my oath shall be sped;

[agogemod]

WHO? Everybody!
WHAT? The January TDM.
WHEN? The mythic dimension of Vorspiel.
ANYTHING ELSE? Violence, as always. Please warn in subject lines for anything beyond physical violence, and move to a personal journal if things go beyond PG-13.

JANUARY TEST DRIVE MEME;

Vorspiel; a land of song.

arrival for new recruits

You wake up in a patch of verdant forest, with the birds chirping all around you. You're not in a clearing; your body lies between the trees. Near you, a frail woman with tired eyes rocks back and forth. You have none of your clothing, just black military-issued underwear, and none of your previous possessions beyond the one you chose (if you remember choosing) to bring with you.

When the tired woman notices you've come to, she speaks in a tongue you won't recognize, but somehow understand, in tilting tones that somehow always rhyme. Tired and sorrowful though she is, if you have questions as to what's going on, she'll answer: you are a member of COST, a paramilitary organization of time travelers fighting against the Regency, a tyrannous kingdom of the future who are trying to stamp out freedom and individuality in the name of peace.

She will provide you with the clothing necessary to fit in, and show you how to use your BCE implant to look up information on this dimension and its social and political mores. She won't let you leave until you're properly dressed to fit in, but once you are, she'll wish you luck. She thinks you'll need it.

And, she says as you depart, if you see the Gods, spit on them. They will do you no favors here.

ARRIVAL FOR VETERANS

While on BASE, you'll receive a message on your BCE.

URGENT MISSION: VORSPIEL UNDER MAJOR ATTACK. ALL POSSIBLE VOLUNTEERS NEEDED TO PROVIDE AID.

ACCEPT: Y / N ?

Selecting 'Y' will instantly teleport you to Vorspiel. Or maybe you're not the volunteering type, but your BCE glitches and signs you up anyway. Them's the breaks.

When you appear in Vorspiel, you'll find yourself in that same forest with the same woman who is ushering new recruits. She will give you clothes and wish you luck-- though luck, she says, is something true heroes have in short supply.

VORSPIEL

Regardless of how you got here, your BCE will have a short rundown of the situation once you arrive.

Vorspiel is a mythical, magical dimension rich in rare and precious resources. During the course of the war, it's been fought over by both sides. The Regency has recently allied with the leader of the misty country of Nibelheim to issue what is known as a Time Break; a sort of spell only possible in ancient dimensions such as these. Essentially, linear time has been destroyed in this dimension. Everything is happening at once, simultaneously and perpetually, a never ending cycle of lives and deaths and battles. While Vorspiel is a vast dimension, its borders have become warped; it is possible to walk from one country to another across the sea in a matter of moments, by accident. While the BCE is trying to send people to Nibelheim, it's entirely possible it misses the mark completely, or sends them to several places before they reach Nibelheim.

This chaos is meant to be a punishment: bow down before the Regency, or nothing will ever be the same again.

There is good news, though. Vorspiel is a dimension of inherent magic; singing or humming or whistling certain magical tunes will have an inherent effect upon one's surroundings. The BCE lists all the spells, though it notes that some have varying results (AKA go wild, guys, have fun), and the ones named after people will do little unless the person in question is present (a statistical unlikelihood).

As you enter different parts of Vorspiel, the BCE will sometimes give you different assignments, prompting you to take this action or that. If you have any questions about how this setting works, feel free to ask!

THE RHEIN

You come upon a giant river with clear and beautiful water. The sun shines down upon it in yellow light, and wherever the light touches it, gold floats to the surface of the water. The BCE will prompt you to fetch as much of this gold as you can-- it is an extremely powerful magical resource, rheingold-- but it will not warn you about the Rheinmaidens.

The rheinmaidens are mermaids, essentially, and at first, they are very friendly and gentle, singing nonsense songs and welcoming you to their home. But as soon as you begin to make any moves toward the gold, they will curse you, dive for you with surprising speed, and attempt to drown you. They will be vicious, and their natural element is water. You're in their territory, taking their things, as far as they are concerned. They have every right to kill you.

Killing the rhienmaidens will work... for a minute or so. And then they will rise again. Wounds will undo themselves-- whether they're inflicted by the rheinmaidens or you. Drowning doesn't seem permanent either-- you're pulled under, and all air escapes you, death befalls you... and then you wake up a moment later, standing on the shore.

