Jakku

The war is over and life on Ajan Kloss is peaceful. That is until a ghost from Rey's past decides he wants revenge.

ORIGINALLY POSTED JUNE 30, 2020

“Did you hear about Rey?”

Rey stopped in her tracks, instinctively holding her breath and trying to regulate her exercise induced rapid heart rate so as to not let the speaker notice she was just around the corner from him. What about me, she wondered?

“Word has it she has a price on her head!” the speaker continued. March, she thought. That’s who was talking. One of their mechanics.

“You mean like a bounty?” March’s female companion responded. Kieffer. One of the new pilots. A New Republic survivor who had been on leave and off world when Hosnian Prime had been destroyed. She had attempted to find the Resistance not long after, but had been shot down by First Order fighters on Er’kit and had been badly wounded. She found help and shelter with some locals and stayed hidden until she healed. With no working ship, it took time for her to get off Er’kit and find her way to Resistance sympathizers, but she had managed to find a ship worthy of her skills by the time the call came for the Battle of Exegol. Now she was an official member of the Resistance, having no interest in re-joining the reimagined New Republic.

"Yeah," March replied. "Some guy on Jakku wants her, preferably alive." The pair were moving away, their voices fading. "They don't stand a chance."

Well, I guess I should be glad they have so much confidence in me, Rey thought. Jakku. There was only one person on Jakku who would sick bounty hunters on her: Unkar Plutt. Rey stepped around the corner of the supply shed that she had been standing next to and headed for the staff living quarters. The early morning mist was beginning to diminish as the sun rose higher here on Ajan Kloss, but the humidity was still heavy in the air, making the rising temperature feel even warmer than it was. She always tried to get a good workout in on the training course before breakfast every morning in order to avoid the worst of the heat, but she was still dripping sweat. A quick trip to the fresher in her quarters in the new, artificially cooled dormitory helped her feel more presentable. Still mulling about what she had overheard, she headed for the large open sided tent that held the mess hall. Wind was non-existent here on Ajan Kloss, so even when it rained, which it did frequently, the simple structure provided more than enough shelter.

As she walked across the open area between the dorm and the hall, she spotted Finn with one of her students, Temiri. Temiri had been here for about 5 months now, arriving with Finn and Rose from Cantonica, where he had been instrumental in their escape from that planet over a year ago. Rose had been determined to find the boy, an orphan, and upon bringing him to live with her on Ajan Kloss Rey was delighted to discover he was incredibly strong with the Force. While Finn had begun to assist her with her students, teaching them the more basic educational necessities that even Force users needed to know, that wasn't why Finn was talking to Temiri now. Rey felt her heart swell as she watched the two hug, then Temiri ran off to play. Three months ago, Finn had married Rose Tico and officially become Temiri's father.

Finn spotted her, smiled and waved, and headed her way. "Hey, ready for breakfast?"

Rey nodded, and the two finished the journey to the hall in companionable silence. Once they walked into the large tent area, heading for the tables where the ready-made food choices lay, Rey became aware of the looks directed toward her. She ignored them, but Finn couldn't. As Rey made her choice of simple Irodonian bread with Nimgol Berry jelly, Finn nudged her. "Is it my imagination, or are people staring at us?"

"It's not your imagination," Rey told him matter of factly. She moved toward an empty table, Finn following.

"Why?" Finn continued as they sat down facing each other, turning his head to eye the people around him suspiciously.

"Probably because they've all heard of the bounty that's been put on me," Rey said simply as she started to eat.

"What?!"

Rey gave him a small smile. "I only know what I overheard, but I'm guessing Unkar Plutt wants his revenge on me for stealing the Falcon." She continued eating, her mind swirling with ideas about how to fix this, as it was bound to become a problem.

"Wait a minute! You aren't worried about this?" Finn asked incredulously.

"Well, of course I am," Rey told him. "I'm not exactly hard to find anymore. The last thing we need are a bunch of trigger happy bounty hunters infesting this place and possibly hurting someone while they’re trying to get to me."

