*Author's Note*
Hey guys! So it's been a really long time since I've published a chapter, and I apologize! There are no excuses on my end, except to say that I've started college and have had limited time. I watched the Rise of Skywalker, and was inspired to right this chapter. There aren't huge spoilers from it, but there is some dialogue that I used from this film. I hope you enjoy!
Chapter 17
Kylo and Rey returned to the base amongst the rest of the Resistance fighters that had distracted the First Order whilst the pair battled Snoke. They both climbed out of the X-wing they traveled in and were greeted by many familiar faces. Finn ran to Rey and embraced her in a tight hug. "You did it! You killed Snoke!" he exclaimed.
Rey, uncertain of where he got this knowledge, pulled back and gripped his arms. "How do you know? Is the entire galaxy aware?" She asked him, concern etched on her face. If the galaxy knew that she had killed Snoke, then there would be an overwhelming amount of support for the Resistance, but if somehow there was rumors that Kylo had helped her, then their connections to the First Order would be lost. It would make it increasingly more difficult to ultimately defeat the First Order.
"Don't worry, Rey," Finn assured her, "Everyone thinks that you overpowered Kylo and killed Snoke yourself. Kylo is now considered as the new Supreme Leader. This is our opportunity! There is no way we can't defeat them now!" Finn pulled her in for another hug. After releasing the hold they had on each other, Rey turned around, her eyes falling on Kylo and Leia in a tight embrace. She smiled as tears came to her eyes, happy for them both to have each other.
"I never thought I'd see that again," Luke chuckled as he approached her, referencing the sweet moment between a mother and her son. She turned and was greeted by his smiling face. "I'm so proud of you, Rey. Not only for defeating Snoke, but for protecting your family as well," he winked at her.
"Thank you. I don't know what I would've done if-" Rey stopped her sentence abruptly as Leia and Kylo approached them. Luke gave her a knowing look and a slight nod.
"I'm so proud of you both," Leia began. "But, as much as I'd love to celebrate this victory, there's more work to be done. We are so close to winning this war, but not quite yet." The rest of them nodded in agreement.
Leia reached out and grasped both Kylo and Rey's hands. "Why don't we head on inside. We don't have much time to lose."
Leia's office was packed full with Resistance Officers, Commanders, and more. Of course, this included Rey, Kylo, Luke, and Finn. There was barely enough space to stand without touching someone, so Rey was leaning back against Kylo with his arms around her. This meeting was only supposed to be with Luke, Rey, and Kylo, but once Finn heard, he insisted on attending. He then shared this information with Poe, and now they all stood shoulder to shoulder as they discussed their next course of action.
"If the First Order thinks that Kylo Ren is their Supreme Leader, can't we just have him send them a message to our location, and when they get here we blow them out of the sky?" Poe proposed. "Hell, they wouldn't expect a thing!"
"Commander Dameron, as gratifying as that sounds, it's not that simple," Leia began. "Even with the potential for a surprise attack, the Resistance is lacking ships, and we'd barely be able to take down their main Star Destroyer. They simply outnumber us," she claimed, shaking her head and leaning against her desk. The First Order was working on a project to expand their Star Destroyer count, and utilizing them to act as planet destroyers. The room went silent as everyone was deep in thought, trying to come up with another plan.
"There's hope," Rey said quietly. Everyone turned towards her then as she stood up straight and made her way towards Leia's desk to be better seen. "Even though Snoke was quickly replaced, or at least that's what the First Order and the rest of the galaxy perceives, there has to be hope in the galaxy. Snoke was the mastermind behind every plan and attack that the First Order has carried out. The galaxy must know that without him, the First Order is weaker. Maybe we'll get more support," Rey proposed. She glanced around the room and met the hopeful eyes of her friends.
"She's right you know," came a voice from the back of the crowd. Even though there seemed to minimal space in the room, an aisle was easily created so that there was a path from Leia's desk to the door.
As soon as her eyes landed on him, Rey could feel the optimism coming from Luke and Leia. "Lando!" Leia exclaimed.
Lando made his way towards the Leia. "Leia, you look as beautiful as ever," he approached her, grasping her hand in his. "I came as soon as I heard. I figured it was about time to end this war, now that the Resistance has a chance," he claimed, turning towards Rey and patting her shoulder. "Well done, kid," he winked at her. Rey gave him a small smile. She'd heard of Lando, and though intimidated by his commanding presence, she couldn't stop the tears from forming in her eyes. This was their chance.
"Lando, as much as I'm glad you're here," Leia began, "you're one man. This simply is just not enough to take down the First Order."
"But Leia," Luke chimed in, "Lando is one of, if not the biggest, smooth-talkers in the galaxy. I'm sure he could manage to scrounge up a few Resistance sympathizers."
