The Children of the Stars

Next Steps

The jump to hyperspace brought with it relief. Nellith could smell a faint burning odor, most likely brought on by the one hit that managed to penetrate the shields. Carian had volunteered to help Artoo take care of that, leaving everyone else time to get into the lounge area, many of them sitting around the dejarik table.

"I guess we have a lot to catch up on, so we might as well do it now," Rey sighed. "There are two vital parts to defeating Darth Keera— and Darth Plagueis's spirit behind all of it."

"One is taking Centerpoint Station so we can destroy the Star Forge and cut off the source of power," Nellith added.

Rey nodded, beaming with pride. "Exactly. And then we need to help Allana fulfill her prophecy. I discovered where the Throne of Balance is."

"It's real?" Ben raised his eyebrows. "I thought it was a metaphor."

Rey shook her head. "It's somewhere in the World Between Worlds, the same place where I was able to rescue you and bring you back to life."

"How do we get there?" Jacen folded his arms over his chest.

"I know the way." Rey's hazel eyes gleaned. "Luckily, there's an entrance not far from the old observatory on Jakku."

"The one that belonged to your grandfather," Kyp added.

Rey blinked. "You know about that, then?"

"I had to tell them, when we were looking for you," Ben explained.

"I suppose I shouldn't have expected to hold on to that secret for nearly as long as I did." Rey shook her head. "I apologize. We will need to contact Allana— if she can take the Throne of Balance, she will be able to shift the tide of the war in unimaginable ways before we make our claim on Centerpoint Station."

"So we're going back to Jakku, then?" Kyp asked.

"Unfortunately," Ben grumbled.

"Allana may even be able to use whatever power she gains from the throne to awaken the Jedi and cure the Force psychosis," Rey added. "That could add to our numbers for the final battle. We want to destroy the Star Forge to cut off the Remnant's supply— after that, we can enter into a mission to capture Darth Keera and conquer New Alderaan."

Nellith opened her mouth, about to ask more questions— that's when she saw it, a fleeting image of herself and Darth Keera in the heart of Centerpoint Station, lightsaber drawn.

Nellith shook her head. "It won't be dragged out that long. I don't know all the details— but the final battle of this war will take place on Centerpoint."

Kyp let out a low whistle. "Then we'll need all the Jedi we can get."

Ben stood from the dejarik table. "I'll comm Allana, maybe Rose too. She might be able to convince Finn to send us some allies to help finish this war."

"Finn is trained in the ways of the Force," Rey reminded him. "It might be wise to call on Jannah. Having the Calrissians on our side would make this fight more than fair."

"Agreed." Ben smiled. "I missed you so much— we have so much to talk about."

Rey sobered— and Nellith could sense that she was talking about Anakin and Jaina. "I know. I wish we'd been able to find these answers sooner."

"I suspect we'll have plenty of time when this is all over." Ben sighed. "When the war is over, we can go to Ahch-To and spend some time alone. To recover."

Rey smiled sadly. "I'd like that."

Jacen then coughed awkwardly, in the sort of way that implied an interruption.

"Yes, son?" Ben raised an eyebrow.

"Tahiri and I have been thinking—" The happy couple exchanged a look before flitting back to Ben and Rey. Tahiri spoke next.

"We'd like to get married after the war is over, Master Skywalker and Master Solo. And visit the estate on Varykino. We were thinking Naboo would be perfect for us."

Ben and Rey regarded them a moment.

"If you're going to join the family, Tahiri, you might as well call us Ben and Rey," Ben said.

Tahiri blinked— Nellith realized tears of joy were forming. "You mean it?"

"Of course." Rey was looking at Ben as she said it. "Love is something to be encouraged. Especially in times such as war. And we'd be happy to give Varykino's key to you."

"It's a good place to heal." Ben looked away from Rey; his eyes were on Jacen now. "And I think we'll all need that, when this is done."

They all sat in silence for a moment, considering who had been lost in the war already.

Tenel Ka Djo.

Anakin Solo.

Jaina Skywalker.

The crew of the Princess Leia.

And countless other Jedi who had died that one night.

Of course, such silence did not last— and naturally, Kyp was the one to break it, with a gleam in his emerald eyes.

"Hey, if we're talking about adding to the family, am I—"

"No," Ben finished curtly. "You have a few more years before a marriage would receive our blessing, Durron."

"But perhaps someday," Rey finished gently.

Kyp then looked to Nellith. "You know, what are you going to do, once the war is over?"

Nellith frowned. "I'm not sure yet. There's still a lot of fight left in me."

She knew it was a cop-out, she just didn't want to think about that yet.

"Kitri and Carian would like to join our order," Rey suddenly added.

All eyes went to Kitri. He feigned a cough, taking time to formulate his words carefully.

"I went looking for the Jedi because my sister's powers were developing, and they were becoming difficult to control," Kitri explained. "I ended up running into Jaina, who was looking for Master Skywalker. We had mutual goals, so I agreed to join the crew of her ship. In the process, I discovered that I had potential of my own that had been untapped. Before this, I was going to be a medic, I was at the Academy on Coruscant for it. But my sister needed me, so I was forced to leave. Since I don't honk I'll be able to return to that life, I'd like to become a Jedi."

"We have a place for you," Ben promised. "We don't turn people away, no matter their past or their indiscretions."

"And we'll be proud to have both of you as Jedi Knights someday," Rey added. She then stood up. "I suppose you have comms to make, Ben, and I have to check the navicomputer."

Her eyes surveyed the room sadly. Nellith imagined that she was thinking of the family trips they had once taken in the Falcon, to Ahch-To and Chandrila. Of the three members lost to them now.

Then everyone dispersed, leaving only Kyp and Nellith at the dejarik table.

"So, are you on for a friendly match?" Nellith asked.

Kyp grinned. "You're on."