Archive of Our Own

Stella is completely silent the entire flight back to the Resistance base. She simply stares out a window of the ship, reliving the moment she lost Kylo on repeat. No matter how hard she tries to force herself to think of something different, every time she blinks her visual is the same: Rey stabbing Kylo with his own weapon, the hot blade piercing his abdomen, and the way time stood still as his eyes dropped from hers and down to the wound. A loud sigh escapes her lips. This isn’t how things were supposed to go.. she thinks, resting her hand softly against the glass surface.

“Hey.” Finn’s soft voice startles her. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have snuck up on you like that.” He quickly apologizes as she flinches in her seat.

“No, I wasn’t paying attention.”

“How ya holding up?” He sits beside her, leaning forward with his elbows resting against his knees.

Stella almost laughs. “I should feel worse than I do, really.” He nods lightly. “Thank you for getting me out of there. I don’t think I’ve actually thanked you for anything you’ve done for me so far.” A soft smile tugs at her lips. “So thanks.”

He snorts a laugh and places a hand on her knee. His calloused fingers catching on the fabric of her somehow still damp pants. “We look out for each other around her. Like family.”

“Landing in 5, guys.” Poe shouts from the cockpit, interrupting the moment between them. Finn pats her knee twice before standing and returning to the cockpit.

“I wish I could see my real family right about now..” she murmurs to herself, staring once more out the window as the emerald skyline of Ajan Kloss emerges from the darkness of space.

So much has happened since, the fear of another crash never enters Stella’s subconscious as the Falcon less-than-gracefully thuds against the surface of the forest. She gulps, having never experienced resistance life without Rey, and follows the boys off the ship.

Commander D’Acy is waiting just outside, a somber look across her features. “Poe, something has happened.” She attempts to stop both men as they shove their way toward the base.

“No time.” Finn interjects.

“We need to speak to the general.”

D’Acys lip quivers. “She’s gone.” Her voice breaks with the threat of tears as she speaks.

The group comes to a halt. Already drowning in her grief, Stella feels her throat clench. Chewbacca instantaneously drops to his knees, yelling out in agony. She didn’t need to understand his language to know the hurt in those sounds. Poe rushes to his side, attempting to console the heartbroken creature, only to be pushed away. Chewie drops his head into his massive hands, sobbing audibly.

“You guys go.” The pilot’s voice sounds strained, as if he’s on the edge of breaking down. “I got this.”

The commander leads Stella and Finn to a nearby enclave. As she steps to the side, Stella’s heart wrenches. The covered body of Princess Leia lays against a stone slab, surrounded by gently laid flowers. Finn inches forward first. He whispers a few things to her body and, as though hiding his tears, covers his face with a hand and walks away silently.

She moves closer, her hands shaking at her sides as she approaches the princess. “This isn’t real.” She repeats for what feels like the hundredth time since she arrived in this galaxy. She kneels beside her, raking a hand through her messy hair and tugging at the bun on her head lightly, just to feel something.

“Leia..” She begins, gulping down the lump in her throat. “General, Princess, I don’t know what I was ever supposed to call you.” She laughs softly. “I wish I would have told you everything.. how Kyl- Ben,” Stella quickly corrects. “was so ready to walk away from the first order. How we were going to come to you that day. Nothing went the way it was supposed to.” Sadness tears at her chest as she thinks back on that day in their grimy little motel.

“I don’t know what I’m supposed to do now.” She confesses, dropping her hands at her sides with a scoff. “When he..” she pauses. “When I saw him fall, I knew his last thoughts would be of you. You were always the little shred of light keeping him from drowning. I wanted to give you your son back so badly, Leia..”

“Oh..” Poe’s voice interrupts her as he makes his way up to the General. “I’m sorry I didn’t realize you were still… Uh, I’ll let you finish.”

“No I was rambling anyway.” Stella sniffles and rises to her feet. “I met her once. What could I have to say?” She places a hand softly against the stone, too afraid to actually touch the body, and whispers a quick goodbye before walking in Poe’s direction and toward the rest of the crew.

“Wait.” He stops her. Shoving his hands into his pockets, Poe looks down at his feet. “Look, I owe you an apology.” Stella simply raises an eyebrow. “I’ve been an ass. To everyone, really.” He continues, shrugging a shoulder. His dark brown eyes, surrounded by deep circles, meet hers after a moment of silence. “I shouldn’t have treated you the way I have, and I’m sorry.”

Stella smiles softly. “Me too. Friends?” She extends a hand to him, and with a weakened laugh, Poe takes it.

“Friends.” He confirms, shaking her hand.

