author's note: Since I wrote my Jessika/Rey oneshot last night, they are pretty much all I've been thinking about. I was hesitant, at first, to actually write a chaptered story on them. However, after the wonderful response I received for my other story, I decided to give these two another go.

This is set directly after TFA, and will mainly revolve around Rey's past and her attempts to battle against the seduction of the Dark side. With a good friend to comfort her.

Once again, the way I've written Jessika is what feels right to me. On first impression, she is defensive as her work demands, but, like Rey, she only means well. I hope the sequels to TFA focus on this lovely character more; she could be a great friend for Rey! She needs a girlfriend or two, after all.

i.

In passing, they have communicated. A brief wave, nod of the head. On a good day, there might be a smile. They know each other's names. It's hard not to. Such a small community, everybody knows everybody. They know that one is a Jedi Padawan, the other a full-trained pilot. However, the Padawan spends most of her time with Poe, and the boy from The First Order. Still unconscious.

All too soon, the Padawan leaves, in pursuit of her Master. She is gone and fled, and it is clear General Organa feels her absence. After the loss of Han Solo, perhaps it is expected the General might find something in the Jedi. She was there when Han Solo was killed, Sabre stabbed through his chest. She saw his death occur before her eyes, and that is enough for the General to feel close.

Or, maybe it has something to do with the Force.

They understand each other in ways normal people cannot.

'Rey,' Poe had answered. 'That's her name. Like a ray of sunshine.'

A week passes. Finally, the boy from The First Order wakes up. From afar, she watches how Poe comforts him. Rests his hand on his shoulder, strokes his cheek, assures him that Rey is safe. She will be back soon. The boy is wide-eyed, confused, frustrated but he hears Poe, decides to believe him.

The Resistance soon fall into threat. A couple of TIE fighters are patrolling the grounds not too far from the base. Initially, the General keeps a close eye on them. Best not to attack first. She won't risk the consequences, but her best pilots wait for her order. After several hours, the TIE fighters move away from the base, until they're no longer on the radar. Poe worries they might return.

Of course, he's right.

Not only do the TIE fighters come back, but they have three more behind them. They're up to something, and it leaves Poe unnerved. With the General's permission, he takes a small X-Wing, and asks Jessika to accompany him. They hope to make the mission quick. To be back before dark.

'Can't I come?'

Jessika turns her head to the boy from The First Order. She frowns at him. 'Can you fly one of these?'

'I still want to come!'

'Persistent, aren't you? Stay here, where you're out of the way.'

'What's wrong?' Poe arrives onto the scene, helmet under his arm. He glances at Finn. 'Pava is right: stay here. I'll be back soon, okay?'

She notes how he says I. I'll be back. The boy from The First Order steps back, seems to accept the situation, and allows both Jessika and Poe to prepare themselves. Jessika observes Poe while he slips on his helmet, how his typical enthusiasm to fly has disappeared in this moment.

'We'll take them out. All of them.'

Because, at heart, he is not a killer; to destroy something, anything, is difficult. Jessika nods. She, herself, doesn't feel so sympathetic. Her whole life has been The Resistance. She was born into The Resistance, trained to be a pilot from the age of three. All of this, it just comes naturally to her.

And while it does come naturally to Poe, as well, he has a softer heart.

Kinder heart.

The TIE fighters are not expecting their arrival. It is almost disturbing how easy they are to wipe out. Poe is a genius at the controls. His aim is flawless, and no pilot in The Resistance matches his skill. Jessika comes as a close second to his brilliancy, though, and, together, the mission is finished in only two hours.

'Let me wait. Just in case anymore return.'

Poe narrows his brows. 'Are you sure? I can wait too.'

'No,' Jessika smiles. 'Besides, your friend misses you.'

Both of them agree only Poe goes back. Jessika lands her X-Wing out of sight, sits atop of the vehicle, and removes her helmet. Her view is surprisingly generous, and she is given the scope of the land beyond. This afternoon, the sky is a dark red, a warm, yet deeply troubled colour. One which eases her in a strange way.

Jessika allows herself a few hours, although she has a hunch no more TIE fighters will be coming back for vengeance. Not yet anyway.

Evening slowly approaches. Jessika is busy scribbling notes into her diary, when she hears somebody approaching. Dropping the diary, she reaches for her gun, standing atop of her vehicle. From between the trees, she can make out a small figure, getting closer and closer. Garbed in grey, a light sabre strapped to her waist.

The Jedi.

Jessika jumps off her X-Wing, and calls out to the Jedi. Rey must have sensed her close by, because she isn't surprised by her presence. 'What are you doing out here?' Jessika stops before her. 'Where's the Falcon?'

'I didn't want to attract any unwanted attention,' Rey replies. 'Why are you here?'

'Spot of bother, but it's over now.' Jessika turns back to her vehicle. 'Come with me. I'll return you to base.'

'What kind of bother?'

Jessika doesn't answer. 'It'll be a bit of a squeeze, but we can fit together.'

