Alder watched them carry his mother's dead body off the battle field knowing it was a miracle a Storm Trooper hadn't shot him while he was defenseless on the ground. No one knew the clear winner of this fight, not that he was aware of at least. Dead bodies from both sides littered the ground as they collected their thoughts and counted the death toll... needless to say it was obviously higher than the Resistance could afford.
A hand touched his shoulder. "You couldn't have saved her."
He slowly glanced up at Rey. Was she right? It didn't matter, she was gone now, his mother and the leader of the Resistance was dead, gone forever... and it was that monster Kylo Ren's fault. Alder hadn't even been able to make up with her over their argument before she'd been murdered. The last thing they had felt towards each other was frustration and intolerance. Why hadn't he forgiven her? He had a bad feeling coming over him yet he ignored it, now he could never tell her that he was sorry for acting like his brother.
"Alder?" Poe's voice joined Rey as the pilot joined them outside. "Come on, they're going to start the funerals soon."
"Don't want to waste any time, do they?" He muttered, allowing them to help him to his feet, and not failing to notice two of their group was missing. "Where's Finn and BB-8?"
"Finn went inside to get Chewie calmed down... The Wookie saw his two best friends killed, he's not exactly happy." Poe answered. "And BB-8... That wretched brother of yours shot him when he was escaping; nearly killed me too after a wing caught fire from another blast. They'll be able to repair him though."
Well, at least he didn't have to worry about anyone else he knew being dead. Alder shrugged his friends off once he got inside; he just wanted to be alone until the funeral procession started. He could imagine there were already droids digging the burial holes. He should get the injury to his back check out, the pain was getting to him now, but he shrugged it off as the anger continued to flow through his body. A poor service droid came into view and Alder scowled, destroying it in a few swipes of his lightsabers before staring down in horror... Was he really becoming his brother? No, he couldn't be... he didn't want to be that monster.
But you can feel the anger, the hate, and the lust. His thoughts reminded him. The monster is just below, waiting to break free again.
Alder shuddered involuntarily and sank to the ground with a scream rising in his throat. Lucifi wasn't gone, he knew that side of him would never be gone forever, in fact, the man he'd been under the Dark side poison had probably been hiding in the back of his mind since birth. The poison had just given his darkest thoughts and desires a chance to appear to the galaxy. He stayed pressed up against the wall, the blood from his back smearing it, as he tried to figure out just who he was. A Jedi, an apprentice to the Knights of Ren, a Resistance fighter, and now an orphan who was left to kill his brother and restore the Republic once more.
The Republic... that seemed to always be the cause of conflict from all the stories and legends he'd heard in his lifetime. It had been taken down by his grandfather and a Sith Lord only to be rebuilt with the help of the Rebellion, which in turn led to this... a mess with the First Order trying to restore the empire while the Resistance fought a losing battle against them. More so now that the system hosting the New Republic was destroyed, leaving the Resistance in an even worse situation. In a way the empire did seem better... the Republic did take forever to get things done, but the First Order couldn't be allowed to rule it. With that in mind, Alder found a spark of hope as an idea formed, his thoughts whirling as he got to his feet.
The funerals were short, there wasn't much to say after all, though a speech was made at the end saying how the lost would be missed, especially Leia. Alder kept his head bowed the entire time, not wanting to see his mother's dead body again... it was already engraved into his memory as it was. BB-8, now repaired and functioning again, was solemn throughout the ceremony as well as the seriousness of what happened hit the little white and orange droid. Once the bodies were buried a few more words and speeches were given before the people gradually went back inside with only a few still standing around who were close friends with the deceased. He stood by his mother's grave with the droid at his side as he stared at the freshly turned ground, they would be choosing his mother's successor at the moment to take on the title of General... and then it would be like his mother was nothing more than a casualty, a name.
"I won't forget what happened... I'm sorry." He whispered before turning away. "You were right... Goodbye Mother, I'll try to make you proud."
BB-8 gave a series of short, quiet, beeps as he followed Alder, which he took to be the droid's way of either consoling him or saying farewell to Leia. He caught C-3PO standing at the edge of the small area, waiting his turn to say goodbye to an old friend, at a respectful distance.
"Don't stay out too long, the First Order might come back." He told the golden droid emotionlessly. "We shouldn't stay at this base too much longer..."
"Oh, I doubt we will Master Alder." C-3PO agreed sadly as he walked past with a slower than normal gait.
Alder stared after him for a moment, surprised at the new title he'd been given,before leaving the droid to grieve. He wished he could mourn longer but there was something he had to do first.
YOU ARE READING
Lost Hope
Fanfiction(Book 2) A year has gone by since the First Order failed to get the map that would take them to Luke Skywalker. Kylo Ren has continued to train Zeh Skurn in the ways of the Sith, determined to get revenge on the Resistance and that scavenger Rey...
