. He could still be alive.
Where are you?

REY
Library station.

R2-D2 [In binary, radio]
Good, be careful on your way up. There's a soldier guarding the top of the stairs,

and six of his friends are guarding the entrance to the library proper.

Lots of floodlights, but I can take care of that. Think you can handle the guards?

REY
We'll try.

R2-D2 [In binary, radio]
Wait, who's we?

EXT - TEMPLE DISTRICT, LIBRARY ENTRANCE - NIGHT

At the top of the station's stairs leading up to the front of the LIBRARY, there indeed is a lone guard, apparently talking to himself. REY and RAZOO peek at him from cover.

GUAVIAN SOLDIER 1
I don't know what's crawled up BALA-TIK's datajack, either...
Yeah, I agree, it's almost as if he's scared of the old geezer.
...Any news from the scout teams?
...Crap, we need to get out of this city...

RAZOO [whispering]
How do you want to do this?

REY [whispering]
Quietly, duh!

RAZOO
Cool. Still got those coins?

REY
Yeah...?

REY hands RAZOO the coins, and he promptly drops the sack between them. The coins scatter, making a lot of noise across the stone floor, which gets the GUAVIAN SOLDIER's attention.

RAZOO
Get ready to jump him...

The SOLDIER approaches, carefully stepping down the stairs, his helmet's ring optic staring down the sight of his HEAVY REPEATER. Just as he crosses the threshold, he catches sight of RAZOO, and aims his gun at him, yelling.

GUAVIAN SOLDIER
Freeze!

RAZOO
[hands in the air]
Whoa, there! You got me!

Suddenly, REY attacks... by bonking the soldier over the head with her staff.

Being a cyborg with a helmet, he doesn't go down, but it does give RAZOO the opportunity to shank him with his MACHETE. After a few stabs, the SOLDIER finally dies.

RAZOO
The hell was that?!

REY
I was trying to knock him out!

RAZOO
He's a pecking cyborg! They don't go down with a tap to the head! With GUAVIANS, it's kill or be killed!

REY
Well, I didn't know, okay?!

RAZOO
Oh, whatever. Let's just loot him before his friends show up.

Quickly, RAZOO takes the dead soldier's REPEATER and a few grenades.

RAZOO
Let's see... damn rifles front heavy, no front grip, crap at close quarters. Grenades.... Couple of Cryobans and helloooooo incendiaries. [he smiles] my favourites.
[keeps searching]
Ooh! A handkerchief!

REY
You'd steal a piece of cloth? Really?

RAZOO
Pieces of cloth are handy. Worked on you, right?

REY
Hmph.

CUT TO:

Rey and Razoo emerge from the stairs and quickly hide behind the cover of a chest-high supply crate. The Guavians had set up barricades around the entrance, making a field base out of the Library lobby. The duo spots two SOLDIERS trying to get into the Library, before the rest of their squad run up to them, alarmed.

As R2 reported, the place is lit up by floodlights.

SOLDIER 2
Damn it, Bala-Tik! Open up! This isn't funny!

SOLDIER 3
His network signal's faint, but he's there.

BALA-TIK [off-screen, dying horribly.]
AAAAAAAARRRRRRRRGGGGHHHH

SOLDIER 3 [scared]
...Nevermind, he's gone.

SOLDIER 4 [frantic]
Guys! Gil is off the network, too!

SOLDIER 2
What?! Where was he?!

The fourth soldier points towards the stairs, with REY and RAZOO in the way. The soldiers move in, guns drawn.

REY
Kill or be killed, right?

RAZOO
Right.

REY takes a deep breath, and activates her COMLINK.

REY
Artoo? Lights!

The floodlights go out, and the whole place is immersed in darkness.

SOLDIER 2
Infrared, now!

SOLDIER 3
Hostile! Klubber behind that crate!

RAZOO
Crap, crap, CRAP! Rey? REY!

RAZOO's eyes widen as he realizes that REY appears to have vanished. He can carely process this before the GUAVIANS pepper the crate with blaster fire, keeping him suppressed while one of them moves in to flank him.

The Lightsaber ignites, it's faint blue light revealing REY in the dark just before she stabs the flanker in the chest. Instantly, the saber extinguishes itself, and she is practically invisible once more.

SOLDIER 8 [shock]
What the?! Cloaker!

SOLDIER 3 [confused]
I don't see him on EM!

SOLDIER 2
NINE O'CLOCK, SUPPRESSIVE FIRE!!!

The soldier's shoot at REY's last position, Muzzle flashes briefly piercing the dark, but they hit nothing. She reappears elsewhere, and beheads SOLDIER 2, only to vanish just as quickly.

SOLDIER 3
No! Damn it all, it's a JEDI!

The pressure off, RAZOO takes short controlled bursts at the SOLDIERS, and when they run for cover, REY kills another one. The sight was unnerving - REY was practically a ghost, only visible when it was time to kill something.

A couple of the soldiers attempt to take the high ground with a combination of their powerful legs and repulsor lift implants, but RAZOO perforates them with his blaster rifle.

Eventually, it's down to one, and he panics, firing wildly into the air, and a shot manages to get a lucky hit and hit REY in her shields, right as his gun overheats.

REY strides towards him, as he draws his backup hand-blaster. He doesn't have time to fire.

The floodlights come back on, and REY is standing there, staring down at her handiwork.

RAZOO walks up behind her.

RAZOO [smug admiration]
Huh. Not bad at all... For a trainee. [sees her expression] First time?

REY [dazed]
What?

RAZOO
First time killing someone up close and personal?

REY
...Yeah. It is.

RAZOO [worried, curious]
... need to puke, or something? No shame in it, you know.

REY
.... No. I'm just... shocked. It was so easy. In the dark they were just... prey.

The last word echoes in REY's head in the WITCH's voice. She kneels, and is about remove the dead GUAVIAN's mask.

RAZOO grabs her wrist.

RAZOO
No. Leave it. You don't want too see his face... It'll stay with you forever.

REY
Yeah...Yeah. Ok.

That was when R2-D2 came out of hiding behind the floodlight's generator.

R2-D2 [In binary]
Whooaaaa.... that was, that was something.

R2-D2 sees RAZOO looting whatever he can carry. The kanjiklubber curses, unable to find a firearm ideal to his preferred stance.

R2-D2 [In binary, cont'd]
Huh. Made a new friend?

RAZOO [impatiently]
So are we gonna rescue that walking
carpet already, or what?

REY [worried]
Is Chewbacca still in there?

R2-D2 [In binary]
I honestly don't know.
The Guavians have been trying to get back in for the past ten minutes.
The door and walls are almost as thick the Temple's - breaking in will take a while.

Just then, the main double doors to the LIBRARY open wide, almost as if by an unseen force. The trio approach it: the floodlight's illumination doesn't make it past the threshold.

Whispers in the dark can be heard.

RAZOO
Well, that certainly isn't a trap.

REY
What? It's definitely a trap!

RAZOO gives REY a look.

REY
Oh, right.

RAZOO
Get your head in the game, yeah?

INT - ANCIENT LIBRARY - DARK

The ANCIENT LIBRARY, while neither as impressive or vast as the TEMPLE, was still an impressive building, at least twenty stories high, host to an atrium just as high. Though made of carved stone, the ballistrades and railings were made of dark steel, highlighted with bronzes, just like the labyrinthine stairs that bridged across the gaps between the floors.

The trio steps through the threshold, with RAZOO taking point, matching the GUAVIAN's military stance as he scans the area for anything hostile down the sight of his REPEATER. It's far too dark to see, and all he can hear is the sound of the rain crashing against the windows, and the water dripping from his clothes.

Predictably, the door shuts behind them. The only light from the window comes from the moon, obfuscated by rainclouds.

Rey ignites her lightsaber.

REY
Chewie? Chewie!
Are you there?

REY's voice echoes across the vastness of the atrium above, and in response, CHEWBACCA's pained groans resonate across the building.

RAZOO
Yeah, real good feeling about this.

REY
He's alive! But where is he?

RAZOO
Can't you use the force to... nevermind. Trainee.

REY
Let's split up, we'll cover more ground.

RAZOO
Amazing, that was just the second stupidest thing
I've heard all day.

REY
Well, what do you suggest, then?

RAZOO
Not splitting up!

R2-D2 [in binary]
I think I got a lock on his lifesigns... follow me.

REY and RAZOO follow R2-D2 as he rolls forward, scanning the area with his sensor. They step slowly in the dark, trying not to jump at noises and what may or may not be the snarls of hidden REAVERS.

Fed up with the darkness, RAZOO cracks a flare and drops it, bathing the immediate area in bright red light. For the first time, REY beholds the contents of the library - tens of thousands of old tomes, all that remains of the ikhthýs, their culture, and their history.

REY
What are those blocks on the shelves?

RAZOO
Blocks? Those are books!

REY
Books?

R2-D2
Primitive memory storage. Kinda like datapads,
but way, way less efficient.

REY
Why bother with them, then?

As if on cue, REY's foot hits something - the book that had been discarded by the bored soldier, some time ago. Rey kneels, and touches it, and she suddenly shuts her eyes.

Midwife, teacher, scholar, PRIESTESS. The memories come in the blink of an eye, and REY focuses on the penning of the book itself. Quills and ink, ink to paper. The alien alphabet is burned into REY's mind.

As REY suffers these visions. AISA stalks the group from above, ready to drop on them if they cross the mezzanine. Seeing REY pick up the book and read it gives her pause, and she is surprised when REY begins speaking ikhthýs.

REY [in ikhthýs]
Dates... chunks of text...
huh... some kind of work log?

RAZOO [confused]
What?

REY
Hm? Oh! Sorry, this is some kind of log... I think I can translate it!

RAZOO
Later!

REY ignores him, and keeps reading, sifting through the wet pages with care.

REY [reading out loud]
Our world has died, and soon we will join it.
Once again today, I held in my hands a ...stillborn? stillborn babe in my hands.
The latest in a clutch of thousands. So few survive birth, so very few...
I can't see a future for us. I just can't.

REY and AISA
Have the gods cursed us?

REY
Why did they blight us so?

AISA stares down, listening to the words she had written so long ago. Her expression softens.

REY [reading out loud]
A solution has been found! Ssi-Ruuk himself
has reached down into Verthandi's very soul and given us the gift
of Entechment. The blood and power of the lesser races of the world will sustain us.
We will endure, and our people shall have eternity.

REY flips through the dry pages.

REY [reading out loud]
Entechment has taken over our lives - our ark is now fuelled by it. Our need for lifeforce
has become far too great. I've advised Verthandi patience and temperance both,
but Nona - silly young Nona - she wants so many new things, and ignores us both. Our need grows by the year.
Thousands are sacrificed each day. World by world we go, devouring sapient life.
Verthandi calls them cattle. Cattle do not beg for their lives.
What have we become?

REY finds another relevant passage, as if her fingers are guided by an unseen force. CUDDLES is on her shoulder, reading with her.

REY
The warriors of the last world we harvested... such braves! Clad in steel!
Riding on wings of fire! I admired them, even as our lightning cannons shot their mighty
vessels and war machines out of the starry void.
They were so close...

We can't do this forever.

REY [reading out loud]
What I feared for the past hundred years has come to pass.
In the face of our ravenous feeding the galaxy rebels,
and once more have sent their champions to put an end to us.
These ones were different. They did not make use of steel, or machines.
Robes of cloth and blades of light were all they needed.
At first there was just the one, and then there were only two.
And yet I perform the last rites on a hundred of our kin.

REY [reading out loud]
And then came a dozen, and we pushed them back. We had prepared, but it was not enough.
Two thousand. Two thousand funerals and so few baptisms!

REY [reading out loud]
And then there were a hundred, and their blades
cut through our warriors... and not just them.
The women. The children...

AISA closes her eyes, and sheds a single tear, unseen by the trio below.

REY
Verthandi practically invites the hunters to come, now...
The power in their blood! So much of it, but the cost...

REY [cont'd]
They are so few of us left, now.
We hide, but they find us.
We run, but they do not stop.
Why won't they stop?
Please, just stop...

There are a couple of splotches on that last line. Ink, thinned by something clear.

Horror dawns on REY's face, as she begins to realize who the 'hunters' are.

REY [reading out loud]
A refuge has been found: they cannot find us.
This world of water, so much like the cradle of our people... It hides us from
the hunters' scrying, but they will not stop, ever, until we are all dead.
The survivors must sleep, and outlast those who would kill them.
But someone must mind the machines, and with nothing but
fat birds to drain, my sisters and I will not last long.
We are doomed.

As REY reads from the journal, RAZOO wanders onto the Mezzanine, and finds where CHEWBACCA had been interrogated. Nearby, he finds a locked crate, and forces it open. The Wookiee's gear is inside.

Besides it, BALA-TIK's bloody coat, atop a pile of dust. As RAZOO examines it:

RAZOO [impatient]
Are you done, already?
[in huttese]:
Women, I swear.

REY
Oi!

REY throws him a dirty look, to which RAZOO responds with surprise, then a shrug. REY continues:

REY [reading out loud]
Someone found us. He is like the hunters, and yet unlike them.
He carries with him a decanter, and inside of it is a solution to our problem.
Unlimited power and everlasting life in a bottle, in exchange for mere hospitality.

...

We have convened. We have decided.

We will drink the Blood of Ren.

The last word echoes in REY's mind, and suddenly:

BEN SOLO
I am Kylo Ren.

Just as REY processes what she had just seen, AISA makes her presence known.

AISA [off-screen]
Impressive, most impressive.

RAZOO becomes overvigilant, his eyes darting about for a target, but none appears. REY puts the book in her satchet, and grasps her LIGHTSABER PIKE firmly. R2-D2 opens up several panels, exposing arc welders and shock rods, ready to hurt something.

AISA [off-screen, in ikhthýs]
Few aliens can grasp our tongue... how did you do it so quickly?

REY [in ikhthýs]
I... I do not know. I guess I'm just full of surprises.

AISA [off-screen, in ikhthýs]
Indeed? Well, no matter. I've always believed in rewarding talented pupils.
Here is your reward!

CHEWBACCA wails as he is (once again) tossed from a balcony above four stories above the group. He lands on the Mezzanine on his belly with a loud thud, and groans in pain.

He is older, now: his fur having gone from light brown to a tarnished gray, and he seems so fragile.

REY runs to his side... and sees that he is bleeding from the side. Deep cuts had been made there, when AISA grasped CHEWIE with her obsidian sheers.

REY
CHEWIE!

As REY takes CHEWBACCA's medkit from his belt and applies double doses of batca and stims, AISA continues to speak:

AISA [off-screen, in ikhthýs]
He is dying, girl. Neither salve nor tincture
will save him from old age.

REY [in ikhthýs]
No, no! It can't end like this, not for him!

AISA [in ikhthýs]
Only I can decide how this ends, for only I can return his vigor to him.
And I will do it... but first...

REY
What?! What do you want?!

Elsewhere, the double doors of the entrance creak open.

AISA [in basic]
The Warrior and the Machine must leave, and carry the Beast and his arms with them.
You, Girl. YOU will stay and face me.

REY
So you can pick us off later? No!

AISA
There is a ship waiting for your friends outside, on the other side of this library.
They are free to go.

RAZOO
Yeah, right, and two credits will buy you a ticket to a Zeltron pleasure cruise.
Come on, Jedi! We can take her!

R2-D2 [in binary]
Ah, no, no we can't.

The Reavers snarl all around them, unseen.

R2-D2 [in binary]
We're surrounded.

RAZOO
Well... poodoo.

REY
...Do I have your word?

CHEWBACCA [pained, groaning, in Shyriiwook]
Rey, no! Don't do this! My life doesn't matter!
Fight! Fight to the bitter end!

AISA
...You might. But what guarantee do I have
that you they won't come for my sister?

REY
You don't. But I promise you this.
Loose your creatures on upon us, and we will kill ten times our number.
You KNOW we can.

AISA [amused]
And what makes you think I care?

REY [in ikhthýs]
They are so few of us left...

There is a tense, silent pause... but it seems REY got the upper hand.

AISA
Clever, clever girl...

AISA's exhale is loud, and laced with an otherwordly echo. Streams of mist pour from her hiding spot.

AISA
You have my word, in letter and spirit. Life for the Beast and safety for your companions.
Break your word, however...

The streams pour into CHEWBACCA's flesh, and his youth and vitality are restored to him. Suddenly, he gets back on his feet, roars, and strides towards the weapons crate. The VIBROSWORD again in his hand, he brandishes it, roars.

And AISA's OBSIDIAN SCISSORS appear from the shadows, and clip his neck.

REY
CHEWIE, NO!