"Of course I can," Lando nodded. "If I start now, I'm sure I can gather up a few of my old friends. I just need to know when and where you'll be."
"We hadn't exactly gotten that far yet," Leia admitted. "It might be our best bet to stage a base on a different planet. I know there's an old Rebel base on the planet of Crait. We could lead the First Order there," she proposed. "There might even be some remaining Rebel airspeeders."
"Perfect, I'll meet you there," Lando confirmed making his way out of the room.
"Wait!" Leia hesitated. "You should take the Falcon, and Chewy with you," Leia smiled sadly. She knew Chewy would be delighted to see his old friend and fly with him once more.
Lando nodded and gave her a wink. "I'd be honored. I missed that old hunk of junk," he chuckled. Before he left the room, he turned to Kylo. "Good to have you back kid," he praised before turning once more and exiting the room.
Leia breathed heavily before a smile appeared on her face. "That's just the hope we needed," she expressed. "Now, we'll transport all of our ships to Crait and once there, we can contact the First Order. Ben," she called to him, "you'll need to act as if you've been captured and imprisoned, but managed to escape to contact them. You'll have to express the importance of bringing all Star Destroyers. Just destroying one will not wipe the First Order out completely. Do you think you can do that?"
Kylo nodded. "Good," Leia praised. "Now Commanders, gather and prepare your squadrons. We'll be leaving for Crait in two hours time."
"This is Supreme Leader Kylo Ren, I have an urgent message for General Pryde." There was no response. Everyone was gathered around, as silent as can be, waiting to put their plan into action. After a long period of silence, Kylo tried again. "This is Supreme Lead Kylo Ren, I have an urgent message for General Pryde!"
"This is General Pryde, Supreme Leader." Rey sucked in a breath, hoping Kylo would correctly explain everything they had gone over.
"I've been imprisoned on the Resistance base on the planet Crait. I've just escaped and must inform you that the Resistance is planning an attack on the First Order. They have an overwhelming amount of support. If you gather all First Order Star Destroyers in Crait's atmosphere, you can catch them by surprise and finally snuff out the remaining Resistance members."
"Why would we need to utilize all First Order Star Destroyers, Supreme Leader?"
"As I previously explained, General, the Resistance has gained a larger fleet than expected. All Star Destroyers will be needed to destroy the Resistance." Kylo began to become irritated, and worried that General Pryde was not buying his pitch.
"Supreme Leader, with all due respect, it is an extreme risk to utilize all First Order Star Destroyers." Rey's breath quickened. She looked up and locked eyes with Luke who was sitting across the room. He gave her a reassuring nod.
"General," Kylo curtly, "This is an order. The Resistance will die today. I want all First Order Star Destroyers within Crait's atmosphere in the next hour!" Kylo yelled, slamming his fist on the dashboard in front of him. Rey could picture the General wincing.
"Very well Supreme Leader. We'll send down a small ship to retrieve you once the Resistance has fallen," General Pryde assured as the connection ended. Kylo leaned back and gave a large sigh of relief as quiet cheers were heard around the room.
Leia approached him and placed a hand on his back. "Well done, Ben."
She turned to the rest of the group of mostly Commanders. "Gather your squads and ready your ships. They'll be here soon," she stated as she exited the room. Everyone followed her, except for Kylo and Rey.
Rey was still seated, and was wringing her hands in anticipation. Kylo approached and knelt in front of her so that they were almost on the same eye level. He took her hands in his and placed a kiss to them.
"I'm worried," Rey began. This brought a puzzling expression to Kylo's face. "I don't like how we'll be separated," she explained. This was one of many, along with the increasing fear of her pregnancy that only she and Luke knew about.
Kylo gave a soft chuckle. "We're about to face the First Order for a final battle, and your only worry is that we're in different squadrons? Rey, you'll be under Poe. He's the best pilot we have. And Finn does make a pretty great squad leader. We'll both be fine," he reassured, reaching up to press a kiss on her forehead.
"What if something goes wrong? What if Lando doesn't show up?"
"Rey, look at me. We'll never win this war if we give into fear." He pulled her up so that they were both standing and wrapped his arms around her. "I wish we had more time, but we really need to go," he said. Leaning forward, he pressed his lips to hers. "I love you so much, Rey," he whispered.
She pulled back slightly and pushed a stray strand of hair away from his eyes. "I love you too, Kylo. More than you know," she expressed as she reached up to kiss him once more.
"Hey lovebirds, we need you!"
Poe was leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed, biting his lip to not laugh his head off at the pair. It was still so shocking to him to see the both of them so vulnerable. Kylo and Rey took each other's hands and followed after Poe. When they approached the group of X-Wing pilots, comprised of squadrons black, blue, red and yellow, they knew that their time was up. Giving each other one last kiss, they separated and made their way to their own ships.
