The First Order's reign extended far beyond the Unknown Regions, from Onderon to Nar Shadda, from Lothal to Canto Bight.

As the remnants of the New Republic rallied for war, the First Order conducted raids throughout it's conquered territories, forcing billions more to join its ranks.

Men and women, boys and girls, dragged out of their homes, away from their weeping families.

Bombing strikes carried out on unsuspecting populations, with the intention of asserting the might of the next Empire.

In one of his many secret hideouts, the deformed, muscular figure of Supreme Leader Snoke addressed a group of about a dozen kneeling warriors.

"I am afraid is a traitor among your ranks," he told them, "Kylo Ren has succumbed to his weakness. The Republic has severely crippled our fleet. While my military regains its strength, I have a most crucial task for you, my most elite warriors, sons and daughters of darkness."

Snoke paced the small, isolated room as he continued. "Knights of Ren, it is your task to hunt down and kill the traitor Kylo, as well as the scavenger Rey. Together, they are too great of a threat to ignore."

"We will carry out your bidding with pleasure, Master," said an unseen Dark Knight.

Hanging on the drab, forbidding wall, the incomplete, burnt body armor of Darth Vader sat watching Snoke and his minions of evil.

The suit of armor was without it's helmet as it hung, yet still appeared to be watching the figures in daunting silence.

On the flora and fauna world of Ossus rested the remains of Luke Skywalker's Jedi academy. The presences of the dead could still be felt within the battered stone walls.

An ancient Jedi text was lying open on the grassy cliffside as the two young warriors practiced sparring with harmless trainee lightsabers

"What's next?" Rey asked as the two of them clashed blades.

"We'll have to go to the old Sith archives," Kylo replied gravely, "We'll need them in order to continue learning the dark side."

Rey swallowed silently, having dreaded this. Yet she knew that the light alone was not enough to take down Snoke.

Suddenly, Rey felt a dangerous, imminent disturbance in the Force. Danger was coming, a powerful evil closing in.

She pulled away from the practice and looked around.

"Do you feel that?"

Kylo nodded, sweat dripping out of his long black hair. "They found us."

"Are you sure it's them?" Rey asked tentatively.

Kylo replied, "We'd better get moving. We can't stay for long."

Rey picked up the Jedi text before scrambling back towards the Temple after Kylo.

After retrieving their genuine lightsabers, Rey and Kylo Ren stood back to back as the armored, masked figures came out of the concealing vegetation.

They raised, their lightsabers, preparing for battle. The Knights of Ren closed in around them and the fight was on.

All that remained of the New Republic military was assembled aboard the New Alderaan. Pilots, officers, politicians, maintenance crew, all listened to the speeches of their leadership as the dead were honored, at long last.

On the holoscreen above, the images of the Resistance's fallen heroes were displayed as the Republic leaders took center stage.

Leia stood beside Luke, dressed in his Jedi robes. On her other side stood Wedge and Admiral Ackbar.

Chewbacca let out a mournful roar as the face of Han Solo appeared on the screen, replacing the image of Paige Tico.

"Han Solo," Leia said, "came to believe in our cause, came to believe in hope, by experiencing firsthand the bonds of friendship and family that come with the good of the galaxy. The most valuable lesson Han learned was the lesson of fighting for something greater than himself. Fighing for hope."

Leia took a gulp before continuing. She had promised herself that she was going to get through this, and she was not going to let up now

"And Han... Han died the way he lived. Han's final sacrifice ensured that hope would be preserved."

They had no idea how personal the sacrifice was, Leia thought to herself, and it was best that they didn't. Yet every word she spoke rang true in her heart.

Luke Skywalker stepped up to the front now, as Leia took a step backwards.

"Han, Han was my best friend. If it wasn't for Han, I couldn't have accomplished half of what I did. More than the Force, it was the friendship between us all that helped me in my darkest hours."