Almost.

AISA
[clucks her tongue three times]
Temper, temper, temper, young Beast.

REY
Chewie, please. Luke... Luke needs you. Take your weapons and go.

CHEWBACCA
But...

As the scene unfolds, RAZOO backs to the edge of the Mezzanine. CLOSE UP of his hands behind his back, an INCENDIARY GRENADE wrapped in cloth clasped in one of them. Setting the INCENDIARY GRENADE's timer to max and dropping it over the edge. It lands with a wet, but silent thump on the ground, right by a stack of CHILDREN'S BOOKS.

AISA
Listen to your precious little Jedi, Beast.

CHEWBACCA is visibly torn by his duty and his honour, but in the end, he decides - bitterly - on the former.

AISA
Good boy.

Suddenly, a metal groaning resounds across the library. Stairs twist and move by a force unseen, either mechanical or magical or both. A stairwell appears from the shadows, and candles light the way towards the exit.

AISA [in ikhthýs, commanding the unseen REAVERS]
See them out.

CHEWBACCA takes his weapons, gives REY one last look, and goes up the stairs, REAVERS hissing at him, reminding him that he is being watched.

R2-D2 follows behind.

AISA
Oh, girl?
The insect, too...

REY holds out her hand, and CUDDLES leaps on top of it. His two main eyes beg her not to stay here, but her mind is made up.

REY
Razoo?

RAZOO
What?

REY
Take care of him.

REY holds out her hand, and RAZOO holds out his, but CUDDLES doesn't move.

RAZOO [sighing]
Come on, it won't be safe here.
[muttering]
Great, I'm talking to insects, now.

CUDDLES relents, and leaps on RAZOO's hand, then his arm, then his breast pocket. Suddenly RAZOO pulls REY close, as if to kiss her, then:

RAZOO [whispering in huttese]
They hate fire. Three minutes.

Smiling, RAZOO pulls away and winks at REY, much to her confusion.

AISA
A lover's farewell? How sweet.

AISA, of course, doesn't speak a word of huttese.

EXT - TEMPLE DISTRICT LIBRARY - NIGHT

The doors slam shut, and REY's companions, are locked outside.

The rain has stopped, and the clouds begin to unfurl, though the moon and stars are not out yet.

RAZOO
Come on, if that ship has weapons we'll—

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook]
RAZOOOOOOO!!!!

CHEWBACCA grabs RAZOO by the neck and smashes him against the LIBRARY doors. RAZOO's HEAVY REPEATER clatters on the floor.

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook]
I should use your skull as a battering ram on this very door for what you've done!

RAZOO [choking]
What, what did I do?!

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook]
That was YOUR SHIP that shot us down!
The Falcon, my precious FALCON! SHE MIGHT NEVER FLY AGAIN!

R2-D2
Hey, settle down, big guy!

Suddenly, RAZOO pulls out his machete... and presses the cold steel against CHEWBACCA's armpit, and fingers the High-Frequency mode's trigger.

RAZOO [coldly]
I'm willing to bet I'll pull the trigger faster than you can crush my neck, furball.
Let. Me. Go.

RAZOO and CHEWBACCA stare each other down. The REAVERS, shadows in the night, snicker and laugh.

RAZOO
I am not the enemy, here. Not anymore.

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook]
Why should I trust you?

RAZOO [suppressing a weeze]
My people owe the Jedi a debt for LIFE.

The words catch CHEWBACCA by surprise, and they resonate in him, reminding him of his own debt to Han. Finally, CHEWBACCA lets go, and RAZOO falls on his back, choking.

The REAVERS begin to grow impatient.

RAZOO
Let's get to the ship. We've got two minutes left...

INT - ANCIENT LIBRARY, LOWER MEZZANINE - DARK

The metal stairwell moves away, and vanishes into the shadows.

REY stands at the center of the MEZZANINE, her LIGHTSABER PIKE at the ready, its blade her only source of illumination.

REY
We're alone, now.

AISA [off-screen]
That we are.

REY
Why? Why did you want me alone?

AISA [off-screen]
I am no fool - if I had killed your friends you would have fought
me to your last breath. If my warriors had killed you, you would be dead, and
We would gain nothing... But now...
Now you are alone, with me, in the dark... trapped.

REY switches off her blade, and disappears in the dark. We switch to AISA, who stalks the MEZZANINE, in search of her prey.

AISA
Impressive... the shadows cling to you... like a mother's embrace.
What are you, girl, that they would favour you so.

REY [off-screen]
We don't have to fight! We never did!
All we ever wanted was to leave with Luke.

AISA looks around, attempting to find REY by her voice. It feels so close, and so far away...

AISA
You cannot leave.
We need you both far too much.
The resurrection of our people is at hand.
It is too late to stop.

REY [off-screen]
Luke would have helped you, I know it!
He still can! If you had just asked—

AISA [off-screen]
He is a Jeedai, a murderer, just like the rest!

REY [off-screen]
That's not true!

AISA
Oh, you poor child, you have no idea who he's killed, do you?
No matter...
Hm, the shadows really are your friends...

AISA vanishes into the darkness, smiling.

AISA
But what are shadows...

Suddenly, every candle in the LIBRARY light up, and REY is revealed. AISA is right behind her.

EXT - AHCH-TO - NIGHT

The clouds part and reveal the moon...

INT - ANCIENT LIBRARY, LOWER MEZZANINE - ALIGHT

AISA
IF NOT SLAVES OF THE LIGHT!

REY screams as the blades of AISA's OBSIDIAN SCISSORS are about to bisect her. Inside ANAKIN SKYWALKER'S LIGHTSABER, the KRAYT DRAGON PEARL glows brightly, and the energies it stole from NONA the YOUNGER CRONE washes over the PIKE's shaft.

Meanwhile, the grenade ticks...

REY quickens out of the scissor blade's reach, vanishing for half a second before reappearing elsewhere on the MEZZANINE, utterly confused.

AISA [shocked]
Nona's Gift?
[laughing]
Full of surprises, indeed!
Have you tasted the Blood of Ren, as well?!

AISA leaps forward, and swings at REY, the blunt edge is about to break her legs... but she Quickens away, again, and this time, she's in an excellent position to counterstrike.

REY's PIKE ignites just as she takes a swing at AISA's leg. The blade bites into a layer of chitin-like coral... but the flesh underneath is unharmed, even as a line of heat fades on the living armour.

AISA swings back, and REY quickens away again.

Meanwhile, the grenade ticks...

AISA
Verthandi was right...
There are embers of power in you.

AISA switches tactics: The scissors come apart with a blinding flash, and now the ELDER CRONE is armed with two swords. She becomes of whirlwind of death, and puts REY on the defensive with a combination of strikes before kicking her into the MEZZANINE's railing. REY yells in pain, then stumbles from the railing into a pile of books.

AISA
Do you feel them? Like pure joy as they burn through
your veins like the first light of the springtime sun?

The OBISIDIAN blades burn with a red aura as AISA brings them together. In a flash, they form a single greatsword, and AISA raises it over her head.

REY has just enough time to roll away before the huge blade comes down.

It stops short of the books.

Taking advantage of the time it takes for AISA to split her trick weapon, REY attempts to strike her, using some of the moves she saw RAZOO perform with the PIKE earlier. It barely works: she lacks RAZOO's training and athleticism, and her strikes are clumsy. It's only through sheer luck that she manages to slash AISA across the arm, but the living armor holds fast.

REY, undaunted, strikes again and again, and AISA just absorbs all the damage like a walking tank. The CRONE smiles, and from her eyes we see that REY is indeed burning with power, her aura glowing like fire...

The grenade keeps ticking...

AISA
Enough.

AISA smacks REY across the mouth, knocking her down at the center of the MEZZANINE.

AISA
Verthandi wants you enslaved to the core, but I see now...
she is foolish if she thinks she can keep you caged.

AISA readies to deliver the coup-de-grace.

AISA [victoriously]
No matter, your blood will grant us power to spare!

The grenade beeps, and explodes, splashing burning gel all over the books. The fire quickly spreads, lighting the MEZZANINE from beneath like the fires of hell itself. AISA stops herself, and looks on in horror.

AISA [horrified]
No... NO!

REY's hand reaches for AISA's face, and a FORCE BOLT hits its mark, knocking the CRONE back as REY retreats to one of the edges of the MEZZANINE, a blaze roaring right behind her. AISA approaches, hate in her eyes, but hesitation in her step.

REY [taunting]
What's the matter, afraid of a little fire?!

AISA [enraged]
YOU! What have you done?!

The flames climb over with alarming speed, and their orange light illuminates the interior of the LIBRARY. The maze of steel stairs becomes clear, going up twelve stories up. With hellfire below and the promise of cool air above, REY decides to best place to go now is up.

AISA pursues REY as she makes her way up. Each level has a gap in the center, making the floors narrow, no wider than four meters. This to REY's advantage, as AISA has little room to swing, save over the balconies' railings. With such predictable attacks, REY has no problem Quickening out of the way.

The more vicious confrontations happen on the stairs, however - REY's weapon has become far lighter, allowing for quick defenses, but AISA's madness and fury grant her superhuman strength. Deflecting monstrous blows even as she tries to climb up is getting harder and harder, and there are many floors to go.

Focusing on evasion, REY begins to combine jumping and quickening to leap between stairwells. It puts a considerable amount of distance between them at first, but AISA is both determined to kill REY, and far, far more familiar with the layout of the library than she is.

Also, she still has some control over the stairs, and manages to corner REY again... only for REY to leap on a chandelier mounted another the middle mezzanine, and swing herself to safety.

AISA, growling in frustration, leaps onto the chandelier as well, and jumps after REY just as its chain snaps and the whole thing falls into the flames...

EXT - TEMPLE DISTRICT LIBRARY - NIGHT

BALA-TIK's damaged gunship whirrs to life outside.

INT - BALA-TIK's GUNSHIP'S COCKPIT - NIGHT

RAZOO gets into the pilot's seat as R2-D2 plugs himself to the gunner's seat. Far in the back, Chewbacca tries to fit into one of the soldier's drop chutes.

RAZOO
Comfy back there?

Chewbacca roars unintelligibly in response as RAZOO goes through the startup sequence and notices the hole in the canopy.

RAZOO
Hey trashcan, how are we on weapons?

R2's response is displayed on RAZOO's HUD: We haven't got any. Those critters tore them all out.

RAZOO
...Well, peck. We'll improvise, then.

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook]
[loading an incendiary pack into the REPEATER CANNON]
Oh, I can do more than improvise!

The Gunship takes off...

INT- ANCIENT LIBRARY - NIGHT

Half-way up the building, REY stumbles, to exhausted to keep running and climbing. AISA approaches, and REY does something desperate.

She grabs a book, a large important looking-one, and holds it over the railing, over the raging flames below.

AISA [frightened]
No! Stop!

REY [taunting]
The coming of Ssi-Ruuk!
That looks important!

AISA
The sacred texts! You wouldn't dare!

REY
Let me go and it's yours!
Bloody hell, just stop trying to kill me and
save whatever books you can!

AISA
You burn our very history and you put the onus upon me to stop?
It's far too late for me to stop!

REY
Too bad.

REY tosses the book into the flames, and AISA, screaming in horror, goes after it, leaving her vulnerable for what came next.

REY's eyes matched the colour of the flames, and she screamed.

REY
FALL!!!!

The Force Scream washes over AISA, and her considerable mass is no match for the wave of kinetic energy that washes over her. She falls over the railing, and into the waiting flames.

Her shrieks of agony pierce REY's ears, but they fade away, and the COMLINK's alarm becomes clearer.

R2-D2 [in binary, radio]
REY! Tell me you're still alive in that inferno!

REY continues to climb her way up.

REY
Still alive, yes! Tell me you've got an exit for me!

EXT- LIBRARY ROOF - NIGHT

Standing in the hole made by kicking out the drop chute panels, CHEWBACCA roars as he incinerates every REAVER on the Library roof with his CANNON. The creatures had given chase as soon as it was clear RAZOO had reneged on the deal. Some of them wielded portable lightning weapons, powered by the energy they had drained from both the KANJIKLUB and GUAVIAN Gangsters. Only one had managed to get a shot off, and it hadn't been enough to take the GUNSHIP down.

CHEWBACCA roars victoriously as they flee.

R2-D2 [in binary, radio]
There's an exit on the roof!
We've just secured it!

REY [radio]
Thank the stars!

R2-D2 [in binary, radio]
The creepy thing that stalked us, is it still chasing you?

REY [radio]
Don't worry, she just took a dive in the flames!
Nobody could have survived that...

INT- ANCIENT LIBRARY BOTTOM LEVEL - NIGHT

At the bottom level, the LOWER MEZZANINE's shattered stone on top of her, AISA lies still... CLOSE UP of her face as she burns, her eyes closed... and they open, and she feels the flames devouring her.

She looks around her, and sees the flames erasing all that remains of her world, her culture, and so she cries in despair.

AISA [despairing]
This is not real...

EXT- LIBRARY ROOF - NIGHT

The door leading to the roof is pierced by the blade of a lightsaber, and promptly kicked down. REY steps out in the humid night air, and hope dawns on her face as she sees the GUNSHIP with CHEWBACCA on the side.

INT- ANCIENT LIBRARY BOTTOM LEVEL - NIGHT

AISA sees something, and despair turns to resolve. She crawls towards it, weapon still in hand.

AISA [insane]
The fire is not real...

EXT- LIBRARY ROOF - NIGHT

The Gunship hovers down, and REY runs towards it. Her boots make a splash on a PUDDLE OF RAINWATER...

INT- ANCIENT LIBRARY BOTTOM LEVEL - NIGHT

AISA reaches out to her only hope at revenge...

A FOUNTAIN.

AISA [insane]
The pain is NOT REAL!

EXT- LIBRARY ROOF - NIGHT

AISA erupts in a splash in front of REY, still on fire and shrieking with insane fury. REY recoils in fright, as AISA shifts her weapon's form into a menacing, serrated, OBSIDIAN SCYTHE with a pole twice as long as the CRONE is tall. The whole weapon burns with red energy.

AISA takes a swing at the approaching gunship...

INT - BALA-TIK's GUNSHIP'S COCKPIT - NIGHT

RAZOO
Oh, POODOO!

RAZOO manages to pull the ship back just as the blade was about to slice his neck. Instead, it sliced through the canopy like a hot knife through warm butter, taking much of the controls with it. It even manages to snap off one of his bandolier strips, causing the CRYOBAN GRENADE to fall onto the roof below.

R2-D2 [in binary]
I can fix this! I can fix this!

EXT- LIBRARY ROOF - NIGHT

The GUNSHIP spins out of control, and CHEWBACCA drops his REPEATER CANNON as he attempts to keep himself from falling. The GUNSHIP spins out of control, and before long REY is once again all alone against AISA.

AISA
I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!

AISA steps onto the REPEATER CANNON, crushing it in two.

A final duel begins between the two women, with AISA swinging her scythe wildly at the would-be JEDI. REY notices that the armour of Coral and barnacles is sloughing off, and plays for time, staying just out of reach until an opening presents itself. Once AISA is completely vulnerable, REY strikes... and misses.

AISA was now lighter, and much faster.

Between swings, AISA screams:

AISA
Our lore!
Our FAITH!
Our CULTURE!
ALL GONE!
BECAUSE OF YOU!

REY screams in frustration between stabs:

REY
NONE OF THIS WOULD HAVE HAPPENED IF YOU JUST LET US LEAVE!
NONE OF THIS WOULD HAVE HAPPENED IF YOU JUST STOPPED!

AISA
STOP?!
[cackles maniacally]

AISA fakes out another swing with the blade, and strikes REY with the shaft, sending her flying backwards. Miraculously, REY is still conscious, but she's lost her PIKE, and AISA is striding towards her, her cloak still on fire, ready to finish this.

AISA
The JEDI didn't STOP!
YOU wouldn't STOP...

REY scrambles away, and her hand touches the CRYOBAN GRENADE. There's no time to prime it...

AISA [screaming]
NOBODY STOPS!

REY grabs the grenade just as AISA raises her foot, just before she brings the SCYTHE over her head to bring it down on REY's chest. Then, in an act of desperation, she tosses the grenade at the CRONE's raised foot, and waits just before the blade comes down to quicken out the way once more.

The grenade pops under the massive weight of the CRONE, spreading compressed cryogenic chemicals and spread to both of AISA's legs. The CRONE is stuck.

REY, on her knee, uses the last of her energy to pull the LIGHTSABER PIKE to her, but the shaft's modular slot breaks, and only the saber comes to her. She rises, LIGHTSABER ignited, and charges towards AISA, who summons the last of her hate to swing at REY.

