Star Wars VIII: Stand of the Republic

31: Reunited

The First Order fleet was about to send out a second wave of troop transports when alarms began sounding. The interdictor field had been dropped when the Republic had been forced down to the planet, so the incoming ships were able to come out of hyperspace almost on top of the First Order.

A Republic fleet nearly twice the size of the combined First Order presence above Crait entered orbit and began firing. Waves of fighters launched toward the Star Destroyers, and with the First Order's fighters engaged on the planet below, they were helpless against the faster and more maneuverable fighters. Turbo lasers were destroyed in groups as fighters strafed the armored hulls. Two Star Destroyers exploded, and a third lost its position in orbit as one of its engines burst into flames.

On the bridge of the leading Republic cruiser, Han Solo watched the First Order fleet thrown into disarray. The fact the First Order was still assaulting the planet gave him hope they were in time to save the Republic evacuation fleet.

"Leave," whispered the voice of Snoke in Kylo's head. "The Jedi are out in the open, exactly where I wanted them. We'll finish this another day."

Kylo switched off his lightsaber and marched back toward his command shuttle. He waved an arm to his troops, signaling a withdrawal.

"Stay strong, Ben," Luke called after him. "Snoke is not the only power that exists. We will meet again."

The First Order began to pull away from the planet, but the Republic gave chase and continued to harass them every moment they could. Two Republic cruisers fell under the combined fire of several Star Destroyers and were lost, but twice as many First Order ships were also destroyed.

Kylo's command shuttle returned to the Supremacy, the massive Star Destroyer holding its own even against the massive Republic assault force.

"There are too many Jedi for me to take them on all at once," Kylo told Hux as the shuttle flew into the hangar bay of the Supremacy. "Contact the Knights of Ren."

The First Order jumped out of the system, but a quarter of their fleet was too damaged or surrounded to do so and was abandoned for the Republic to finish off. The rout of the First Order quickly turned to a slaughter until their presence on the planet and in orbit had been eradicated.

Republic transport ships began ferrying down to the surface to secure the area with fresh troops, provide medical care to the wounded, and repair workers to fix the damaged ships. Once the battle in space was done, Han left command to Admiral Akbar and headed down to the surface.

Poe powered down his x-wing in the hangar and climbed down as a ladder was brought over for him by the ground crew. Rose was waiting for him, and she wasn't glaring at him as usual.

"Rose?" Poe questioned. "Something you wanted?"

"After what happened, I needed to talk to you," Rose admitted. Tears welled in her eyes, and she frequently couldn't bring herself to look at him directly. She shifted her stance repeatedly as if not knowing how to stand or what to do with her hands. "I hated you because my sister died under your command. When Finn planned to sacrifice himself to save the rest of us, I realized something. My sister didn't lose her life under your command. She gave her life. It's a significant difference."

Poe swallowed before he could bring himself to answer.

"Rose," he began, trying to keep his voice from wavering. "I...I promise you I will never forget what happened, and I will never stop trying to be better and to protect the lives of people under my command."

Rose gave him an approving nod with the faintest hint of a smile.

When Han exited his transport in front of the Rebel base, he looked over the people doing their assigned tasks and made sure nothing needed his direct involvement. Continuing into the base through the open shield doors, Han was grabbed roughly by a furry arm.

"Chewie," Han wheezed as the excited Wookiee crushed him in a giant hug. "Good to see you too."

When Chewbacca let him go, Han was greeted by another.

"Luke," Han said with wide eyes. "When did you grow a beard?"

"Hi Han," Luke greeted. The smile behind his beard lessened as he lowered his eyes. "I'm sorry about Ben."

"He's not dead yet, is he?" Han asked.

"No," Luke denied.

"Then there's still hope for him," Han said with an edge in his voice. He rested a hand on Luke's shoulder. "You went after the murderous Darth Vader to save him, so I know you won't give up on my son."

"He has broken free of Snoke's lies," Luke replied, looking at Han directly. "But, he still thinks Snoke is more powerful."

"It's something," Han accepted.

Leia came over and put her arm around Han.

"It's good to have you back, Luke," she said. "We can use the help against the First Order. We've barely been holding against them."

"I wish I could've done more," Luke admitted. "But, my students and I are here now. The end of this war has begun."