As the last embers of the Rebellion begin to fade, Kylo Ren (Ben Solo) and the brave, budding Jedi Rey continue to wrestle with their mysterious connection. Rey remains disgusted by Kylo Ren's murder and darkness, but holds hope that Ben Solo will e...
The cobbled streets were cleared, save for one tall pile of stones balanced in the center of the main courtyard. Rebels, fewer than fifty, began to gather as the sun was descending.
Poe looked over the gathering, especially fixated on Rey, who had kept herself secluded and quiet since she had felt well enough to stand. She was on the other side of the courtyard, wrapped in a blanket, turned so that Poe could admire the way the sunlight glinted her hazel irises into more of a honey-green. Chewbacca passed Poe on his way to the memorial crowd and uttered a few short, quiet guttural words.
"I know, Chewy," answered Poe under his breath and leaning his arm against a tree branch overhead. "There's something off about it."
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Finn approached Poe. "I don't want to panic anybody, but Rose and I examined the wreck, and that is definitely an upper-echelon imperial pod."
"Is it from Kylo Ren's craft?" Poe asked, frustrated.
"We can't know," said Finn. "But if the fleet were looking for him, we may have hours--minutes--to evacuate."
"Damn," said Poe, bowing his head.
"What are you going to do?" said Finn.
"Tell the captain to make it short." sighed Poe. "We can't postpone this funeral any longer. We have to grieve and let Leia go. It's killing the cause."
As Poe and Finn made their way down, Ben emerged from behind a nearby tree. Without detection, he got hold of a brown tarp and wrapped himself in a makeshift hood. He discreetly made his way into the edges of the crowd as the service started.
The captain speaking had served with Leia for many years since her youth, and spoke eloquently of all Leia had accomplished for the Rebellion and the whole galaxy. Ben listened with new humility to the way his mother was lauded. In fits and bursts, the Force swelled into his bosom as he remembered the longstanding hatred for these rebels who he'd blamed all these years for his mother's absence.
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As they bowed their heads in a moment of silence to remember this great general, this, their Princess Leia, Ben started to understand his mother's life in a different light. The rebels had loved the cause of freedom and loved Leia for being its stalwart champion. Though still resentful, Ben knew she could have not have been great if she had stayed at home to mother only him. In a way, Leia had been mother to this great movement, and all these folks were his siblings. In the very end, Leia had abandoned every one of them--risked everything--to try and save her prodigal son from the dark side. Whether she had failed or succeeded was yet to be seen, though deep in his heart, growing stronger again in the force, he already knew the answer.