The luminous blade of Light crosses with the crude matter of Obsidian. For a moment, it looks like AISA's strength has the upper hand, and she smiles, thinking her revenge was at hand.

It's not.

The obsidian cracks, and the weapon breaks apart into dust. REY stabs AISA in the heart. The wound ignites, and burns. It look like it's over... but not just yet.

AISA screams in desperate fury as the ice over her leg breaks, and she pulls REY into an embrace. The BLADE emerges from the CRONE'S back.

Just then, the flames from below catch up to the roof, and they are surrounded by flames.

REY desperately tries to break free.

AISA [resigned, and weary]
Our Lore.
Our History.
Our culture.
All gone...

She stares down at REY's satchel, and sees the corner of the leather bound journal. Her Journal. She laughs, at the irony of it all, looking into REY's eyes.

Still holding on to REY, AISA walks to the edge of the roof, and walks through a gap in the flames. REY panics, seeing her impending doom and no way out.

REY [panicking]
No! CHEWIE! HELP!

The GUNSHIP returns just in time for its crew to see AISA leap off the edge.

Time slows down as REY and AISA fall down to the hard ground twenty stories below. REY is falling first, and it looks like AISA is going to use her to break her fall... until the CRONE shifts her weight and they trade places. AISA holds on to REY tightly, embracing her like her own child, closes her eyes, and whispers something in her ear.

AISA [cont'd]
...Save for you.

There is a loud crack, and an eruption of eldritch red flame envelops them both.

The GUNSHIP lands nearby, its engines sputtering and dying from the lightning gun damage from earlier. RAZOO, CHEWBACCA and R2-D2 step out, and approach the red bonfire.

CHEWBACCA falls on his knees.

CHEWBACCA [sorrowfully]
She's dead. She was going to the first of the new Jedi and I let her die.

RAZOO says nothing and looks sullen, feeling that he had failed to live up to the debt his people owed to the Jedi.

They stare at the flames, feeling that all hope was lost. They were out of weapons. Out of supplies, and their only Force Sensitive had just perished.

R2-D2
Guys? I've got lifesigns.

REAVERS. Dozens of them, come out of the shadows, daggers brandished. CHEWBACCA smells them, growls, and draws his VIBROSWORD. Razoo draws his MACHETE, finger on the HF trigger.

CHEWBACCA
Who wants to die first?

That is when the REAVERS make their move.

They prostrate themselves.

Behind them, the trio hear something step out of the flames.

It's REY, shambling away from AISA's burning corpse like a zombie. Her left leg and right arm are bent awkwardly, each broken in a couple of places. There are some deep cuts and gashes all over her. Suddenly the red bonfire erupts, and the sound of AISA's exhale resonates across the area as streams of red fire pierce REY's flesh on their way into the KRAYT DRAGON PEARL inside the saber.

Suddenly she screams, and the LIGHTSABER's blade erupts, becoming longer, wider, and turns into a shade of crimson deeper than any sith weapon. Her bones snap back into place, but the cuts remain.

The fire dies, the saber returns to its normal color, and AISA is nothing but ashes. REY stands there, her breath ragged.

REY
I'm so... so hungry.

And then she falls over. CHEWBACCA rushes to her aid, medkit in hand. RAZOO can only stare in shock, as CUDDLES crawls on his shoulder.

RAZOO
That... that is no Jedi.

-------
END OF EPISODE 3

To be continued in Episode 4

IgnusDei · Sep 29, 2018

'LORE: Knights of Ren' threadmark updated.

IgnusDei · Sep 29, 2018

DRAMATIS PERSONAE
(a work in progress)

Captain Paxton Fell, human male Senior officer in the First Order's Special Forces (replacing Canady, expy of Soontir Fel. Mid-Sixties, male.)

Lieutenant Malek Fell, son of Paxton, human male, Ace Pilot in the First Order Special Forces, favours TIE/SF Interceptors with a swarm missile loadout. (new addition, expy of Jagged Fel and Maarek Stele. Mid twenties, male.)

Vice-Admiral Lumi Celchu. Human female. Owner, master and commander of the assault frigate Stormblood. (replacing Holdo, daughter of Legends characters Winter and Tycho Celchu). Mid-to-late twenties. Cold, imperious, always finely dressed, very paranoid.)

Commander Orlandeau Onasi, Human male, descendant of Carth Onassi, captain of a Nebula-class Star Destroyer repurposed as a Republic Flight Academy training vessel. Flight Instructor. Extremely protective of his students.

Caedeus Ren, aka The Brute, a senior member of the Knights of Ren. Master of Gladiators. Recently acquired the Title of Paladin. Suffers from a form of Congenital Analgesia. Other Titles: Monk, Armorer, Botanist. Often seen with Kylo Ren - Close personal relationship suspected and oftentimes discussed in hushed tones by First Order female staff.

Jerec Ren. Miralukan Male. Age unknown, appears to be in his late 30's. Knight of Ren and Master of Arcanists. Titles: Scholar (Historian), Astrologian, Alchemist. Archeologist with an interest in Jedi, Sith, and Valendian history. Curious about Rey.

Maw Ren, aka The Berserker. Boltrunian male. Giant. Knight of Ren and Master of Warriors. Titles: Marauder, Blacksmith. Recipient of Valendian leg prosthetics. Likes big Valendian vibroaxes, which keeps him in the company of Jerec in order to acquire them. Wants Rey as a trophy.

Sariss Ren, Miralukan female. Mistress of the Uhlan. Titles: Dragoon, Weaver, Bard. Never seen without a scarf covering the lower half of her face.

Irvine Ren, human male. Master of Archers. One of Luke's original students before the New Purge. Valendian bow can flash forge arrows at will, from bodkins to broadheads. Suffers from deafness. Blessed by the Blood of Ren with enhanced vision.

Rom Mohc. Human Male. Imperial. Dead. Project Lead of 'Dark Trooper'.
"Why Phase 3? Why not stop at the remote interface? Because this isn't a damned video game! We should never, ever separate the soldier from the battlefield, or we'll never see the end of war!"

Alexander Jaemus. Owner and CEO of Sienar-Jaemus. Chief designer of the First Order's specialized hardware, and their TIE Fighters. Robosexual. Highly intelligent strategist in and out of the boardroom, and a rising star in the First Order Hierarchy.

The Dark Witch. Dathomir/Miralukan female, user of magicks. Age unknown. Current whereabouts unknown. Appears in Rey's dreams, usually when she is in danger and needs a new power or skill

Theodore Cilghal: Dagonian Male, doctor. Resident of Firwirrung, microbiologist.

Lord Rolandau Hoth. Human male. Jedi Lord. Ghost. Appears in some of Rey's dreams, teaching her Soresu.

Valenthyne Farfalla. Half-Bothan male. Jedi Lord. Ghost. Appears in some of Rey's dreams, teaching her Makashi.

Bastilla Shan. Human female. Jedi Master. Ghost. Appears in some of Rey's dreams, teaching her Juyo.

THE SIREN SORCERESSES OF SSI-RUUK

Nona the Maiden. Quick, blessed with rapid wound regeneration, weaponized tongue.

Verthandi the Matriarch. Moderately resilient, moderately armoured. Wields a metal staff. Produces the Crone's Milk.

Aisa, the Elder. Slow, but covered in highly resilient barnacle armour. Often lies in wait to strike with her giant scissors.

IgnusDei · Oct 4, 2018

Music that I have used or plan to use later for the "soundtrack"

Core_Axiom · Oct 19, 2018

I, Core_Axiom, have Arrived!

Here, have the watch. I'm not usually here on SV, mind, but you said you were moving the fic here and I like the story, so here I am.

PurgeTheXeno · Oct 20, 2018

And followed. Gotta say when i eventually start posting my stories here i'm a little worried about getting a banhammer for disagreeing with admins on politics and the like if freaking IngusDei is getting the shaft. Dont they want people to come to their forum?

When you think about it, a forum like SB and SV are part tourist attractions. You want people to come and visit.

Zaru · Oct 24, 2018

Now this is has been a treat to read. I can't wait to see more!

@Juubi-K and @IKnowNothing check this out!

IKnowNothing · Oct 24, 2018

Zaru said:
Now this is has been a treat to read. I can't wait to see more!

@Juubi-K and @IKnowNothing check this out!

Hmm... script format is a bit different, but I am impressed. I'll grab my popcorn and wait.

IgnusDei · Oct 24, 2018

IKnowNothing said:
Hmm... script format is a bit different, but I am impressed. I'll grab my popcorn and wait.

Wait for what, exactly?

Core_Axiom · Oct 25, 2018

IgnusDei said:
Wait for what, exactly?

Next part, I imagine.

IgnusDei · Oct 27, 2018

[Fanfiction Link]

PROLOGUE

EXT - FIRWIRRUNG CENTRAL TOWER - NIGHT

WIDE SHOT of The central tower that served as the control center of the FIRWIRRUNG, still topped by the artificial island that had been grown around it. Off screen, the last of the crones — VERTHANDI — hums a melancholic lullaby.

FADE TO the tower's courtyard, as thousands corpses, both fresh and rotten, alien and human, slowly shamble around, the CRONE'S MILK dripping from their mouths. We move past them to an enormous, finely decorated double door, and still the humming continues, echoing.

FADE TO...

INT - CENTRAL TOWER – NIGHT

...the tower's main hall, its walls arrays of pillars. It leads to a vast chamber, which once held court solely for the city's leadership. Now, it served as a the home of an artificial womb, a thing of metal, cables and tubes, wrapped around a stillborn abomination of incredible size.

As VERTHANDI'S song picks up, the machines that line the walls and ceilings of the chamber come to life as electricity arcs across ancient coils and dynamos. Tubes quiver and shake as ungodly fluids enter the sac, their pumps powered by whirring gyros and spinning cogs. This cacophony of technology reaches its apex, drowning the song for a moment as the light of the electric machines become blinding...

And suddenly, it stops.

ZOOM on the womb, as the song finishes, and the silence takes hold... and is ended, by a single heartbeat.

SMASH TO BLACK

There is an awful, splashing noise.

VERTHANDI [softly]
Happy Birthday...

STAR WARS:
WAR FOR THE OUTER RIM

Episode 4:
The Sirens of Ahch-To, part 3

Written by IgnusDei
Spell-check by WarpObscura

Guest starring:
Doug Jones as Dr. Theobald
and
Keith David as The Spider King

INT - FIRWIRRUNG, TEMPLE DISTRICT CLINIC - NIGHT

The clinic was ancient, but true to the Dagonian philosophy of preservation at all costs, everything inside of it was made to withstand the test of time. Every bottle, every book, and every tool could still be used, despite the age of it all... though some dusting might be in order particularly on the EXAMINATION BED.

The door's hinges prove no match to the mighty kick of a Wookiee, and CHEWBACCA steps through, carrying a barely conscious REY in his arms, followed by R2-D2. RAZOO goes in next, REY'S SACK slung over his shoulder, and proceeds to try and find something to help her heal... or at least wake up. Unfortunately, the medicine cabinets and their contents are all labelled in ikhthýs, and RAZOO is unable to figure them out. As he continues to try, CHEWBACCA lays REY on the BED. She groans, and out of worry CHEWBACCA growls impatiently at RAZOO, who's begun to resort to popping open bottles and smelling them.

RAZOO
[sneezes]
Hey, what do you want me to do?!
I have no idea what this chicken scratch means!

R2-D2 [in binary]
You said you knew first aid!

RAZOO finds a pair of GOGGLES, an elaborate, finely crafted construct of steel, dials, brass and glass. He examines it up close, then puts it back.

RAZOO
BASIC first aid, in BASIC!
I'm a privateer, not a doctor! And that's what we need here, a DOCTOR!

Suddenly, the REAVERS outside the clinic toss someone in: a tall, thin, teal-skinned Dagonian man clad in the trappings of a country doctor, round spectacles included, the frost of a stasis pod still on his jacket, shirt and pants.

This is DOCTOR THEOBALD, and he lands face first into the ground.

THEOBALD
Oof!

THEOBALD groans, and struggles to get up. He looks up, and we assume his point of view as his gaze falls on RAZOO...

THEOBALD [surprised]
Oh, a Hyur!

...On R2-D2...

THEOBALD
A construct...?

RAZOO
Hey! That was BASIC!

...and Chewbacca.

THEOBALD [gasping]
An arboreal?!

THEOBALD's lanky frame is galvanized by fear, and he quickly leaps on his feet and attempts to flee. CHEWBACCA is quicker, and grabs the Dagonian by the back of his jacket's collar, then pins him against the wall.

THEOBALD [scared]
Oh no no no NO!

CHEWBACCA [roaring, in Shyriiwook]
ARE YOU A DOCTOR?!

THEOBALD [blubbering]
OH PLEASE OH PLEASE DON'T EAT ME!

CHEWBACCA [roaring, in Shyriiwook]
I SAID, ARE YOU A DOCTOR?!
WE WERE PROMISED A DOCTOR!

THEOBALD keeps blubbering.

RAZOO [rolling his eyes]
He's asking if you're a doctor, fish man.

THEOBALD
Whuh... what?!

Theobald's blubbering stops, quickly replaced by utter confusion.

THEOBALD
It's capable of speech?!

CHEWBACCA roars at him, causing THEOBALD to shut his eyes.

THEOBALD [praying]
Oh, mighty Leviathan Ssi-Ruuk, please don't let it eat me!

RAZOO
Just answer the question and he won't!

THEOBALD
Alright, yes! I'm a doctor!

CHEWBACCA yanks him away from the wall.

THEOBALD
Urrrk!

CUT TO: CLOSE UP of RAZOO, CHEWBACCA, THEOBALD and R2's PERISCOPE, clustered together. They are staring down at REY, who is feverish. THEOBALD's face is half-covered by the GOGGLES, his long fingers fiddling with its dials as he thoroughly examines the damage.

THEOBALD
Oh... dear, oh dear... several fractures, punctures and bruises on the lungs... severe, rapid infection from water bacteria... what happened to her?!

RAZOO
She fell from the top of the library.

THEOBALD
Goodness! She should be dead!

Theobald fiddles with some more dials, and examines REY more closely.

THEOBALD
Hm... ah! Of course, higher bone and muscle density than a Hyur, I mean of course, obviously.

RAZOO
Look, can you help her?

THEOBALD
Oh, I don't have to.

CHEWBACCA [roaring, in Shyriiwook]
WHAT?!

THEOBALD [frightened]
Eep! I mean, I don't NEED to!

RAZOO [glaring]
That doesn't sound much better, doc.

THEOBALD
Well, here, better you see for yourself.

THEOBALD removes the GOGGLES and hands them to RAZOO, who puts them on. THEOBALD, gently puts his hands on the sides of the device, and guides RAZOO's sight.

THEOBALD
See that fracture in the arm?
It should be a major break, but something is holding it in place.
And more interestingly...

RAZOO [fascinated]
Hey, the cracks are disappearing... slowly, though.

THEOBALD [gleeful]
Remarkable, isn't it? Now look closer.

THEOBALD fiddles some more dials, and RAZOO sees one of REY's cells. Another creak of the dials, and RAZOO can now see the microscopic flora inside of it.

They're glowing.

THEOBALD
The... what you call mitochondria, I believe,
are producing an incredible amount of energy, encouraging cell...

RAZOO
In Basic, doc. We didn't take cell biology in Crook Academy.

THEOBALD
Ah, yes... well... she heals really, really fast.
Hm... wait a moment.

THEOBALD takes back the GOGGLES, and peers into them, the green light cast over his eyes.

THEOBALD
Density... Nineteen thousand, four hundred and one?!
[awed]
A Jeedai! A real, live Jeedai! Oh I've always wanted to examine a live one!
Never managed it, either they killed us or we killed them.

CHEWBACCA and RAZOO exchange worried looks.

THEOBALD
The next eight hours should prove MOST illuminating!

RAZOO
Eight... hours?

THEOBALD
Hm? Oh, the time it will take her to fully heal, of course.

CHEWBACCA
We don't have that kind of time.

THEOBALD
I'm sorry?

RAZOO
He says we need her up and about yesterday, doc.
Can you speed her recovery up?

CUT TO:

The inside of the stasis fridge is dark, and is immediately illuminated once its door is opened, revealing THEOBALD's face. Inside there are various well-preserved jars of gel, cultures, and sea slugs suspended in frozen solution. The doctor picks up what he needs:

THEOBALD
Let's see... ah! My homemade Kolto, antibacterial
retro-viruses, and of course a local deep slug rich in stem-cells.

REVERSE SHOT of Theobald in front of the fridge, as he turns around with jars in one arm, a menacing needle gun in the other hand, and an eager grin on his face.