'I've had worse travel,' Rey confesses with a smile.

Once inside the X-Wing, Jessika starts the engine, flicks the correct switches, and then the vehicle leaves the ground, flying east. Their journey is in silence, but Jessika can feel Rey observing the way she manoeuvres the vehicle. Almost studying her even. Jessika enters the base, lands it perfectly.

'I suppose you've never been in one of these before.' She takes off her helmet.

'I always wanted to be a pilot,' Rey whispers.

Jessika looks at her. Rey is smiling, but Jessika doesn't believe it. This girl smiles through her agony, and it's a sad sight. 'What stopped you?' Rey's smile falters. She meets her eyes, but doesn't respond.

They both escape the X-Wing. Immediately Rey is greeted by acquaintances from The Resistance, before Poe comes running up, pulling Rey into a firm embrace. The two are soon lost in conversation while Poe leads Rey to where Finn is; that boy from The First Order.

'All clear,' she reports.

General Organa thanks her, and Jessika is dismissed.

x

There's a lot to tell. Rey doesn't know where to begin. Most of her stories are spewed in babbles, but Finn is amazed and horrified and excited all at once, wanting more and more on what it was like to be trained by Master Skywalker. Poe is less expressive. He sits, one leg crossed over the other, listening intently.

Master Skywalker is a man of few words, but he cares. Deeply. Without hesitance, he took Rey in, trained her, helped her find her way with the Force. Taught her how beautiful both the Dark and Light side are. Why it is so complex to choose either one. How impossible it is for a Jedi to be anything close to human when they are offered the choice of both extremes. There had to be a happy medium.

So, Master Skywalker invented that happy medium. Attachment may involve suffering, but suffering does not always involve hatred and negativity. Master Skywalker spoke about how suffering can create compassion, forgiveness. Why, suffering was what helped him forgive his own father, what allowed Darth Vader to return to the Light side.

The Jedi way was corrupt, polluted and ancient. It needed to be reformed.

'Oh, and also this.' Rey retrieves something from her pocket. A pink and blue shell, attached to a piece of string. 'For you.' Finn opens his hand and accepts the gift. A necklace. 'I have never seen shells before; only heard about them. Seen them in books. I thought this one was pretty. I hope you like it.'

Finn stares at the shell, awed.

Rey looks troubled. 'Don't you like it?'

'Sorry,' Finn gasps. 'It's just nobody's ever given me a present before.'

Rey's expression softens. She places the necklace around Finn's neck, the shell resting at his chest. 'I'm really glad you're all right.' She cuddles him. Briefly. They've already embraced multiple times before, but Finn's affection always leaves her happy. He was the first to really show her what affection is about.

'I'm relieved you're back,' Finn says. 'Is the Falcon back in one piece?'

'Actually, I haven't returned it to base. One of your pilots gave me a lift.' Rey looks at Poe. 'I can't remember her name…'

'That was Jessika. She was on lookout for anymore TIE fighters.' Rey frowns. 'Don't worry. She's confirmed there haven't been anymore since we took the others out.' He stands up, brushes his jacket down. There's a sense of nervousness about him. 'I had best go speak with the General. Will you be okay?'

He is looking at both Rey and Finn, but Rey knows where his main concerns lie.

Finn nods.

'What has happened while I've been away?' Rey asks when Poe has left.

'I wish I could say, but I've been asleep this whole time!' Finn laughs. 'I know that pilot. She has a bit of a sharp tongue.'

'Mm,' Rey gathered. 'I need to thank her actually.'

She likes the necklace.

The colour of the shell suits him. Finn fiddles with it between his fingers when Rey leaves, and he can't recall the last time he's felt so at home.

x

'Pass me that bolt, will you?'

Her fellow pilot picks up one from the floor.

'No, I meant that one… No, the other––the one I'm pointing at.'

'She means this one,' Rey says kindly, picking up the correct piece. Jessika drops her arm, takes the bolt from Rey. 'Need me to help you?'

'I've got this.' Jessika returns to the vehicle she's fixing.

Rey comes over, and admires Jessika's work so far. 'Problem with the engine?'

'Keeps stalling,' Jessika mutters, more to herself than Rey. She didn't actually answer Rey's question, and the young Jedi has no choice but to watch Jessika finish her work. She accidentally scalds herself. 'Ow!' Drops her tool into the engine. 'Great.' She waves her injured hand.

'I'll get it for you.'

Jessika opens her mouth to protest, but, in less than a second, the tool is miraculously back in her possession. She looks at Rey with a funny face. 'So, you're able to move inanimate objects at your own free will?'

'More or less.'

'Is that what you've been spending all those weeks doing?'

Rey is certain she hears a hint of jealousy in Jessika's voice. Jessika focusses on the ship again.

'I came to say thank you. For bringing me back.'

