Leman Russ, also known as the "Wolf King" and the "Great Wolf" during his lifetime, is the currently missing Primarch of the Space Wolves Chapter of Space Marines. He led the Space Wolves Space Marine Legion during the Great Crusade and the Horus Heresy and is famed in Imperial history for his hatred of psychic powers and sorcery, whose use in battle he viewed as dishonourable and unworthy of true warriors. After receiving a disturbing vision in 211.M31, Leman Russ disappeared with the warriors of his bodyguard, his destination and fate unknown.
Russ, along with his brother Primarchs Angron and Vulkan, were considered to be the greatest warriors one-on-one amongst the Primarchs. Known for his fierce and sometimes barbaric personality, Leman Russ considered himself the Emperor of Mankind's most loyal son and executioner. he viewed his role as unquestionably carrying out the punishments requited by the Master of Mankind. Among the forces of Chaos he was known as "the Brawler."
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After Russ replied, Rey was quiet for a few moments. It seemed that everything Kva had said to her checked out. "So it's true..." she whispered, hardly audible to anyone else before clearing her throat. "I...I saw him, just now...before you came. I don't really know what happened. One moment he was here, and the next..." she paused to laugh at herself slightly, realizing how strange it must have sounded.
"I don't know. Maybe I was seeing things. Anyway, I'm sorry for your loss. He seemed a good man, and if my visions are to be believed...he doesn't seem to be holding a grudge for what happened," she added, realizing that to bring him up was to also remind him of a painful memory. "Well, I'm going to rest. I'll see you later, Russ," Rey said with a small smile before opening the door to her quarters and closing it behind her.
"Hm," Rey vocalized as she took in the words that he was saying. "Well, if you say so. Hopefully the First Order continues to believe you're invincible...at least for a little longer," she said, unable to help but crack a smile as well. It was good to feel like the rift between them was at least somewhat resolved, and perhaps it was never as big as Rey thought in the first place.
"I will, thank you," she said, her smile starting to fade as she turned around and reached for the handle of the door. At the last second, however, she remembered the strange conversation she had had with the man who called himself Kva. She had almost forgotten about it and assumed Russ would want to know. "Oh, one more thing!" she called out to him before he had turned the corner. Rey then paused for a moment to reflect. "Did you used to know someone named Kva?" she asked, wondering if what the spirit had told her really was true, or it was all merely a figment of her over-tired imagination.
As Russ spoke, Rey's gaze shifted between him, the floor and to the side as she was overcome with many conflicting emotions. On the one hand, she understood what he was saying to her, as harsh as it might have been, but at the same time it was hard for her to let go of why they were having this conversation in the first place. But as Russ tried to show her the flip side of things, and the topic steered towards his own men, Rey's expression shifted to one of stark reflection.
"I just..." she began, sighing as she glanced away again. "It's still hard for me to see that no price is too high. I wish I could be more like Leia...more like you...but I'm not." She almost didn't realize how much she was opening up to him until it was too late. Rey hadn't expected to be so vulnerable but it seemed to come out of nowhere. "Um, anyway," she began, trying to shift the topic. "I'm sorry for taking up your time with this. If Leia trusts your judgement, then I do as well," she said, the slightest of smiles on her face.
[ It's all good my friend! Always happy to hear from you, whenever that might be. ]
"10,000...years?" Rey repeated slowly, trying to allow the information to sink in but she was failing miserably. If he had died so long ago, then how was he here now...talking to her? She had heard of the Jedi of Old becoming spirits after joining with the force upon death, but this, whatever it was, seemed completely different. In any case, it didn't seem that there would be enough time for Rey to find all the answers to the questions she had.
When it seemed like Kva was insinuating that Rey should become an advisor to Russ, she let out a slightly cold laugh as she glanced at the ground. "You can't be serious. You want me...to guide him? That man won't listen to anyone, let alone me. I have no authority over him," she said with a sigh before leaning against the wall. There was a part of Rey that knew she was being a little harsh on herself right now, but she was in such a foul mood it was difficult to see things any other way.