THEOBALD
Let the operation begin!

Theobald's voice becomes a distant echo as we ZOOM IN on REY's eyes, which begin to flutter under her eyelids. Once again, she dreams, but not of the WITCH's tree home, but of something more mundane and yet somehow far more precious.

INT - HOUSE OF REY'S DREAMS - DAY

♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪

REY half-wakes, smiling, in a bed made for two, she breathes in, slowly, and we brief glimpses of what she smells, a myriad set of still life, breakfast for two: Eggs. Bacon. Freshly baked bread with butter on the side. A bowl of fresh fruit. A pitcher and glass of orange juice, covered in droplets. All of it is illuminated by golden sunshine blazing through the window. All made for her by her beloved. The montage ends with a CLOSE UP of REY's mouth, savoring the meal, suppressing a giggle as someone off-screen wipes egg from her mouth with his thumb. It would almost be erotic, were it not for the briefness of the moment.

We are back on the bed. The rays of sunlight move away from REY's half-sleeping form. The shadows reach her eyes, disturbing her, causing her to wake fully. REY stretches contently before reaching for the empty side of the bed. Her hand only finds soft fabric and quilted pillows. REY 'wakes' completely now - something's missing. Something important.

Someone important. This, she knows.

WIDE SHOT of the bedroom. It is humble in its furnishings - wood and plaster, the occasional piece of iron - yet opulent in their decoration and the sheer care put into their crafting. The bedroom has a warmth to it, even as the sky outside becomes overcast.

REY, looking oddly magnificent with wrapped in her white nightgown and her head a long tangle of chocolate, steps out of bed.

EXT - HOUSE OF REY'S DREAMS - DAY

Rain begins to fall upon the coastal home, an ancient thing of stone bricks topped by a tiled roof. It is marked by age, but had been given a great deal of care, allowing it to endure the test of time. Another sequence begins, of not-so still life, all of it relentlessly assaulted with light rain: A project car, its mechanical heart exposed. A chopping block and firewood: rain plinks on an axe. A mailbox filled with birthday cards and congratulations for a happy event. A BICYCLE's wheel, it's wheel spinning through the power of a chain, shaking off the drops. The montage ends with the front door of the house, exposing the coat rack, a raincoat, REY's raincoat, conspicuously absent from it.

REY, clad against the rain, rides off on the BICYCLE.

EXT - REY'S DREAM, COUNTRYSIDE - DAY

The road in front of REY is gravel, mud, and the occasional puddle. The sky is grey, filtering the sunlight. On each side of her are broken palings, separating her from the grassy hills and fields. It's quiet and peaceful, but the warmth from earlier is gone. REY shivers under her coat, but she presses on. She's looking for someone, someone important.

Someone she hasn't met yet. This, she knows.

REY rides on... and catches a glimpses of lightning, and a mere moment later the rumble of thunder washes over her ears, and suddenly....

CUT TO: INT - HOUSE OF REY'S DREAMS - NIGHT

REY is back in bed, but someone is there with her. It's a man, tall, and strong. His shoulder-length hair is black, but his face is unseen, buried in REY's chest as she holds him tightly, comforting him as thunder claps outside.

REY [whispering]
It's okay, I'm here...

CUT TO: EXT - REY'S DREAM, COUNTRYSIDE - DAY

The vision within a vision is gone as suddenly as it appeared, and REY rides on...

CUT TO: A spiderweb, built between branches, laced with dew. At the center of which is a large black spider. Rey is in the background, admiring the creature, unafraid. She takes it in her hands, shielding it from the water. It doesn't bite. Through dream logic, REY knows this to be the SPIDER KING. She brings it closer to her face, and lends it her ear. The voice that rings out of the tiny creature is deep, and permeates all.

SPIDER KING
WHAT YOU LONG FOR CANNOT BE.

CUT TO:

REY riding onward. The road is gone, and her course takes her through a silent battlefield, the grave of thousands and thousands of soldiers. Their meatless skulls are a poor fit for their tin helmets, and their uniforms hang from their bones. Half of them are clad in red and white, the colours of liberty. The other half bear the unmistakable colours of fascists - Black, Grey, and silvery iron.

The crows are legion, picking at what remains. Some, their bellies full, stand perched idly atop tanks, the armour of which is just as ruined as the corpses beneath them.

SPIDER KING [off-screen]
YES, LEAVE THE DREAM OF SUNLIGHT BEHIND.
EMBRACE THIS FEAST, IT IS ALL FOR YOU.

REY
I don't want this. I didn't wish for this.

SPIDER KING [off-screen]
BUT YOU DESIRE IT.

REY rides on. It gets progressively darker, and the sound of battle echo just beyond her hearing. Shadows come to life, repeating the battle that had robbed them all of life. REY catches sight of a vision of herself, a Joan-Of-Arc figure brandishing a blazing weapon high, calling to all that love her to fight and die for her. FINN answers the call. POE answers the call. Them, and countless other men.

All save one.

SPIDER KING
YOU HUNGER FOR IT.

REY
No. I wished for something better.
I long for something better...

SPIDER KING
WHAT YOU LONG FOR MUST NOT BE.
IT IS THE PROMISE OF PEACE, AND PEACE...

PEACE IS A LIE.

RIDE ON, CHILD. SEE WHAT DESTINY HAS SET FOR YOU.

Defiantly, REY rides on, through the hammering of the rain, the roaring threats of thunder, and the screams of the damned, until...

CUT TO: EXT - REY'S DREAM, BEACH - DAY

The sky brightens, through it is still gray. The rain no longer pours, but it still falls.

REY pulls the breaks on her bicycle. She has arrived. Standing near the water, past a forest of swords planted in the sand, stands what REY longed for.

REY approaches him, moving past the swords, each one whispering a story that ends in cruel tragedy.

REY [hopefully]
Finn?

It could not be Finn. The man was simply too tall to be a stormtrooper.

REY continues to approach, her wet brown hair, clinging to her coat, begins to dry, and REY's shivers begin to fade. It's getting warmer.

REY [scared]
Kylo?

It could not be Kylo. The man was simply built too heroically to be the master of the Knights of Ren.

REY is right behind the man, now, feeling so small compared to him. She reaches out to him, longing to touch him.

REY
Show me your face, please...

The man twitches ever so slightly at the sound of her voice, and begins to turn around. REY smiles, but only catches a glimpse of the man's brilliant blue eyes before the world around her turns into hell, and the man before her is replaced with a horned titan clad in black armour, inlaid with silvery iron.

He backhands REY into the air.

CUT TO: EXT - REY'S NIGHTMARE, BATTLEFIELD - HELL

REY's back hits one of the swords, a wide paddle of iron, and she falls forward. Her LIGHTSABER, a saberstaff she had made herself, clatters in front of her. She is no longer in her raincoat. Instead, she was clad in dress-armour inspired by the uniforms of the Knights of Zakuul. The only bare part of her is her face, covered in cuts and bruises.

SPIDER KING [off-screen]
THIS IS WHAT MUST BE.

All around her, a battle rages amidst a firestorm. The dirt is red with blood. The screams she had thought she left behind are now roaring over the flames. Who is fighting who matters not.

The horned titan, her foe, approaches, growing larger and larger with each step. His aura is fire, but it pales in comparison to the blaze of hate that served as the irises of his eyes, peering through the eyeslits of a beastly helm.

SPIDER KING [off-screen]
YOU KILL HIM, OR HE KILLS YOU.

REY reaches for her lightsaber, but the armored giant's foot crushes it to pieces. In his right hand he wields a great sword of metal, a wide executioner's blade with a bestial design carved into it, a chain wrapped around the base. The oils on it burn, a primitive imitation of a lightsaber, crude, brutal and far more evil.

The giant drops it, and REY's confusion makes way for horror, as she realizes he means to kill her with his clawed, armored hands.

He grabs her by the wrists, and pulls her closer to his face. The helmet opens at the mouth, revealing an array of sharp lion's teeth. They open just so as the monster's voice, the roar of a beast, twists itself into words.

CEADEUS
WHO ARE YOU?!

CUT TO:

INT - FIRWIRRUNG, TEMPLE DISTRICT CLINIC - NIGHT

REY wakes to find a pair of giant black lenses staring down at her, with THEOBALD right behind them, grinning like a madman.

THEOBALD
How are you —

REY
NOOOOOOO!

THEOBALD is quickly interrupted as REY panics and reaches out with the Force, and everyone present is hoisted by the throat. RAZOO and CHEWBACCA gurgle, unable to speak, while R2-D2 merely floats.

R2-D2 [in binary]
Rey! Stop! You're safe! You're safe!
He means you no harm!

REY relents, dropping everyone to the ground. CHEWBACCA coughs hoarsely.

RAZOO
Yeah, that's how THAT feels!

THEOBALD [giddy]
Again! AGAIN! Please! I need more data!

REY sits up, and contemplates for a moment what she had just done. That moment of reflection is quickly dashed by a realization.

REY
Luke!

She darts out of bed, and makes for the exit.

THEOBALD, RAZOO and CHEWBACCA [in unison]
Wait!

EXT - FIRWIRRUNG, TEMPLE DISTRICT CLINIC - NIGHT

The entire group, THEOBALD included, hurry out of the clinic and onto the empty main street. REY leads them, her strides are wide and quick, and everyone else has trouble keeping up.

THEOBALD
Miss? Miss! I must insist you continue you stay in bed! You've only been resting for an hour!

He rummages through a DOCTOR'S BAG slung over his shoulder.

REY
Rubbish! I feel fine! Wait...

She stops.

REY
I've been asleep all that time?! Why didn't you wake me sooner?!
[To THEOBALD]
Who the heck are you?!
[To herself]
WHY AM I COVERED IN BANDAGES?!

THEOBALD
Oh, I have not been properly introduced, my name is Theobald, and I am your doctor!
The bandages were necessary, I made several incisions...

REY [livid]
SEVERAL WHAT?! WHO THE HELL GAVE YOU THE RIGHT TO CUT INTO ME YOU—

LEAD REAVER [offscreen, in ikhthýs]
We did.

Everyone looks up at the rooftops — Reavers, dozens of them, surround them. CHEWBACCA and RAZOO draw their weapons, while REY pats herself for her lightsaber.

THEOBALD just stands there, curious.

The lead REAVER steps forward, on the edge of a rooftop.

LEAD REAVER [in ikhthýs]
Peace, Witch. We mean you no harm. In fact,
we thawed doctor Theobald out to provide you with aid.

THEOBALD [oblivious, in ikhthýs]
Oh, hello, constable Thorfinn! How are you on this fine night?

REY [In basic]
Constable?

RAZOO [shocked]
CONSTABLE?! Those guys are COPS?!

THORFINN, the Lead Reaver [in ikhthýs]
We are no longer of the City Watch, good doctor.
Times have changed, as you soon will see.

REY nods slightly at RAZOO.

RAZOO
No wonder I hate these guys.

THORFINN [in ikhthýs]
Your release is conditional, good doctor.
You WILL follow this Hyur...
[he points at REY]
Wherever she goes. Fail to do so and
the consequences will be most dire.

THEO gulps.

REY [in ikhthýs]
[to Thorfinn]
Thank you, but is there anything
else you can do to assist us?

THORFINN [in ikhthýs]
Aisa sang a last command through the blood song. We were to cease attacking you, and do what we could to preserve your life. That was her final command, and we obeyed it.
[curiously]
Have you, too, partaken in the Blood of Ren? Is that the source of your power?

REY [in ikhthýs]
No, at least I don't think so. Wait, what is the Blood of Ren?!
Aisa wrote of it in her journal, but...

The LEAD REAVER looks at his deformed hands, and frowns, bitterly.

THORFINN [in ikhthýs]
It's a curse. Whence it came from, or who made it... does it matter?
Without Aisa to give us her blood, we are doomed.
[sighs]
You mean to kill Verthandi next, don't you?

REY [in ikhthýs]
We'll have to! We can't escape otherwise. Can you help us against her?

THORFINN [in ikhthýs]
No.

REY [in ikhthýs]
But Aisa...

THORFINN [in ikhthýs]
Aisa did not order us to strike down her sister, and Verthandi
could still order us to kill you, if she wished it.
Whose order would we follow? We cannot decide...
So, we have given you all the aid we can.

He points at a Tram station nearby, its lights beginning to flicker on.

THORFINN [in ikhthýs]
Your ship no longer works. This tram will take you to the Tower.
No one will attack you on your way,
But once you are in the central district, you will be on your own against Verthandi's Thralls...
And should you evade them, SHE will certainly end you herself.

The REAVERS begin to leave. THORFINN takes something out of his cloak, a fully powered draining dagger and an incomplete LIGHTNING PISTOL. He slots the dagger into the PISTOL, turning its handle into a grip. He tosses it at THEOBALD, but it falls just short of the doctors shoes as it clatters to the ground.

REY [in ikhthýs]
Wait! Where are you going?!

THORFINN [in ikhthýs]
We go to await the end of all things.
[to REY]
Farewell, Jeedaii witch.
[to THEOBALD]
...Farewell, old friend.

THEOBALD
Wait! THORFINN, I don't understand! I have so many questions!

THORFINN doesn't answer, and the REAVERS vanish into the dark corners of the city. THEOBALD, shocked and confused, slowly walks up to the LIGHTNING GUN, picks it up, and turns to the rest of the group, the weapon at his side, non-threatening.

RAZOO [to REY]
First they venerate you, then they pike off? Hmph, the jerks.

THEOBALD [distraught]
Could... can any of you... could you be so kind
and explain to me what's going on?

WIPE TO: EXT - TEMPLE DISTRICT - NIGHT

WIDE SHOT of the city as a tram leaves the Temple district's station, taking a long, scenic route towards the tower. CLOSE UP of the TRAM. Through the window we see that the interior of the vehicle is very well lit. Inside, CHEWBACCA speaks to a dejected THEOBALD, sinking depressingly into a seat as RAZOO translates the Wookiee's speech.

CUT TO: INT - TRAM CAR - NIGHT

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook]
And that's when they tossed you in.

RAZOO
"And that's when they threw you in like a sack of potatoes."

THEOBALD [distraught]
Oh... oh my, this is unbelievable.

RAZOO
Hey, we're not lying!
Well, I'm not, anyways.

THEOBALD [resigned]
No, no I do believe you.

Meanwhile, REY fishes out ANAKIN'S LIGHTSABER from her SACK, and smiles as she sees CUDDLES crawl on her hand.

REY [whispering to CUDDLES]
Hey you.

REY opens a few ration packs, wolfing down several pieces of vegetable jerky to fill her empty stomach. She gives a bit to CUDDLES, who politely shakes his head. He had already had a whole PORG, after all.

Meanwhile:

THEOBALD [distraught]
You make them sound like... like monsters out of one of those awful films.
The three priestesses of Ssi-Ruuk were divine, sage creatures.
And now they act as cackling witches?

RAZOO
Well, you saw those cops of yours. They looked pretty monstrous...
Even compared to you.

THEOBALD
I know, I noticed. So much has changed since they put me in the cryo-prison.
...How long has it been since then? What year is it?

RAZOO [pondering]
Uh, well, it's 1035 Ruusan, I think?

RAZOO turns to CHEWBACCA, and the Wookie nods, confirming the year.

THEOBALD
I... I am not familiar with that calendar. What is the year in Tho Yor?

CHEWBACCA tilts his head, and RAZOO shrugs. THEOBALD turns to R2, who merely swivels his top several times.

THEOBALD
Oh my... long enough for even your machines to forget.

THEOBALD looks out the window, and sees the damage the years spent underwater have done to the flying city. He recalls how the city looked during in the light day, so many years ago. It was beautiful, then.

The memory fades, and the harsh reality hits him again, causing him to turn away from the window.

THEOBALD
Long enough for even our finest masonry to erode.

REY
Theo... Theobald, right?

THEOBALD [earnest]
Oh, please! You may call me Theo. All my friends do... or did, once.

REY
Theo, do you know what the Blood of Ren is?

THEO
Hm... oh! That thing Thorfinn mentioned earlier...

THEO ponders the question, but then shakes his head.

THEO [continued]
I... don't think so? Why do you ask?

REY
Aisa wrote about it.
[taps her sack]
A man came with a... decanter? I'm not sure what that is.

THEOBALD
A fancy glass bottle.

REY
Oh? Right. And that bottle had the Blood in it, and I think that's
what turned them into monsters...

THEOBALD
What colour is it? Green, I presume?

REY
No...

