The Screaming Key was a relic from the time of the Galactic Empire's reign. Its purpose was to unlock a mechanism that held the Fermata Cage shut. This key eventually found its way into a secure vault within Fortress Vader, the stronghold of the Sith Lord Darth Vader. Sometime between 3 ABY and 4 ABY, Lady Qi'ra, the head of Crimson Dawn, sought to eliminate the Sith Lords Darth Vader and his Sith Master Darth Sidious. To achieve this, she dispatched the Knights of Ren to break into Fortress Vader and retrieve the Screaming Key. Qi'ra's scheme hinged on opening the Fermata Cage, as it imprisoned a ancient Sith Lord who had been contained within. Qi'ra intended to unleash this Sith Lord upon Vader and Sidious, hoping they would destroy each other. Despite Vader's attempts to thwart them, the Knights of Ren successfully obtained the key. After this operation, the Knights, accompanied by the Archivist, traveled to a dark side hellscape where they secured the Fermata Cage.