However, as Rey looked back towards the stranger, expecting to hear a response, she saw that he was no longer there. Had she been imagining things? Was she so exhausted that she was talking to shadows now? But there was no time to dwell on it. An anxious shiver ran through her as she saw Russ turn the corner and head towards her. She had a pretty good idea of what this was about, and his words confirmed her suspicions. "Um...well," she began, trying to find her words while she was still taken aback by what had just occured.
"It just doesn't seem fair...that's all. All the animals and plantlife that are going to die as a result of this. They're innocent, they didn't do anything wrong, but they're going to suffer all the same. Russ, explain this to me...I don't understand..." she said, clearly not trying to hide her true opinions anymore. "How can you go ahead with this in good conscience? Does it not bother you? And if it does...how are you able to forgive yourself and move on?" she asked, and although the question was truly directed towards him, Rey was also asking this for her own sake. She wanted to know how she could possibly move on after such a terrible tragedy, even if it did mean the end of the war.
In the depths of her thoughts, Rey almost didn't notice the stranger at first but she definitely noticed the change in temperature and how cold it suddenly was. "What the--?" she whispered to herself, reaching up to hug her shoulders as this seemed so unnatural. When the marine suddenly said her name, Rey turned her head to look at him. She tried her best not to stare at his arm, although it was a bit jarring at first to say the least.
"Yes," she said quietly, wondering what he wanted with her. The way he had stuttered her last name didn't go unnoticed, but right now she simply did not care, and had bigger things to worry about. As he started talking to her about being careful with her words, and that such statements might result in her execution, Rey gave an aggravated sigh. "So what? I would gladly trade my life for the billions who are about to die. Besides, what I do or say isn't any of your business." She said before coldly turning away and heading towards her door. She was about to tell him to leave her alone entirely until she heard the next part.
When he said that he agreed, Rey would stop what she was doing and turn to face him again. She was properly listening this time. After contemplating his words for a moment, and glancing at the golden spear she would speak again. "Who are you?"
[ You're the best! Thank you for your understanding ]
As Leia and Russ spoke, Rey stood there fuming and helpless. Why was she the only one who seemed to be against this? Why was she the only one who believed they were making a mistake? Was destroying the entire planet truly worth it? What if it ended up not making any difference? She didn't like this one bit, but it seemed her General had already made her decision.
"Of course, Lord Russ. If there was any other viable option, we know you would take it. I'm going to consort with my senior officers and inform them of the plan. Please let us know if there is anything we can do to help." Leia would then turn and gently take Rey's arm to lead her out of the room and into the hallway, hopefully out of ear shot of anyone. She could sense Rey's anger clear as day and wanted to give her a chance to talk.
Once in the hallway, Leia glanced around before lowering her voice. "Rey, I'm so sorry...I know how upset you must be." Rey scoffed and shook her head. "I'm beyond upset, Master, and I can't believe you're agreeing to this. There's at least a billion animals on that planet, not to mention all of the plant life. We're sending them to die and they don't deserve it. This not the Jedi way!"
Leia paused for a moment, contemplating this. "No...you're right, Rey. It's not the Jedi way, but it's the only way. This could be our only chance at destroying the First Order. This might be the only way to end this war for good. Believe me, I don't like it either. My heart aches for all those poor creatures who are going to perish as a result of our conflict. But you heard Russ, this is on his hands...not ours. I know it's hard, but please..." she placed a gentle hand on Rey's shoulder. "Take comfort in the fact that this will all be over soon. Before long, we'll be free of this terrible war, and you will become a true Jedi Knight." Leia smiled warmly in a motherly fashion. Rey could not help but smile back.
"Okay...okay..." she said softly with a nod of her head. "I'm going to go get some rest. Thank you, Master." The two women then parted, with Rey going back to her quarters and Leia going to find the Resistance officers. As Rey shut the door and laid down on her bed, she couldn't help but shed a few tears, grieving for what was to come.