REY gets a brief vision of the Decanter of the Blood of Ren, an ornate piece of glass, with gleaming black steel leaves and vines wrapped around it, cradled by a pair of wrinkly hands with long fingers tipped by WELL MANICURED NAILS. Between the vines are 13 metal bas-reliefs of zodiac signs, with the addition of a serpent.

Inside of the bottle is a RED LIQUID.

REY shakes the vision off.

REY
It's red.

THEO thinks about it some more, then:

THEO [realizing]
The alien lymphocytes!
I remember now! Verthandi gave me a sample, the suspension was red!
Ah, it all makes sense! I TOLD them not to use it, and they jailed me immediately afterward!

THEOBALD cradles his head.

THEO [upset]
I warned them! The horrid mutagenic properties! Too many variables!
Unpredictable! Dangerous!

R2-D2 [in binary]
We're almost there.

CUT TO:

EXT - CENTRAL DISTRICT TRAM STATION -NIGHT

The TRAM CAR approaches the Central Station's dock, illuminated by glow globes, but otherwise empty.

TRAM COMPUTER [in ikhthýs]
Attention passengers, we have arrived at Central Station Four.

RAZOO
Sorry you two, we're going to have to cut
the exposition short. That guy mentioned thralls earlier
Any idea what those might be, doc?

THEO
N-No, I'm sorry. I have no idea.

CHEWBACCA slings his Vibrosword on his back, and readies his bowcaster.

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook]
That's fine. If these "thralls" can bleed, then we can kill them.

The rest of the group get up and ready their own weapons, while THEO looks sullenly at his LIGHTNING PISTOL, holding it by the sides. There is a slight rumble as the TRAM docks, and the doors slide open... and a chorus of groans rushes in, echoing through the empty dock.

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook]
Oh, no... I know that sound.
You guys stay here, I'll scout on ahead to be sure.

RAZOO
No, let me.
[he sniffs]
You'll be spotted a mile away, the way you smell.

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook]
Very funny. Stay here, keep an eye on REY, and get the tram
ready to leave at a moment's notice.

CHEWIE steps out onto the dock, his steps oddly quiet for a creature so large. RAZOO keeps an eye out, his TL-50 ready to shoot anything hostile. The Wookie disappears down a stairwell.

THEO fishes out a pocket watch from his jacket. He opens it, and admires a picture of himself, his wife, and his infant son. He strokes the picture, lovingly. A light flickers above him, and he looks up, and is baffled at the array of adverts printed on the glowing surfaces, most of which were for entechment services, or entechment pods for the home.

The horror of it doesn't have time to sink in. Flashes of light come from the stairwell, the sound of CHEWIE'S BOWCASTER is muffled by distance and the windows. CHEWBACCA himself emerges, and sprints back towards the TRAM CAR with fear in his eyes.

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook]
ZOMBIES! THRICE-DAMNED ZOMBIES!

Chewbacca's pursuers emerge from the stairwell: GUAVIANS running with an insane, jerky gait. They're quickly followed by some KANJIKLUBBERS, their uncovered heads revealing the CRONE'S MILK streaming from their mouths and faces.

These are VERTHANDI'S THRALLS.

Through the open door, RAZOO and REY cover CHEWBACCA's escape with their guns.

REY
Shoot them in the—

RAZOO
—The head, I know!

REY
No, the legs!

REY demonstrates by shooting a sprinting Guavian THRALL in the kneecap. It doesn't quite pulverize the Guavian's cybernetic knee actuator, but it locks it up, causing him to stumble and fall just short of CHEWBACCA'S heel. Meanwhile, the Kanjiklubber THRALL Razoo had shot in the head still lurched and stumbled forward, hands outstretched. RAZOO follows REY's advice, and kneecaps the THRALL, who finally falls.

REY and RAZOO gape at the fallen Thralls: they're still moving, crawling on the ground even as their friends step over them in their scramble to catch CHEWBACCA.

REY
Chewie! Get in, GET IN!

CHEWBACCA crosses the threshold, and REY shuts the door behind him.

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook]
Quick! Before the shamblers get here!

She feeds the TRAM another coin, even as more THRALLS arrive and hammer their fists against the windows in an attempt to break in. The Tram fails to move, so REY makes a dash for the front of the TRAM.

TRAM COMPUTER
You're all going to die here.

The bright lights inside the TRAM flicker off, making way for the crimson of the emergency lamps.

REY
Oh, no... We've lost power!

We PAN around from the center of the cabin as more THRALLS appear, snarling at the nearly impenetrable windows as the group looks around them and the small horde of THRALLS that surround them. REY and RAZOO are clearly scared, and sweating. CHEWBACCA is tense, but remains determined. R2-D2 shakes.

RAZOO
Well, we're all pecked... unless someone's got an plan?

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook]
[readying his large vibrosword]
No, we're definitely kriffed. Those things just don't stay down. Trust me, I tried.

RAZOO
What's with the sword, then?

CHEWBACCA looks at RAZOO grimly.

RAZOO
...Nope. Nope Nope Nope I want a BETTER plan!

THEOBALD is also nervous, but that feeling quickly fades as he puts on his GOGGLES and scans a Twi'Lek THRALL behind one of the windows.

THEO
The Crone's Milk...

REY
What?

THEO
That fluid seeping from that one's mouth.
I never imagined...

REY
Do you know something about it?

Suddenly one of the windows begins to crack from the onslaught of blows. The Thralls, feeling no pain, have no problem shattering their fists against the thick, hardened glass. In a few moments, they would break in and kill everyone inside.

RAZOO
I'd rather you tell us how to kill these things, doc!

The cracks widen...

THEO
Well, their entire bodies are oxygenated by the milk, but the neural spores—

RAZOO
In Basic, Doc! BASIC!

THEO [frustrated]
The brain! Disconnect the brain!

Suddenly one of the windows gives way, and shards of reinforced glass rain on the floor. RAZOO and CHEWBACCA begin shooting, aiming for the THRALL's heads. It keeps them at bay, but it doesn't kill them.

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook]
I told you, that won't work!

THEO [frustrated]
Don't shoot the brain! Disconnect it! Disconnect it!

RAZOO
What?!

R2-D2 [in binary]
He means cut their heads off, genius!

Another window breaks, and Thralls climb in. REY ignites her lightsaber, and swings at their necks. Her attacks aren't precise, lacking the expertise of a master. Sometimes she strikes true, and thrall heads roll, their bodies twitching on the ground. Sometimes she struck the body, leaving the Milk-infested brain an arm or two to work with. At her worst, REY manages to lop off a chunk of skull, but she never actually misses.

Eventually, the still-mobile THRALLS begin to overwhelm her.

R2-D2
Get away from her!

R2-D2 deploys his shock probes, shocking the THRALLS attacking REY, causing them to seize up and give her much needed breathing room to finish them off.

Meanwhile, CHEWBACCA manages to keep the horde at bay, his more practiced, expert swings consistently beheading THRALLS at a steady rate.

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook]
[to RAZOO]
I got this! Go help REY!

RAZOO, his machete out, comes to REY's aid, finishing off the THRALLS she had wounded, but not beheaded. It almost looks like they're going to make it... then all the other windows broke, and more THRALLS fall in.

THEOBALD begins to quake in fear, his scientific curiosity no longer overwhelming his basic survival instinct.

RAZOO [angry]
Doc! You gonna use that gun anytime soon?!

THEOBALD draws his LIGHTNING gun, and awkwardly aims it at the nearest THRALL. But then, he sees someone in the horde, someone he recognizes...

THEOBALD [scared]
I... I can't!

CHEWBACCA is overwhelmed. A Thrall bites RAZOO's ankle. THEOBALD goes into the fetal position. Only REY and R2-D2 stand.

A Thrall pins her sword hand against the console, and attempts to bite her face off. REY's free hand pushes against the side of his face.

REY [frantic]
N-No!

The THRALL's snapping teeth get closer.

REY [angry]
Stop!

As REY struggles, the light of her LIGHTSABER shifts from bright blue to a burning red. Wisps of glowing red smoke arise from the blade....

REY [enraged]
I said STOP!

CUT TO:

EXT - FIRWIRRUNG, CENTRAL TRAM STATION - NIGHT

A red glow brightens the inside of the TRAM. There is a snarl, and the familiar scorching hum of a LIGHTSABER arcing through the air, only louder, deeper, and stronger. A red beam cuts the TRAM's hull from the inside out, killing every THRALL still outside, waiting for their turn at the feast. The few that are out of reach keep moving forward.

One of them is crushed by the double doors as REY kicks them out with the strength of a Wookiee. She emerges, bite marks all over her, none of which managed to pierce the skin. A smoking aura of red light emanates from her.

She steps out, and steps on a biting, snarling THRALL's head, crushing it underfoot.

The THRALLS rush her, and she cuts several of them down with a single swing. She overcommits, and the last THRALL takes advantage of her stumbling... only to receive a backhanded fist in the head, pulping its skull. REY's growling is the last thing it hears.

The THRALLS - at least, the ones in the station - are all dead. REY switches the LIGHTSABER off, and she feels the strain of using the power of the KRAYT DRAGON PEARL. Her face is slick with sweat, and her breath is ragged.

The WITCH appears besides REY, and she whispers something in her ear.

WITCH
Just one more. One more kill, one more sacrifice, and your weapon will be complete.

REY looks over her shoulder, but the WITCH is gone. Instead, she sees the rest of the party stepping out of the TRAM. CHEWBACCA is covered in blood and green milk, but he seems fine. RAZOO is missing a chunk of his boot, but he barely limps.

THEO [worried]
Please, let me...

RAZOO [bitterly]
Don't touch me, you damned coward.

RAZOO takes a good look at REY's carnage, and his attitude changes.

RAZOO
Peck.

They walk amidst the bodies. THEO looks down, shocked at the body parts. A DAGONIAN THRALL head snarls at him, and he shoots it with his lightning pistol, causing it to explode. CHEWBACCA, startled, snarls at him.

THEO
Oh my... I... I think that was my mailman.

RAZOO
Big deal. I used to play Pazaak with that kriffer over there.

He stomps a KANJIKLUBBBER THRALL's skull three times, before it stops moving.

RAZOO
Schutta owed me 100 credits.

CHEWBACCA
Rey?

REY is still just standing there, marveling at her handiwork.

REY
Hm? Yeah, yeah I'm alright.
What now?

CHEWBACCA
We need to get out of here.

As the group leaves, a PORG looks on from above.

INT - FIRWIRRUNG CORE ROOM - NIGHT

VERTHANDI watches them leave, then replays the slaughter in her orb.

VERTHANDI
Magnificent.
[taunting]
Do you still hope to turn her into a Jeedai?
There is a... savagery in her that your heathen cult lacks.

LUKE [weakly]
There's still hope... for her... but not... not for you....
Not if you keep this up...
Her powers are growing too fast, too much for anyone to control, not even you.

VERTHANDI
I can control ANYTHING.
I can control EVERYTHING.

LUKE [weakly]
I knew an Emperor who thought the same...

EXT - FIRWIRRUNG, CENTRAL DISTRICT MAIN STREET, NIGHT

Lit up by the lamposts and glowglobes, the Central district would have seemed luxurious, were it not for the millenia of water damage and the THRALLS infesting the slick cobblestone streets. The accumulation of centuries of errant adventurers unfortunate enough to have been caught in the CRONE's grasp, the THRALL HORDE was an ecclectic bunch of long dead DAGONIANS and various aliens species preserved by the CRONE's MILK inside their bodies. The state of their bodies are almost as diverse, with some looking like freshly slain corpses and others appearing as ambulant mummies.

The party walks through the streets, but the HORDE doesn't attack them. THEO looks at the DAGONIAN THRALLS just standing there, trying to catch something unseen...

THEO [horrified]
Ssi-Ruuk's mercy, this... this is...

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook]
Quiet! We don't want to alert any Runners!

RAZOO shushes THEO.

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook]
Watch out for the Shamblers. Keep yourselves out of their reach.

REY
You keep saying that. What are Shamblers?

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook]
[pointing at a THRALL]
Those. The ones too rotten and too slow to chase us.
Think of these as an environmental hazard, like a pool of acid.

They come across a HORDE so dense it's impossible to pass through. REY ignites her lightsaber...

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook]
Rey, no!
[To RAZOO]
Ask the doctor if he knows a way up on the rooftops.

RAZOO repeats CHEWBACCA's question in basic.

THEO
...Hm? Oh! All buildings in Firwirrung have
fire escapes that lead all the way up.

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook]
Is that so?

EXT - FIRWIRRUNG, CENTRAL DISTRICT ALLEY, NIGHT

CHEWBACCA beheads a SHAMBLER in the way, letting out a grunt as he crushes the severed head under his foot to keep it from snarling too loudly. He's visibly hurt and tired, but he soldiers on.

REY
Chewie, you look terrible. Maybe Theo can have a look at you?

THEO [earnest]
I can treat arboreals, I assure you!

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook]
Later, when we've found a safe spot.

They climb up the tallest building's fire escape. The metal stairs are encrusted with bits of underwater fauna, which react to their footsteps the whole way up, lashing their weak little tendrils in the hopes of finding food.

R2 simply flies up.

EXT - FIRWIRRUNG, CENTRAL DISTRICT, ROOFTOPS, NIGHT

RAZOO
Great view from up here, I guess. Now what?

From this vantage point, CHEWBACCA surveys the area with his EV2 Macrobinoculars. REY walks up besides him, and he hands them to her.

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook]
Hm... and no secondary entrances to that tower...
But the front door's wide open.
Rey? Have a look.

We assume REY's POV through the binoculars. She sees the main entrance to the TOWER... and the tens of thousands of THRALLS concentrated at the entrance and the TERRACE leading up to it.

The front double doors, large enough to fit an AT-AT walker through, were indeed wide open.

REY
Stars... how are we going to get past all of these?

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook]
Hand me the binoculars...

CHEWBACCA scans the horizon, until he finds a few items of interest: a GUAVIAN speeder crashed into a storefront, and an upside-down KANJIKLUB SCYK STARFIGHTER that had managed to crashland on a stretch of rooftops, balanced precariously over the edge.

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook]
Well, the fighter's down for good, but I see a
concussion missile poking out of that wing.
And there's a speeder... looks serviceable. Think you can fix it?

REY examines the SPEEDER through the binoculars.

REY
I think so, yeah, nothing's leaking
and Artoo's got a full set of tools.

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook]
The fighter? Think you can extract
that missile from the launcher?

REY
Hm... risky, but yeah, shouldn't be a problem.
Why? What do you have in mind?

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook]
You'll see.
[loudly]
Let's move out! We're headed for that fighter!

The group moves from rooftop to rooftop, across interconnected buildings. They quickly come across a gap six meters across.

RAZOO
I could jump that, easy.
[he smirks at CHEWBACCA]
Don't know about you, though.

THEO
Oh, that's not necessary.
All of Firwirrung's apartment buildings come equipped
with emergency bridge ladders.

RAZOO
Err... why?

THEO
In case the fire escapes are... well, on fire.

RAZOO
...They're METAL.

THEO
That didn't stop that pyromaniacal Jeedai...
Ahem! In any case...

THEO walks up to a contraption set on the edge of the roof, and proceeds to turn its large crank. The mechanism is loud, lacking in lubrication, but it works: A sturdy ladder rises from the machine.

Suddenly, the cranks locks up. THEO struggles to get to move, and CHEWBACCA takes over. With some effort, the ladder rises again, but slowly.

R2-D2 [in binary]
Really not liking the noise this thing makes.

REY
Any runners?

As if on cue, GUAVIAN THRALL RUNNERS can be heard snarling from below, emerging from the HORDE. Their cybernetics let them quickly scale up the building. RAZOO keeps them at bay with his REPEATER, but more emerge from the darkness.

REY meets them with her lightsaber.

REY
CHEWIE, KEEP TURNING THE CRANK!

More RUNNERS come, and RAZOO switches to his melee weapon. R2 helps with his shockprobe, while THEOBALD, Lightning gun out, shakes with fear.

RAZOO
Doc! If you don't start shooting real soon
I'm going to take this REAL personal!

THEO
I... I can't, I'm a doctor! A doctor, not a shootist!

REY
Just shoot, damn you!

THEO finds some courage, aims at a RUNNER's general direction, and pulls the trigger, and misses... only to hit another RUNNER in the chest, causing its abdomen to explode. Without its core muscles, it wasn't going anywhere.

THEO [distraught]
Oh my!

Finally, the ladder is fully extended, and it falls down, bridging the gap.

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook]
Go, go, go!
Doctor, you go first!