“I’ll leave you alone.” She nods back to Leia, turning away from him and returning to the main control center of the base.

“Something like that.” She mirrors his expression. “There’s always a light at the end of the tunnel though, right?”

He nods. “Hope built this rebellion. Hope is going to get us through.” He drapes an arm around her, pulling her into a brotherly side hug. She nudges his side with her elbow, giggling softly. “Hey!” He shouts to the little cone faced droid they discovered on Ochi’s ship. The droid nudges his muzzle into Rey’s toolbox as Finn rushes over to its side. “Don’t do that. That’s my friend’s!”

Stella rolls her eyes. Part of her wants to hate Rey. In fact, most of her wants to hate Rey. She killed the man she loves and ran off to do who knows what on Exegol alone. The last thing she wants to do is let her newfound family know how much anger she is holding onto. Stella eyes the base, watching as everyone bustles around. She wanders over to a control panel and stares at the blipping screen, losing herself in her thoughts.

A little blue dot pings on the screen and jolts her from her self pity session. “Uh..” She begins, looking over her shoulder for someone around. Her eyes fall on Poe and Finn embracing nearby. A soft smile graces her features for a moment, but she quickly snaps out of it. “Guys? Hey, guys!” She shouts. “This thing is doing something!”

“That code belongs to Luke Skywalker…” a male voice from behind her interjects. She jumps off the seat, quickly moving out of his way. The scruffy little man stares at the screen in bewilderment. “How’s that possible?”

Poe and Finn, along with the vast majority of the people on base, rush toward them and gather close around the screen to catch a view of the phenomenon.

Poe jumps in front of the screen, manipulating it until they lock onto the object. “That’s an old craft ID.” He begins. “That’s Luke Skywalker’s x-wing.”

“It’s transmitting course marker signals.” C3P0 points out, raising his metal arm toward the panel. “On its way to the unknown regions.”

“It’s Rey.” Finn practically whispers, leaning his elbows against the machine as he watches the screen closely. “She’s going to Exegol.” He stands, turning to Poe. “She’s showing us how to get there.”

Without hesitation, Poe nods. “Then we go together.”

“Together.” Stella repeats, bobbing her head in agreement.

The base erupts into action, everyone rushing to prepare whatever they need to make this mission happen. From loading ships, to gathering weapons, the entire planet seems to shudder from the newfound excitement and hope that is building. Finn and Poe, the newly appointed Resistance Generals, call the crew together to create some sort of plan before diving headfirst into a battle.

“As long as those Star Destroyers are on Exegol, we can hit them.” Finn explains.

“Hit them how?” Stella raises a brow.

“They can’t activate their shields until they leave the atmosphere.” Rose explains, pointing to a rough blueprint of the destroyers.

“Which isn’t easy on Exegol. Ships that size need help taking off. Their navs can’t tell which way’s up out there.” Poe continues.

“So how do the ships take off?” A woman to the left of Poe questions.

“They use a signal from a navigation tower, like this one.” He presses a button on the holopad, tweaking the image until it reveals a large satellite tower.

“Except they won’t.” Finn states. “Air team’s gonna find the tower, ground team’s gonna blast it.”

“That’s our chance.” The newly arrived Lando smirks, eyeing the two men proudly.

“There aren’t enough of us. We’ll be nothing more than bugs to them.” Lieutenant Connix’s tone sounds less than thrilled.

“That’s where Lando and Chewie come in.”

As the plan is explained, Stella drags her gaze around the crew, taking in the appearance of each and every one. She chews her bottom lip, a nervous habit, as she does so. Is this where she expected to be right now? Absolutely not. But she’s going to fight tooth and nail for these people after all they’ve done for her.

“The First Order wins by making us feel like we’re alone.” Poe interrupts her thoughts, raising his voice to be heard over the murmuring crowd. “We’re not alone. Good people will fight if we need them.” His eyes hold the same strength and confidence that Leia once held. “Leia never gave up. And neither will we.”

“We’re gonna show them we’re not afraid.” Finn Interjects, like a coach pumping up his team.

“What our mothers and fathers fought for, we will not let die. Not today.” Poe places a hand on Finn’s shoulder, and shoots a wink at Stella.” “Today we make our last stand. For the galaxy.” He pauses, swallowing hard. “For Leia. For everyone we’ve lost.”

“They’ve taken enough of us.” Finn shakes his head. “Now we take the war to them.”

