Weeks passed in a blur. The First Order's collapse had been sudden, its abrupt show of weakness meeting with immediate retribution from the people it had oppressed. That then triggered its own flurry of events as people across the Galaxy suddenly found the yoke lifted off their shoulders. The process of putting a new government in place, where Kylo Ren's regime had been, was going to run for months and probably years.
Most of Rey's time consisted of aiding in the relief efforts, both on Gorothad and the other Throne Worlds. Ren and Hux's civil war, brief though it had been, had done immense harm across the heart of the First Order. There were injuries to be tended to, hungry people to be fed and shattered infrastructure and homes to be rebuilt.
Quite aside from helping people who'd been caught up in the carnage, the Resistance and their allies had their hands full with salvaging their own ships and the enemy's war machines alike. The forces of the reborn Republic looked like they were going to be even more of a hodgepodge than the Resistance's for years to come.
And while all this went on, the representatives of ten thousand systems had begun to thrash out the matter of just how the Galaxy would be restored to democracy. The old argument over a permanent Senate and seat of government was brewing again. At least it was only that, however – an argument – and everyone had the memory of the First Order to spur them to work together.
Rey knew she'd have to learn about these matters eventually, when the new Jedi Order finally took form. But for now they simply made her head spin, so she left that business to Poe, Lando and the other leaders of the Resistance.
After all, the Resistance had some matters of their own to attend to. They'd lost a great many people in the fighting on and over Gorothad. That meant names to record, memorial services to hold, families to contact and console. And just as importantly, an urge to take stock of and be grateful for the friends who'd come through alive. Rey found herself reminded of that every time she looked at her companions. It was an unfamiliar state, but for the first time Rey felt truly free; free from the spectre of starvation which had dogged her on Jakku and the looming threat of the First Order.
When she had time to spare, she often wandered the Palace with Kaydel or Finn and Rose. The structure was changing under the mass of scaffolding, like everything else on Gorothad. That much was rather inevitable after what Ren and Hux had done to the place between them. No one was entirely sure what was going to be done with the sprawling building, but its menacing aspect was clearly on the way out. Plenty of Resistance ships still hung in orbit, standing guard over the planet.
Statues and other solemn monuments had been raised with surprising speed to fallen heroes of the Resistance. Luke, Han and Leia stood among them. Rey looked upon the faces which had been so faithfully captured by the sculptors, and an involuntary smile broke out on her face. No matter that the Skywalker line had ended, the things that they and Solos had stood for were alive and well today.
Not that that end went unmourned. Amidst all the bustle, Rey had found time to carry out the last rites for Ben Solo, with Finn and Chewbacca's help. It had been a small, private funeral, building a pyre in a courtyard and setting it to burn. A strange way to bid farewell to the man who had been her greatest enemy, and so many other more complicated things besides. But it felt right to Rey; one more piece of the past she could at last lay to rest.
The saber went to the flames with its wielder, but she hung onto the Kyber crystal it had contained. In due time she would heal it, restoring it from its corrupted state. Eventually, that crystal would be handed on to a new Jedi, an apprentice of Rey's own. Somehow, that seemed fitting to her.
/¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯\
A few weeks after the Battle of Gorothad found the Millennium Falcon sat on a landing platform, stocked and fuelled for a long voyage. Rey, Finn, Kaydel, Rose and Chewbacca were venturing back out into the Galaxy.
As to just which course they were setting, Rey wasn't sure, though Rose had suggested Canto Bight as an early stop. After that, it all depended on where their search led them – and how long it took the people trawling the First Order's archives to find Finn's homeworld. A huge research program was now underway, looking to reunite families ripped apart by the old regime.
In the meantime, though, Rey and her friends had their own mission. They would go looking for potential Jedi to join them in founding the new Order, and somewhere to build it.
Where exactly they'd do that was also an open question – except for no desert planets, a veto Rey had called from the start. Maybe Ach-To, if the Caretakers were willing to put up with Rey a second time. There might be an opening, she thought, if they went and helped patch up the crumbling old temple, then left the Caretakers in peace for a few years. It might be a while before Rey and Finn started teaching anyone properly.
On the other hand, perhaps they'd stake out some new territory. She smiled at the thought. Nothing was set yet, and that was just fine by her. She was free at last to chart her own path; reforging the Jedi into a new form because she thought it was the right thing to do. And just as she'd dreamed of aloud to Kaydel, she was free to set a course to a planet purely because she or one of the others wanted to go there. All with her friends and the woman she loved at her side.
They had a little collection of ships assembled; Jannah and some of her old division had decided to come with them. The rest were staying with Poe, under Arron's leadership. The captain – now commander in recognition of his deeds – had finally acquired a replacement hand, along with a new uniform in Republic colours. "Worth the wait," he told them.
A crowd had gathered to see them depart, though they kept back from the landing platform. Which was to be expected. Their coming departure had been common knowledge for a few days, and people went out of their way to get a glimpse of the heroes of the Resistance.
Rey turned to Poe. "Are you sure we can't drag you away with us?"
"You probably could, but I'm still needed here for a while," Poe smiled. "Someone's gotta be seen to keep order while the politicians figure everything out."
"Just so," C-3PO put in. "For the time being, our irregular little army are the closest the Republic has to a standing military."
"True," added Poe. "But, Force willing, things will be sorted out before long and I'll be coming after you soon. I reckon Arron will be good to stand in for me." He knelt down to fuss over BB-8. "So it won't be too long, eh buddy? I know, they'll be good to you while you're away." He looked up at Rey. "Take care of him, right?"
She beamed. "Always, General."
"I think," he replied as he straightened up, "that all things considered, 'Poe' is alright." He put his hands on her and Finn's shoulders, casting a fond look around the group. "Look after each other, try not to do anything I wouldn't approve of, and if you do, make sure you come back with a good story. But most of all, enjoy your adventures."
"I wholeheartedly concur," said Threepio.
As one, they enfolded Poe and the startled protocol droid in an unwieldy embrace, before finally breaking away with a few murmured goodbyes and boarding the Falcon, waving cheerily at the crowd.
Rey sank into the pilot's seat, tapping a finger fondly against one of the dice while Chewbacca fiddled with the controls.
They rose off the ground, the other craft launching with them, and turned so they could see Poe and the others on the platform below.
BB-8 wobbled next to Rey's feet, chittering.
"Yes, he's waving," she laughed. "And I'm waving for you, don't worry." Her hand moved to the accelerator. "Now hang on, we've got a long road ahead."
The Falcon tilted skyward and streaked into the outer atmosphere, the deep blue giving way to an open starfield. Kaydel leaned forward to put a hand on Rey's shoulder, grinning when Rey turned and smiled back at her.
Finn and Rose, squeezed into their shared seat, smiled too.
Then Rey turned back to the view ahead. Space stretched out before her, beckoning her on. Adventure and belonging, it all lay ahead.
She punched the hyperdrive, watching the stars distort, stretching off into infinity – and they were away.
