Ascendance

Epilogue

It was raining the night we received the news of Rylie's disappearance.

I was sitting on the floor with Ridley, teaching him how to suture a wound. We were practicing on a pillow, and I watched his handiwork carefully as he maneuvered the needle.

"How's that?" He glanced up at me.

"Better." I gave him a warm smile, proud of how quickly he was learning.

Ridley had been born without the Force abilities that Ben and Rylie possessed, but he didn't seem to mind. In fact, Ben insisted that he took after me in almost every way, besides in appearance. He couldn't look any more like his father if he tried.

Recently he had taken a keen interest in medical practices, and I was happy to share whatever knowledge I had, everything that I had learned in my time at the First Order Base. But he was quick to catch on, and I knew that it was only a matter of time before I ran out of things to teach him.

The downpour pounded against the roof, the dull roar of an X-Wing overhead barely audible. I exchanged a curious glance with my son and stood, setting the medical supplies aside.

Ben emerged from our bedroom, where he had spent much of his time since the incident at the base. He twitched once as he pushed open the front door, glancing outside with concern on his face.

He stepped aside, opening the door wider to let Poe and Rey inside. They were soaked from the rain, their expressions grim.

I looked between them, suddenly nervous. "What's wrong?"

Poe glanced over his shoulder at Rey, who looked away wordlessly. Then he turned back to me, his eyes searching my face.

"It's Rylie. She... she disappeared."

My jaw went slack. I looked desperately between my two friends, trying to rationalize this information.

"When?" Ben asked, his voice terse.

"She didn't show up for training this morning." Rey kept her eyes fixed on the ground. "And she wasn't in her room, or anywhere on the base."

"We've been searching for her all day." Poe's voice was full of regret. "We don't know where she went. There's no trace of her anywhere."

"Have you asked Murphy?" I inquired softly, knowing their response already but desperate for answers. "Or Ellis?"

Poe nodded.

"Are there any ships missing from the base?" Ben asked next.

Poe shook his head. "Everything's accounted for."

A lump formed in my throat. I stared at the ground, fighting to keep my breathing even. Crying wouldn't fix anything, wouldn't help find my daughter.

Ben sensed my anxiety and moved to stand beside me, taking my hand in his. His thumb rubbed soft circles on the back of my hand, and I could feel him transferring feelings of comfort and peace into my mind. I only wished I could do the same for him.

One glance at Poe's apologetic face broke my defense. A tear escaped. I wiped it away quickly.

"We're going to find her, Cal." Poe promised. "She'll be okay."

I nodded quickly, praying to whatever higher powers that be that he was right.

One year after Rylie's disappearance, we found ourselves at war. Ben, Ridley, and I relocated to the Resistance base, along with so many familiar faces from the war with the First Order.