Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Star Wars and am publishing this for my own entertainment.
No Beta. Happy for any corrections.
It had been a stroke of luck that the surviving Resistance members aboard the Millennium Falcon had been able to locate Home One and her small flotilla of support ships.
It had initially been present at D'Qar during the evacuation until Admiral Statura had recommended locating a new supply line for the Resistance and reconnect with whatever surviving allies within the New Republic. Leia had agreed and sent her chief of logistics and procurement, along with Doctor Kalonia, Captain Cypress and Snap Wexley, aboard the aged Mon Calamari cruiser on the mission. When the Falcon had received their message to meet in deep space near the Ryyk Nebula, Leia admitted she was surprised Home One had been able to find the Echo of Hope and two Nebulon-C frigates as well, not to mention the old CR90 corvette Eridain and three GR-75 medium transports. She knew they had been low on fuel resources - with most of it going to the five ships that evacuated their base in the Illenium system - but judging from the squad of X-wings and A-wings that greeted the Falcon when it approached the former flagship of the Rebel Alliance, Statura's plan had more or less succeeded.
As the injured personnel were taken to sickbay for treatment, the surviving and exhausted medical staff accompanying him, Leia made her way up to the conference room with several others in tow. Poe Dameron, whom she had restored his old rank of commander to, Chewbacca, Rey, Lieutenant Connix, Nien Nunb and the three droids - BB-8, C-3PO and R2-D2 - accompanied her. When she arrived, the former princess broke into a smile when she saw Statura standing with Wedge Antilles and Wes Janson, the commander and executive officer of Home One.
Wedge's dark hair had since grayed and the wrinkles showed his age, but nevertheless he was still considered one of the best veterans the Resistance had, with Leia not even needing to ask him to join her group when it formed six years ago. He had been retired and happily married on Corellia when she began to form the Resistance, but Wedge had jumped at the call and even his foster son Snap had been glad to be working alongside his adoptive father once again. When the Raddus had become Admiral Ackbar's flagship, he had given Wedge command of his older ship, and the Corellian veteran had done well, with the Mon Calamari and Quarren crew members respecting the older human.
Wes' own dark hair was gray as well, though he was still as youthful and determined, having served his homeworld's defence forces since he resigned from the New Republic Defence Force. When Leia had approached him to join, it took little more then a wink to get not just Wes but also ten of Taanab's T-70 X-wings with three of their pilots - Jessika Pava, Furillo and Niv Lek - in tow. Since then, Wes had doubled as both a squadron leader and as Wedge's XO, a position he'd more or less held since the days of the Alliance alongside the Corellian.
Leia took a seat and looked to Admiral Statura. "I take it you were successful in gaining new supplies?"
Admiral Statura nodded and gave a small smile himself.
"Somewhat, General Organa." Statura replied. "Mon Cala, Corellia and Virgillia were quick to give us more supplies, as was Kuat and Naboo surprisingly. We were turned away at Commenor, Abednedo and Taris unfortunately and we've yet to hear from Ryloth, Lothal, Uyter and Kashyyyk."
Wedge stepped forward. "My wife tells me that Corellia's defence forces have just gone on high alert and have begun to shoot down any First Order craft approaching the sector. It seems that the same might be happening in some of the other systems across the New Republic."
Chewbacca growled.
Wedge turned to him and sighed. "We can only hope, Chewie."
Leia knew that the grief of losing Han and Luke was still overpowering to those that knew them. The fact she got to at least see them both again in whatever form before they went to face her son was a small comfort for her. Still, there was a new rebellion to form, and images to get out to the galaxy of the former Resistance's hold out action against the First Order to be sent out.
"Lieutenant Connix," Leia said, turning to the young lieutenant from Dulathia. "You and BB-8 get those images we made prepared to be sent out, I'll join you shortly to record a message for the galaxy."
Connix nodded. "Yes, ma'am." She turned to BB-8. "Come one, BB-8. Let's get to work."
After the pair departed, she turned to Poe and Nien Nunb. "Get together a list of our surviving pilots and whatever fighter craft we have left. We need to start rebuilding our starfighter corps."
"Yes, general." Poe replied. Nien Nunb spoke the same in Sullustese, before the pair headed out to find the remains of their fighter squadrons.
"Chewie," Leia spoke with the Wookiee. "I want you to work with Wedge and Admiral Statura. You've been out there enough to know the underworld again."
