The Resistance had come to Naboo. All that were loyal to the Resistance had come there to meet and plan for war. But they did not know that war would come to them.
"Supreme Leader." Said Hux as he entered the room. It was empty, but for a shadow that lurked in the corner.
"Yes?" A deep voice replied.
"We have received word, every member of the Resistance. Every soul loyal to their filthy cause has gathered on Naboo. There are more of them than we expected. They have gathered a force that can match our own. If we strike now, when they least expect it. While they're unprepared, we can crush them once and for all."
"We will need every resource." Kylo Ren answered.
"Consider it done, sir. All members of the First Order are already on their way here."
"Good." Kylo answered. "This war ends today."
Hux nodded, then left to make preparations.
Kylo turned to look out the window at the stars that surrounded the star destroyer.
Meanwhile, on Naboo, the Resistance planned an attack on the First Order fleet. Little did they know, the fleet was already on its way to Naboo.
Rey stood next to General Organa. She looked at the hologram of the First Order fleet and listened as Leia and Poe discussed their plan of attack.
Suddenly she had a strange tingling feeling. She could feel a dark presence. It was familiar, and it grew closer. Kylo Ren.
She stepped outside and looked up to see that the clear blue skies of Naboo were spotted with the shapes of approaching ships.
It was the First Order, they were here.
The courtyard was filled with thousands of Resistance fighters. She looked up to see First Order shuttles landing in the courtyard. Rey pointed them out to the Resistance fighters. "The First Order is here!" She yelled.
The Resistance fighters turned to see stormtroopers emerging from the shuttles.
Rey ran back inside. "The First Order is here!" She exclaimed, breathlessly.
No sooner than she had spoken the words, they began to here shooting coming from outside.
"How many?" Leia asked quickly.
"Thousands." Rey answered. "Their forces match our own."
Poe drew his blaster and gestured toward the door.
Leia nodded. He ran outside fallowed closely by Finn and Rose.
Rey looked at the General. She drew her new lightsaber, ready to join the fight.
"May the Force be with you." Said Leia.
Rey smiled. "May the Force be with us all, General." She replied, then she ignited her lightsaber and went outside.
When she stepped out into the courtyard, she was met by the scene of a fierce battle. Blaster shots zipped through the air. They had been faired by both sides. The battle waged all throughout the courtyard and there was no safe place to take cover.
But Rey wasn't looking for safety. She charged straight into battle to join her friends. She swung her lightsaber quickly deflecting the blasts that flew all around her head. She struck down stormtrooper after stormtrooper, but their numbers seemed endless. But she knew that she had to rely on the Force.
She could sense thousands of beings around her. Some of them friends and others were foes. But one presence stood out to her above the rest. It was the presence of Kylo Ren. He was here on Naboo. She could feel it.
She looked around. She could hear cries of pain from both sides. She could see death on both sides. No matter who won thousands of innocents lives would be lost. She knew that many of the stormtroopers were like Finn, they hadn't chosen this path. She knew what she had to do. She had to stop all of this killing, all of this death and destruction.
She had to end this war here and now. She had to face Kylo Ren.
Kylo Ren stepped off of his shuttle, accompanied by a group of stormtroopers.
He looked around. The battle had become a jumbled mess. If not for their bright white armor, it would have been impossible to pick his troops out from the mass of warriors.
Suddenly something stirred within him, a familiar presence. Rey.
She was looking for him, he could sense it. She wanted to face him. Yes, the time had come. No matter the outcome, he and Rey would end this war today. No matter who won, the war would end with the two of them. There was no use for this senseless fighting to continue.
He looked around for a good place to meet her in battle, but the courtyard was so full that there was no room for them to face each other here.
He looked up to see the palace balcony. That would be where he would he meet her in battle.
He made his way to the palace. He went through the door and climbed up the stairs to the highest floor.
He found a door and opened it. On the other side of the door was a large room with a balcony on the far wall. He strode inside. He went out onto the balcony and looked out over the battle that waged below. He could see her, the bright light of her lightsaber was like a beacon. And she seemed to glow in contrast to everyone else around her. He could sense her and he knew that she could also sense him. She would find him soon enough. He watched her fighting three stormtroopers as though it was an equal match.
Rey knew that he was here somewhere. She was sure of it. Suddenly, she could feel someone watching her. She looked up at the balcony to see Kylo standing there looking down at the courtyard. She wondered why he had not joined the battle. But then she realized that he was waiting for her. He was ready to face her.
She turned and began walking toward the palace. It was time to end this war once and for all. She climbed up the stairs. She could feel his presence and she fallowed it until she reached a door. She knew that he was on the other side of the door. She pulled out her lightsaber and opened the door.
He stood there facing her. His own lightsaber was in his hand. She stepped into the room. They stood there facing each other in silence for a moment. They both held their lightsabers ready, but neither of them had their lightsabers ignited.
He stared deep into her eyes.