"Then we need to up our security," Finn said. "Poe will have to rearrange the guard schedules. Everyone will need to be armed."

The idea of this peaceful place becoming like it once was back when they were at war did not appeal to Rey. "There's no need for that!" she demanded. "I'll just turn myself in to one of them and find out what Plutt wants face to face. I need to resolve this once and for all."

"Like hell you are," a voice said from behind her.

Finn looked up past her, the corner of his mouth tilting up, then he leaned back in his seat with arms folded. "This outta be good."

Rey took a deep breath and turned to look up at her fiancé, who had obviously overheard what she had said and was now glowering down at her, dark brows low and a scowl on his handsome face.

"You aren't turning yourself in to anybody," Poe Dameron said darkly. "Not on my watch."

**********

Rey glared across the table at Finn and his amused expression, then turned and looked up at Poe again. “Really?” she said, sarcasm heavy in her voice. “We’re going to do this here?”

Poe glared at her a moment, then reached down to grab her arm. “We’ll be right back,” he said to Finn, tugging at Rey’s arm gently but persistently until she got up from her seat, and then lead her out of the hall. Rey glanced at a few people as she passed them, not surprised to see all of them watching her and Poe with avid interest. He had not exactly been quiet when he had confronted her. She wasn’t embarrassed; she and Poe had been the subject of speculation and rumor off and on for months, ever since that day after Rose and Finn’s wedding. Some of it had been true, most of it had not been. People were also used to the two of them arguing. Someone had once asked her how they could be getting married when they fought all the time. Chewie, who had been next to her, grumbled a reply that had made her blush. “Foreplay.” Chewie recognized it well; Han and Leia had been the same way.

Poe stopped once they were a suitable distance from the hall, dropping her arm and turning to face her. His eyebrows rose, as if daring her to say something to contradict him, which of course she was. “Poe, we do not need a bunch of armed bullies descending on this place. Let me go to Jakku and get this straightened out.”

“Rey,” Poe immediately countered. “Plutt doesn’t want anything straightened out. He wants revenge. Do you really think he’s gonna listen to anything you have to say?”

“Maybe I don’t intend to say anything,” Rey argued. “The man is a bully and a slave driver. He needs to be put in his place.”

“Oh, I see,” Poe said. This time, he had the sarcastic tone. “So the great Jedi wants to delve out justice, is that it?”

Rey felt her patience fade quickly, and her head started to hurt as her anger built. Not a good sign. “Maybe I do!” she responded. “But either way, you have no right to tell me what I can and cannot do.”

“As commander of this base, yes I do.”

“I am not one of your soldiers, Dameron. You know very well I could take my students and go anywhere else if I so choose.” The only reason she had stayed was to be near him and her other friends. “You know I’ve been eyeing other planets for a while now.”

“Argh! “ Poe rolled his eyes and brought both hands up to his face, sliding them up to run them through his hair in frustration. He turned away from her, taking a deep breath, and Rey used the moment to breathe deeply herself. The pain faded. Headaches had been an early warning side of the Dark Side for her for as long as she could remember, though she hadn’t learned the cause until she became aware of what she could do. On Starkiller Base. With Kylo Ren. She closed her eyes and let the light flow through her once more. This man could always push her emotional buttons, but rarely did she ever get so mad as to feel the Dark Side.

She opened her eyes and looked at him. He had turned back to look at her, and she suddenly became aware of the emotion in his eyes. It wasn’t anger or arrogance. It was fear. Fear for her. “Poe,” she said quietly. “I know you know I can take care of this.”

“But why should you have to?” he responded, his own voice quieter. “Why, when things are so wonderful, does violence have to enter our lives again?” He stepped close to her, invading her space in the best of ways. “Let’s just wait and see what happens. Odds are good no bounty hunter is going to be stupid enough to try for you, anyway. Everyone knows you were the one to take out Palpatine. Maybe we don’t have anything to worry about.”

His protectiveness should have only made her more resistant; she had spent her life alone, not only surviving but thriving. Knowing his concern stemmed from absolute and unquestionable love for her made her soften. That and the fact that his closeness was making her physical senses reel. Damn him, she thought. When all else failed, all he had to do was touch her and she almost always gave in.