He looked to his twin sister and exchanged a sad smile before returning his gaze to the audience.

"For so long, I failed to heed the most important lesson that Han died believing in. I did not believe in hope any more. I felt even more lost when Han died.

But ultimately, I learned to believe again, as Han believed in the love of family. Han's final lesson to me was my first lesson to him. He came a long way from the cocky, cynical smuggler he was when I met him, on Tatooine."

The hand of pilot Yolo Ziff shot up. "Are you Luke Skywalker?"

Another pilot chimed in and asked, "Is it you?"

A commotion came about as it dawned on everybody exactly who was standing beside General Organa.

"Yes, I am Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight," he replied, exuding more confidence than he had in years, "I'm afraid I owe the entire Resistance an apology. I shrank from my duty as a servant to the galaxy, when times were grim. I was cowardly, and as I said, I failed to heed my own lessons.

"But I am here now, and I believe in hope. I am ready to help the Resistance bring peace and justice back. The Jedi have always believed in the principles of the free Republic, and I solemnly swear to uphold them.

"Never again will we live in fear of the First Order! Never again will we cower to the dark side! As long as we continue to carry on the light, darkness will never overcome us!"

As cheers erupted for the last Jedi, Luke's speech was displayed on the Holonet throughout the galaxy. Trillions upon quadrillions listened to the voice of the fable of past, the living legend of Luke Skywalker.

Their hero was back.

On the balcony of Wedge's garrison on Corellia, Leia stood alone, watching as her Resistance army trained for combat. The Resistance had managed to recruit many more into its ranks in the following months, and its military was slowly regaining its strength of old.

As the naval vessels soared overhead, Leia reached deep into the Force, trying to envision the future in any way possible.

She knew that the light side would win, eventually. It would be a long, difficult struggle, but hope was pn their side. It had led to their victory against the Emperor, and it would serve them again.

Leia also knew however, that the darkness would not be permanently extinguished even with the collapse of Snoke's order. Like the light, the dark side of the Force would never die.

Yet as long as people kept believing in the good, the dark side would never triumph. Luke would pass on the Jedi way, thus protecting the light side's influence for generations to come.

Leia's thoughts now, inevitably, turned to her son Ben. He would never be able to live a happy, fulfilled life, she realized, but there was still light within his troubled heart.

Leia had come to accept that things would never return to the way they had been. Even so, she knew that Ben could still be saved from the darkness, even after all the horrors he had carried out.

She believed in him, as Luke had believed in their father.

Their father. Her father

Vader had turned away from the darkness, hadn't he? His final sacrifice had brought hope back to the galaxy, because Luke had never given up on him.

Leia had never fully accepted the truth about their father, let alone her blood ties to Darth Vader. But he had loved Luke, as he had loved their mother Padme, as he would have loved her in better times.

Just as Ben loved her still.

As she looked up to the horizom, Leia sensed a new, unfamiliar sensation creeping into her.

As she thought about her son Ben, and the humanity that remained in him, Leia realized that she had finally reached that crucial threshold- forgiveness.

I forgive you, Father.

Father. Vader was her father. No, Anakin was her father. At last, Leia accepted the truth. She felt more at peace than she ever remembered feeling now that she had forgiven.

Leia watched as the X-Wings launched into the air, with Poe overseeing yet another flying drill. She looked down to the marching soldiers, then turned back into her own conscious self, filled with warmth and love.

Leia knew that she had served the galaxy well, and she was proud of that. No regrets.

She knew that her faith in Luke had paid off, as would her faith in Ben, as had Luke's faith in Anakin Skywalker.

The Republic was in good hands.

Starring:

Mark Hamill

Carrie Fisher

Daisy Ridley

Adam Driver

John Boyega

Oscar Isaac

Ewan McGregor

Domnhall Gleeson

Andy Serkis

Peter Mayhew

Laura Dern

Anthony Daniels

with Gwendoline Christie

And Frank Oz as Yoda