A cheer breaks out throughout the base, helmets raised into the air and fists alongside them. The cries of “for Leia” and “lets go!” echo across the forest floor. As the group dispurses, rushing to their ships and hugging dear friends for what might be the last time, Stella can’t help the fresh wave of tears that threaten to fall as she watches the newly hyped Resistance team prepare for yet another fight as the underdogs. She takes a deep breath, swallowing back the lump in her throat and snatches a blaster from the piles of weapons lining the base. If she’s going to do this, there’s no more fear of hurting or injuring someone. She knows she has to be all in for her new family, or she proves Kylo right. She doesn’t belong here. With a shake of her head, she tilts her chin to the sky. “I do belong here, Kylo… If I couldn’t save you, I’ll die trying to destroy the dark side that took you away.”

Stella shoves the blaster into a holster and rushes to one of the ground team’s transports. “For Kylo.” She mumbles to herself as the ramp closes and the ships lift off the ground.

“Put this on.” Finn shoves a small earpiece into her hands, the nervousness evident in his tone. “Stay by me at all times.”

“I’ll be okay Finn.” Stella insists, inserting the strange technology into her ear. She taps it once, wincing as Poe’s voice booms through the speaker. Finn can’t help but laugh and quickly assists in adjusting the device's volume. “Thanks.” She murmurs. He nods once, patting her on the shoulder. His mouth opens as though he has something more to say but silently he turns and walks away. Stella cocks her head to the side, eyeing him with confusion as he moves to the front of the transport, weaving his way through Company 77 of Kef Bir and their orbaks.

As the unknown regions inch ever closer, Stella presses her face against the ship’s tiny window. She spots the X-Wing on the ground and a rush of adrenaline pulses through her veins. She slowly drags her gaze upward to the skyline, blackened by the neverending sea of Star Destroyers.

“Fuck me…” she whispers, her mouth drying out at the sight.

“Ground team, get ready.” Poe’s voice in her ear jolts her out of her terror and with shaking hands she tugs the blaster from her holster.

“Landing gears activated!” Rose replies, preparing to drop the ramp for their team.

“Hey! Hey, hey hey! Stella yells, running to the front of the ship and pushing between Finn and Jannah. “Look.” She points out the front window to the tower. The lights have all shut off and the satellites begin dropping.

“They deactivated the tower!” Finn curses.

“The ships need that signal! The power has to be coming from somewhere.” Wexley explains as he expertly pilots his X-Wing through the incoming blasts. “They figured out what we’re doing!”

“Call off the ground invasion!” Poe commands.

Stella is no longer listening. Her full attention has been directed to the glow of purple light coming from the cavern below. Her head tilts to the side. It’s identical to the glow that called to her from her snow covered car that last night at home, and to the flicker she saw when looking for the wayfinder… she needs to get to that light.

“Finn, get me down there.”

A chorus of “what”s explode through her earpiece. She shakes her head, setting her mouth in a firm line. “Get me down there.” The determination in her voice is something he’s never heard from the otherworldly girl.

“Fine.” He grunts after a moment. He directs Rose to lower the transport just enough so Stella can jump without hurting herself. “Hey.” He grips her upper arm, yanking her back before the ramp begins to drop. “I don’t know what you think you’re going to find in there but.. just be careful.”

Once more, time feels as though it stands still. She flings her arms around Finn’s middle, gripping him tightly. “Thank you for everything, Finn.” She whispers. His lips graze the top of her head in a soft kiss. It takes everything she has inside to release him and jump from the hovering ship.

As her feet connect with the ground, a surge of pain shoots up her legs, remnants from the not yet healed previous injuries on the Death Star. Biting her lip hard to fight off the pain, she bolts toward the small crevasse where the violet light still shines.

The only way into the cavern almost sends her running the opposite direction. The ceiling seems to close in around her as she inches ever close to the glowing light.

“Shit.” She murmurs, losing her balance to a large rock in her path. The cave is so dark, she can hardly see 2 feet in front of her.

“What happened?” Finn practically shouts through her almost forgotten earpiece. Stella shakes her head.

“Nothing. I’m fine.” She whispers harshly back. “Sorry guys, I’m ditching this thing. I need to focus..” Before they can argue, though she’s certain they are doing just that, she snatched the little electronic from her ear and drops it onto the ground. “I have to do this part on my own…”

With a sharp inhale, and a fleeting moment of regret, Stella continues into the caves. Her heart thuds loudly against her chest, so loud she swears she can hear it echoing off the stone walls. She comes to a halt at the edge of a steep drop off, and peers down into the darkness. A small landing is just within sight across from her, blocked by a massive chain and an even more massive drop to whatever lies beneath.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me…” she groans, leaning forward and resting her palms on her already wobbling knees in an attempt to steady her breathing. With a smirk and another deep breath, Stella stands straight and rolls her shoulders. “Mara,” she begins, tilting her head upward. “You have way too much faith in my athletic abilities.”