She looked into his eyes. “Okay, I’ll wait and see what happens,” she agreed. “But if I feel that anyone on this base is ever threatened, we’ll have to do something proactive. Okay?”

He nodded. “Okay.” She had a feeling he was just agreeing with her to make her happy. Oh, well, she thought. Anything to keep the peace. He reached forward and grasped both of her hands with his. “Just don’t do anything without letting me know first, please?” he said as he gently pulled her into him. “I know you can take care of yourself, but I’m your backup. Remember? Always.” He moved in and she met him half-way, sinking into his kiss. She didn’t know what the coming days would bring, but the countdown to their wedding was still on, and it couldn’t get here fast enough.

**********

For six days, Ajan Kloss remained peaceful. Six long, busy days that managed to keep Rey occupied enough that she rarely thought about the threat posed by her bounty. And on that sixth day, she began to wonder if maybe Poe was right and there were no bounty hunters out there who wanted to mess with a Jedi, especially a Jedi that was essentially surrounded by an army. However, when new word came that the bounty had been raised from 5000 credits to 25,000, people began to start getting anxious again. Rey, meanwhile, casually wondered how many food portions 25,000 credits would pay for.

It was the night between the sixth and seventh day that the peace ended. Rey woke in the early hours of the morning to her comlink beeping an alarm. She grabbed it and began dressing even as she activated it. “Guards have apprehended a male Vagaarian near the south side of the compound. He was heavily armed and we believe him to be a bounty hunter.” Just as Commander Gordon finished his report, a loud explosion rocked the dorm building. Rey had enough time to grab her lightsaber and head out the door. BB-8 met her as soon as she stepped outside. Poe had tasked his droid with keeping an eye on Rey, something the droid tended to do anyway whenever he and Poe were at the base, and he started warbling like crazy as soon as he saw his mistress. “Where did it come from?” Rey demanded.

BB-8 answered by rolling quickly toward the main landing field. Rey followed, as did many others from the dorm, most still in their night clothes. At least the landing field was on the other side of the compound from where most of her students lived with their families; their safety was her first priority. She rounded a corner and spotted the cause of the explosion. Two X-Wing fighters were burning. She stopped and immediately activated her comlink. “Two X-Wings have been destroyed. It’s most likely a diversion. Keep your eyes open, everybody!” The fire crew arrived and began attacking the burning ships. A small tree close to Rey was burning, having caught fire after some debris fell near it. BB-8 rushed over and started spraying fire retardant on it while Rey looked for Poe or Finn. She saw them both coming at a brisk walk from the south. The Vagaarian the guards had captured was in restraints and being escorted by four guards behind them. Rey wondered if he had set the explosion and gotten caught before it happened or if he wasn’t alone. Poe came up to her, watching BB-8’s actions. “You okay?” he asked her.

She nodded. Before she had met Finn, no one had ever asked her that question. Even after all this time it was hard getting used to. Poe moved closer to the burning ships, his expression dangerous. Poe hated having good ships destroyed in battle. To have them incinerated here on the ground really set him off. Rey looked closer and was relieved to see his own X-Wing still safe further down the landing area. He wasn’t even supposed to be here, she thought. He was supposed to be on Naboo, where the New Republic was working hard to re-establish itself, training pilots. But he had stayed, unwilling to leave Rey and his Resistance alone with the bounty hunter threat.

She turned to look at the captured hunter, who Finn was talking to. She couldn’t hear what was being said due to the roar of the activity behind her, but she assumed Finn was asking about others. She felt safer than she had ever felt before, standing between the two men in her life, despite the circumstances. She knew Chewie would have been there, too, probably standing guard with his bowcaster ready, if he hadn’t been on Kashyyyk when this whole thing had begun. Poe had informed him of what was going on, but insisted he stay where he was, that they had Rey’s protection covered. When she had last talked to him two days ago, she has also assured him everything was under control and things were peaceful. She knew he would be on his way here after he heard about this.