Chewie growled and hugged Leia again.
"Rey," she said, noting the young scavenger. "If you'll come with me, I might need you." She then turned to the others. "We have to restore hope to the galaxy, otherwise we are allowing Han, Luke and Amilyn's sacrifices to be in vain."
Within a few short months, the First Order's grip was already slipping and the war stepped up as the Imperial successor state failed to move against the paralysed galaxy.
The images of their inability to wipe out the Resistance several times began to prove that the Imperial successors weren't as powerful as they appeared. First at D'Qar with their dreadnought - which only took out their empty base, a few starfighters and their bomber fleet and was hardly a victory. Then in their chase to Crait - sure the rebels lost their capital ships and starfighters, not to mention Admiral Ackbar and Vice Admiral Holdo, but the damage done to their mobile capital and Supreme Leader Snoke's death at the apparent hands of a relatively untrained Jedi Padawan. Finally on the mineral world itself where many including General Ematt died in their last-ditch stand despite being outnumbered and outgunned only to have victory snatched away by their new Supreme Leader, Kylo Ren, was humiliated severely by Luke Skywalker himself, whose sacrifice caused tremors throughout the paralysed galaxy.
The former Resistance had many allies in the media, including Cindel Tarwani, and the propaganda to their New Republic allies and a few of their Outer Rim allies, was quite the coup. So much so, that within weeks, the strongest New Republic systems had effectively called out the First Order to attack, which was something they hadn't done since Crait, what with their Supreme Leader dead and Kylo Ren humiliated.
The new rebellion, meanwhile, remained in deep space aboard Home One, with only the Millennium Falcon, starfighters, shuttles, Eridain and transports Dak Ralter, Hobbie Klivian and Zev Senesca venturing from their hiding place into the galaxy. After she recovered, Rose Tico often accompanied Finn on his missions, sometimes the two of them together, sometimes with Poe or Rey, sometimes all together. Chewie found the noice on the old Corellian freighter to be a nice change and was saddened in some ways that Han wasn't there to see it.
One by one, the Outer Rim allies that Leia had relied upon came forward again, each with apologies for not coming when the time was needed. The old princess gave them a short tongue rebuke and passed them to Statura, Commander D'Acy and Lieutenant Connix to deal with before giving them a sign of forgiveness. The only people she hadn't rebuked openly were Hera Syndulla and Yendor, who had travelled aboard the Ghost personally to offer their apologies. Leia did tell them in private her own acknowledgement for them not coming and forgave them, admitting that she too had lost hope at the end.
A successful mission saw five fuel tankers find their way to the rebellion, and soon fuel was no longer a scarce commodity for their fleet. Though they still kept a majority of it in reserve. More starfighters were soon procured, some T-70 X-wings and RZ-2 A-wings along with older model starfighters such as T-65 X-wings, RZ-1 A-wings, Y-wings and B-wings, even one or two older TIE interceptors with hyperdrives and shields added. What was an impressive find was a squad of E-wing escort starfighters that had been 'donated' by the Corellians. Built for their defence forces by Incom-FreiTek, they could prove useful in escort missions. Thanks to his own connections, Nien Nunb had manage to find four MG-100 StarFortress SF-17s and procure them from his old partner Lando Calrissian. His sister Aril, who led the Sullust system's defence forces, also manage to provide a carrier for the bombers, with Alliance veteran Syuub Snunb and a crew of droids finding their way to them.
It didn't mean the growing second rebellion were completely successful.
A mission to acquire food resources from several planets in the Trans-Hydian resulted in the death of two pilots and the near-loss of the Dak Ralter. If it hadn't been for the stranded Republic unit led by Colonel Gavin Darklighter arriving to aid them, the transport would've been destroyed as well.
A recruitment mission to Cato Neimoidia led to the death of Commodore Meta's team when the Neimoidians turned them over to the First Order. Meta herself was rescued later by the Falcon, though it scaled back their recruitment drives for quite sometime.
Meanwhile, a mission to meet up with a Kuat Drive Yards official to gain information on the First Order aligned subsidiary Kuat-Entralla Engineering almost killed D'Acy, with the official's death blamed on the rebellion. It was a near-fatal ending if it hadn't been for D'Acy's perserverance to get out alive and the final holo-testimony of the victim being a major blow to the perpetrators.
