A/N: Thanks for reading! Reviews will be very much appreciated!

And we meet Rey, Finn, and Poe here. Finally.

LIBERATION FLIGHT

Chapter 3: A Jedi's Path

Throughout the rest of the trip to D'Qar, all that Cosette could think about was how in some way, she had already understood what had happened in the Hosnian system. 'You felt her die,' she realized as she sat curled up on the floor of the Chimera. There was no other way she could explain that sudden loss, that gaping hole somewhere deep down where that warm reassurance used to be.

She looked up in time to see Eponine sit next to her. "I'm sorry," the redheaded girl whispered. "I saw you watching your mother's message."

Cosette nodded quickly. "I always thought I'd know what to say if I ever saw her," she said after a while. She didn't even want to think of the other bequest, that lightsaber she had asked Jean Valjean to keep for the meantime. She looked to where Azelma was trying to distract Gavroche with a game of cards; their laughter was the loudest thing right now in the Chimera. "Are you ever going to come back for your parents?" she asked Eponine.

Eponine laughed hollowly as she shook her head. "What, and fly right back into the arms of Patron-Minette? Bounty hunters have a particular way of welcoming people."

Cosette squeezed her friend's arm, comforted by her usual wry humor. "Not going to happen, I promise." At that moment she felt the Chimera lurch, nearly throwing her and Eponine backwards. "What's happening?"

"We've just arrived at D'Qar," Jean Valjean said, pointing to a greenish-blue sphere coming up fast on their view. He was silent for a moment, clearly contemplating something. "We must hurry. Something is on its way."

Cosette shook her head when she saw Eponine mouth the words 'Hosnian system'. No, this foreboding was something more akin to a shadow creeping up, even calling to her. 'Should I run from this one too?' she wondered even as she and Eponine took seats to watch the Chimera's descent into D'Qar's atmosphere.

Azelma gasped as she dashed into the cockpit. "How old are these woods?" she asked, pointing to all the green islands below them. "I've never seen so much water before!"

"You have, when we were little," Eponine drawled as she twisted in her seat.

Gavroche was jumping up and down. "X-wings? I didn't know they still flew them."

"Out here, yes. They may not be as fast as A-wings but they are very reliable, and good in a fight," Jean Valjean said amiably as he steered the craft towards an open field opposite a sort of bunker. "Now this is the base."

Cosette leaned in her seat to get a better look at the crowds now milling about the entrance to the base. While she was no stranger to moving with urgency, she had never seen so many people hurrying about so freely and yet with such purpose. 'Are they unafraid?' she wondered as Jean Valjean landed the Chimera. "Are you going to tell them where we're from?" she asked him worriedly.

"Only those who must know," Jean Valjean reassured her as he unbuckled his seatbelt and got to his feet. He adjusted the lightsaber on his belt before pressing the controls to the hatchway. "Stay close. Looks like there's a lot we have to catch up on."

What lingering weariness Cosette might have felt was instantly banished at the first feel of cool air against her face. She quickly headed out after Jean Valjean, in time to see him waving to a young man wearing an orange jumper. 'A pilot,' she realized on seeing this stranger's crash helmet. "A student?" she asked him candidly.

"Only in flying," Jean Valjean said proudly. "I had never thought I'd see you again, Poe," he said warmly to the younger pilot.

"Takes more than a crash on Jakku to ground me," Poe said even as he saluted Jean Valjean. His eyes widened on seeing the youngsters. "New recruits?"

Jean Valjean shrugged before nodding to Cosette and the Thenardiers. "Poe, I'd like you to meet Eponine, Azelma, and Gavroche Thenardier, and Cosette. My friends, meet Poe Dameron, leader of the Red and Blue squadrons."

Poe made a slight bow. "Welcome to D'Qar. It should be Jean Valjean leading the flights, not me." He looked from the older man and then to the youngsters. "Did you find what you were looking for?"

Before Jean Valjean could say anything he had caught sight of another person walking up to them. This one was a woman who could have been perhaps forty or older, but there was something decidedly regal about her bearing. "General Organa," he greeted with a low bow.

"I'm glad you came promptly, Valjean. There is much that has to be discussed," General Organa said. She looked keenly at Cosette, and something like a light of recognition brightened her eyes, which grew solemn again after a moment. "It is good you're here at D'Qar."

"Best ground we've had in a while," Eponine mumbled. She looked around at the fighters being towed into the bunker, and still more being refitted on the tarmac. "Are all of these flight capable?"

"Eponine is a pilot,:" Gavroche chimed in. "She's the one who flew us out of Kessel."