A movement caught her attention off to her side, toward the dark forest. She turned toward it, but could see nothing thanks to the brilliance of the fire. But she felt it. A presence. No, more than one. Unfamiliar and unwanted. She looked to her right at Finn, still talking to the Vagaarian. She looked left toward her fiancé and his droid, who were both now focused on the captain of the fire unit as he barked directions to his staff on how to prevent the fire from spreading into the forest. Taking a deep breath, she faced the dark forest in front of her and closed her eyes, feeling the Force tugging at her. With only a little trepidation, she walked into the dark. If she managed to catch the bounty hunters, great, but that wasn’t her intent. Now more than ever, she knew she had to be the one to get caught.

She walked steadily into the night, and the further she got from the chaos behind her, the better she could see in the dark. She felt them clearer now, three of them. She didn’t think they were with the Vagaarian. She thought they must have just gotten lucky getting here at the right time, and were ready to use the distractions of the other hunter’s capture and the explosion to their advantage. She could tell when they realized who she was, and she felt their anxiety about it. Let them think she was being overconfident. Hell, maybe she was.

The stun bolt that hit her was actually a surprise. Her first thought upon feeling it was wondering if her lightsaber could deflect a stun bolt, as she had never tried it. The second thing she thought was that Poe was going to be so very mad at her. Then everything went dark.

**********

When Rey first became aware again, the first thing she felt was pain. Every muscle in her body screamed. She had no idea that being stunned would do that, as she had never been stunned before. Lesson learned. She opened her eyes to a dimly lit room and smelled the sterile, stale air of a recycling unit. She could also feel, just beyond the pain, the slight vibration of a ship's engine and could hear it as well when she focused. Hyperspace. On her way back to Jakku. Once upon a time, she wanted desperately to get back. She must have been crazy. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply, drawing the Force to her and letting its energy move through her muscles and joints, easing the pain left by the powerful stunner. Though healing herself wasn’t as easy as healing somebody or something else, she was still able to coax the Force to the places in her own body that needed help. When she opened her eyes again, she felt much better.

She sat up from her prone position on a hard cot. Both her ankles and her wrists were manacled. She looked at the metal cuffs, and knew they would be very easy to open when the time came. That was a trick she’d taught herself shortly after the Resistance had settled at Ajan Kloss, knowing it would most likely come in handy at some point in her life. She looked around the room; it was small and was mostly used for storage, the cot obviously having been put there for her and not something that was regularly present. She opened up her senses and focused beyond the door, which she assumed was locked. She felt the presence of her captors easily. One was very close to the door; her guard, presumably. The two others were further away, most likely in the cockpit. She still could not tell what species they were or sense any emotion from them; they were very good at hiding it. She supposed that was a good trait to have if you were a bounty hunter. She leaned back against the wall behind her, wondering how long she had been unconscious, and therefore how much farther they had to go. She also wondered how close behind them Poe and Finn were. They would probably have to take Finn’s ship, the Rebellious, a Corellian YT-2400 freighter that he had just acquired shortly after his marriage. While it was a good ship (as all Corellian Engineering Corporation ships were), it wasn’t as fast as its cousin, the YT-1300F, especially a modified one like the Millennium Falcon, therefore it would not catch up to this ship. But the Falcon was on Kashyyyk with Chewie. If Poe and Finn left as soon as they realized she was missing, they should arrive right behind her and her captors. She was counting on it.

“Wouldn’t you just feel like an idiot if they’re not taking you to Jakku?” she said softly to herself. She took a deep breath. “Stop with the negative thoughts! This is going to work!”

It wasn’t long before she felt the vibration of the ship change and she knew they had exited hyperspace. As she expected, the door opened and her guard stood there looking at her. A Devaronian. She guessed the other two were the same species. She immediately made herself look depressed and desperate. “Please! Whatever he’s paying you, I’ll double it!”