She takes a few steps back and takes off full speed, leaping into the air and grasps the chain with all her strength as she hits it with a thud.

“Oof!” She groans, the cold metal knocking the air from her lungs. Stella winces, mistakenly looking to the ground (or lack thereof). Slowly but surely, she begins to climb around the huge pieces of metal and toward the landing. Her every move could be her last and she is far too aware of that. “You can do this…” she mumbles, realizing she’ll somehow have to release onto the platform and trust that it catches her without crumbling. Stella brings her knees up, planting her feet against the chain and pushes off with all her might, flinging her body toward the landing. She hits the ground, slamming her shoulder into the cavern floor and rolls. Her hand immediately flies to her injured shoulder, gripping it with as much pressure as she can. Her body has almost no strength left and the injuries are only getting worse. Tears invade her vision as the sharp pain pulses through her.

“I hate this place.” She thinks, shaking her head and attempting to crawl to her feet once more. Before she can assess her new surroundings the platform begins to lower itself, much to Stella’s both terror and satisfaction. “What fresh hell is this?”

As it reaches the ground, she quickly steps off. “Ground is good.” She whispers, planting her feet on the solid surface. “Ground is safe.” She flinches as a twinge of pain shoots through her shoulder and grits her teeth. “Not now. No time for that.”

A flash of lightning jolts her from her thought, and suddenly she’s very aware of the new sound of ominous chanting echoing around her. “Oh that’s not concerning..” Her hand instantly reaches for the small blaster on her hip. She unholsters the weapon and clutches it tightly as she follows the sound. Bodies of stormtroopers lay strewn around her, indicating someone has been here already. She wretches at the sight. Nothing could prepare her to see that, she knows it means she must be getting closer to Rey. Her every step is quick and calculated, whipping her head around to view everything around her as the light and chanting grows brighter and louder.

“A power light life itself..” The gravelly voice of emperor Palpatine pierces her ears as she comes to a sharp halt. Stella presses her body against the stone pillar blocking her from view, barely peeking around to see what is happening. Her jaw hits the floor. The emperor holds not only Rey, but Kylo as well with the force on their knees before him.

The emperor's broken and decaying body is held up by wires and mechanics everywhere, and his face is shielded by a black cloak. His gaze is fixed upon his hands as the life seems to flood back into them. “And now, the power of two restores the one true Emperor.” He taunts their shaking forms. Stella can hardly breathe. She can’t watch Kylo die again.

Palpatine’s head shoots up, his blackened eyes landing directly on her. She wedges herself back further, praying she wasn’t seen. A loud laugh emanates from the creature. “Well well..” he begins. “No need to hide in the shadows, child.” She can hear the smirk on his rotten face. Stella doesn’t move, whether because she’s frozen in fear or pretending she didn’t hear him, she cannot make herself move. She hears a snap. Within moments, to black cloaked guards round the pillar and grip her arms. She’s motionless as they drag her forward.

“After everything he did to avoid this, you give yourself to me freely.” His lips twist into an evil grin as he turns his attention to Kylo.

Stella keeps her gaze cast to the floor, her brows knitting together. Everything he did… she thinks, beginning to put the pieces together in her mind. Oh fuck.. Her eyes shoot up. Palpatine reaches a now fleshy finger outward, curling it toward himself and yanking her beside him with the force.

“Enjoy the show.” He growls, forcing her to face Kylo and Rey.

As her eyes meet Kylo’s, everything around her goes silent. This is why he left. She thinks, never once breaking away from his devastated stare. I’m so sorry.. she practically yells in her mind, hoping somehow he understands. For a brief moment, his darkened gaze turns soft. A single tear drops from her eye. For a moment, the world stands still. If this is the last time she’ll see him, the last thing she sees, she is going to memorize every inch of the man she adores. From his deep black hair, even in a state of disarray, managing to look perfect. The warmth of his chocolate eyes. Even the fading scar that lines his cheek. Stella will never love someone, nor look at someone, the way she looks at and loves him.

With a flash of lightning, the Emperor interrupts her thoughts. His hands reach out and he begins sucking the energy and life force from both Rey and Kylo Ren. Stella thrashes against the invisible hold on her, fighting with what little strength she has left to get to them. They both collapse to the ground, unconscious or close to it as his laughter echoes around them. A soft whimper escapes Stella’s throat. This is so much worse than she could have imagined. She blinks away the fresh wave of tears, gnawing on her bottom lip as the Emperor I hooks himself from the mechanisms once holding him. He moves closer to the bodies.

