CHAPTER 1

On a world in the Outer Rim called Colstev, the sun slowly set on a bustling smugglers base, glinting off the cavern walls and the hulls of the ships coming and going, their lights creating their own little ever changing starscape. The woman in charge of it all stood looking out the picture window of her office in the command center, not seeing what was going on but rather seeing what had happened.

And it brought her little joy.

With her red gold hair now lightly shot through with gray and her striking features having become more weathered, not just from age but also from sorrow and strain, in the past years.

The comm attached to her collar pinged and she tapped it "Yes?"

"Ma'am she's here" a filtered voice responded, a hesitant note in the man's tone

But she ignored it, they had discussed this already "Send her in" she ordered, cutting off the connection.

The door swished open behind her to admit an old diminutive alien dressed like a spacer with oversized goggles, who up until recently had run one of the most noted watering holes in the galaxy, though maybe not for the best reasons.

"You've changed." said Maz Kanata, intently studying the woman who stood before her silhouetted by the sun from behind.

"And you haven't." she stated, shooting a look at the small being beside her before tuning back to look out the window. "You never were one for pleasantries. Why have you contacted me?"

"It is time. The Force-"

Glaring, she cut her off with a sharp wave of her hand "Don't talk to me about the Force. I want nothing to do with any of it, ever again." turning sharply, she stabbed a finger at Maz "Skywalker put his trust in the Force and look what happened."

Maz eyed her intently, the sunlight making the yellow skin of her face glow golden "I know you can still feel it, even after everything. You can't deny it, no matter how hard you try."

Her features hardened in annoyance "if you only came here to try and pull me back into this-"

"She's alive."

the woman blinked at her in confusion for a moment then realization slowly dawn, shock and denial flash through her green eyes "No, that's impossible, she's dead." the woman breathed, closing her eyes against the memories suddenly bombarding her. "I failed her and she died with him." she whispered, pained.

"I saw her, as plain as I see you now." Maz countered firmly but not without sympathy "There is only one person she could be."

"You're wrong." The woman protested, shaking her head. "No one could have survived an attack like that, if she was alive I would know." opening her eyes and planting her hands on the desk before her, she stared hard into the wizened face before her "I would know." she bit out.

"She found the lightsaber." Maz said plainly.

"What?" she gasped, sinking into her chair "How?"

"It called to her" Maz stated plainly. "The Force is strong with her, even more so than anyone else in your family."

the woman turned away from her, shock radiating from her in waves. Shakily, she raised her hand, tapping her comm.

"Aves, prepare my ship "

Sitting on a rocky protuberance on the cliff face, Rey closed her eyes and turned her face into the moist salty breeze coming from the ocean crashing into a cove beneath her.

She didn't think there could be a planet more different from Jakku than this.

Six Months ago she arrived on Ahch-to sent by General Leia Organa to bring her brother Jedi Master Luke Skywalker back home to help in the war between the Resistance and the First Order.

Only to find that the hero of the rebellion had renounced war and violence to the point of even refusing to wear his own lightsaber.

'Luke Skywalker' Rey thought amusedly to herself 'The Luke Skywalker.'

The man she had once thought was only a myth. Growing up on Jakku she had heard the stories of the Jedi, the Clone Wars and the Rebellion from a few old timers but had never payed much attention to them, there were much more important things to do, like surviving.

Opening her eyes she fingered the narrow braid that hung down behind her left ear. Thinking about what had occurred after they had first met high on top of the island caused a little smile to appear.

It took some doing but she finally convinced him to train her.

Because as much as she hated to admit it Kylo Ren was right about one thing, she did need a teacher.

"Rey" When the call came, it came through the Force.

Master Skywalker was looking for her and he wouldn't like it if he found her on the cliff, again.

She didn't quite understand why he was so overprotective of her. Maybe it came from her being so strong in the Force or maybe it was just him.

"Coming" she responded as she stood up and took one last long look over the sea. She was still relieved he had agreed to teach her. She wasn't sure what had convinced him in the end, but she was grateful. As she climbed back down the cliff an ironic half smile spread across her face. No, it hadn't been easy, but then again she never really trusted it when things were too easy. In her experience if something seemed easy there was usually a catch.