Bounty hunters must hear that plea with every asset they acquired. Every live one, anyway. So when this bounty hunter just snorted at her, she wasn’t surprised. One of his companions showed up behind him (yep, another Devaronian), and together they moved toward her, the first one with his weapon pointed toward her. “It’s not set to stun anymore,” he told her in accented Basic. The second came toward her with the key for her shackles. He knelt down to unlock her ankle binders, never taking his eyes off of her. They were good, she admitted. Too bad they didn’t know she had no plans to escape. Not yet.

The second Devaronian took her arm and roughly pulled her to her feet. She resisted slightly, not wanted them to think she had given up, but not nearly enough to loosen his grip. She followed him as he half dragged her along out of the room, and the other one followed, his weapon always pointed at her. She felt the engine change again as the ship came into atmo and began to descend toward its chosen landing site. Her heart started beating rapidly. She was almost there. Jakku. She was actually becoming nervous about it.

Shortly after she felt the ship touch down, they arrived at the entry hatch. The last Devaronian joined them before the one leading her opened the door, then he pulled her forward onto the ramp and she was… home.

The heat hit her full force, and it was a dry, oven-like heat that was very different from the muggy sultriness of Ajan Kloss. The sun was bright and blinding as it reflected off the sand. She squinted her eyes as her feet touched the hard packed earth of Jakku for the first time in almost 2 years, since the day she and Finn had escaped on the Falcon. Her heart started racing again, and she started the breathing exercises that Luke had taught her to get her anxiety under control. She focused on the buildings before her. Niima Outpost.

She immediately noticed some of the buildings looked new. Others different. She knew both the TIE Fighters that had chased she and Finn that day and her clumsy attempt to fly the Falcon had both destroyed or at least damaged some buildings, so she guessed this was the result. However, that’s not the only thing she felt was different. Something was wrong. Where were the people?

Rey and her captors continued marching forward into town and she extended her senses as they did so. There. Right ahead of them. She could feel a large number of beings…

They rounded a corner and Rey’s eyes opened wide in shock at the scene before her. Every living being from Niima Outpost was here, all of them standing in a large semi-circle, with the open end facing them. She was lead into the circle and she looked around at the people. They all stood, eyes downcast, bodies hunched, looking fearful and nervous. She recognized some faces. People she had had good relations with, people she had had bad experiences with, faces she recalled but had never known their names or had any real contact with. She saw Gregor, one of the few shop owners whom Unkar Plutt had allowed to remain, as long as he paid Plutt a monthly fee that often amounted to half of what Gregor made. Gregor and a couple of others had once bought from the salvagers, and had been more often than not fair in their dealings, but Plutt had run them out of that business years ago. That reminded her of who she was here to see, and sure enough, when she looked straight ahead, there he was.

Looking smug, Unkar Plutt sat at the ‘head’ of the circle, looking like a bloated king on his throne. He had gained even more weight since she had last seen him, on Takodona. The day Chewie had removed his arm in defense of her. She had hoped that would be the last she saw of him, but when had she ever gotten what she wanted in regards to this man?

“Rey!” Unkar Plutt shouted, his one arm extended toward her. “Welcome home, my darling!”

His endearments had never failed to make her stomach churn. She stayed silent, but kept her gaze steady on his.

“I see the T’romnaug brothers have made quick work of my request. It’s amazing what a good team encouraged by a high reward can do.” He smirked. “Even catch a Jedi.” He spat out the word Jedi, as if it was offensive to him.

“Have they?” Rey finally spoke. “Have they really?”

Plutt raised his head, confusion taking over the smugness on his face. “What do you mean? You’re here, aren’t you? Shackled and surrounded by my men?”

Rey looked around casually, noticing that the townspeople, despite their air of defeat, were paying close attention to the conversation. They were afraid of Plutt, who had apparently tightened his iron fist on this town after she had left, but they weren’t beaten. She also took note of Plutt’s men. Counting the three Devaronians still at her back there were 12 of them, armed and mean looking. “I’ve dealt with your men before, “ she told him. “More than once. Seems I’ve always had the upper hand with them.” She looked at Plutt again. “I don’t see that changing, especially now.”