Poe turned to look at Eponine. "Did you really?"

"We stole a ship, I did some evasive manuevers, but our hyperdrive got shot. That was where he came in," Eponine replied, glancing at Jean Valjean, who was now being pulled into a conference with General Organa and another man of advanced years. She started as she got another glance at this trio. "Is that actually Han Solo with them?"

"Yes, in the flesh," Poe said, grinning widely. He waved to a burly young man wearing a rather bedraggled jacket. "Finn! There are some people I want you to meet."

'The man has the build of a stormtrooper,' Cosette could not help thinking even as she came forward to meet this new friend. "Are people in the Resistance always this friendly?"

"We exercise caution. Finn though is a different story; if it wasn't for him I'd still be a captive of Kylo Ren," Poe said as he slung an arm around Finn's shoulders.

"And if Poe didn't fly me out, I'd still be with the First Order," Finn explained. His voice, though softer than Poe's, was nonetheless rather calming. "Are you all new here to the base?"

"Captain Valjean brought them in. They escaped Kessel," Poe said.

Finn's eyes widened. "How? That is supposed to be impossible-"

"Like getting off Jakku," Poe said. He sighed when he saw General Organa signing to them. "We're needed, and we still have to talk how we'll get to your friend Rey."

Somehow the mention of this name made Finn set his jaw for a moment, but his look was warm when he nodded to Cosette and the Thenardiers. "Excuse us for a moment. We'll see you around later?"

"You will," Cosette said before the men walked off. As brief as this welcome had been, it was enough to cheer her significantly. "I think we'll be safe here."

"They're going to a fight," Azelma said. She shook her head. "If it's against the First Order, I don't know if they can win."

"With those ships they can," Gavroche quipped. "That's why they've lasted this long."

'Will it be enough?' Cosette wondered as she looked up at the sky, almost fearing that she would once again see that terrible bolt of light. As it was, all she saw was an encompassing blue, broken only by the grey of the gathering clouds.

Although everyone soon knew of the destruction of the Starkiller Base, and soon enough of the loss of Han Solo at the hands of Kylo Ren, it was only after some hours that Cosette finally met Rey.

While the Thenardier siblings had been eager to sit around and listen to Poe and his comrades talk of their attack on the Starkiller weapon, Cosette had only desired to be alone. 'It came a little too late,' she could not help thinking. No amount of celebration could fill the void in her mind and heart.

As she wandered the hallways near the infirmary, she caught sight of a dark haired young woman seated near a door, occasionally glancing back towards where some medics were examining a wounded man. Cosette started, realizing that the man in the infirmary was none other than Finn. Somehow she must have made a noise, since suddenly the young woman seated nearby got to her feet. "I'm sorry if I'm in the way," this stranger said.

"No, I was just passing by," Cosette blurted out. Yet that moment was enough for her to realize who she was talking to; the woman who was on Finn's mind, the one who had seen Han Solo's last moments, the one who was more than just a scavenger from Jakku. "You're Rey."

Rey's green eyes widened for a moment with surprise before she held out her hand. "You're Cosette. I heard you and your friends escaped from Kessel."

Cosette nodded, knowing that this was going to be part of many an introduction for days to come. "I'm sorry about what happened to Finn, and Han Solo too," she said in a hushed voice.

"It shouldn't have gone that way," Rey said before taking a deep breath before sitting down again. "At least Finn is still alive. The medics don't know when he'll wake up, but he will."

"I'm sure," Cosette said, feeling slightly heartened at the optimistic tone in Rey's voice."Finn and Poe welcomed me and my friends. They are very nice."

A slight smile spread across Rey's face. "Poe said that too, about you," she said even as she motioned for Cosette to also take a seat. "Have you seen him?"

"Celebrating with the other pilots. My friends are there too."

"Why don't you join them?"

Cosette swallowed hard even as her mother's message came to mind again. "I can't. Not today." She looked at Rey again. "My mother was on the ground during the attack on the Hosnian planet."

"I'm sorry too," Rey said. She tugged at a loose string on her tunic. "Did she know you were headed here, with the Resistance?"

"It was her idea to come here. I only found out from the roundabout, from Captain Valjean." It was then that Cosette caught sight of an object that Rey had kept by her feet. "Are you a Jedi too?"

"No." Rey picked up the lightsaber carefully, as if weighing it in her hand. "I don't know why this came to me. A few days ago, all I wanted was to be found and to get off the planet Jakku. I never thought I'd end up doing it myself." She looked at Cosette keenly. "You know what this is?"

