Well, guess luck wasn't a lady tonight, Ben groused internally. His ship had broken down, and there just weren't any good parts around. Or more accurately, good parts he could afford.

You know, maybe you shouldn't have blown off Kolman Tye's offer for a complete overhaul, he told himself, he'd have gotten you brand-new parts, they'd have worked.

But then, how would you have explained a practically-new ship when you're struggling to find any sort of decent smuggling run to make?

I wouldn't be stuck here with few prospects, he told himself. Kolman Tye's also been very good at keeping a low profile, even if the Silent Partner and Tye Score are wanted vessels, and he is a wanted man.

You do have prospects. You didn't want to pursue them then, his inner debate partner – for lack of a better term – reminded him. You have potential to be more than this.

Maybe I'm my father's son, he responded.

He blew out a sigh. Well, he needed a hyperdrive motivator, not to mention a new shunt, and there was a good chance his navicomputer had been fried as well. Maybe he could have done better than a G-type Nubian 139. Kolman had some other ships he'd have traded in for that.

Well, Niima Outpost wasn't the worst spot to not have a working hyperdrive, but it had to be in the top 25.

"Plutt wants droid. We take droid," he heard. There it was, a young girl – maybe four years younger than him – was struggling with two thugs.

He acted in instinct, firing a shot that knocked the weapon out of the hand of one.

"The lady obviously didn't want to sell the droid," he said. He kept his blaster ready to move again, but he knew they'd back down. They could push around someone unarmed, old, and trying to struggle, but when faced with the very real threat of someone who could stand up for themselves, they'd run. Which they did.

Now, maybe he could…

She was running after that droid, who was shocking a guy in the leg. Just like R2 did when he was mad, Ben remembered.

"What's your hurry, thief?" he heard the girl ask.

He heard the denials, and watched as the impromptu interrogation continued, before he stepped in.

"Give the guy a chance," he said.

"Who are you?" the girl asked.

Just then, their prisoner pointed, saying, "Trouble."

They looked.

"Stormtroopers," Rey breathed.

That began a chase, as the stormtroopers fired at them. Ben sent four shots back their way, hardly aiming, but saw one connect.

He turned.

"We'll need a ship!" he called out.

"We can outrun them in that quadjumper!" the girl shouted.

"What about that ship?" the other guy asked.

"It's garbage! It hasn't flown in years," the girl responded. Ben took a look… then was about to run when he saw the quadjumper go up after a strafing pass from TIE fighters.

"The garbage'll do," the girl said. Ben was already running there. A YT freighter… he noticed. Familiar memories flooded back of his dad… no, not now, he thought.

"Gunner position is over there," the girl said.

"There's two," Ben responded as he raced to the cockpit. He began to warm up the ship. The more it began to warm up…

The freighter took off, and Ben managed to get it up without doing too much damage. Then again, it was starting to feel more familiar.

Ship that looks like garbage, but flies like a dream? Yeah, I know you… Ben smiled. Okay, they'd need shields… over on the other side of the cockpit.

He reached out and flipped the switches, using the Force. Now, it was time to fly like crazy.

It didn't take long for the other two people on board to send both TIE fighters into the sea of wrecks on Jakku. Ben then flew the ship out, making a clean getaway.

The girl and the guy both came from their gunner positions, and Ben left the cockpit.

"That was some flying!" the girl told him.

"It was good shooting, both of you," Ben said.

"Thanks!" they said.

"How'd you learn to fly like that?" the girl asked.

"My dad taught me," Ben said. "Anyway, who are you? I figure some introductions are in order, since we just killed First Order personnel and stole a starship. I'd like to get a sense as to who my fellow fugitives are."

"I'm Rey," the girl – a scavenger – said.

"Finn," the man said. Ben could sense Finn was hiding something. Then again, Ben thought, so am I.

"For garbage, this ship flew pretty well," Rey said.

"She may not look like much, but she's always had it where it counts," Ben said.

"You know this ship?" Rey asked.

Ben walked over, and opened a hidden compartment. He smiled.

"Yeah, it was my dad's," he said.