For a good while there, Rey was entirely on board with this plan. That was until she saw Captain Lufvik walk over and explain what the Virus bomb could do. A cold shiver ran through her as he spoke of all life on Ajan Kloss being wiped out. The plants, the animals...they were innocent in this. There didn't seem to be any human settlements there but there was a bounty of life just existing peacefully, minding their own business. They didn't deserve to die.
"Wait just a minute--" Rey started, taking a step forward. Leia gently placed an arm out to hold her back with a solemn nod. "Thank you for your continued support, Lord Russ. While destroying all life on Ajan Kloss is regretable...we understand that it is necessary in order to vanquish our enemy completely. Just tell us what we need to do and we will follow your lead," Leia said with a nod. Rey was still alarmed and upset, but somehow managed to hold her tongue as she knew that speaking her mind would do no good. It seemed the General had already made up her mind, and there was no changing it now.
Rey and Leia stood silently as they waited for his answer. When it finally came, they exchanged short glances, trying to determine what would be the best course of action moving forward. They definitely agreed that finishing this conflict sooner than later was best, but clearly something had changed in Russ and they didn't quite understand it.
"We understand," Leia said after a moment. "It would seem that ending this quickly would be best for everyone." Rey would then chime in, suggesting an unexpected idea. "What about our last base on Ajan Kloss?" "What about it?" Leia turned, raising an eyebrow. "We could...lure them to it, send them the coordinates and pretend like it was a mistake. They might just send the entire force, if they believe they can destroy us all in one go."
Leia nodded slowly, catching on. "They would try to glass the planet...and that's when we make our move. Wipe them out while they're all in one spot." She then turned to Russ, seeing what might think of all this. "It could work...but we wait for your approval, Lord Russ. If you have any other suggestions, now would be the time."
Upon hearing his last remarks, Rey would not say anything but she would turn to him and nod solemnly. She truly hoped it would not come to that, but if it did, at least she would be spared the guilt of such an act. She then would make the long walk back across the ship and to her quarters. Even though she had already gotten a few hours of sleep before the feast, she felt like she could have slept for an entire day more.
She closed the door to her room, walked over to the bed and passed out almost instantly. She had used a lot of strength that day, more so than she normally would and it had clearly taken its toll. Rey slept for an undetermined amount of time, and was awakened only by the sound of Ragnar knocking at her door. She groggily answered it, only to see that Leia was with him as well. When it seemed that Russ wanted to hold a meeting, Rey wasted no time in making her way over with the General.
As they approached Russ on the bridge, Leia gave a respectful bow of her head. "Greetings, Lord Russ...is there something you wish to speak to us about?" Meanwhile, Rey stayed silent as she was still a bit sleepy but she found herself curious to know his answer.
As Rey listened to the story she immediately knew what Russ was trying to tell her, even before he said it directly. The more she thought about it the more she realized that he was absolutely right. Ben had already been given many chances to turn back to the light, and he squandered them all. If he were to fall in battle it would be his own actions that brought him to that end. Rey wasn't sure if Leia felt the same way, but at the same time, she couldn't see any way that the General would be angry at her for killing her son, especially in self defense. Could she even call him her son anymore?
"That sounds like a terrible memory...I'm sorry," she said after listening. "I couldn't imagine my own brother betraying me, especially in the way that he did. And you're right, Russ. You're absolutely right. When Kylo and I meet again...and I'm certain we will...I may have to make the difficult choice, but it will also be the right choice. I gave him the chance to come back with me, and he refused. All he wanted was more power. In the end, he would only have himself to blame."
Hearing that his Father might already know about her existence, or at least the existence of this galaxy and the species within it, Rey furrowed her brow with curiousity. "Well, I do appreciate you going against his wishes if it means a better future for us. You're a good man, Russ," she said, smiling faintly before giving a yawn and a stretch. "If it's alright with you, I think I'll go get some sleep. See you tomorrow?" she asked, taking a couple steps away.
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