"I've begun wondering about something similar to it. My mother's," Cosette confessed. "It's not with me now though. I asked someone to hold it for a while."

Rey nodded understandingly. "Because you weren't looking for it too."

Despite the frenzy of the Resistance planning its next moves while the First Order was still reeling from the loss of its strongest weapon, it was still easy for Cosette to fall into a routine of sorts. Every day after breakfast she would join the Thenardiers and Poe as they explored the base and tinkered with the fighter craft. Oftentimes Rey joined them; it turned out that she was also very handy with ships, but at some point in the day she would end up heading to the infirmary to see to Finn. Usually Poe followed her, and occasionally he brought the Thenardiers along. Sometimes Cosette stayed for a short time, but more often than not she found herself joining Rey's vigil, occasionally exchanging stories and conjectures, but more often than not remaining silent in a necessary sort of way.

"I wasn't born on Kessel, as you can guess," she said to Rey one day. "I only got there a few years ago. We moved around a lot. Sometimes I recorded messages for my mother, but I didn't know if she ever really got them."

"I wasn't born on Jakku either. I remember being left there," Rey said. "I was waiting for my family."

"Why did you leave then?" Cosette asked.

"Finn and BB-8," Rey said with a weak laugh. "I had to keep them safe. Then it couldn't just stop there."

"Because of Han Solo?"

"Partly that. I owe General Organa at least that much."

Cosette swallowed hard at the terse way Rey clenched her fists. "Something happened on the Starkiller. You fought Kylo Ren."

"He wasn't only Kylo Ren. He was someone else, once," Rey said. "I couldn't kill him."

"Why?"

"Somehow it would not have been right to."

It was then that Cosette noticed General Organa walking up the hallway. "Good morning," she and Rey greeted quickly.

General Organa smiled wearily. Even with the lines making her eyes seem pinched and older than she really was, she still had that commanding presence. "Have you been here all day?" she asked kindly.

Rey shook her head. "I was wondering if today would be the day."

"I see," General Organa said, though it was not clear if she was talking of Rey's waiting for Finn to wake up, or of something else entirely. She looked towards the infirmary for a moment. "He's strong. He knows he has people waiting on him."

"I hope so," Rey said. She smiled on seeing a little droid rolling up the hallway. "What's going on, BB-8?"

The droid made a hooting sound and turned its head around twice, making Rey laugh. "Well they aren't going to leave me behind," she said. She nodded to General Organa. "I'm being looked for in the hangar."

"Go then," General Organa said. Her tone was warm, almost motherly, and that same mien was there when she looked again at Cosette. "Your friends will miss you."

Cosette shrugged wryly, thinking of all the fun that the Thenardiers and Poe, and now even Rey as well would be having. "Sometimes I do not know what to feel about it."

The older woman nodded sympathetically. "I'm sorry about your mother. She was a brave woman, one of the strongest I ever met."

The mention of her mother made Cosette start. "You knew her?"

"She and Captain Valjean were among my operatives," General Organa said. She took a deep breath. "She loved you. She always spoke of you."

"Did she ever say when she was going back for me?" Cosette could not help asking.

General Organa sighed. "I was trying to make the Hosnian system her last mission. Things have changed-" she trailed off. "You must understand; for some mothers, there are worse things than seeing their child die."

Somehow Cosette could not help thinking of Kylo Ren, or at least as he was mentioned in Rey's and Poe's stories, but before she could ask about this, General Organa had left to speak to someone else down the hall.

"I lost several pilots out there," Poe said one morning as he was looking over his roster during breakfast. "Perhaps you would be interested in taking the test?" he asked the three Thenardiers.

Eponine glanced at her siblings before shrugging. "Gavroche is too young. I'd like to give it a try."

Poe nodded gratefully before looking at Azelma. "What about you?"

"I don't fly," Azelme said. She gave her sister a furtive glance. "It makes me dizzy."

"Then I guess it's only me then," Eponine said as she took a healthy sip of the last of a mug of caf before getting to her feet. "When can we start?"

"Right away," Poe said. He sighed when a beeping sound came from his BB-* droid, which till then had been sitting quietly next to the bench. "It's only a sim, relax. You know as well as I do that we need pilots."

"It's going to be fine, BB-8," Eponine quipped. "I won't hurt him too much."

"Oh aren't you eager," Cosette commented, but even so she could not miss the wariness that had suddenly crept into Azelma's eyes on hearing this exchange. "It's just a sim. A test," she said once Eponine and Poe were out of earshot.

"Ponine will make it. I'm sure," Gavroche said cheerily. "She's one of the best."