Time has been fundamentally broken. Nothing done here is permanent.

WALHALL

You stand outside a fortress bathed in rainbow light atop a glorious mountain. Around you, the air is cool and still, and the roof of the sky seems terribly close. No matter how far toward the fortress you run, you can never make it inside. And thundering footsteps are coming just around the mountain pass, coming for you.

Lumbering giants wander around the fortress, searching for something they mutter and murmur is theirs. If they see anyone around, they will attempt to carry them off, kidnapping them for unknown purposes. They do not seem interested in eating their catch; they seem more interested in kidnapping it. Still, they are dangerous, brutish and sloppy with their strength. It is best to avoid them if possible, hiding in the trees.

Or perhaps you'd rather fight these fifteen-foot monstrosities on your own?

Of course, if you kill them, they just... come back. Death cannot be permanent in a place where time has been caught in an endless loop.

NIBELHEIM

The misty country of Nibelheim is located within a network of caverns dug into the side of a great mountain. It's a foggy, polluted place that brings to mind a city on the brink of the industrial revolution, not unlike Victorian London, though Nibelheim is entirely underground. There is smoke and smog everywhere, and living conditions are generally poor. The rich class is one family, ruled by a Nibelung named Alberich. He has various objects of great power that keep him enslaving his fellow Nibelung, working constantly in factories of his making. He has allied with the Regency to achieve this goal, and the time break within his home dimension is due in large part to his planning and plotting.

Human visitors to Nibelheim aren't unheard of, due to trade, though they are in a minority. Nibelungs, for the record, look and feel and act completely human, but they are ultimately alien, averaging a foot shorter in height at least, having naturally sallow skin, large eyes, hairless regardless of gender, and long, nimble fingers. They are a race of people made to live underground, and it shows; most can see in the dark, and climb nearly any surface. They are famed as smiths and metalworkers. Most just want to make a living and feed their families, though Alberich's clan keeps them in line.

Your duty here, the BCE says, is to try and befriend these people, the average Nibelung, and spark some kind of revolt. There are Regency spies everywhere, however, so be careful; you cannot call for rebellion in an open voice on every street corner. No, it's better, safer, to be subtle about it. Win the trust of a local businessman, seek out influential Nibelungs and figure out their opinions. Be tactical, be clever, be quick.

And avoid Alberich and his family at any cost.

But if you can, try and save some of the Nibelungs. Due to Alberich's machinations, Nibelheim is the only part of Vorspiel that has been untouched by the time break, but that will only stay true for so long. If you can convince any Nibelungs to join COST, they will do so willingly; you'll just have to escort them to safe places in hidden back rooms within dingy bars and forgotten libraries, the places where COST cells have been fermenting under the nose of the Regency. Don't get caught, and be careful; save as many as you can.

AT THE BASE OF A GREAT TREE

A man lays dying. He looks very much like the woman who introduced you to this place. Regardless, he lies in a pool of his own blood, a stab wound through his heart. The time break keeps him from ever truly passing into the next life; as soon as he dies, his eyes open, and he begins the process of his last painful moments once again.

Each time, he begs you to avenge him and find his love (or sometimes his sister; he seems very confused), and if you ask him his name, he will only respond that he is, "the woeful one". And then he will die again, for the hundredth time.

In the trees, warriors watch, poised to attack. They see you communing with their enemy, and they wish to defeat you as well. These warriors care little for your protest; they are locked in an endless battle that they cannot free themselves from, and you have just joined it.

IN THE FOREST

There is a serpent, larger than anything you have ever seen, sitting at the mouth of a cave. It sits upon a hoard of gold that may be familiar to you. It may not, but the BCE will inform you of what it is: rheingold, an incredibly potent and valuable magical resource.

Regardless, the serpent will attack anyone that comes near it or its hoard, even by accident. It, too, is caught in an endless loop of battle long over, for it calls you boy and foolish young man regardless of who or what you are. It speaks in a deep and sonorous voice, and will not stop until its head is cut off. The creature is obnoxiously large and highly dangerous, and battle with it will be long and painful, not least because, like everything in this place where time has been so fundamentally broken, it is very bad at staying dead.

Be careful when you fight it -- if you accidentally get some of its blood in your mouth, you will be suddenly and temporarily able to understand the language of birds. Which is cool, but also, you know, distracting.

The birds will tell you to find the Valkyries, who will bring you great fame and glory. They will also tell you to run, for Fafnir does not die so easy.

