Let It Burn

Where Were You When Our Hearts Were Bleeding?

The Hosnian System was gone. Coruscant was the natural place for the remaining powers in the galaxy to meet. It was in the core, and had once been the seat of the government. It might return there, as both the Resistance and the First Order were seeking to control it. Right now, though, it was a neutral planet, as was much of the core. Those planets closest to where Starkiller had been threw in their lots with the Order, but the loyalty did not stretch far.

Dantooine, for example, was unofficially in support of the Resistance. It was of strategic importance, but thus far was not allowing any troops to be stationed or any representatives to be hosted. There were a suspicious amount of trade vessels getting boarded in Resistance-space and losing their cargo before returning to Dantooine. The fact that the queen there did nothing in retaliation showed her hand – clearly, she supported her old friend from the end of the last war.

Hutt space had always been largely ignored by the Republic and the Empire, and was now growing in power. While there were treaties in place to prevent it, the Hutts saw that these would not be enforced and took advantage of the chaos to take over their neighbors. Life was quickly becoming more difficult on the Outer Rim, as galactic laws were flagrantly disobeyed. The Hutts were not the only ones to act.

Trade routes had become exponentially more dangerous. Pirates were on the rise, and prices were driven up to account for lost goods. Which only increased the number of pirates, as life became unaffordable. Neither the Resistance nor the First Order had the power to address the problem, and both were focused the war. So the needs of the galaxy went unmet, and it was easy to affix blame to one power or the other.

The neutral planets were an asset for both sides – it was a resource that did not need to be defended. One of these, on the Rimma Trade Route, called Sullust, was known for its mines. Luke Skywalker and his student, Rey, journeyed there to get a kyber crystal. Their presence must go unnoticed to avoid pulling the planet into having to choose a side, so they did not take the Millennium Falcon. Luke had persuaded General Organa that it would be best if it were just the two of them, and she'd finally relented.

Two people in the span of the galaxy would hardly be noticed, he reasoned, and she was forced to agree. Rey was piloting their small ship, which was hardly of any interest to the pirates, and they attracted little attention as they landed in one of the smaller cities. Payment was required to leave their ship in the landing bay, which made Luke frown, but then they were on their way.

"Kyber crystals are rare, and hard to move. It's not profitable to mine them, generally. Only Force-users are interested in them," Luke explained as they walked through the woods outside of town. His hood was pulled over his head and his hands were tucked in his sleeves, making him look very much the Jedi from legend that Rey had always pictured.

She had her own robe and copied his stance, smiling to herself. Though there were those in the Resistance who treated her differently, who treated her as a Jedi-in-training, it was not often that she was reminded of her status. And being here, with her master, made her think it must be how everyone saw them, and she liked that idea.

"Force-users aren't a good customer?" she asked thoughtfully.

Luke smiled grimly. "Not since before I was born."

Appropriately sobered by the reminder, she focused on walking. Luke didn't often talk about the fact of what his father had done. Sometimes he talked about Anakin Skywalker, but almost never about Darth Vader. He had, however, come to terms with who his father was, unlike his sister. It was apparent, at least to Rey, that Leia still struggled with it. Rey wondered if the wounds were fresher because of Kylo Ren – if they would have both been more willing to accept Darth Vader/Anakin Skywalker if the last thirty years hadn't given them reason to remember the Dark Side.