"That's just the problem," Azelma muttered. "It's dangerous out there. The Starkiller Base is gone, but there's still Snoke."

The mention of the Supreme Leader of the First Order made Cosette shiver. "He's not getting to us," she said firmly. "I promise that."

"They almost did," Azelma said. "If it wasn't for the Starkiller blowing up, we'd all be dead by now. It could happen again."

"It won't. Not right away."

"But still-"

Gavroche stuck out his tongue. "So we'll fight back harder. We've got Jedi—"

"Is that enough?" Azelma challenged. "That Kylo Ren was a Jedi too, so they say."

'Halfway there,' Cosette thought but she knew better than to voice this out. Sometimes it was enough to assure Azelma that all would be well, but today her friend was far too agitated for such talk. 'There's Snoke and Kylo Ren, they're right about that, but that's not the end of it,' she thought as she headed out of the mess hall and towards the general direction of the infirmary.

Oddly enough, Rey was not there, but instead she was in another room, surveying a large starmap. She turned and smiled when she heard Cosette enter. "Have you seen this before?"

"Never. Where is it supposed to lead?" Cosette asked.

"To Luke Skywalker," Rey said. She patted the domed astromech droid that had been projecting the starmap. "If you'd woken up earlier, R2D2, we might have figured this out faster."

Cosette rolled her eyes when the droid made an indignant sound. "I think he's arguing with you."

"Something about the right time," Rey said. She passed her hand over the starmap, stopping over an isolated planet. "I have to talk to General Organa. It was supposed to have been Poe's mission but he's needed here."

"When Finn wakes up, he'll need you," Cosette pointed out. She could feel the tug too in Rey's mind, something that was becoming far more of a certainty the longer they stayed in this room. "What will we say to him, when he wakes up and you're not here?"

"I'll worry about that," Rey answered resolutely. "Are you staying?"

"Maybe," Cosette said, even as she remembered now the scene in the mess hall. "Should I go with you?"

Rey was quiet for several long moments. "No. I'd like it if you would, but I can't be sure what will happen when I find him." She patted R2D2 again, who then turned off the astromech. "Before Han Solo went after...I mean, before the attack on Takadona, he asked me if I wanted to be a sort of co-pilot. Chewbacca said the offer still stands. I'm taking it."

"But you will be back," Cosette pointed out. "In the meantime, I can learn something from Captain Valjean. He was a Jedi-"

"There is only so much I can teach you both," Jean Valjean's voice cut in. The two young women turned to see the old Jedi standing at the entrance to the chart room. Jean Valjean's expression was wan as he regarded them. "My own skills have their limits. There are many things you have to learn that I cannot impart to you."

"But you're the only Jedi here among us," Rey argued.

Jean Valjean gave her a sad smile. "In the days of the Old Republic, the Jedi had vast archives, and resources for learning about the Force. Now they are gone, and the last vestiges of them may very well be in that old Temple you seek."

Cosette nodded, knowing all too well now what everyone was thinking. "So finding Luke Skywalker is the only way to make sense of this?"

"That," Jean Valjean said. "And to make all things new."

When Cosette made her way back to the hangar, she was just in time to catch Eponine talking heatedly with her siblings. At last the older Thenardier girl sighed and nodded. "Alright, I'll tell them," she seethed before stalking off. Eponine took a few moments to wipe her face before marching off towards where Poe and some other pilots were waiting by their ships.

Poe gave her a questioning look. 'What was that about?"

"I'm not doing it," Eponine said. She glanced back at Azelma and Gavroche. "I didn't get my siblings away from Kessel just to have them in the middle of this war."

"Eponine, the war will rage on no matter where we all are," Poe said. "Here, we stand a fighting chance."

"Till the next Starkiller." Eponine bit her lip for a moment before turning to look at Cosette. "Are you coming with us? We're leaving on the next transport."

"For where?" Cosette asked.

"Anywhere," Eponine said. "Come on, it will be an adventure. The four of us, as always. I can fly, Gavroche is good at fixing things, and I'm sure you and Azelma can find something to do."

'I already know what it is,' Cosette almost said. She saw Eponine shake her head; apparently she had noticed her hesitation. "How long will we be running?"

"Is there a definite answer to such things?" Eponine retorted impatiently. "You don't want to spend the rest of your life fighting-"

"It's about the same as running," Cosette pointed out. Of course there was the First Order out there, but there were also pirates, Patron Minette, and other dangers to consider. 'Those are not the only things in this galaxy,' she reminded herself.

Poe glanced uncomfortably at the two young women. "Maybe I should go."