AT THE END OF THE WORLD

You are at a funeral. A golden-haired woman stands upon an unlit pyre, standing next to the man who, she sings, is her dead husband. Her song is beautiful and loud and incomprehensible, and when the pyre is lit, the fire swallows her whole. But the burning doesn't stop there; it begins to destroy the assembled mourners, the forest around it, the castle, the very river burns. The fabric of the world crackles and sets to flame.

Run from the flame all you like, but it always licks at your heels.

There is a trick, though, to saving your life. If one is truly unafraid of death, the fire cannot harm you, or anyone you touch. The BCE won't warn you of this; it doesn't know. But if you are unafraid, you can simply walk through the flames unharmed.

It will bring you to a wide field atop a mountain, where a woman lies sleeping. It's the same woman at the funeral, peaceful in sleep, unmoving, unsinged. She can be awoken by a kiss.

Of course, awakening her will begin the cycle again: the pyre, the fire, the fearlessness, the clearing. Over and over again, endlessly, until the BCE manages to pull you out.

This is the will of the Regency.

As a final note: This will not be the main mission for January. This TDM is meant as a one-off to dump characters into a setting they don't have to read a ton of infopages for, while still getting a sense of what Agoge could be (and as always, this TDM is game canon).

The main mission for January will be the Gallipoli campaign, as detailed here. Future missions for Agoge are always listed here months in advance.

NAV. NETWORK LOGS OOC MEMES PLURK

Comments

[ergosphere]

[She had a point, but he only looked healthy now after a considerable amount of bacta had been applied to his wounds. They still itched, and the bowcaster wound had gone deep. He hadn't injured himself any worse in the battles that followed, at least. Not physically.

The mention of bacta that got his full attention, and his expression switched from dull to keen interest, eyes flashing.]

Bacta? We're from the same galaxy, then.

[But... when did intergalactic invaders go after a false goddess?]

[twojedisticks]

Well, it's a common point of reference.

[She'd never been to another galaxy, but if the Vong were any indication, probably bacta was unique to space as she knew it. The fresh interest in his demeanor meant she would be a little more open in turn, gesturing in an invitation to walk the woods with her. If he was worried about COST, it would get them away from prying eyes -- and either way, it would feel less odd than chatting near the strange woman who was apparently responsible for preparing COST's rookies.]

If you want to be certain, there's always Coruscant.

[A nice, specific landmark. Couldn't go wrong with that, right?]

[ergosphere]

[He nodded his head absently in assent, glad to be moving away from that woman and whatever means he'd been brought here. At present he had his doubts about COST, and everything to do with this, but he'd save worry for later. This wouldn't be the first time he was used for someone else's gain. It just burned him to come so close to power, and lose it to be back at square one so fast.]

I know Coruscant. I'm not familiar with the invaders you were talking about, though.

[COST dealt with time travel, or something of the sort, right? Maybe she was from his past, or future, or -- he didn't know. But he was curious, moreso than he had been a few minutes ago.]

[twojedisticks]

Good for you.

[It takes a moment for her to realize she should walk that one back. It's one thing to be a little abrasive with someone she's not going to be working with, but if they're going to be with COST, she shouldn't let herself be touchy. Just...imagine not having to deal with all the worlds and lives lost. Jaina's gaze fixes on the canopy of leaves, as though there might be a more diplomatic answer hidden among them.]

They're called the Yuuzhan Vong. They cut pretty deep into the galaxy, so the worlds that weren't directly affected still had to deal with it. If you never heard of them, you'd have to be from a seriously backwater part of the galaxy. [Places like that still exist, whether they like the label or not. She rolls a shoulder in a 'what can you do' shrug. The next best answer has her thinking along the same lines as Kylo.] Or they still haven't shown up. What's the old saying? Time is always in motion.

[The quote isn't right, but she wasn't there when it was said. She hadn't expected that particular bit of wisdom to be so pertinent, either.]

[ergosphere]

[Kylo's own master berated him more than he praised him, and his co-commander sneered at his face as much as he did behind his back. So Jaina's standoffish response didn't phase him in the least. While she looked up, he clasped his hands behind his back, watching their path ahead.]

I've spent most of my life traveling. Enough to have heard about that, from any corner of the galaxy.

