Epilogue

Burying her on Chandrila seemed an obvious choice to Kylo Ren.

The small detachment of Stormtroopers he had brought to the remote island on his home planet idled by the command shuttle. They shifted about nervously, knowing that their mysterious new leader could kill them with a twitch of his fingers. They looked anywhere but at him.

Kneeling on the grass before the fresh grave, Kylo Ren removed his helmet. Tears of sorrow forced their way into his cheeks, quickly removed by gloves fingers. The young warrior dug his teeth into his tongue to distract himself, to smother his grief with pain. He soon tasted blood, but he didn't care.

The tombstone read:

Pax Mothma

The daughter of the first Chancellor of the New Republic, and a Jedi.

9 ABY—28 ABY

As tears continued to spill down his cheeks, he bit down hard on a leather-clad finger in frustration. Why am I still so weak? he thought. Sinking to his knees, he swore that these tears would be his last. His thoughts flurried out of control.

Why did she force his hand? Why wasn't she here beside him? What would she say to him now?

The last thought pulled a twisted laugh out of Kylo Ren. The cold, damp wind in his face didn't bother him as he looked up at the stone. He closed his eyes, silently mouthing the words that the young Jedi would no doubt share.

"There is no death, there is the Force."