THEO can't make sense of the WOOKIEE's snarls, but goes through anyways. CHEWBACCA urges REY to go next, covering her with his BOWCASTER. It doesn't do enough raw damage to take out a THRALL, but its stopping power is enough to send them flying back.

RAZOO goes next, with R2 flying besides him across the bridge. CHEWBACCA goes last, and his weight causes the ladder to bend...

RAZOO
Hurry up!

The rest of the party covers CHEWBACCA's crossing with their ranged weapons, with THEO barely accounting for himself with only one more kill. CHEWBACCA is halfway there before a RUNNER leaps at the Wookiee, sinking its teeth into his neck, CHEWIE fights him off, but loses his balance, and nearly falls. He grabs the ladder... only to buckle under his weight and break.

CHEWBACCA falls. The HORDE awaits him, ten stories below...

REY [scared]
NO!

The Force gathers around CHEWBACCA, and holds him aloft, inches from the grasping hands of the THRALLS below, before lifting him back up and depositing him right in front of THEO.

R2-D2 [relieved, in binary]
Whew, thought you were a goner there, old friend!

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook]
So did I.
[To REY]
Thank you.

REY
That... that wasn't me.

RAZOO
Well, if it wasn't you, who was it?

THEO
Does it matter? The arboreal is wounded, he needs first aid!

CUT TO: THEO applying disinfectant and sticking a KOLTO patch on CHEWBACCA's neck wound, while the Wookiee sits on lawn chair bolted on the roof.

RAZOO
That bite looks... really, really bad.

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook]
Be honest with me, doctor. How long before
I start snarling and eating brains?

THEO
What did he say?

REY
He wants to know how long before he turns into a Thrall.

THEO moves on to the superficial wounds, spraying a foam on them.

THEO [calmly]
Not any time soon - Crone's Milk bacteria doesn't replicate that fast.
To saturate the brain, injection or ingestion would be faster.

RAZOO [suspicious]
You seem to know an awful lot about it.

THEO
I should, I worked on its initial clinical trials.

REY [confused]
Clinical... trials?

THEO
It was while it was an early discovery,
the product of culturing Jeedai liver cells.
The resulting... goo, for the lack of a better word,
proved to be a useful way to preserve
organic specimens for later us.
[he chuckles]
It smells like rotten milk, hence the name.

RAZOO eyes REY, and takes her aside while THEO keeps bandaging CHEWBACCA

RAZOO [whispering, in huttese]
You trust this guy?

REY [whispering, in huttese]
Sure, why not?

RAZOO [In huttese]
He just admitted to harvesting Jedi livers!

REY [In huttese]
Look, if he really meant us any harm,
I think we'd be dead by now.

RAZOO [In huttese]
We don't even know why he's following us around!

REY [In huttese]
Thorfinn told him to?
Maybe he just wants to help?
Good enough reasons for me.

RAZOO [In huttese]
You're far too trusting.

REY [In huttese]
Yeah, you're right. I mean here I am,
keeping company with a pirate that
wouldn't have thought twice about selling
me out the First Order a few weeks ago.

She eyes him meaningfully.

RAZOO [In huttese]
How did you—

REY [In huttese]
[smiles, taps the side of her head]
Jedi trainee, remember?
Look, the point is, I have just as much
reason to trust him as I have to trust you...but I do it anyways.
Maybe it's the will of the Force, I don't know.
Just trust my instincts, okay?

RAZOO [relenting]
Fine, but I'll keep my eye on him.

CUT TO: A bandaged up CHEWBACCA cranking another bridge ladder. Despite the noise, no more RUNNERS come.

R2-D2
Nothing on motion sensors.
I guess we're good.

The party crosses over again, the fallen STARFIGHTER well withing sight. As they walk across another roof, RAZOO probes THEO.

RAZOO
Hey... doc?

THEO
Yes?

RAZOO
Those ah, "clinical trials" ...
were any live Jedi involved?

THEO
I honestly do not know.
I was put in cryostasis before
the Milk's... other properties
were discovered. I don't see why not, though.
Why do you ask?

RAZOO [apprehensive]
So... what are our chances of
encountering Zombie Jedi?

THEO [nervous]
Slim, I hope...

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook]
Just one more crank and we're there.

Something screams madly, the sound echoing through the dark, giving everyone in the party a fright.

RAZOO
What the hell was that?!

The scream echoes again, louder and closer. REY draws her lightsaber, while everyone else ready their guns. Back to back, they scan the area with their eyes.

REY
Where is it?
Artoo? Do you have
anything on your sensors?

R2-D2
Just the blips below us.

Another screech. They wait, and wait, but nothing comes. REY sighs in relief.

RAZOO
The minute we drop our guard,
it'll strike. I just know it.

REY
Well, we can't just stay still.
Come on.

CUT TO: REY and R2-D2 salvaging the warhead from the missile. The task is difficult, and precarious, made all the more stressful by the threat of the ship falling over.

The propellant tank is leaking, and THEO crinkles his nostrils while his gills shut close.

THEO
Augh! The smell!
What is that?!

RAZOO [smiling]
My own recipe!
Extra Hydrogen in the mix - gets
you twenty percent more thrust!

R2-D2 [in binary]
And a hundred percent more
flaming death on a critical hit.

RAZOO [deflated]
Yeah... yeah, that too.

Before long the explosive and its detonator are bundled in a sack of cloth, and strapped to CHEWBACCA's back.

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook]
Good work, you two.

REY and R2-D2
Thanks.

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook]
Now, let's get to that speeder!

EXT - FIRWIRRUNG, CENTRAL DISTRICT MAIN STREET, NIGHT

Atop a rooftop the party examines the crashed LANDSPEEDER directly below them. It's an older Aratech Imperial Light Infantry Utility Vehicle, customized with two extra seats and a triple-barreled BARAGWIN HEAVY AUTOBLASTER RIFLE mounted on the front, all painted in GUAVIAN colours. The driver and gunner were dead, having been beheaded only hours ago. Hundreds of THRALLS shamble about, some of them looking 'fresh' enough to be RUNNERS.

RAZOO
So, how badly do we need this speeder?

CHEWBACCA
Badly.
[to REY]
Still salvageable, right?

REY
Sure. Core block shouldn't be too banged up...
assuming we could get to it: from the fire escape to the speeder,
there are just too many of those things.

RAZOO
I can get to it. Could you walk me through the repairs?

REY
Sure, but...

RAZOO is already on his way down, using his parkour skills to quickly make his way below. CHEWBACCA covers him with the BOWCASTER.

Meanwhile, something catches THEO's eye: a large billboard, the painting protected by a layer of thick glass. It was an advertisement for a portable entechment pod, extolling its virtues: power for the home, longer life for you and your loved ones. A small line at the bottom, starting with an asterix, reads:

*CATTLE NOT INCLUDED.

A look of bafflement comes across THEO's face, quickly morphing into sheer disgust. He looks away, ashamed.

RAZOO lands on top of the SPEEDER, and checks for any reaction from the SHAMBLERS. So far, no RUNNERS among them. He activates his commlink.

RAZOO [radio]
Any movement?

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook]
No, you're clear.

RAZOO [radio]
Alright then, let's get to work.

RAZOO begins by pushing the bodies away, and trying out the ignition. There's a rumble of repulsorlifts coming to life, then a sputter, then nothing.

REY [through commlink]
Okay, sounds like the ignition magneto isn't turning right.

RAZOO [radio]
How do I fix it?

REY
Get to the front and pop that panel by the gun mount.

RAZOO [radio]
Done... oookay, that's a lot of bits. I forgot to pack a toolbox, here.

REY
No need, just use your blade to get the magneto spinning...
it's the rotor with all the magnets.

RAZOO [radio]
Aaaand done.

REY
Try igniting the engine now.

A moment later, the LANDSPEEDERS' engine comes to life, and RAZOO drives it as close to the fire escape. The rest of the group comes down the metal stairs of the fire escape.

RAZOO
Need a lift?

CUT TO: The party, aboard the LANDSPEEDER, RAZOO at the controls, laughing gleefully as THRALLS get run over.

REY
Having fun?

RAZOO
You bet!

REY
Still, can't you go any faster?

RAZOO
Not a good idea, the street's a curve and—

The wailing from earlier returns, the sound approaching fast.

RAZOO
Please tell me that was another false alarm!

REY
It's not! LOOK!

At the top of a tall apartment building crawls an affront against god and man, a gigantic, misshapen artificial creature that would resemble a man were it not for the six arms grasping the building like an arachnid, or the flayed flesh turned inside out, exposing various redudant organs of dubious purpose. It had no legs to speak of, only a mass of sloppy tentacles — or intestines — that clung to the walls like a mop. The creature's head, a disproportionately small skull with barely enough flesh to animated it jaw, was aimed directly at REY, staring at her with the void that served as its eyes.

This the ORPHAN, and it is half the size of a RANCOR. It roars at it leaps at the LANDSPEEDER, with an agility belied by its size.

THEO [horrified]
Oh, GODS!

REY's horrified face is obscured by its shadow, moments before it crashes to the ground... and moves itself forward with the power of its six arms, slowly catching up to the LANDSPEEDER.

REY
FASTER! GO FASTER!

RAZOO
I'm trying!

RAZOO pushes the throttle up, and grazes a wall as he attempts to make a turn. This slows the LANDSPEEDER down enough for the ORPHAN to take a swing at it, only to narrowly miss. Its palm hits cobblestone, sending a cloud of pulverized rock and cement up in the air. The ORPHAN resumes the chase,

THE ORPHAN [roaring]
DAAAAAAH...

The sound it makes causes THEO to make himself small in his seat, and cover his ears.

THEO [terrified]
No, no no this isn't happening this isn't happening...

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook]
Rey! Finish priming the explosive!
I'll take care of this!

CHEWBACCA hands the warhead to REY, complete with the partially reconnected detonator. He then grabs the mounted AUTOBLASTER and begins firing bursts of photons at the ORPHAN. Bits and pieces of its flesh and bone evaporate on impact, but it doesn't seem to care.

The wounds vanish.

THE ORPHAN [roaring]
...DAAAAAAAAAAAH

RAZOO
You're just pissing it off!

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook]
Shut up and drive!

RAZOO goes as fast as he can, but the ORPHAN gets closer, smashing any THRALL along the way, CHEWBACCA grows more desperate and gives up on trigger discipline. The stream of blaster bolts becomes constant, and the Orphan's head is inches from the LANDSPEEDER before the Wookiee gets the idea to aim for the eyes.

The ORPHAN screams in agony, and flees down another street. CHEWBACCA breathes a sigh of relief, as the emergency coolant flush dissipates the heat of the AUTOBLASTER RIFLE.

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook]
Mother of trees, that was close!

RAZOO
Did you kill it?

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook]
No, but I expect it'll be licking its wounds wounds for a bit.
Rey? How's our little bomb?

REY
It's ready! I just need to set the timer!

The LANDSPEEDER turns, and is now on the straight path to the tower.

RAZOO
Well, we're almost there...

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook]
Good, now the next part should be simple—

The ORPHAN moves to bar their way, grinning like a child, the imitation of insane laughter rumbling from its throat. RAZOO pulls the air-brakes just in time, and goes into reverse. Thus, a game of cat-and-mouse begins, with the LANDSPEEDER racing across the area in a desperate bid not to be eaten by the ORPHAN.

RAZOO
Anyone got an idea? Because we can't do this forever!

REY
I've got one! Get us to back to the fighter!

RAZOO
What?!

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook]
Do as she says!

CUT TO: The LANDSPEEDER approaching the building's ledge upon which the SCYK STARFIGHTER is dangerously balanced. REY takes a deep breath, closes her eyes, and reaches out for the wreck.

REY
I hope this works... Chewie! Get ready to shoot!

The LANDSPEEDER passes right under the fighter, and through the Force REY gives the fighter that nudge necessary to get to tip over and fall. The wreck lands, not atop the chasing ORPHAN as REY had hoped, but right in front of it.

The Orphan stops, and tilts its head, genuinely curious at the object, like a child discovering a new toy. It whines like a sad dog as it picks up the SCYK.

The LANDSPEEDER stops.

REY
Shoot!

CHEWBACCA looses another barrage of blaster fire, aimed at the leaky fuel tank. The AUTOBLASTER is not a precise weapon, and it narrowly misses the mark.

Annoyed, the ORPHAN snarls and lifts the SCYK over its head, ready to throw the ship at the party.

The gun goes into emergency cooldown.

REY [eyes wide]
Oh, poodoo...

RAZOO sets the throttle back to max, but it doesn't look like he'll get the LANDSPEEDER out of the way in time.

Suddenly, lightning surges out and hits the SCYK. Electricity arcs all over the SCYK, igniting the leaking fuel and detonating the fuel tank. The ORPHAN screams as its grasping hands are disintegrated in the blast, and its body is bathed in flaming fuel.

CUT TO: Theo, holding a smoking lightning gun.

THEO [sadly]
I'm so sorry.

RAZOO [laughing]
Sorry for what?

RAZOO checks the rear-view mirror. The ORPHAN isn't chasing them, and its anguished cries grow more faint.

RAZOO [cont'd]
You just saved the day, doc!
Well done!

THEO says nothing, and merely clutches his pocket watch.

R2-D2 [in binary]
That was some quick thinking, Rey.

REY
Thanks. Now, Chewie, why are we lugging this warhead?

CHEWBACCA says nothing, and smiles.

CUT TO:

EXT - FIRWIRRUNG, CENTRAL TOWER's TERRACE - NIGHT

The LANDSPEEDER goes full speed towards the terrace.

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook]
Jump!

REY and RAZOO leap off the LANDSPEEDER, tucking and rolling before they land. R2-D2, once again, just flies off, while CHEWBACCA, holding the ripped off AUTOBLASTER in one hand and THEO over his shoulder, is the last to jump out.

THEO [flustered]
Oh, my!

The WARHEAD next to the throttle set to max, ticks off...

The LANDSPEEDER's prow plows through the HORDE, barely slowing down from the sheer mass of bodies in its way. The ASSAULT MISSILE's warhead detonates, obliterating thousands of the THRALLS at once.

WIDE SHOT of the explosion, a fireball that mushrooms up, its orange blazing light contrasting sharply with the ambient green of FIRWIRRUNG. The fireball fades, but the blaze endures on the TERRACE. Thralls, the coral garden, the wreckage... all were on fire.

RAZOO, a pyromaniac, appreciates the spectacle.

RAZOO
Oh, it's beautiful.

CHEWBACCA and RAZOO take the lead, taking any shambling, burning THRALL in their way with their guns. THEO and REY are right behind them, along with R2-D2. The entrance to the tower awaits...

REY [in ikhthýs]
Theo? Are you alright?

THEO
All that's left of my people is going up in flames.
Before my very eyes. I could be doing better, I think.

REY looks around - once again, a blaze, consuming all.

REY
I'm sorry... If there had been a better way...

THEO
No, it's alright... they were already dead.
Well, we're almost there... Ms. Rey?

REY
Yes?

THEO
I beg you... let me talk to Verthandi,
let me try to talk some sense into her.

REY
I don't know... I fought her sisters, and they're just too far gone.

THEO [pleading]
Please!... I beg you, I must try!

THEO grasps his pocket watch tightly.

THEO [cont'd]
I must!

REY
... Alright. But if you can't get her to stop, or just let us go...

REY grasps her Lightsaber tightly.

REY
I'll do what I must.

THEO
...I understand.

INT- FIRWIRRUNG CENTRAL TOWER, MAIN LEVEL.

The party crosses the threshold, and its members find themselves in the incredibly vast main hall of the CENTRAL TOWER. The floor, smooth marble, would be impeccable, if it weren't for the trail of afterbirth all over it.

REY and RAZOO
Ew.

R2-D2
So... there's an elevator, right? I mean, I only got so much fuel
and stairs aren't my best friend and this tower is really, REALLY tall.

REY
Theo? Where's the elevator?

THEO
Down the main hall, second to the left.

RAZOO
Eurgh. Watch your step, guys.

They come across the second hall on the left, and indeed find several elevators along its two walls. RAZOO and CHEWBACCA press the call buttons, but REY, overcome with curiosity, follows the trail of afterbirth to its source:

INT - CENTRAL TOWER, VERTHANDI'S LABORATORY – NIGHT

At the center what was once the city council chamber is the ruined artificial womb, from which the ORPHAN had emerged mere hours earlier. REY checks Luke's map: the chamber isn't marked, implying that Luke never managed to make it inside. THEO follows REY in, followed by the rest of the gang, who are a little perplexed.

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook]
Rey? Luke's can't wait much longer.

RAZOO
Oh, poodoo, the smell...