[The First Order lurked through the Unknown Regions, and had been skirting awareness from the Core for a long time. Until they'd struck with Starkiller, of course, but they weren't ignorant of what went on in the rest of the galaxy. They would have used an invasion like that to swoop in and take control of the remains.]

If they haven't arrived... What year is it, for you?

[twojedisticks]

[It was a big galaxy, and there was a lot of "corners" for things to hide away in. Some people seemed to think having traveled all about the place would make a galactic war easier -- after all, if a world is lost, at least none of them were really her home. Weren't there hundreds of planets with forests just like the one she and Kylo are walking through? And there were hundreds more.

Didn't seem to help that much. She'd fought for them, and she'd fight for this one.]

It's forty-one years after the battle of Yavin. If the battle of Yavin means much to you.

[There'd been an ancient civilization in the Yavin system, there were bound to have been battles there that didn't have to do with the destruction of the first Death Star.]

[ergosphere]

It's a significant point of reference, yes.

[Some simple math tells him they're a few years apart, with her being in the lead. He wondered what he could do with this information, about the invasion, when he was stuck here.]

You're ahead of me in the... timeline, I think we should call it.

[He'd like to ask who was in power, but he didn't want to play his hand too soon. She was hard to read, and hardly seemed like one of the buttoned up officers the First Order churned out. It was ridiculous to think some random civilian could draw the attention of an entire invading army, even though he'd been struck down twice by a girl he'd called nobody.]

[twojedisticks]

[Blast, she didn't anticipate needing to hammer out terminology for this. Timeline is as good a word as any, she supposes. And in another franchise being a good person might have meant insisting on not allowing a change in the timeline -- but they were only there to keep the Regency from taking control, weren't they? Jaina spared a glance back over her shoulder, in part being certain the strange old woman hadn't stalked after them.]

I don't suppose they've mentioned any COST policies against advice from the future?

[Things would be different if she hadn't waited for people to listen to her warnings about her br -- about Caedus. What if she could tell this man something that would help prevent the conflicts the galaxy suffered? Jedi were peacekeepers, and she'd helped uphold the law. But sometimes the galaxy needed people to go rogue, like her father.]

Might have a few notes for you.

[ergosphere]

[He followed her glance backwards, turning back to the path rather than lingering suspiciously. The implant told him they were being monitored regardless of who was in earshot.]

Would you refrain from telling me if they did?

[That would be disappointing. He'd just have to take the information from her, after getting a feel for what sort of authority COST really had over him. It chafed, but his most recent victory, such as it was, didn't seem to account for much right now.]

[twojedisticks]

Hard to say.

[A little huffed breath of frustration, and lengthened her stride. Best to keep moving. They are traveling through time to undermine the Regency, so it couldn't be too bad, could it? But they were also supposed to be discrete, so there must be boundaries.

There is one nice excuse either way.]

COST recruits would work better after they've learned about each other, right? That's a command basic.

[ergosphere]

[They needed to be discrete around -- natives, or whatever passed for people around here. Among themselves, they could afford to be a bit more liberal. If not, they'd discover the consequences soon enough, he imagined.]

Unit cohesion and bonding. Of course.

[He'd had to suffer through Hux and Phasma going on and on and on about stormtrooper training. Might as well pretend to put it to use now.]

I have no reservations. If you don't either, I'm listening.

[twojedisticks]

The problem is my --

[Her speech faltered. She had been trying to get better about distinction between my brother and Caedus. It was easier to reconcile the things he did if he wasn't family. It was a half-learned habit that she needed to cut out of this conversation if she was going to say anything useful.]

Han Solo's son is going to try playing Emperor. It's hard to say exactly where he started going wrong. Started closing himself off from me a long time ago. Right now I'd say the critical point is when the Corellian sector tries to secede.

[Jaina tried folding her arms. It would be a shame if she started waving her hands like she was complaining about a petty family squabble. Better to keep that under control if she wanted to keep him listening.]

Just about anything Jacen Solo does will exasperate the issue. If you've got any connections, the galaxy would be a lot better off if you can keep him out of the Galactic Alliance response to the crisis.

[ergosphere]

[It felt like icewater had been dumped down his spine. Han Solo's son and playing Emperor hit him where he least expected it, dread pooling in his stomach and he tasted blood, realizing he'd bitten the inside of his cheek. There was too much to unpack from the little she'd said, but he forced one foot in front of the other, staying on their path when he wanted to grab her and shout at her to tell him everything, everything --

But one detail didn't line up with all the others. Jacen?]