'You're welcome.' Rey looks at Jessika's helmet, resting on the wing of the ship. She's reminded of the one she kept in Jakku. So far away now. 'Is that all you wanted to say?' Jessika wipes her greasy hands with a flannel. Rey blinks, looks at her. 'Haven't you got other things to worry about?'

Rey doesn't appreciate her tone, and she knows when she's not wanted. 'Not really.' She passes Jessika and proceeds out. Jessika watches her retreating form, drops her gaze, and thinks she might have been a bit harsh on the girl.

Needless to say, she is a scavenger. A nobody. Outside The Resistance. And Jessika has always struggled with outsiders.

x

Rey prefers the company of engines. Perhaps it's because her entire childhood has been engines. Finding bits and bobs to parts of a ship, selling them for scraps of food. Building her own speeder in order to get around. Engines, machines; they've been her life.

So when evening falls, and the night sky filters in through the windows, Rey searches for where the ships are stationed. A helmet has been left behind on the side. Rey hesitates, then picks it up, pulling it over her head, lowering the visor. She sits on one of the wings, cuddles her knees to her chest.

There was something so romantic about the Jedi life.

In the storybooks she read as a child, she thought being a Jedi was about royalty. About legends. Gods. A Jedi is pure of sin, crime, everything evil and wrong. A Jedi is a calm, satisfied, and peaceful warrior. The Jedi are the peacekeepers, those who protect the gates of Heaven; those who will truly be rewarded.

Those books failed to mention the Jedi were human.

They had desires, cravings. They felt.

Rey recalled Master Skywalker's uncertainty. How he had once been tempted.

(… and she recalls that too. That temptation. The face of Kylo Ren. How the Dark side tests her, teases her, seduces her whole.)

(How those nightmares just keep coming back.)

'I don't think that helmet belongs to you.'

Rey is snapped to her senses. A female pilot is walking towards her. 'Sorry.' She takes it off.

'Oh. It's you.'

Rey's heart drops when she recognises Jessika. 'I'll go.'

'No, no, wait. You can stay. I was just here to collect something.' Rey watches Jessika proceed to the ship she was fixing before. She picks up a tool kit from the floor, returns to Rey. 'It's late.'

She stops, looking up at Rey, perched on the wing.

'It comforts me too.'

Rey raises a brow.

'Wearing the helmet. I don't know. I like it too. Makes me feel safe.' She leans against the ship. 'I would have expected you to be with your friend.'

'I wanted him to sleep.'

'I guess it's difficult, being around people, when you were distanced from them for so long.'

Rey is surprised by her statement. But Jessika's words ring true.

'When did you decide to join The Resistance?'

'I was never given the choice,' Jessika replies. 'My mother worked under General Organa when she had me. I could either be a gunman, or a pilot. Me? I belong in the skies.' Rey is smiling. 'I hear you're a decent pilot yourself. Han Solo mentioned your capabilities before…' Rey's smile remains, but she feels that. The way Jessika can't finish her sentence. Allows it to shrivel and die. 'He liked you.'

'I liked him.'

Jessika smiles crookedly, pats the ship. 'Hey, if you ever want to take one of these out––' Rey looks at her expectantly, '––invite me along as well. See if you're really as good as they say.'

'I aim not to disappoint,' Rey teases.

'I don't doubt that.' Jessika jumps up onto the ship, joins Rey on the wing. She takes the helmet Rey has abandoned. Rey looks at her. 'These used to give me neck strain when I was a child. They're heavy.' She gives Rey the helmet. 'Whatever helps you cope.'

Hesitantly, Rey accepts the helmet. 'The owner won't mind?'

'No.' Jessika lands onto the ground. 'Besides, she's starting to warm up to you.' Jessika winks, and then swivels around. 'Remember to rest, kid. You're winning a war.'

Rey continues to hold the helmet, waits until Jessika is gone, before returning the helmet atop of her head. She lies back onto the wing, gazing up at the tall ceiling, the vizor shadowing her view.

A sense of home embraces her body. She wraps her arms around her waist, cuddling herself, shivering into the cool night. Protected by the helmet, reminded of her tiny shelter on Jakku, a place for her, only she.

Waiting, waiting

waiting

For a day which will never come.

x

'Testor?'

'It's a nickname,' Jessika says. 'A stupid nickname.'

Rey grins. 'What does it mean?'

Jessika snorts. Her eyes glint with amusement. 'It means witness, if that's what you're after.' Rey blinks. 'So, as a pilot, you try and avoid getting hit. Lest you die.' She smirks at that; Rey's not sure why. 'I've never been hit. Not one scrape.' It sounds like Jessika is bragging, but she's not. Her voice sounds heavy. Weighted. 'They call me testor because my presence is rarely noticed, until I start shooting. I am witness; I observe the battle.'

A part of her hopes Rey will catch the joke, but the girl doesn't laugh. Her gaze drops.

The pilot is the one who blasts ships. Kills. Jessika watches the bodies fall.

Witness to the battle.

Rey doesn't laugh.

'Anyway: it's a stupid nickname.'

That does not negate its relevance.