REY's eyes scan the room: There's a glass pod with a human pale dark haired woman inside, surrounded by antennae, wires, and dynamos. Little curiosities are strewn about, of note is a lump of PROGRAMMABLE MATTER suspended on a small metal dish with three prongs, shifting between states. Books are strewn all over the ground and several tables, covering a cornucopia of subjects: anatomy, biology, psychology, microbiology, fencing, STAFF FIGHTING... even marriage. And of course, there was a journal: VERTHANDI's JOURNAL.

RAZOO, for his part, finds a PORG-SIZED cloning vat, then spots something far more interesting: a dozen beds with straps. Glass tanks filled with CRONE'S MILK hung right above them, hoses dangling from the side, with spiggots design to be shoved down someone's throat.

RAZOO
Doc? I take it that's the ah... "Thrall" factory floor?

THEO merely stares at the glass pod. He knew the woman inside. RAZOO walks up behind him.

RAZOO [apprehensively]
...Jedi zombie?

THEO [sadly]
Jeedai? Yes.
Zombie? No.
[sighs]
Fear not, she's dead. Long dead.

Unable to stop herself, REY walks up to the JOURNAL and reads it out loud.

REY [reading]
Year of Tho Yor... 31,945.
The Blood of Ren has opened our minds to something... beautiful.

KYLO REN appears behind her, and she feels the coldness of his presence, and turns around in a fright. He is not there. CHEWBACCA and RAZOO look at her, puzzled.

REY [cont'd]
Immortality is ours, and not only that, we now have insight into energies we thought pagan myth.
There is a music in our thoughts. A Blood Song.

REY flips some pages.

REY [cont'd]
Tho Yor, 31,956...
Our understanding of the Jeedai grows, and so we apply what we've learned to Entechment.
We've thawed out some of the Jedi Cattle, and we've extracted so much from them.
Firwirrung lives again, will live on for another century... but still we must hide.

REY flips more and more pages.

REY [cont'd]
We've run out. We need to capture more. Our last Jedi, that mute WOMAN
HE took a fancy to! I will turn her into a siren's call. People will come here,
fall into our trap, and we will drain them dry.

The rationing is causing unrest.
I need to control the people.
The Crone's Milk... it sings a song as well.
It has potential.

REY turns one page.

REY [cont'd]
The Siren is playing us for fools, I know it.
No Jeedai come, and the catch is paltry.
We may have to go to sleep again soon, to preserve what little we have left.

CLOSE UP of the glass pod.

REY [cont'd]
The song grows faint... and the nightly pains persist.
What is wrong with us?
Thirty... I feel so thirsty.
...
We are changing. We're becoming monsters...
The people cannot know.

REY skims through the pages.

REY [to herself]
It's all lists now, numbers of 'cattle' captured, organized by species.
She doesn't even track the year any more.
Sterile notes about the Crone's milk... how it serves as some sort of antenna for her
'Blood Song', whatever that is.

THEO
Anything more about the Blood of Ren?

REY
Hold on... urgh, detailed description of... wait, what's this word?

THEO comes over and translates.

THEO
"Metamorphosis" is the word in Basic, I believe.
[reads]
Oh... oh my.

REY
Yeah. Detailed. Gonna skip that...
[reads]
The Siren's Call is broken. No one else will come.
There is barely enough energy to leave this place, and without a destination
We would fly to our doom. We must wait.
The changes... they have stopped.
But it still hurts... and the Blood Song is a cacophony.

REY flips the next page... and the one after that, finding nothing but the word BLOOD OF REN printed over and over again in less and less graceful handwriting. Occasionally, the word THIRSTY breaks up the monotony. Finally, hundreds of pages later, REY finds something sane.

THEO
Wait, hold on, something about the milk... ahem!
[reading]
The Milk soothes the pain, a secret I shan't share with the others.
...
My addiction to the Jeedai filth grows, and my metamorphosis mocks me for it.
No matter, it has become useful for the trap.
I can control anything, now. So long as they DRINK.

REY [cont'd]
Ssi-Ruuk finally smiles on us.
A Jeedai has fallen into our trap... and the power in his blood is
stronger than all that have come before, even amongst his kind.
We must be careful with this one... drain too much too soon and we will
lose a deep font of energy.

REY skips ahead to the last entry. The ink is a bit smudged. REY sniffs, and smells its freshness.

REY [cont'd]
There is another.
The trap is sprung.

RAZOO
[sighs]
So what have we learned today, kids?

REY sets the journal down.

REY [dead serious]
That the Knights of Ren, Kylo, Snoke... the whole bloody First Order. They're connected to all this somehow.
Everything horrible thing that's happened here... it's their fault.

She shuts it.

REY [cont'd]
all of it.

CUT TO:
INT- FIRWIRRUNG CENTRAL TOWER, MAIN LEVEL - NIGHT

The party enters one of the elevator cages. THEO shuts it, and presses the button to the top floor. The buttons that would have lead to the Undercity have a lock next to them, barring them from access to the public. The group checks their weapons, preparing themselves for the final confrontation.

INT- FIRWIRRUNG CENTRAL TOWER UPPER LEVELS - NIGHT

The floor indicator reaches its apex, and the elevator cage rises still, only now it is exposed to the TOWER's metallic entrails. The entire WIRELESS ELECTRIC TRANSMISSIONS system of the city is stored here, arcing electricity towards the ground. REY can feel her hairs raise, and poor CHEWBACCA struggles to keep some of his fur down.

RAZOO points at the spheres, lining the walls.

RAZOO
The heck are those?

REY
They look like... supercapacitors.

RAZOO
They look all charged...
Where does the juice come from?

Suddenly, the elevator stops on a mesh platform of criss-crossing black iron. The party steps out, REY taking the lead with her lightsaber. There is a tense silence in the darkness, occasionally broken up by an arc of lightning far below, as that party scan the area with their eyes, wary of any danger.

RAZOO
Is this it?
Is this as far as the elevator goes?

THEO
Probably. I have never been this far up.

RAZOO
So where's the big boss?

REY looks up: some six stories up is the ceiling, and a hatch leading up.

REY
We have to go further up.

CHEWBACCA points at a spiral staircase running along the TOWER's walls.

Unseen, a PORG watches them from a perch.

CHEWBACCA
Over there!

CUT TO: The party climbing up the stairs, with REY at the lead and CHEWBACCA at the back, lugging R2-D2 under his arm. Mercifully, the TOWER's slight sloping made it narrower at the upper levels, so the spiral of stairs doesn't take too long to scale.

Suddenly, there's a thump echoing through the walls.

R2-D2 [in binary]
What was that?!

The party hurries up the stairs. Chips of stone fall upon them with each stump, until finally, the ORPHAN's burnt fist smashes through the stone, narrowly missing REY. The ORPHAN peers through the hole, roaring in either fury or desperation, it's impossible to tell which. The ORPHAN reaches into the hole again, hoping to catch something, but REY slashes it with her lightsaber before it can grasp anything, or anyone.

It screams in pain as the gash burns in blue fire, and its arm retreats outside.

REY
Keep moving!
It won't be able to reach us inside the island!

The crew runs up the spiral staircase, growing more exhausted with every step. There is more thumping - a crack forms in front of REY, and she runs past it, confident her companions will clear it before the ORPHAN can punch through. They do, but the ORPHAN narrowly misses CHEWBACCA.

CHEWBACCA [in Shyriiwook]
I'm okay! Keep moving!

They keep running, and are half-way to the hatch. The ORPHAN keeps trying to break in...

EXT - FIRWIRRUNG, TOWER - NIGHT

Four of THE ORPHAN's clawed hands dig into the stone as the other two are brought together to smash against the TOWER's wall. Cracks form between them as the Orphan prepares to strike a third time...

INT- FIRWIRRUNG CENTRAL TOWER, MAIN LEVEL - NIGHT

THE ORPHAN crashes through the wall, taking RAZOO, CHEWBACCA and R2-D2 down with it to the mesh floor below. Miraculously, neither RAZOO nor CHEWBACCA are killed by the fall, but with the spiral staircase broken they are now trapped with a giant abomination strong enough to batter its way through stone.

REY is about to leap down to help them, but is stopped by THEO. CHEWBACCA snarls at her, bowcaster in one hand and autoblaster in the other. RAZOO gets up and squares off against the creature, even as he gulps and his eyes dart for an escape route.

CHEWBACCA
REY! GO!

REY
But...!

CHEWBACCA
You've wasted enough time!
Save Luke! Save the Resistance!

CHEWBACCA roars and fires his guns akimbo, getting the creatures attention. REY continues on, looking back at her newfound friends.

REY
I'll be back!
I promise! Just hold on!

RAZOO [nervous]
Just go already!

REY makes her way up the hatch with THEO, and once they are through they close the hatch, shutting away CHEWBACCA's war cry, RAZOO's flurry of insults, R2-D2's frantic beeps, and the sound of desperate combat...

INT - FIRWIRRUNG CORE ROOM - NIGHT

VERTHANDI stands beneath the ENTECHMENT MACHINE as it drains LUKE. The chamber darkly lit by the sickly green glow of the artifact. Multicoloured marbles glow in the dark like stars, the accumulated memories of Luke Skywalker.

There is the sound of footsteps in the dark, and VERTHANDI smiles.

VERTHANDI
Ah, you've arrived at last.

Out of the shadows, THEOBALD steps out, nervously.

VERTHANDI [venomously]
Theo. I see Thorfinn has
the same sense of humor he always had.
Have you come to beg
forgiveness for your betrayal?

THEO
I betrayed no one!

VERTHANDI
No matter, I found some use for that
Hyur harlot you loved so much, after all.
But you know that already.

THEO nods, and she laughs cruelly at him.

VERTHANDI
Where is the girl?

THEO [lying]
She lost her way here.

VERTHANDI
Is that... so?
You've come here alone? Why?

THEO
I... I wanted to see for myself.
The aliens, they told me things, unbelievable things.
I thought that it was all a misunderstanding...
I believed that, even as I saw our own City Watch turned to mutants,
even as I saw so much of our dead desecrated,
even as I saw you and your sisters turn a desperate stopgap into
an entire way of life! Tell me, Thandi! Am I the last,
unchanged Dagonian in all Firwirrung?!

VERTHANDI
Hardly. More of our people sleep below, in the catacombs and undercities.

THEO [hopeful]
What?! Then there is still hope!

VERTHANDI
Oh, you have no idea. Soon, I will have enough
power to bring them all to the Blood of Ren.

THEO's face falls.

THEO
...What?
You want to... you want to give our people the mutagen?

VERTHANDI
Do not cheapen this miracle with
soulless nomenclature! I want to give our people
the gift of the Blood Song!

As they speak, the voice of SUPREME LEADER SNOKE can be heard whispering, faintly echoing in the dark, promising limitless power to VERTHANDI...

SNOKE [off-screen]
Come to me...
I have such things to show you...
Terrifying things...
Beautiful things...

THEO
You would force this mutation on us all?!

VERTHANDI
LOOK AT ME!
Look past the crude, IMMORTAL matter that is my body,
and FEEL the Luminous energy that emanates from my soul!
What am I now, if not Ssi-Ruuk's chosen angel?
Who would turn away such a gift?!
The fools, the heretics! Just like you!

THEO
JUST LIKE OUR CHILD?!

VERTHANDI, who had been towering over THEO, is taken aback at this. SNOKE's whispers fade.

THEO
That's right! I've seen what you've done to him!
Was he willing, when you desecrated his corpse and shoved
him inside that horrid imitation of a womb down below?!

VERTHANDI
...I gave him new life!

THEO
What sort of life?! As an undying abomination in constant pain?!

VERTHANDI
AS AN ANGEL OF SSI-RUUK!

THEO
Angels aren't DOOMED to DIE of mere CANCER!
I could see it, even as he chased us down!
Is that the glorious future you have in store for us?!
Is that—

VERTHANDI grabs THEO by the collar and hoists him up. Something attached to her chest snakes out, a breast distended into tentacle. CRONE'S MILK drips from the tip. As it approaches THEO's mouth, VERTHANDI reaches for his Lightning Gun and hides it in her robes.

THEO struggles to keep it away from its mouth, knowing full well that drinking too much will mean the death of his mind.

VERTHANDI
You always lacked vision, Theo.
Just like Nona, just like Aisa...
At least as a Thrall you will stop ARGUING against
the divine, as you always did!

Tearfully, THEO closes his eyes, and resigns himself to what will happen.

THEO
Do what you must.

That is when REY QUICKENS from the shadows and swings her lightsaber's blue blade down into VERTHANDI'S torso, cutting through the right shoulder into the breast. VERTHANDI screams in agony as the tentacle to convulses. CRONE'S MILK splashes and spills onto the ground.

The blade doesn't quite cut through all the way down. VERTHANDI grits her teeth, as a golden aura forms around her body. She reaches behind and grabs REY by the top of her head, and throws her into a wall of rock.

REY's lightsaber goes red, moments before she impacts against the wall. The rock she smashes against cracks, but REY herself is unbroken, even as she falls to the ground.

VERTHANDI
Ah, there you are.

VERTHANDI FORCE PUSHES THEO into the opposite wall, and with another gesture the stone melts to cover his arms and legs, then solidifies, holding him in place.

VERTHANDI
I'll deal with you later.

REY gets back on her feet, and holds up her lightsaber defiantly.

REY
You're beaten. Let them go.

VERTHANDI's twisted, pale face contorts into a smile. From a but in her arm she produces a long, engraved octagonal staff that stretches to twice her height. The golden aura turns into a blaze, and her wound heals.

VERTHANDI
Beaten? Hardly. As for my prisoners, well...

VERTHANDI raises her hand, lifting LUKE's limp body, causing the conduits piercing his body to crack and break like ashes in the wind.

VERTHANDI
Here, I don't need him anymore!

LUKE is thrown, and rolls at REY's feet. CLOSE UP of his face as he rolls face up. His eyes are sunken in, his cheeks are beyond sallow, and his skin is wrinkled beyond old age.

He's dead.

REY's eyes widen, and she falls to her knees.

REY
...No. I... No...!

REY cradles LUKE's body. He seemed so fragile, now, robbed of all life.

VERTHANDI [taunting]
You should not have dawdled so long.
Was reading those journals so important?

Tears begin to stream down REY's cheeks as the depth her failure sinks in.

REY
I... I...!

VERTHANDI
All is not lost... for I have a purpose for you.
Come, take your master's place and fuel the resurrection of my people...

REY's aura surges out, matching VERTHANDI's. The lightsaber's blade extends in length, becoming a tightly wound rod of flame, rather than mere light.

Her eyes glow red, filled with hate.

REY [enraged]
I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!

VERTHANDI [amused]
Oh?

VERTHANDI raises her hand, and the force can be heard as it grasps around REY. The FORCE PULL fails to connect with REY, fizzling out.

VERTHANDI
You may try.

As REY moves towards VERTHANDI with murderous intent, the Crone ten inches above the ground, raises her staff in front of her, and begins singing. The staff glows, emanating wisps of light that land on the ground and form ambulant stone duplicates of RAZOO and CHEWBACCA, armed with melee weapons. There are a dozen of them but REY mows them down easily, the lightsaber leaving arcs of red fire with every swing.

Frustratingly for REY, VERTHANDI always floats out of her reach. REY switches tactics, firing the BRYAR at VERTHANDI. The blaster pistol's photon bolts burn as intensely as the Lightsaber blade, each shot impacting against VERTHANDI's magical defense — a glowing mandala — with the raw force of a blaster cannon.

The blaster overheats quickly and goes into cooldown, giving VERTHANDI her opening. Bright globes of energy appear all around her, then fly off like drunk fireflies towards REY.

The young scavenger talents, unfortunately, does not make up for her lack of practice in parrying bolts, and the first energy bolt that hits her explodes, sending her flying. Her grasp on her lightsaber is tight, but the BRYAR flies off.

VERTHANDI
Now, girl, you will—

The lightsaber turns blue, and REY quickens around the chamber, dodging the bolts as she makes her way towards the CRONE. She was so fast, VERTHANDI would have been stabbed in the heart, had she not blocked REY's attack with her rod.

Then the blade turns red, extends, and narrowly misses the vital organ.

VERTHANDI
You are beginning to annoy me, girl!

VERTHANDI expertly performs a 3-move combination with her staff that sends REY to the ground. The Crone jabs the tip of the staff into the girl's adbomen, and while it doesn't penetrate her flesh, it does drain some of her energy...

VERTHANDI
But the power in you... it's worth the trouble, oh yes...

REY smacks the staff away with her blade, and QUICKENS away, then back into the fight, only to get dominated again by VERTHANDI's superior skill. But still, she does not give up... even though it's clear using her powers is taking a huge toll on her body.