Nevertheless, the galaxy had yet to openly break into actual war. The First Order was holding back until a new chain of command could be established, with its allied worlds pushing for a course of action. The rebellion recruited new members while the New Republic began to become unstuck from the bind it had been in since Hosnian Prime was destroyed. It was in this midst that the "Words of Defiance" were spoken by an unexpected source outside the rebellion.
"To worlds of the galaxy, I am Cilghal Lattor, the niece of the late Admiral Gial Ackbar and Ambassador of Mon Cala. For the past few months, since the tragic destruction of the Hosnian system by the vile First Order, the New Republic has been trapped in a state of paralysis while worlds capitulate to the criminals who call themselves the new Empire. I lived during those dark times and I can tell you this, the First Order are not the Empire, Kylo Ren and even Snoke are not the Emperor. They are a joke, if their failed actions to kill Princess Leia Organa and her Resistance fighters is any indication. The sacrifices of Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, my uncle Admiral Ackbar, Vice Admiral Amilyn Holdo, Captain Separo, General Caluan Ematt, Paige Tico, Commander Fossil, countless others, should not be forgotten. They died for hope and rebellions are built on hope. We cannot surrender to fear, we cannot surrender to tyranny, we cannot surrender to the darkness. If we do, we are no better then those who surrended the galaxy to Palpatine without a fight. We must come together and build a better Republic, one stronger then what we created after Palpatine but nothing like what gave rise to the Emperor himself. To the people of the galaxy, do not give into the darkness, fight for the light. On Corellia, on Kuat, on Chandrila, on Mandalore, on Ryloth, on Lothal, on Sullust, on every world across the galaxy, fight for your freedom, fight for your justice, fight for the memory of the victims of the Hosnian system and Alderaan. Fight for the memory of Luke Skywalker, who alone gave his life for the galaxy, at that final stroke, at the final beat. To worlds that have already surrendered, we ask you to fight for your freedom and listen to your own hearts, for your children and your children's children, from now until the end of the universe..."
On Corellia, Colonel Corran Horn of the Corellian Defence Forces sat in his private office with his wife Mirax, son Valin and daughter Jysella before they all nodded in agreement. Elsewhere, Iella Wessiri Antilles and her daughters Syal and Myri began to prepare the fight ahead of them.
On Agamar, Keyan Farlander went in search of his fighter tags before walking out to locate his old B-wing and get her ready for the war to come.
On Mandalore, Sabine Wren rallied the members of Clan Wren alongside her brother Tristan and her three children.
On Lothal, the aged Jai Kell went in search of his old blaster rifle and sending the signal "By the Light of Lothal's Moons" to his friends and allies across the Lothal sector.
Between Bespin and Malastare, Captain Kyp Durron and his co-pilot Dorsk 81 began to recalculate their hyperdrive co-ordinates for their rendevzous with their rebellion contacts.
In the rebel fleet, Rey resumed her work on a new lightsaber, guided by the voices of Luke, Master Yoda and Obi-Wan Kenobi. She felt a tug in the Force from her connection to Kylo Ren, but the wall remained. If there was to be any hope in the galaxy, then she needed to be ready, the last Jedi was what the galaxy needed now. Whatever Ben Solo's fate, even Rey couldn't be sure.
Aboard the Finalizer, in the midst of the transmission, General Hux found himself unable to contain his anger. The First Order was his dream to lead and rule, and slowely that was falling apart.
In his quarters, Kylo Ren was attempting to meditate but couldn't find his answers. The galaxy was surrounded by darkness, sure, but even he couldn't find the balance.
Whatever the future, Ben Solo didn't know if he had a place in it, because even Kylo Ren knew that, and that's what scared him right now.
In memory of our Princess, CARRIE FISHER...
Notes:
- Guessing alot of fates right now.
- I figured Wedge and Janson would serve together in the Resistance if they joined.
- Lots of Legends references. You can tell which are my favourites.
- For anyone wondering, Cilghal, Corran Horn, Keyan Farlander, Kyp Durron and Dorsk 81 aren't Force sensitive in this story. Though Valin Horn might be because I like him and his connection to nature.
- Cilghal's surname is fanon. Ackbar doesn't suit her as a surname so the idea for me is that she's Ackbar's sister's daughter.
- Since I don't know Kanan and Ezra's fates yet, they went unmentioned.
- Captain Separo is the name I've assigned the Medical Frigate captain in "The Last Jedi". Hopefully he gets an actual name in canon eventually.