Star Wars Episode IX: Duel of the Fates

Chapter 29: Ben's Hand

The galaxy seemed to be in a lull after the Battle of Exegol. Planets far and wide had heard of the battle and rejoiced at the victory against the Final Order, finally returning to an era of peace without tyranny and fear. There was no home for the Final or First Order anymore. Stormtroopers were forced out of villages if they refused to put down their weapons. Prisoners of war were released, reuniting with their families. The Resistance communications were flooded with words of thanks and praise for their courage and sacrifices for the galaxy.

This pattern lasted quite a few days. The members of the Resistance with families left one by one, eager to start their lives of freedom with the people that they loved. There were a lot of people that were scared of this freedom. Many of the soldiers only knew war; the only thing they had in their life was the Resistance. They did not know what to do now or where to go. In their minds, their home was Crait and with the Resistance. Poe realized this as he sat atop his X-Wing with BB-8 and Finn by his side. The pair watched the sun set over the barren landscape of the red planet in a comfortable silence.

Finn hadn't talked much to anyone since the end of the war. Ben was isolating himself, working through the realization of the loss of his parents and friends. A few days ago, he decided to leave Crait for a bit, leaving a note behind telling the Resistance that he would be back. Rey was worried as she wrestled with the consequences of what she had done and with the disappearance of Ben. She killed hundreds, maybe even thousands of people by her hand and her army. She had caused so much pain and destruction and though she knew now what she was doing was wrong, the guilt she felt made her shameful.

Finn was struggling through a different battle. He felt a shift in the Force after Palpatine's death and Ben's resurrection. There was no tension, no struggle, no shift from Light to Dark. It was stagnant, but also seemingly more powerful. He feared that if he continued down his Jedi path, he may disrupt this delicate balance that fell over the galaxy. As he looked down at Luke's lightsaber in his hands, he let out a small breath, grabbing Poe's attention. "Everything okay?" Poe asked.

"I'm trying to figure out what all of this meant." Finn began, his dark eyes meeting Poe's. Poe scrunched his brows in slight confusion. "What do you mean? It was to save the galaxy. To grant freedom to those who couldn't fight for themselves." Poe responded. Finn shook his head. "No, I know that much. I meant for me." Finn paused for a beat as he collected his thoughts. "All of my life I have been following others orders. I was always told that I was meant to do whatever I was doing but I don't understand what it was all leading to. Even after I joined the Resistance, I never understood what came next.

"After I discovered my power, I thought for sure this was my purpose, my legacy. I thought for sure I would continue on the Jedi way and train a new generation. But I don't think that is what I was meant to do. There has never been a balance like the one we are in and I'm afraid if I continue this path, we'll just repeat history." Finn explained. Poe listened intently as he absorbed Finn's words. He always felt uncomfortable giving advice when it came to the Force. He still struggled with the knowledge of that power, even with knowing so many people that possessed a sensitivity to it. "How would you repeat history if you train on the Light Side?" Poe asked.

Finn glanced back down at his lightsaber, gently running his thumb over the cool metal of it. "Rey told me, before any of this happened, that her powers were awakened because of Kylo Ren and his rise to power. She said that the Force will always be balanced and if power in the Light rose, power in the Dark would rise to meet it. Now with both Ben and Rey finding that balance, if I continue with my push to become a Jedi I'll just be continuing to push the Dark side to rise once again." Poe stayed quiet after he spoke, absorbing his words and concerns. He wanted to assure Finn to stay positive and be hopeful that history would not repeat itself, but he was not sure if that were the case.