Han -- [He had to stop and swallow, his voice close to breaking. Once he felt under control again, he continued.] Han Solo never had a son named Jacen.

[Did that mean she was wrong about everything else? Or lying? Did she know who he was, and meant to demean or injure him?]

[twojedisticks]

[If someone wanted someone who could read and deal with emotions, Jaina wouldn't be the first choice. Still. Even she could catch a break in Kylo's demeanor when it came to that name. It was puzzling, but her instinct was to just double down on the contradiction. Even when she'd sought permission to kill Jacen, Han hadn't decided he never had a son -- just that he'd already died a long time ago.]

I think I'd know best. He was my brother.

[As if saying it blunt and forcefully would make it harder for Kylo to contest.]

[ergosphere]

[Kylo stopped walking, arms dropping to his sides as his fists clenched. He breathed hard through his nose, staring off straight ahead before turning to look at her, his eyes dark.]

He never had a daughter, either. Why are you lying?

[The impulse to reach out with the Force rose, but he resisted, for now. Let her try to spin her tale, and then he'd get the truth from her. One way or another.]

[twojedisticks]

[When he turned, Jaina simply planted herself, feet wide and staring up at him. From her perspective it was the truth; she couldn't change the story if she wanted to, wouldn't budge and she would convey it with every part of her.]

What would be the point? I don't know about you, but I don't have the time.

[A jerk of her head back the way they came indicated what she could be busy with. Where was this lack of recognition when she was trying to prove that she didn't inherit her rank?]

You say you don't believe you would agree to come with COST, but you're here. I'm trying to tell you how to stop a hyperdrive before it overloads, but you don't believe me either.

At some point you're going to have to make up your mind and believe something. Maybe you'd like to help me out and tell me what you're ready to accept?

[ergosphere]

I don't know why I'm here, and I don't know you, but you expect me to accept one or both as truth? I have no reason to believe any of this.

[He was snarling, shoulders rounded as he leaned towards her. She expected help from him, when she was the one inventing tall tales. Had that invasion even really happened?]

But I'll tell you -- once I've seen the truth.

[He was done hearing whatever it was she had to say. Kylo raised one hand towards, reaching out with the Force with every intention of taking that information from her mind. He'd know what game she was playing, and why.]

[twojedisticks]

[She'd never look back and regret having provoked him with that. She did, however, react to the hostile shift in his body language. She tensed, thoughts almost instinctively flicked to where she'd tucked away her saber. But when his hand came up, it wasn't to deliver a blow.

Instead, her brow creased as she felt him reach out in the Force. Oh, this was a recent concern for the Order. Others had been learning to 'be small' in the Force, make it so they could never be found. But Jaina was better at getting drawn into a connection than she was at avoiding it, as much as she would have preferred otherwise.

His method might have been brute force, but Kylo would not meet resistance. Instead, Jaina fixed her gaze on him like she might stare him down, and focused that last family dinner, the one with the -- what was it? Spiceloaf. Han, jabbing his fork in the air as he argued politics with Uncle Luke and...Jacen. Leia, exercising infinite patience, Aunt Mara and cousin Ben to the side, unimpressed by Han's old bluster. Zekk, called out as a heart-eyed stray following Jaina home. Where was Zekk? His fighter was shot down, laserfire everywhere -- no. Spiceloaf. Han and his fork. Spiceloaf.

She had no idea if he would get it, or if he would slip past her focus. But if they could make the connection, it was the fastest way to what she wanted. She could berate him for it later.]

You -- need to learn about boundaries.

[Okay, maybe she'd berate him a little right away.]

[ergosphere]

[Given how well things hadn't been going for him lately, he should have expected her to be able to withstand him. She didn't push back, but he could still sense the shift in her thoughts, angling him towards something she wanted him to see. He'd met very few non Force-sensitive people that could do that, and even then they weren't successful at holding it for very long. Kylo's interrogation techniques had only gotten better under Snoke, if more unpleasant.

And yet -- he should have been able to push farther, only to find himself slipping, straining to achieve what had once come so easily. He couldn't get past the memory she presented, and he was stuck watching some version Han live a scene with Skywalker and Leia, the other people foreign to him but familiar through Jaina's eyes. The reality of it was startling, too genuine to be faked or planted, and it shocked him. His control slipped again, and Jaina would see another version of Han. He stood at the end of a long catwalk in cavernous room, dying light filtering through as he looked at Kylo, like he was confronting something beyond his capabilities.