"Let's get these babies up in the air and prepare for those First Order bastards!" Poe exclaimed through the radio.
As promised, the First Order Star Destroyers approached Crait within the hour. There had to be at least fifty of them. They released numerous Tie Fighters, which the Resistance pilots waited eagerly to attack.
"Alright Squadrons, it's now or never," Rey heard Leia speak through her radio. "Lando hasn't arrived yet and has not made contact, but we'll start without him."
As soon as Rey heard this, other pilots started chiming in to give their orders. She heard Poe's voice, commanding her to take out as many Tie Fighters as she can, while other members of the black squadron were ordered to get to work on the first Star Destroyer. "Black-5 to Black Leader, copy that," Rey stated as she began flying towards the group of Tie Fighters.
She dodged many shots from the other Star Destroyers and managed to take down a few of the Fighters, but soon found she was being chased by three and couldn't shake them. "I've got three on my tail!" she exclaimed.
"I got 'em!" She heard the voice of her husband ring through her ears as he took them down. "Nice work, Blue-3," she praised.
"Alright, enough of that!" Poe cringed. "Black-5, there's a group on my tail."
Rey advanced towards Poe's X-Wing, and fought as many off as she could, but more Tie Fighters kept appearing. It was becoming increasingly more difficult to attack and dodge shots at the same time.
"Red-7 to Black-5, don't worry. I got your back!" she heard come through her radio, as another X-Wing came into her point of view to assist. "Black-5, I'll get-"
The pilot was not able to finish the sentence before taking a shot to his ventral left wing, leaving his ship to go up in flames. Rey panicked. This wasn't supposed to happen. She took down the last three Tie Fighters on Poe's tail, and pulled back to gage her surroundings. X-Wings were taking hits left and right.
"General, we're taking heavy losses!" She heard Poe exclaim. Without the support from Lando, the Resistance Pilots were greatly outnumbered.
"Black-5 and Black-2, we're the only ones left in the squadron," she heard Poe chime in. That's it? Just the three of them? Rey briefly considered what shape the other squadrons were in. All she knew was that Kylo was alive. She still felt his presence. "We have to hit that Star Destroyer with everything we've got, or else there's no getting out of this one," Poe explained.
As soon as they were going in, more Tie Fighters headed their way. "Retreat! Retreat!" she heard Poe yell. "We'll go around the back side!"
As they were speeding towards the back end of the Star Destroyer, Leia reached out to them. "We need to get all squadrons out now! This has turned into a suicide mission! There will be nothing left of the Resistance!"
"Wait, General!" Poe yelled. "If all leaders attack this Star Destroyer, we may be able to fight them off!"
"Commander, retreat now! This is an order!" Leia commanded.
Poe turned his radio off, and addressed only the fleet. "We can do this, follow my lead!" The remaining Resistance pilots attacked the Star Destroyer with everything they had, some fighting off the numerous Tie Fighters. But they were taking heavy casualties. Rey would've been shot down twice if it wasn't for Kylo having her back. Black-2 took a hit, and the ship exploded to Rey's right. The rest of the pilots retreated, knowing they were doomed if they continued.
"I'm sorry!" Poe said over the radio. Rey could hear the desperation and sadness in his voice. The pilot of Black-2 was his best friend Jess, and she knew how much he would blame himself for her loss. "I thought we had a chance," he continued, "There's just too many of them."
"But there are more of us, Poe," Rey heard Lando chime in. "There are more of us!"
Turning their ships, they were faced with the sight of hope and victory. Hundreds of ships were hovering, waiting to carry the Resistance to victory.
"Look at this! Look at this!" Poe exclaimed. Rey could hear a chorus of cheers from Lando, Kylo, and more.
"Lando you did it! You did it!" Finn yelled. Rey was overcome with joy. The Resistance could win this, and end this war.
The next thing Rey knew, they were back into action. "Hit those underbelly cannons," Poe commanded. "Every one we knock out is a world saved!"
Within seconds, one of the Star Destroyers went up in flames. Rey was overwhelmed. These people weren't Resistance fighters, they were just people. People that believe in their cause.
The Star Destroyers were depleting quickly, along with the First Order's hope. There were only about ten left. Rey was so caught up in the moment, she wasn't listening to her radio. A close hit to her ship by a Tie Fighter woke her from her thoughts, as she tuned into Poe's barking orders.
"Black-5, Black-5 are you there!"
"Yes!" Rey finally spoke. "Yes, I'm here!"
"You had me scared for a minute!" Poe spoke. "There's only three left. Black and Blue squadron, let's take it down!"
"Copy that, Black Leader" Rey spoke. The remaining pilots from these squadrons targeted one of the remaining Star Destroyers. It was much easier with more cover from the Tie Fighters. They blew it up in no time.