She took a step toward him. "Ben, I don't want to do this. But this war has to end. And we're the only ones who can end it."
"You're right. There has been enough killing and death." He pointed toward the balcony. "No matter who wins today, lives will be lost. And as close as the battle is going, there will be no joy in victory. Only sorrow. Naboo will run red with blood unless you and I do something about it." He ignited his fiery red blade.
She ignited her clear blue one. Then they charged towards each other until their blades met. They swung their lightsabers at each other hard and fast.
They continued to fight until they were both covered with small cuts and wounds. But like the battle outside, neither of them could seem to get an upper hand over the other.
They swung their sabers high at the same time and their blades locked together. He looked down at her face. The red light of his saber and the blue light of hers cast a brilliant glow on her face. She was bright and beautiful.
In that moment he realized that he couldn't kill her. He knew what he had to do.
He dropped his lightsaber and fell to the floor. He looked up at her, she held her blue lightsaber in her hand.
"I can't do it Rey. I can't hurt you. It's up to you now, end this war. Bring balance to the Force, to the galaxy."
"I will." She answered. She held her lightsaber high, and he prepared for the end. But to his surprise, she dropped her weapon and collapsed to the floor in front of him. She wrapped her arms around him tightly. "There's been enough death." She whispered.
He wrapped. His arms around her and began to rub her back gently. "Why didn't you do it?" He asked softly.
"I need you." She whispered, holding him tighter. She rested her head in his shoulder.
"I need you too." He answered. "And I... I love you."
She lifted her head from his shoulder and looked into his eyes. "I love you too, Ben." She answered.
He looked down at his hands to see his black gloves. He removed them and touched her face gently.
"Ben," she whispered.
"Yes?"
"What are we going to do?" She asked. "How are we going to stop the war?"
He stood up and offered her his hand. "Together," He said. She took his hand and he helped her to her feet. "We accept each other, even though we're different. We just have to teach all of them to do the same."
"You're right. I know now what balance means. It's not about destroying each other, it's about learning to accept each other." She answered.
"And it is our compassion for each other that brings balance." He said. "We just have to show them." He reached his hand out to her. She smiled and took it. Then they walked out onto the balcony together.
As they walked out onto the balcony where everyone could see them, hand in hand, slowly the fighting ceased until all eyes were on them.
The members of the First Order saw their supreme leader. They thought that perhaps by capturing the girl, he would use her as leverage over the Resistance.
The members of the Resistance saw their last hope in the hand of the enemy.
Both sides feared and anticipated what might happen next, but none of them saw what was coming.
Ben reached up and gently stroked her cheek, then he leaned down and kissed her. Everyone was watching, but he didn't care. Rey reached up and touched his black hair as she kissed him back. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer.
Everyone stared wide eyed with their jaws dropped as they continued to kiss on the balcony. In front of everyone.
Poe and Finn looked at each other, both with the same expression on their faces. Then they looked back up at the balcony.
Leia had decided to join the fight. She had decided to share the same fate as the Resistance. She was looking up at them with a smile on her face.
Rose was smiling too. She hated the First Order, but after her sister died, she realized that hate would not save the galaxy. Love was the only thing powerful enough to stop the evil. Maybe their love for each other would finally bring the peace that she longed for.
Ben and Rey finally released each other. Then, they looked out at the crowd. They both began to blush as they realized how many people had just seen them kissing. Ben grabbed Rey's hand and squeezed it.
"We don't have to fight anymore." He said in a loud voice that carried across the courtyard. He looked at Rey. "We can learn to accept each other, and live in peace."
"Sometimes the best way to stop evil is not to destroy it, but to find the good in it and bring it out." Said Rey, and Ben smiled affectionately at her.
Poe looked at Finn, then he looked at the stormtroopers that he had been fighting only moments before. Were they any different than Finn? Maybe they were right, maybe there really was no reason to continue fighting each other. Snoke was gone now, and Kylo Ren seemed to have lost all interest in fighting them. He looked up at the balcony to see that his full attention was on Rey, he seemed to really care about her.
Finn didn't know what to think, he hated the First Order more than anything in the galaxy. He looked at Rose, he remembered her saying that they wouldn't win by destroying what they hated but by saving what they loved. He looked up at Rey, she was his best friend and her knew her. He could tell that she really loved him. Finn looked around at the stormtroopers. He had been one of them once, but he had changed. Maybe they could change too. He looked at Kylo Ren, he was smiling. He could tell that he had changed. And if he could change, anyone could.
Leia looked around. She knew that Rey and her son was right. But everyone seemed too stunned to respond. She knew that the Resistance would need some encouragement. So she let out a loud cheer. Finn, Rose and Poe looked in her direction, then they joined her and began cheering along with her. The cheer spread, until everyone in the courtyard, Resistance and First Order alike had joined.
Ben and Rey looked at each other and smiled. Then they leaned towards each other and kissed again. As they did, the cheer grew even louder. Even Finn and Poe found themselves cheering louder as they kissed.