Kylo pulled back before she could see anymore, and before he could see anymore. He sucked in a deep breath, sweat beading on his brow as he considered what he'd just seen. Dropping his hand, he looked at Jaina as if he'd just seen her for the first time.]

That's not possible.

[He doubted she could berate him any worse than what he'd suffered under his former master.]

[twojedisticks]

[Jaina knew that Han was the least capable person in the family. Her father was a great pilot, but more often than not his shining moments were a gamble. A roll of the dice that improbably succeeded. But in her heart, dad was the hero who pulled a blaster on Darth Vader, of all people. She didn't recall him ever making that expression, and the fact that in that moment it felt like it was being directed at her was...chilling.

It was just as well that Kylo's pressure disappeared, because that glimpse broke her concentration, too. She sucked in a quick breath, realized that her hands were clenched, and tried to figure out where she was supposed to go after that.]

Boundaries are pretty easy. It's when you don't look over someone's shoulder. You know about that?

[She needed to ask about the vision. She needed to see what he got from her, too. At the moment, though, that was what was easy.]

[ergosphere]

I'm not talking about the boundaries!

[A few nearby birds took off, startled by his shouting. Rage flashed across his face as he took an unconscious step forward, towering over her as he did most people. He was used to watching people cower when he advanced, or if he so much as looked their way. The ones that didn't were stupid or suicidal -- or worth fighting.]

There aren't two Han Solos. He didn't live two separate lives. I killed the only son he had, and after that, I killed him.

[Seeing whatever that had been, some sort of happy family gathering, with everyone altogether, wounded him a way he hadn't thought possible. Maybe telling her what he'd done wasn't the best move, but he could only lash out in response.]

[twojedisticks]

[Truly Kylo Ren understood how to influence hearts and minds. Or rather, he was great at making Jaina remember the dread that swept through her when she saw a turbolaser from her brother's flagship pierce the Falcon. Emotion flicked plainly through her expression: fear for her father, anger, and finally apprehension.

Another time she would have drawn her saber and taken a trip down the dark side. Her hand was so close to the hilt. It was cold, reliable, and not about to argue with her about her own life story. The thought certainly occurred to her, having realized the vision she saw was likely Han's last moments. Rather, they were Han's last moments as this man knew them.]

Anakin and Jacen Solo are dead. My father is alive. From where I'm standing, you're going to have to adjust your tally.

This son. Who is it you think you killed?

[ergosphere]

[The emotions he felt from her were welcome, almost like a balm. The anger interested him the most, as it always did, and he wondered how far he could push it. Keeping people off center broke down their defenses, giving him more opportunity to take what he wanted. Which seemed harder for him to do than usual -- something he'd have to worry about later.

Besides, she was throwing more information at him that made sense. Anakin Solo? Where were these people coming from? He had no sisters, he had no brothers, not even progeny that Han Solo might have fathered before Leia. Or after.]

Ben Solo.

[He bit that out as if it were venom in his mouth. By now he had no doubt she'd refute him, tell him Han Solo never had a son named Ben, and they'd be stuck back at square one.]

[twojedisticks]

[Without so much as a second thought she wouldn't just disagree with him about whether there was ever a Solo boy named Ben. She'd do one better.]

You mean Ben Skywalker? My cousin?

[If he wanted to keep her off center, he would succeed. In the grip of emotions, it seemed like they could toss names at each other all day when what she really wanted to know was why he would apparently be so invested in destroying Solos. Maybe there was a reason why he would do these things. Why she would see her father like that through him. She needed to change tacts.]

Let's suppose for a moment that we're both right. What's that change for you?

[A beat, and then because she just had to carry on her father's lip:]

I love to hear how I've ruined people's plans.

[ergosphere]

If I'd meant Skywalker, I would have said Skywalker!

[So now Luke was fathering children? Her story was getting more and more preposterous, to the point that is was so unthinkable it had to be true. Those memories had been too genuine, and her question had the surprising result of cooling his anger. Not by much, enough to keep him from lashing out even more than he already had.

Kylo gave her a dark look when she couldn't resist that last barb. It was uncanny, really, now that he looked at her, and listened to her. He hated when he heard Han Solo in his own voice, but it was getting harder to deny they were related.]

It changes -- nothing. Everything. It's not possible.