Plutt laughed. “You always were a scrapper when it came to fighting,” he told her. “Always a wonder with that staff.” He nodded toward one of the bounty hunters, who left his position behind her and walked up to Plutt. Rey watched as the Devaronian handed the Crolute her lightsaber, made with parts of the staff she had created from bits of junk she found here on Jakku before she had even hit puberty. Having a weapon had been a necessity, and it had helped keep her safe from rape and death for years. Of course, she was pretty sure now, looking back, that the Force had had something to do with that, as well. Plutt looked at the lightsaber in his hand, and Rey couldn’t help but think about how she would have to disinfect her weapon as soon as possible. “And now this, “ Plutt said. He touched the lightsaber control and the yellow beam lit up in front of him. Many of the people gasped and jumped at the sight.

“Careful,” Rey said calmly. “You wouldn’t want to lose that other arm.”

The look on Plutt’s face was priceless, and she almost let herself laugh. She did give him a slight smile, and it grew as her hearing picked up the sound of another ship coming in for a landing behind them. There they were, she thought. My backup.

Plutt took note of the ship, too. He deactivated the lightsaber and set in on the armrest of his chair. Rey felt a twitch in her temple as the movement reminded her of another piece of slime who had also be too overconfident: Snoke. She saw Plutt’s tiny eyes flash in the direction the ship had landed, and then back to her. “Enough of this,” he growled. He looked around at his men. “Do it. Kill her.” He stood. “Then get ready to kill her friends.”

Without hesitating, Rey called the Force to her. Within the span of a heartbeat the binders on her wrists unlocked and fell to the ground while her lightsaber flew through the air toward her. She caught it and ignited it, swinging around to face the two Devaronians behind her and immediately cutting the weapons they were raising toward her in half. Spinning, she used the Force to block a laser bolt with her hand, and then another with her saber, which bounced off the beam and deflected back toward the shooter, hitting his gun hand and destroying the weapon. Rey continued to block every bolt sent her way, oftentimes sending them back toward the person it originated from or another one of Plutt’s men. She could hear Plutt screaming at them now, and she heard the townspeople gasp and shout out as the ‘fight’ continued. It didn’t take long for her to figure out they were shouting encouragement. At her!

Within moments, all three bounty hunters and all of Plutt’s men were unarmed, and many of them lay writhing on the ground, holding wounded appendages. Rey breathed deep and looked about her. She saw Gregor, who stood wide-eyed off to her left. “Gregor, are you willing to partner with others to take over Plutt’s stand and start treating these people like people again?”

She watched as Gregor smiled through his astonishment. “I think I would love that!” He glanced towards a couple of others in the crowd. “And I’m sure Felenah and Bastian would love to help!” Rey felt the excitement emanating from the rest of the crowd as they were beginning to realize what was happening. But a roar from Unkar Plutt silenced them.

Rey turned just as the junk boss started firing the gun he had been hiding in the folds of his mantle. She was actually caught off guard. She had never seen Plutt do anything physically aggressive himself, always letting his men do the dirty work, so his actions surprised her. She brought up her lightsaber just in time, but the angle was wrong and the blaster beams that bounced off of her saber flew back directly into Plutt’s chest. He collapsed.

Silence reigned as she walked up to the Crolute and looked down at him. He looked at her with eyes that were quickly losing their focus. “Why did you do that?” Rey asked him. “I didn’t want anyone to die today.”

“I knew I should have never let you grow up,” he muttered. “Jedi.” With that, Unkar Plutt died.

**********

It took a good 15 minutes for Rey to make her way through the crowd. As soon as everyone realized Plutt was dead, they had all moved in toward her, cheering and celebrating. Rey could understand their joy, but she couldn’t be happy about his death, either. She took the pats and hugs and thank yous with as much decorum as she could muster, smiling and nodding and slowly pushing her way through to the people she really wanted to see. She noticed Gregor and others already at work moving Plutts body, and directing those of Plutts men that weren’t too injured to help. She had no guarantee Niima Outpost would become a better place, now, but at least there wouldn’t be one lone boss controlling everything. They had a chance to make a better life, now. As she neared the edge of the crowd she almost ran right into one of the Devaronians. She looked up at him as he glared down at her.