VERTHANDI moves in for a knockout, and REY, desperate, FORCE SCREAMS at her, and the crone responds in kind. The shriek is deafening, and resounds across all matter. The hard stone, along with the gems set into it, begin to crack. THEO cringes even as his restraints begin to crack. Finally, the sonic energy building up between the two women explodes, but the blast is shaped towards VERTHANDI, sending her flying high into the wall. It cracks, and she falls to the ground unconscious.

REY falls, utterly exhausted, and gasping for air. THEO is freed, and rushes to her aid, thinking the fight over.

THEO
MS. REY! ARE YOU ALRIGHT?!

VERTHANDI wakes, and sees THEO touching REY, trying to help her up. CLOSE UP of her eye... at first an expression of sorrow... then jealousy, then HATE.

THEO is moments from injecting REY with lifesaving medicine before he is once again thrown away, but VERTHANDI can't concentrate, and the telekinesis merely causes him to fall and slide away.... right by the BRYAR.

VERTHANDI is upon REY, and kicks the lightsaber away, and then delivers another in REY's gut while she's down.

VERTHANDI
What is it about you Hyur women that fascinate him so?

The crone gestures at the ENTECHMENT DEVICE, and sharp tendrils begin to snake out.

VERTHANDI
No matter, it's over, you've lost.

VERTHANDI raises REY up towards the machine, and its awaiting, painful embrace. One the prongs pierces her, and begins draining, REY fades in and out of consciousness. She reaches out for the lightsaber, but it barely responds to her call.

VERTHANDI [cont'd]
Once I have found the blood of ren
and turned my people into angels... we will descend upon you
Hyur like a plague of locusts...
Your worlds will tremble,
Your stars will die...

The BRYAR's charge reaches maximum, and THEO looses a POWER SHOT at the Entechment Device, not quite hitting it in the center... VERTHANDI screams in fury and looses a force bolt at him, hurting him within an inch of his life.

REY recovers enough of her strength, and sends the lightsaber flying towards the DEVICE. The blue blade ignites, and pierces FIRWIRRUNG's very heart right in the center.

REY [groaning]
Your city...will fall.

REY falls to the ground again, as the pyramid shaped core begins to hiss, crack, and finally...

VERTHANDI
NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

The core explodes, and the shockwave washes over everyone inside. The memory gem shatter, releasing the trapped memories as wisps of light...

EXT - FIRWIRRUNG, CENTRAL TOWER - NIGHT

WIDE SHOT of the the top of the tower. The artificial island made of programmable matter shatters into a thousand pieces as a shockwave of energy surges out... The debris hansg in the air, and its many parts orbit around the true top of the tower, a wide, smooth disc.

Amongst the flying debris is Luke's X-WING.

EXT - CENTRAL TOWER PLATFORM - NIGHT

The wisps of light hang in the air, their voices faint.

REY groans, and attempts to rise. Her breath is ragged, she is far too exhausted. Suddenly, VERTHANDI stomps her ankle, causing a sickening crack. REY screams in agony.

VERTHANDI [enraged]
YOU STUPID, MISERABLE, DISOBEDIENT APE!

VERTHANDI hoists her up with one hand and chokeslams her.

VERTHANDI
DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT YOU'VE DONE?!

A kick to the kidney. REY still lives, despite the punishment, and despite the blood splashing from her teeth, she smiles.

REY
I won.

VERTHANDI hits the eye of the storm of her rage, and a veneer of calm washes over her as she straddles REY presses her staff against her throat.

VERTHANDI
You're going to die now, little Hyur.
There is nothing but silence beneathus,
my child has killed all your little friends.

REY gurgles, and attempts to push against VERTHANDI's face.

A wisp flies between them. VERTHANDI ignores it.

VERTHANDI
Look into my eyes, girl.
Look at me...
I want to see the life drain from those
disgusting little orbs of yours!

REY's attempts at freeing herself grow more frantic, and begin to slow.

VERTHANDI
And after you, I will find the nearest
nest of Hyur monkeys and murder
as many if your miserable disgusting race as I can.

Suddenly, the staff flies up, and smacks VERTHANDI in the face. The FORCE resounds in the air as VERTHANDI is force pushed back, again and again.

There is the ragged wheeze of an old man, an echo of DARTH VADER in his last moments, as a frail old man in robes approaches VERTHANDI and comes to REY's defense.

It's LUKE, still alive, if only barely. His gait is slow, and hunched over. His hands, held forward, are skinny, and frail, and shaking.

VERTHANDI FORCE PUSHES back, but the surge of telekinetic energy washes over LUKE like a gust of wind, he gasps, and shivers, but he soldiers on.

LUKE [weakly]
Stop...

VERTHANDI snarls as she hurls a floating rock it at LUKE through the Force. She misses.

LUKE [weakly]
Surrender...

Another rock turns into a spike, and the Crone hurls it at Luke. It stops just short of his hands, but now he's locked in a telekinetic grapple with it.

LUKE
It's... no...use... fighting... anymore!

VERTHANDI
Then why don't you DIE?

LUKE struggles to keep the enormous stone spike from piercing his body, the tip shakes, and inches ever closer... LUKE almost falls to one knee, his ragged breaths growlouder.

SUDDENLY the wisps gather around him, and the voices of all his companions PAST and PRESENT can be heard:

HAN, LEIA
Luke...

The wisps enter his heart, restoring his skills through their echoes. The spike stays still... then inches backwards.

MARA JADE, KYLE KATARN, CORRAN HORN
Luke...

LUKE's dispersed lifeforce gathers around him, and his body slowly begins to regain its vitality. His hair darkens, his flesh smooths, and his strength is restored.

ANAKIN, YODA, OBI-WAN
Luke!

LUKE
[to Verthandi]
Because...

Luke rises from bended knee.

LUKE
I...

The stone spike cracks...

LUKE
Refuse!

And shatters into a hundred pieces. LUKE hurls them back at VERTHANDI, who can only block them with her luminous shield. Even then, she is pushed back. LUKE pulls his FATHER'S LIGHTSABER back to him, and ignites it.

REY looks up to see LUKE fully restored, and a weary, tearful look of child-like awe forms on her face, before she falls unconscious.

LUKE and VERTHANDI square off. The JEDI MASTER assumes the SORESU opening stance, while the last PRIESTESS OF SSI-RUUK assumes a spearfighter's stance, traditional to her own people. From the tip of the staff a blade springs out, half a meter long. Yellow lightning crackles from the glowing edges.

LUKE and VERTHANDI share one look at each other... CLOSE UP of the giant CRONE, staring down at Luke, the last of the people she holds responsible for all the horror her people had endured.

REVERSE SHOT of LUKE, staring up at VERTHANDI, pity making way for grim determination, the anger of seven years of imprisonment making way for serenity.
He closes his eyes...

WIDE shot of the two of them, as storm clouds begin to form in the background...

The duel begins. The crone opens up with a flurry of thrusts, and LUKE deflects all of them. She swings for the head, the arms, the legs, hoping to trap him. LUKE moves too fast, and she hits nothing but air.

The storm clouds cover the moon, but there is no rain...

VERTHANDI is narrowly beheaded by LUKE's counterstrike, and so she disengages and goes ranged, at first throwing bolts of energy at him. First a dozen, then hundreds. Luke puts his hand up, and they all stop... before they return to sender. The CRONE takes control of her spear through the force, sending it swinging and flying at her foe. LUKE blocks, deflects, then becomes a blur of motion even as he throws the lightsaber at the CRONE, forcing her on the defensive. She blocks the thrown lightsaber with some difficulty, but she holds fast: her staff absorbs the energy of every hit, allowing her fuel her powers indefinitely.

THEO awakes, and is awed at the sight of the battle. The clouds begin to rumble above...

The JEDI and the CRONE take their battle to air. VERTHANDI leaps on a large rock, held in place by the FORCE, while LUKE has to FORCE JUMP on a moving rock. The CRONE's spear glows, and is hurled at LUKE, hitting nothing but rock but causing it to explode. LUKE becomes a blur of motion and after images as he leaps to another flying rock.

The X-wing's cockpit comes to life.

LUKE leaps away from the energized spear two more times, before finally leaping atop his old X-wing. VERTHANDI is about to throw again, but senses something is wrong...

The X-wing launches its two torpedoes at her. She snarls, and reaches out with the force, sending one torpedo into another rock and the other one right back to sender. The X-wing explodes in a flash that blinds AISA, far too accustomed to the dark of night. VERTHANDI loses sight of LUKE...

The stormcloud roars, and a single bolt of lightning strikes something behind and above her. It's LUKE holding up the lightsaber with his left hand to receive the raw power of the ACH-TO's lightning into its blade.

THEN, Luke is a blur of motion again, the flickering of the lightsaber leaving afterimages behind. There are too many, and VERTHANDI cannot track them to throw her spear at LUKE.

CLOSE UP of VERTHANDI'S face as she looks up, and the glow of the blade illuminates her horrified face. She brings up her staff to defend against LUKE's overhead slash. She blocks it.

VERTHANDI
Fool! All you do is gift me with more—

The sheer power of the augmented lightsaber blade is too much for the spear's shaft to bear, and it begins to melt...

CUT TO: THEO limping back to REY, and he attempts to revive her. His injector gun broken, he resorts to using salts... it doesn't work.

CUT TO: LUKE forcing VERTHANDI on her knee.

LUKE
LAST CHANCE!
SURRENDER!

But still, VERTHANDI holds fast, unwilling to show weakness to a mere monkey.

Pebbles begin to float up from the ground....

LUKE
...So be it.

...And promptly slam down as LUKE force pushes both himself and the saber downwards. VERTHANDI is crushed, and the very rock she is on falls straight down, onto the platform.

Dust is kicked up as the stone is pulverized, THEO shielding REY with his body to prevent the rocks from hurting her. A cloud of dust covers the area. It disperses quickly, revealing LUKE and VERTHANDI deadlocked. The tip of his lightsaber is millimeters from her heart, but one of her hands is wrapped around the lightsaber, the palm pierced by the blade, while the other is wrapped around LUKE's head.

VERTHANDI laughs through the pain.

VERTHANDI
In the end... it comes down to strength, and you
Hyur...

VERTHANDI begins to squeeze LUKE's head, his eye peering defiantly between her fingers. LUKE force pushes down some more, but the blade barely moves.

VERTHANDI
Are WEAK.

CLOSE UP of VERTHANDI'S FACE, her victorious expression alight with blue...
Suddenly, the blade turns RED, and her face falls, eyes wide.

VERTHANDI's hands let go of LUKE as the red blade pierces her heart.

CUT TO: REY, reaching out to the lightsaber, before falling into unconsciousness again.

LUKE stares at the lightsaber in his hand for a moment, his face bathed in red, before VERTHANDI's corpse ignites. Golden flames consume her body, and the pyre rushes into the KRAYT DRAGON pearl, leaving nothing but ashes behind. The blade becomes yellow... and switches off.

EXT- FIRWIRRUNG - MORNING

The clouds part, and the light of dawn shines upon the floating city.

INT - CENTRAL TOWER UPPER LEVEL - MORNING

Sunlight shines on the broken body of R2-D2, then CHEWBACCA, then RAZOO, then the CORPSE of THE ORPHAN, its organs sliced apart, a MACHETE stuck deep in its brain.

RAZOO opens his eyes. He's covered in blood, but still alive. He sees CHEWBACCA breathing, and smiles.

EXT- TOWER PLATFORM - MORNING

The sunlight washes over REY's face, but she does not wake. THEO makes another attempt to revive her, but LUKE stops him by laying a hand on her forehead. Her surface wounds vanish as the FORCE heals her.

LUKE
Let her rest... she's earned it.

THEO nods, and looks on sadly at the pile of ashes that had once been his wife.

♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪

EXT - REY'S DREAM, BEACH - DAY
The sound of the gentle waves of the sea crashing against the beach stir REY awake, and she rises from the sand, clad in nothing but a nightgown and a raincoat. The petal of a purple EMBER ROSE, caught gently by the wind, flies in front of her like a mischievous fairy. REY's eyes follow it until she is turned around, and sees a tall, heroically built young man. He stands on the edge of the water, barefoot in the sand, clad in a dark blue coat.

The purple petal lands on the palm of his hand, its edges glowing a bright teal.

His back is turned to REY, but he senses her presence. He speaks to her, his voice ringing out in her ear as if he was right next to her.

MAN [voice-over]
Who are you?

The voice is darkly rich, but gentle, which shocks REY.

REY [voice-over]
Rey... my name is Rey.
You... We... we haven't met, have we?

MAN [voice-over]
...No.

We assume REY's POV as the man turns around, revealing his pale, handsome face. His irises are bright blue, framed by black limbal rings. His dark, neck-length hair is parted in the center, cascading down.

SMASH TO BLACK

TRISTAN
But we will.

STAR WARS
The Sirens of Ahch-To

THE END

IgnusDei · Oct 30, 2018

Chapter 4 updated!

UPDATE 2: Written with this song on loop:

Time Rain - youtube

Couldn't find a suitable scare/horror track, though. Any suggestions?

UPDATE 1:

The leviathan is a reference to this:

Leviathan (creature)

Relevant blurb:

"Leviathans were large, carnivorous reptiles, created to roam the battlefields as living superweapons and draw the life energies of enemy soldiers into blister traps that dotted their wide backs..."

IgnusDei · Nov 1, 2018

Rough idea for a Snoke monologue, inspired by Trevor Goodchild.

Across the Outer Rim, the First Order's legions begin the process of robbing of the myriad alien cultures of their identities. Statues and temples are bombarded until they are piles of rubble. Pyres burn in every plaza of every city, with paintings and books serving as the fuel. Crowds look on, some weeping, as their own people are forced to feed the fires with the relics of their own culture under the threat of being shot.

SNOKE (Off-Screen)
History is written by the victors, and legends are told by the vanquished.
One day the First Order will be victorious over its enemies, and the history we write will tell future generations
of our strength of will and body and soul, of the corruption of the Republic and the evils of the Jedi.
That is what will be taught for generations.

Somewhere, beyond civilization, a group huddles around a campfire as an old man tells them a story.

SNOKE (cont'd)
The Legends that will be told, however, will recount the pain we inflicted, the worlds we ended, the people we murdered.
They will tell of the heroes that opposed us, the tragic figures that could have won were it not for a cruel twist of fate.
They will tell of what once was, before the Knights of Ren burned it all,
They will tell of what could have been, if only the First Order had perished, and through those legends the dream of our doom will begin.
THAT is why they must be erased.

Stormtroopers find the campfire group and kill them all. In the cities, the pyres have gone out. The rubble is cleared, paving the way for the banners of the First Order, and the statues of the Supreme Leader, proudly holding up the severed, demonic head of Luke Skywalker.

SNOKE
Our History is mine to write.
Their past is mine to erase.
The First Order will be victorious, as it will always have been, and always shall be.

Note to self: show what civilian life under the first order is really like.

(hint: it sucks.)

IgnusDei · Nov 6, 2018

Episode 4 updated! Feedback welcome as always, since it allows me to course correct away from plot icebergs!

TimeDiver · Nov 7, 2018

IgnusDei said:
Episode 4 updated! Feedback welcome as always, since it allows me to course correct away from plot icebergs!

So, the zombie apocalypse / exotic undead is self-inflicted? I'm not really comprehending the recent developments. Might be due to lack of sleep, though...

IgnusDei · Nov 7, 2018

TimeDiver said:
So, the zombie apocalypse / exotic undead is self-inflicted? I'm not really comprehending the recent developments. Might be due to lack of sleep, though...

Hey, that Crone's Milk is a hell of a drug...

IgnusDei · Nov 19, 2018

Episode 4 is finished, and the Sirens of Ahch-To arc is finally complete! Stay tuned for the epilogue, much needed spell-checking, and a preview of the next episode!

Not quite happy with the music selection for the Climax, as I can't find a suitable sound clip of Binary Suns that segues into... well, Platinum Games level action. I'm fond of Lords of Shadow, but that's unambiguously Castlevania.

AltumCurio · Nov 19, 2018

Is there some way to link to the point where you edited the post? I think I have missed some sections.

STAR WARS: War for the Outer Rim

Promethean Phantom

Promethean Phantom

Promethean Phantom

Promethean Phantom

Promethean Phantom

Promethean Phantom

Promethean Phantom

Promethean Phantom

Promethean Phantom

Promethean Phantom

Beyond Prophecy

....What?

Promethean Phantom

Promethean Phantom

Promethean Phantom

Promethean Phantom

Promethean Phantom

Herald of Dis Lev

Promethean Phantom

Promethean Phantom