Chapter Text
Two nights after the Resistance escaped Crait, Kylo and Rey simultaneously wake abruptly and it takes a split second to realize that General Organa has passed away. Leia being thrust into outer space without a suit, combined with the heartbreak of losing Kylo, Han, Luke, Amilyn and countless others, caused her heart to give out. Kylo goes cold and numb at the realization and Rey leaps from her bunk, frantically running to the General's quarters, startling everyone on the Falcon in the process.
The small band of survivors is devastated and Kylo witnesses it all. He sees them, he hears them, and he feels them through the force bond. Although Rey senses this, she is too overwhelmed and shocked to even try to block him. Rey slumps down the wall after the doctor confirms the General is gone and sits there for... she doesn't know how long, while people around her wail.
It isn't until Poe takes command and everyone calms down a bit, that Rey starts to come to grips with the sad new reality they're faced with. Soon thereafter, the force bond snaps shut. They never said a word to one another, but they both know the other is heart sick. Kylo didn't expect to feel this way, but he always did have a soft spot for his mother. No matter what she said or did, or rather, didn't say or didn't do, he loved her.
Few got sleep that night. Tomorrow the survivors will have to figure out a plan. And Kylo will do what he does well, shove this painful experience into a secure little compartment and carry on.
Over the next few days, Poe facilitates several meetings to figure out next steps and it becomes increasingly clear that the devastated, distraught and exhausted survivors should disband. They have no base, no senior leadership, no allies and few supplies. The safest thing to do is to split up into small groups going different directions to avoid the First Order. Rey tells Finn, Rose and Poe privately about her force bond with Kylo Ren and how profoundly it opened when Leia passed. Because he saw and heard the others during that connection, Rey is afraid she'll put her friends in danger if they travel together. They make the painful decision to split up.
The next few days are bittersweet. Rey has always hated goodbyes and this one is the worst. She's never had friendships as deep, loving, and delightful as she's had with Finn, Rose and Poe and she doesn't want to give them up. None of the groups departing share where they're going, in case they get caught. Rey decides to go to Coruscant because she knows she can find work there and she thinks she'll be able to hide from Kylo better on the crowded planet.
When Rey arrives on Coruscant, she hits the ground running by heading to a job fair the next morning. On her way, she passes a DNA testing center and is compelled to go inside. The women behind the counter tells her they mostly do DNA testing to determine paternity and to connect relatives - either genealogy enthusiasts or people trying to find their birth parents or biological relatives. Rey immediately pays for a test and in 30 minutes it's complete. She's waits another few minutes and is given a report that shows she has relatives in their database searching for her. She scans the page quickly and is surprised to discover she has sisters... 6 of them, to be exact. They are named: Ruth, Roxi, Rily, Rena, Reva and Rita - her parents had a naming convention apparently.
Rey goes immediately to one of the courtesy phones and dials the first contact number listed on the report. It rings twice and a woman with a beautiful and excited voice says, "Reya! I ALWAYS knew you would find us! We've been waiting a lifetime to be reunited with you. You cannot imagine how very much we love you and have missed you. You must come over immediately!"