“Look what you have made.”

Lightning flashes around them, illuminating the now visible army of dark covered sith in front of him. Stella’s eyes widen, practically bulging from her skull. The creatures chant in an unknown language as their newly healed master steps forward.

Palpatine revels in the attention, grinning at his army. Bitterness fills Stella’s mouth at the image. Suddenly a soft groan emits from Kylo’s throat, bringing everyone’s eye to him as he crawls to his feet. Before he can fully stand, he’s lifted into the air and held with the force. Stella gasps loudly, her eyes widening as the pit of her stomach falls. 

“As once I fell, so falls the last Skywalker!” Palpatine whips his hand, flinging Kylo backwards and over a ledge. His body twists in agony as he falls, reaching out for her one last time. 

“No!” Stella screams, finding her voice once more as he disappears from sight. She fights even harder against her captor, screaming at the top of her lungs.

With an annoyed scoff, Palpatine mirrors his actions and tosses her already broken body to the side. Her head connects with the concrete and her vision blurs. But she won’t give in that easily. She blinks rapidly as darkness threatens to engulf her, watching each movement of the Emperor.

Stella’s bleary gaze drifts upward as she falls in and out of consciousness. A stream of white light shoots from Palpatine’s fingertips, engulfing the ships above. The attack seems to last a lifetime. As the ships plummet from the sky, Stella feels every last ounce of hope drift from her. This is how it ends. She thinks, rolling her head to the side. The motion sends a wave of nausea through her and she silently heaves, curling her body into a tiny ball. Her eyes fall shut, finally willing to give in to her injuries and let go.

The familiar buzzing of a lightsaber catches her off guard, however, and her eyes shoot open. For a second, Stella is sure she’s seeing things. Rey is on her feet in front of the Emperor, her weapon drawn. His force lightning flows in her direction, only stopped by the blue flickering of her saber. She holds him off with all her newfound strength, earning a twinge of a smile from Stella.

“You are nothing.” Palpatine taunts, devoting all of his energy to destroying her. “A scavenger girl is no match for the power in me. I am all the Sith!” He exclaims, pulsing a surge of energy toward her. She groans, continuing to deflect the lightning.

“And I,” Rey growls. “Am all the Jedi.” Her left hand brings forward Kylo’s lightsaber. She ignites it and crosses the blades in front of her. Stella’s eyes widen. If she had the energy she’d be on her feet applauding.

Rey steps forward, pushing the force back against the Emperor. His own lightning seems to bounce from her sabers and turn against him, knocking the cloak from his decrepit body. He shoots backwards, slamming against his own throne, as an explosion echoes around them. Left without a master, the cavern seems to collapse in on itself. Stella tucks her face under her arms, barely peeking out from beneath like a child afraid of the dark. The flashes of light destroy everything that the Sith army has built, flinging massive chunks of rubble into the hoard of creatures. A cloud of dust masks Stella’s vision as the last rocks fall from above. She scrambles to prop herself up, fearful of the eerie silence throughout the cave. 

“Rey?” She chokes out, coughing into her arm. “Fuck.” She moans, barely dragging herself to her feet as the cloud begins to clear. “Rey..”

Both lightsabers on the ground beside her, Rey lays crumpled on the stone. Though her eyes are open, it’s clear she’s not breathing. Stella limps across the destruction toward her.

“No, god damnit!” She yells, kneeling beside her unconscious form and pulling her head into her lap. “Don’t leave me!” Stella begs, releasing a hard sob. She bends down, attempting to breathe life into the Jedi. “Come on!” She whispers, pressing against her chest. She continues the motions over and over again until an extremely faint pulse pushes against her skin.

“Hold on Rey. Please..”

The weight of a hand on her shoulder distracts her for a second and she casts her gaze up to the source. “No..” she whispers, shaking her throbbing head. “You aren’t real.” She clasps a hand against her skull, certain this is all a hallucination. 

Seeming to ignore her, Kylo Ren drops against the ground beside her and places his dirt covered hand on Rey’s abdomen. Stella cant tear her eyes from him, attempting to wade through her muddled thoughts. He can’t really be here.. A gasp of air from Rey interrupts her and she jerks her head back to the girl in her lap. The dark hair girl begins to sit up, staring wide eyed at her saviors. “Ben.” She grins, placing a hand on his cheek.

“Ben..” Stella finally whispers, mirroring Rey's bright smile with one of her own. Joy sparkles inside her, warming every inch of her skin. He laughs softly, turning his attention to Stella once more and leans forward, resting his forehead against hers. Her heart leaps from the contact and for the first time in a long time, she feels fully alive.