A few minutes later, and the final Star Destroyer was up in flames. There were loud cheers and hollers. They did it. They won the war. The First Order was no longer.
"Well done!" Leia spoke.
The last thing Rey heard before going into hyperdrive was Poe's voice echoing through her radio... "Let's go home."
Many pilots had already returned back to the base by the time that Rey was ready to land. As soon as she took off her helmet and lifted herself out of the X-Wing, she was greeted with an overwhelming crowd that gave her lots of hugs and pats on the back. The first familiar face she saw was Poe, who ran towards her.
"You did great out there!" He exclaimed before pulling her into a tight hug. Another pair of arms enveloped the two, and Rey pulled back and looked into the eyes of Finn.
"I'm so proud of you both," Finn said. "We won! We won the war!" At this statement, the three hugged more, only releasing when they heard the sound of another X-Wing landing. It was Blue-3. It was Kylo. She gave Finn and Poe one last squeeze, before taking off towards Kylo. As soon as he exited his ship, she pounced on him, wrapping her arms around his neck. He let out a large belly laugh and swung her around.
"I love you so much!" She voiced, pulling back and giving him the biggest kiss she could manage. This got more applause from the Resistance members surrounding them to give them their praise. She pulled back, looking deep into his eyes. Just before they were about to go in for more, they were lifted by a strong pair of fuzzy arms.
"Chewy!" They both exclaimed. He set them down and began to tell them all about his journey with Lando when he was interrupted by Leia. "I'm sure this is an excellent story Chewy, but perhaps for another time? I would like a turn in congratulating my son and daughter-in-law" she winked and dismissed him. Leia pulled them both into a hug and praised their excellent flying skills. She was extremely proud of both of them.
They followed her inside and met up with Luke, receiving more praise. There were more celebrations inside. Some were drinking, somewhere laughing and dancing, and others were just enjoying the time with their loved ones. The celebrations lasted for a week, but with this great victory there was also sorrow. Many were lost in the final battle, and a memorial was held to honor them and the end of this week of celebration.
Shortly after the memorial, Kylo and Rey walked hand in hand back to the base. The past week had been extremely memorable for them. They made love countless times, and enjoyed the time that they had with their family. They also discussed their plans for the future. Rey had not yet told Kylo about her pregnancy. She wanted it to be special, and just hadn't found the right time.
As they walked through the base, they stopped on occasion to kiss briefly. They were so in love, and couldn't get enough of each other. Finally they reached their destination, Leia's office. They both were a bit nervous, for they didn't know how she would react to what they had planned to tell her. They knocked on the door and were allowed entry, sitting in the two chairs in front of her desk. Leia sat at the desk and Luke leaned against the wall behind her, both curious to what the pair wanted to meet with them about.
"I must say, I never tire of seeing you both together," Leia began. The pair blushed in response.
"Thank you, Mother," Kylo said. "We wanted to discuss with you both our plans moving forward."
"Ah yes, I expected this," Luke chuckled. "I'm assuming a life here at the base is not what you desire."
"Not exactly. We've decided that we want to have time to ourselves on a peaceful planet. Where we can go for a swim, and lay in the grass and watch the sunset, and watch the rain from our home," Kylo smiled.
"Well, you two deserve it after all this time," Leia claimed. "Where were you thinking of going?"
"Naboo," Rey answered.
"Ah," Luke began. "A perfect place to raise your-"
"Luke!" Rey interrupted. Luke's eyes widened, clearly unaware that Rey had not told Kylo of her pregnancy. Leia, turned around to stare at her brother as Rey covered her face with her hands.
"Rey," Kylo began. "What does he mean? To raise your what?"
She could feel his eyes on her. "Oh kriff this is not how I wanted this to come out," she complained. She gave a forgiving look to Luke and turned towards Kylo. "Well, as it turns out, we're pregnant. Well, I'm pregnant. Luke could sense it before me, and we didn't want to tell you, because we knew that you'd stop me from fighting."
Kylo was silent as he continued to stare at her. "Are you mad?" Rey asked, worry etched on her face.
"I-" Kylo paused. "Of course I'm not mad. Rey, we're going to be parents!" Kylo exclaimed, jumping out of his chair and pulling Rey up into an embrace, swirling her around the room. Leia had tears in her eyes as she watched the couple. She wished Han was here to see them.
They gave each other short kisses, remembering their audience. Kylo knelt down and touched Rey's stomach, tears rolling down his face. Then he turned towards Luke.
"Luke, you're absolutely right. Naboo is the perfect place to raise our child."
*Author's Note*
And that's the end! This story has been awesome to write! It's let me get really creative! If you guys are interested, I may add an epilogue. Let me know in the reviews! :)