"Don't," Cosette said. She wanted him to hear what she had to say to Eponine, if only for safety's sake. "If you run, you'll need eyes and ears."

"And you'll be that?" Eponine asked. "It's not the same."

"I thought the goal was to stop running," Cosette said. She glanced down at her still empty hands. "Give me some time to think. I'll let you know."

Eponine nodded reluctantly. "Be quick about it."

Cosette quickly hurried back to the chart room, where she now saw Jean Valjean sitting alone. "I wish you could train me and Rey," she said. "It would be so much simpler."

Jean Valjean looked at her. "Usually a Jedi Master can only take one apprentice at a time. Having two or more would often foster undue competition, then rivalry, then anger. I will not let it happen to you both."

"Well then why did you not search for Luke Skywalker too?" Cosette demanded. "You, a Jedi-"

"When he left-or rather after his apprentice undid his work and slew so many others, there were a number of consequences that could not be foreseen or undone," Jean Valjean answered. "My part was to stay away, recoup what could be found once more, and keep your mother safe."

Cosette swallowed hard. "What was her name?"

"Fantine. She had no other name." Jean Valjean got to his feet slowly. "You have a path for you, that none of us-I, your friends, General Organa, or even your mother's memory can decide. Take the time you need, Cosette."

She did not look up as Jean Valjean left the room, with the R2D2 droid rolling out quickly after him. Instead she only went to the narrow window and looked out over the lush landscape of D'Qar, with its waterways and forests. 'Till a few days ago, you did not know of this,' she thought. 'And there is still much you do not know either.'

She took a deep breath as she felt the breeze stir her hair, and then turned back towards the hangar. By this time she saw Gavroche helping Azelma and Eponine load up some boxes on an awaiting ship. Cosette walked quickly towards them, and helped pick up a box. "Where do I set this down?"

Azelma cocked her head. "You're coming with us?"

"Not today," Cosette replied. She met Eponine's piercing gaze. "I'll be your eyes and ears, for now."

Eponine sucked in a breath between gritted teeth. "It could be a long while. Are you sure about this?"

"You'll need me, differently."

"That's true."

Gavroche nudged Cosette. "When you become a Jedi, you'll be able to help us talk to any traders. May as well make it easier for my sisters to go legit."

"I'm not sure that's how it works," Cosette laughed before Gavroche clapped her back and Azelma pulled her into a hug. She broke away after a few moments to also embrace Eponine. "Stay safe. I'll find you once I figure it out."

Eponine nodded fiercely, clearly holding back her tears. "You'd better." She pulled away and nodded to Rey, who was also just entering the hangar. "Do you need a ride too?"

"Chewbacca needs a co-pilot," Rey said, gesturing to the Milennium Falcon. "What about you?"

"We're making a stop," Eponine drawled. "You watch yourself, please?"

"I will," Rey promised. She walked up to Poe and Cosette. "When Finn wakes up, let me know?"

"We will," Poe said, clasping her hand. "Fly fast and sure, Rey. We're counting on you."

Rey nodded before looking to Cosette. "I'll let you know too what happens...if I get anywhere."

"I have a feeling I'll be joining you sooner than later," Cosette confided. She was not sure what else to say by way of leavetaking, so she simply clasped Rey's hand as well. "Till we meet again."

Rey smiled before going off to speak to General Organa, who was waiting now near the exit. In the meantime Cosette hung back to let the ground crews finish preparing the ships for takeoff. She sighed when she saw Poe adjusting his ragged jacket. "Looks like you'll be keeping that for a while."

Poe let out a deep breath. "For as long as it takes." He gave Cosette a questioning look. "I thought you'd go with them."

"Not yet," Cosette said. "It's a big galaxy after all but a small base. We need more room."

Poe laughed as he put his hands in his pockets. "You have a lot on your hands, Cosette." He glanced to the hangar exit. "I'll check on Finn. I don't know what to tell him when he wakes up."

"We'll know then," Cosette said before turning to go to her quarters, which were really nothing more than a small billet she had been sharing with the Thenardier girls. She went to her tiny pallet and found to her surprise a wrapped package on her pillow. 'Captain Valjean has his ways,' she thought bemusedly even as she pulled off the cloth bindings to reveal the lightsaber she had last seen on the Chimera.

She clasped the weapon, feeling its weight fit snugly in her hands. The metal hilt felt strangely warm to the touch, even as her finger easily found the power control. Cosette took a deep breath as the first hum of the weapon filled the silence, a moment before the shadows were dispelled by the blade's pearl white glow.