Rise Up: An Extended Epilogue to Star Wars: The Last Jedi
By Dankuser
As the Millennium Falcon wizzed through hyperspace, Poe Dameron thought all hope was lost. The proud Resistance, once fielding several thousand beings, had been reduced to just 27. The Resistance had never been big. Four outdated capital ships, several squadrons of mediocre fighters and bombers (by modern standards), and a handful of miscellaneous support craft. It's army, if you even wanted to call it that, had been a ragtag group of infantrymen with little in the way of armor or artillery. It could barely rival a small planetary defense force of a poor mining colony. But there had been hope. Hope always made a difference. But how now?
Those was the thoughts of Poe Dameron. He'd probably die soon. Poe Dameron. Just another part of history that would be erased. History was, of course written by the victors. And the losses. He had lost some of his best friends. Idols. Comrades. Superiors. Family. Snap Wexley. Jess Pava. Gial Ackbar. Tallies Lintra. Poe had a secret crust on her. And she would never know. Poe had only skimmed the surface. It was thousands of kilometers to the core. Even Vice Admiral Holdo. Poe regretted that mutiny know. He was impulsive. Thinking before he spoke. Headstrong. She was trying to save us.
The tears came before he knew it. It was justifiable. Others were doing it. It was just so much. He would have traded anything for a normal life. For peace.
A figure approached. Poe cleared his eyes had saw it was Lieutenant Kadel Ko Connix. The one who led the evacuation. The one who had he had talked with for hours on solo missions. Another of his many secret crushes. He had never had the time to ask her out. One the other hand, he had. It had been one of many crushes. Most were either dead or somewhere far away.
He would have stoped himself if he could. But he hadn't slept in 48 hours, so his brain was practically fried. She was crying too. Before his brain could dec to what to do, Poe's instinct kicked in. He embraced her. Poe just needed a hug. She didn't resist. Poe actually though Kaydel liked it. They stayed like that for a while. It could have been for seconds or years, time was messed up when you were in love.
Young love.
How she missed it.
Leia Organa felt peace watching the two. It wasn't necessarily love. It could just be comfort. What people do under pain. She sighed. If only Han was here. Or Luke. Or someone. How had she survived everything. Her planet gone. Her husband. Her son. Her brother. Her parents. Her adoptive parents. The list was a mile long. Probably more. But there was hope. She knew how to win. It wouldn't be easy. But at the same time, it would. Cut supply lines. Steal contraband. Outlast. Hit and run. Strike hard and get out fast. But most importantly, provoke outrage. It was simple. Many still believed in the cause of the Republic. The greatest weapon wasn't a Death Star. Nor a galactic class military. Nor irregular warfare. Not even an army of force users. The greatest weapon was the people.
General Leia Organa watched as the remaining members of the Resistance crowded around her. "Ladies any gentlemen. My comrades. My friends. My family." She said emotionally. "We have been through so much. We have lost so much. But hope remains. We have the greatest weapon on our side. The people. They believe in the ideas and principles of the Republic. They will support our cause. The war is not over ladies and gentlemen, it has only begun.
1 month later
General Organa, now Chancellor Organa had been right. So many had joined their call. Admiral Poe Dameron watched from his quarters aboard the People's Call. His flagship was the first of the new Viscount Class Star Defenders. Measuring thousands of kilometers in length, and armed with weapons that could crack the largest First Order vessels, it was truly a force to be reckoned with. From his window, he could see thousands of other ships. From small freighters to massive dreadnoughts like his own, they were all here to fight. Hundreds came every day, from planetary forces to sympathetic civilians. It was unbelievable.
Rey, endorsed in meditation, found herself awakened by a gentle touch. Him? Could it really be him? She thought. "Yes it's me. Kylo said gently. And it all made sense.
One of the last places to fall tho the First Order was Chandrila. It was a rallying ground for those sympathetic to the Republic. Inside a bunker under heavy First Order fire, a woman watched. She had seen four governments in power. She had helped destroy one, and build another. An old Mon Mothma watch as New Republic troops desperately tried to hold ground, but failed. The clock was ticking. As she began to experience the last seconds of her life, she was hit by a sudden realization.
There was light and dark. Peace and War. Love and hate. Good and Evil. There were people. The girl. The boy. The general. The Chancellor. The defect. The girl and boy, touching each other. Balance. The blitz. The resurgence. The revolution. Protests. Genocide. Massive battles. And suddenly it stopped. Peace. Not entirely, though. Holdouts. A man. A king and queen. Children. Happiness. True love. Then War again. Weird aliens. Extragalactic technology. Battles, death destruction. Everything collided. And then nothing. A Big Bang. Evolution. A planet. War and peace. A man with a story. The story was one of there's Exploration. Distant galaxies. Supernatural beings. Gods. Goddesses. The boy and girl. And then it stopped. She could see the other side. People watching. Cheering. Crying. Waiting.
And then Mon Mothma transitioned to a new stage of existence. The galaxy had changed for ever