“I’m sorry you won’t get paid,” she told him warily. “But I thank you for the ride here, anyway.”

The bounty hunter just grunted and walked away. As he moved out of her path, she saw the people she was looking for and moved quickly away from the still celebrating crowd toward them.

Both Poe and Finn stood with arms folded, legs spread, dour expressions on their faces. BB-8 was between them, gently rocking back and forth in place in excitement. Finally, he could be still no longer and rolled toward her, chattering away. “I’m sorry!” Rey exclaimed. “I didn’t have time to tell anyone what I was doing!” She looked up at the two men. “I knew you would be right behind me, anyway.” As apologies went, it probably wasn’t that good, but it was all she had right now. At least until she could talk to Poe alone. Finn, she knew, would forgive her anything. Poe was a bit more stubborn.

“What do you think, Poe?” Finn glanced at his friend. “After that display, are you sure you want to marry someone this dangerous or are you scared?” His question was mostly said in jest, but Rey still feared the answer.

“Are you kidding?” Poe answered. “I just got really turned on.”

Rey felt heat envelope her and she knew her blush had to be noticeable to both men. She grimaced as she stopped in front of them, keeping her eyes downcast, both from embarrassment and from humility.

They were all silent for a moment. Then Poe asked, “Ready to go home?”

Rey looked up at him. “Yes,” she said emphatically. “But I need to make a stop first.”

**********

Rey sat at the controls of the Rebellious, Finn’s ship, flying them the short distance to where she wanted to go. Both Poe and Finn looked at each other in confusion when they saw where they were going, which was only a few Kilometers from Niima Outpost. “I don’t get it,“ Poe said. “It’s an AT-AT.”

BB-8, who couldn’t see out the cockpit window, got very excited when he heard this and raced for the exit as Rey carefully set the ship down next to the abandoned Imperial war machine. She smiled at her companions as she got up and headed for the exit. “BB-8 knows where we are. He’s been here before.”

She ushered them out of the ship and, with BB-8 leading the way, they walked toward the fallen AT-AT. Without hesitation, she ducked in the opening BB-8 had already disappeared through. “Watch your heads,” she told the men. “There’s not much headspace in here.”

They followed, still confused. That confusion faded as they stepped into… well, a home. Rey’s home.

She stood looking around. “Wow. It’s all still here. I figured someone would have trashed the place by now.”

“You lived here?” Finn asked, only it wasn’t really a question.

“Yep,” Rey replied. “I ran into it with the group of scavengers I lived with when I was about 10 and remembered it. When I set out on my own a couple of years later, I came back and made it my base. It eventually became a home.” Out in the middle of the desert, with no water near and no other wrecks, the stripped AT-AT had ensured she was left alone. “I had a bunch of scavenged parts that I kept hidden, so I could sell them if I got sick or injured and couldn’t ‘work,’” she continued. “I thought I might leave them out so someone else can find them and sell them. They should bring a good price, especially now that Plutt’s monopoly is gone.” She moved to the far right of the room, squatting down and moving aside a large piece of metal that was hiding a nice little cubbyhole.

As she started pulling out the parts she’d stored there, she heard Poe exclaim, “What is this?!”

She looked over to see him pointing to the doll she had made many years ago, sitting not far from the now long dead Legan plant she had worked so hard to keep alive. She smiled. “You,” she said simply.

“What?!” Both Poe and Finn looked at her with surprise.

“Well, maybe,” she continued as she started piling all the parts into a box. “Most likely.” She stood. “I used to dream of an X-Wing pilot, but I never saw his face. I never made the connection until shortly after we settled in Ajan Kloss and I saw you walk by in your flight suit.” She looked at Finn. “I dreamt of a Stormtrooper, too, but I wasn’t really willing to make a doll of him. Sorry.”

Finn grinned. “Totally understandable” he said. She smiled back, not bothering to tell them that many of her dreams had starred a tall, dark-haired man with obsidian eyes whom she both feared and loved. Yeah, they didn’t need to know about that.

