Hatred
Kylo Ren's family is his greatest strength, and he relishes in the knowledge of just how much they would hate that. Through their tutelage, he learned how to use the Force and wield a lightsaber, honing the craft under his uncle's guidance. Through their neglect, he found the place he truly belonged. And even now, through the pain of their betrayal, they are a constant source of rage and hatred, driving his connection to the Dark Side and allowing him to access the raw power required to stand as Snoke's right hand. Every time he falters, he remembers what Luke Skywalker was willing to do to him – what his parents were willing to let him do – and finds the strength to push forward.
But they are also his greatest weakness, the part of him that holds him back. Every hesitation, every moment of doubt, every pull to the Light Side – it's all because of them. They may be the ladder that he used to climb to the top, but they are also the latch on the manhole he found there.
Not anymore. It's time for him to let go of the past and become the future, no matter what it takes. He is their legacy; the galaxy may remember them for their daring deeds and selfless sacrifices, but he is what they will truly leave behind once they are gone.
And it is time for them to be gone.
-x-
Apathy
FN-2187 rarely thinks about his birth family. Talking or hypothesising about the world outside of the First Order is prohibited by the command team, so while he wonders about them occasionally, it simply doesn't occur to him most of the time. After all, nothing is ever going to come of it. His earliest memories are of standing in line with his fellow trainee Stormtroopers as they recited their lessons until they knew them by heart. He doesn't know how old he was when he was taken – or given up; he will never know – but it doesn't matter. Regardless of when it was, the fact remains that even if he were to somehow leave, he would have nowhere to go. He doesn't even have a name – his or theirs – to use as a starting point. He could walk right past them and never know.
As difficult as it is, he has accepted that he will never see them again. Harbouring any curiosity or hope will only come back to bite him in the end, and he already has enough threats to watch out for. Now, all he feels is apathy.
Still, even without a family to escape to, the urge to leave is ever-present, always lurking just below the surface of his mind. The First Order is all he has ever known, but that doesn't make it right. He doesn't want this to be the rest of his life.
As soon as he has the chance, he has to go.
-x-
Hope
Rey can't remember what her parents look like. When she tries, all she sees is two silhouettes, one with black hair and one with brown. Other than that, their faces are blurry; she knows where the features go, of course, and she can vaguely imagine them, but she doesn't know what any of them actually look like. She likes to think that she has her mother's eyes and her father's smile, and that they share her interest in flying and exploding the galaxy. But deep down, she knows that's just fancy. She has no idea what they're like or what she got from them, and until they return, she has no way of finding out.
Despite this, she knows that she will recognise them when she sees them. How could she not? When they come back, the pieces will fit together, and the image in her head will become clear, and she will feel whole again.
What she does remember comes in flashes. A burst of booming laughter. The feeling of a cold hand holding hers. The knowledge that she will always be safe with them. It isn't much, but the memories are enough to give her hope. When they return, things will change. She doesn't know what normal is for them, and she doesn't know if it's better or worse than her normal, but she doesn't care. She is willing to take that risk.
She just has to wait.
-x-
Pride
Poe misses his parents, but he knows that his father is proud of him, and that his mother would have been, too, if she were still alive. He certainly is of them. From what General Leia has told him, they are not only heroes, but two of the best people she has ever known. Each day, he strives to live up to their legacy.
He never feels more connected to his parents than when he's hurtling through the atmosphere at top speed with BB-8 at his back and a mission in front of him. He learnt his love for people and flying from them from an early age, after all. One of his fondest – and earliest – memories is sitting on his mother's lap as she taught him to fly her A-wing. He was a toddler at the time and could barely even reach the controls, but she guided him through it and even let him try his first barrel rolls.
His role in the Resistance isn't just for them; there is so much more to it than that. It's sheer joy and exhilaration and purpose. Still, his family and his flying are so inextricably tied together in his mind that it's impossible to separate the two.
Even if he could, he would never even want to. It's the thread that connects him to them, no matter how far he roams.
He won't let them down.
-x-
Comfort
Rose finds comfort in her sister's presence as they join the fight for freedom. Paige is her best friend and most trusted confidante; it has been that way ever since they were children. Since their parents' deaths at the hands of the First Order, however, they have leaned on one another more than ever, both while making the decision to join the Resistance and now that they are there and flourishing. At first, all they had was each other. Even now – now that they have friends and supervisors and rules and orders guiding their lives – Paige is the most important person in her life, a constant reminder of what they're fighting for and all the people they're trying to protect.
Fighting back is the scariest thing either of them have ever done, but the risk is worth it. If there is one thing that Rose has learnt over the past five years, it's that there's always something that is more important. The trick is finding out what that something is.
She supposes they're lucky, in a way. They have found that something, and they have the chance to dedicate their lives to the pursuit of it. It may not be safe, and it's certainly not easy, but it's giving them the chance to actually do something about the situation. That's not a chance that everyone gets.
She's determined to make the most of the opportunity.
A/N: I've lost myself down the rabbit hole.