She hefted the box full of parts and headed for the entrance, but was stopped by the sudden intense silence that hit her with as much power as a loud scream would have. She looked over again at her companions, setting the box down when she realized what they were both staring at.

“I started with an old metal box that used to hold a food processor,” she explained. “I ran out of room on that shortly after I moved in here, so I just started up there.” Her voice was soft, maybe a tad scared. She didn’t want their pity, but she knew that wall would bring it anyway. Poe looked at her, and while she did see the pity she expected in his gaze, there was pride, too. She had come so far from those marks on the wall, and not just in a physical sense.

“I am so very happy you found BB-8 that day,” he said softly.

Finn nodded in agreement, then moved past Poe and walked up to Rey, enveloping her in his arms. “And I am so glad you both found me,” he told her as she squeezed him back. “This whole galaxy is a better place because of those chance moments in our lives.”

She started to tear up, and she knew Finn was, too. Oh, how she loved this man, the brother she never knew she wanted much less needed in her life. Finn let her go and turned toward the box Rey had set down. “Come on, BB-8,” he said. “Let’s set this stuff out here and make it look inviting for some passerby.” BB-8 tootled and followed him outside.

Rey looked at Poe. He was staring at her with an intensity that was more than a little unsettling. “I am sorry,” she said softly. “The moment came and I had to take it, and I knew you would be coming as my backup if I needed it.” She was rushing her words, desperate to get out all she could, to make him understand. “It was what I knew needed to be done at that moment and I’ve learned not to fight my instincts and I really wanted to tell you my plan but I knew you would argue with me and try to stop me and…” she took a breath.

“Why did I have to fall in love with a Jedi?” he said softly when she stopped. “Out of all the women in the galaxy, why did it have to be you that I could actually imagine a future with?” He shook his head, and Rey felt panic overwhelm her. The fear she felt was almost as strong as anything she had ever felt, even when under the threat of death.

She took a step toward him. “Poe, I know it’s not normal, this relationship. I’m not normal. I never have been! But you’ve always accepted me for who I was, no matter what kind of crazy stuff I did. You even understand the Force, far better than any other person I’ve met that can’t use it. You are the only one out there that CAN have a future with me, because you’re the only that really, truly understands me! Don’t give up on me,” she pleaded. “Don’t give up on us!”

Poe shook his head and moved toward her, enveloping her in his embrace. “I could never give up!” he told her as she hugged him tightly back. “You’re too much a part of me, now.” He leaned back, bringing a hand up to gently wipe the tears that were still falling down her cheeks. “But I need you to help me. I can’t read your mind. I know you are capable and powerful and that sometimes the Force is going to ask you to do stuff I don’t want you to do, and I’m going to try my damndest to not worry and fret and hold you back, but you gotta at least acknowledge that I have some say in it as your partner. As your mate.”

Rey nodded emphatically. “You do! And I will work harder at making sure you are involved. It’s just that I’ve spent most of my life living by rules that don’t ever affect anyone else. Sometimes it’s hard to remember I’m not alone anymore.”

He pulled her close again and brought his mouth close to hers. “Well, I’ll just have to keep reminding you you’re not,” he whispered against her lips. Then he kissed her, long and deep and with so much longing Rey could swear she could hear it.

She responded with an unbridled passion that was still new and innocent, and when he pulled back, she felt herself follow him, not wanting it to end. “Whose idea was it to wait until the wedding night?” Poe grumbled.

“I believe that was your traditional, idealistic decision,” Rey told him with a smile.

Poe sighed as he let her go. “It’ll be worth the wait,” he told her, but she could still see the longing in his eyes.

“Oh, I know it will,” Rey responded, seductively. Or so she hoped.

Poe took a deep breath and turned toward the door. “Let’s go home,” and Rey smiled at the slightly desperate tone to his voice.

“Right behind you,” she told him. She gave one last look at the wall, where thousands of scratches would someday confuse the next scavenger that entered this place. She moved toward the door, but at the last second turned back and grabbed the little X-Wing pilot doll from the shelf he sat on. This was the only thing worth bringing back home from Jakku.

The End