DISCLAIMER: Although I wish I did, I do not own Star Wars or any of the characters. This fiction is for entertainment purposes only, and is not intended to produce monetary gains.
A/N: This story takes place post-TFA, and makes certain assumptions about Rey and Kylo Ren, primarily that they are not related. I realize there is a decent chance they will be, but the Rey/Kylo dynamic is just so rich with possibilities and fun that I can't resist. So if nothing else, I shall live in blissful ignorance until the fateful day Episode VIII is released. I encourage feedback of all kinds unless it is rude and hostile. You have the right to your opinion, but I have the right to read your douche-y comment and call you a douche from the privacy of my home.
Master Luke has been worried. Despite his façade, she felt it in him, the hesitation in his glance at the proposition.
"She is not yet ready." He had told Leia, after she had sent an urgent request for them to return to the new Resistance base on Yavin IV for a reconnaissance mission.
"Luke we have no other choice, no one is better suited than her, and this could mean a huge victory against the First Order, not to mention saving thousands of innocent lives." General Organa had just finished describing to them a sensitive mission. Resistance spies had come across information that contained details of a hidden First Order Base on the world of Heruvion, home to known First Order sympathizers. The information supposedly outlined the schedule for reconstructing a new weapon of mass destruction, and also the key battle plans for the coming months.
The kicker was that the base was in a desert area of the planet, and was underground. Part of the reason this sensitive information had been kept at this particular location was because of access; the only unguarded entryway was a 10 story deep vertical canyon. In addition to the tricky access, in order to be successful, the information would have to be gathered undetected, otherwise the battle plans would simply be changed and all benefit would be lost. They needed someone with excellent climbing abilities, the ability to go unnoticed, and a penchant for survival. In other words, they needed Rey.
Luke stared back at his twin sister, undoubtedly exchanging unspoken words.
"She is ready, you know it's true, and we need her." Luke breathed slowly and turned back to Rey.
"Padawan, are you willing to take on the risks of this mission?" Rey had looked up at him with wide eyes and then they immediately darted to her feet. Over the past few months of training and honing her newly discovered force abilities, Rey's confidence had improved quite a bit, however she still had some hesitation. This would be her first mission; would she be able to complete it? What if she failed? Rey took a deep breath and let her worries dissipate and her inner strength replace them, then she looked back up at him and let her chin ever so slightly raise up.
"Yes Master Luke, it will be difficult, but I know I can do it."
That had been nearly a day ago, and now Rey sat piloting the IPV-1 Imperial Patrol Vehicle she had been set up with as she made her approach to Heruvion. The planet looked sparse, but the main capital city of Ardyyk stood out as a patch of sparkling lights amid the desert. According to their information, the hidden base was not far from the city, likely so spacecraft could come and go undetected from the typical traffic. Her decent was relatively uneventful, and she set the craft down in a public shipyard where she collected her pack and paid the attendant the necessary fees.
Before she had left, they had crafted a back story to use if anyone became suspicious of her presence: she was a scout named Florence for a trader who specialized in old speeders and small ships, and she was simply in town to look for anything that stood out and may be of value to her boss. The hope was, that no questions would be asked, or at least not by anyone who could be swayed with a simple mind trick. There was a spy of the rebellion already stationed on the planet who owned a small inn. While she had not spoken with him, she was informed he was a Kitonak named Plerk and would be expecting her. Somewhat exhausted from the travel, Rey rented a small speeder bike, hoisted her pack over her shoulders, and headed towards the inn. It was plain and inoffensive from the outside, a rigid and boxy construction that seemed to perfectly reflect the modern city landscapes combined with the desolate desert on the horizon, and in the night sky the small lights slightly twinkled. There were only a few small vehicles in the front, and a sign reflected that there was vacancy.
After disembarking from the speeder and parking it in the front, Rey walked through the main doors and noticed a pudgy and stocky creature standing behind the counter. His pronounced nose perked up on her entrance, and she could only assume he was Plerk. As she approached him, she distinctly smelled some sort of pleasant vanilla aroma.
"Good evening, my name is Florence and I believe you had a room set aside for me?" The creature very slowly took a breath in and out.
"Ahhhh….yes….I believe we do…." The sentence took him about three times as long as she felt was typical, and then he very slowly turned and trudged over to the wall behind him, where he pressed a button and revealed a small door with a key card. With sloth like urgency, he then pressed another button to reveal a hidden compartment with a small holo pad, then turned back and handed both of them to her.
"Your…room….number….is 885….on…the…eighth…floor. If…there…is…anything…you…need…don't…hesitate….to…ask." Her delicate calloused hands reached out and gathered the items from him as she smiled in gratitude.
"Thank you; there actually is one small thing. Is there somewhere close by where I might be able to get something to eat?"
"Just…down…the…way…small…cantina."
"Thank you again." Rey headed up the lift which swiftly took her to the eighth floor. Upon arriving, she was happy to discover that the floor seemed to be totally vacant with the exception of herself. As she waved the key card in front of the access pad, a door lifted to reveal the sizeable accommodations she had been given. A large, comfortable bed was in the middle of the room, and a large window revealed breathtaking views of the city's landscapes with various craft speeding by.
A small closet was in the corner, and when she opened it, she saw a note which read "Sometimes what we seek is not up in the clouds but hidden within us at our own feet." A riddle of some kind perhaps? Hidden and feet. Something was hidden below it. Reached out with the force, she surveyed the floor of the closet and found a small indent. When she fiddled with it for a second, the panel emitted a small his, and rose slightly. She opened it up to reveal a hidden storage area, where she deposited the holopad Plerk had given her and some of her other sensitive items.
With that she wrapped a large cloak around herself to offer some discretion and warmth from the night's chill, and headed back to get something to eat at the cantina down the road. As she navigated the streets, various beings whizzed past her, not giving her so much as a second glance. It seemed everyone in Ardyyk had nothing but their own agendas in mind, making this mission perhaps easier than she had anticipated. She approached a discreetly hidden lot with a small neon sign that read "Cantina", the force compelled her towards it, and she assumed this must be the place Plerk had referred to.
It was as normal a cantina as anyone would expect for a world such as this, with all of the typical local colors and characters present. A low profile, some food and drink, and she would be nothing more than a ghost in the night to the crowd present. Out in the corner, she spotted a small circular booth where she would be able to remain in the shadows, and she gracefully glided over and sat herself while the waiter scampered over between tables.
Starving on Jaaku had made her appreciative of any real meal, even one in a hole in the wall such as this. The meat was strange and greasy, but it tasted like a meal fit for a king as it filled her growling stomach after the long journey. Although tempted by some of the Corellian Whiskey, she settled for a warm cider of sorts, and sipped carefully while she allowed herself a bit of relaxation.
As she surveyed the floor, she noticed a few bounty hunters making under the table deals, some card games that ranged from friendly and boisterous to cutthroat, and a few space cowboys who were trying their luck at a beautiful Twi'lek perched at the bar. She was very breathtaking, and Rey couldn't help but look at all the attention she was receiving and then look somewhat sullenly down at herself and her rough hands and dingy attire. What a feeling that must be, she mused, to be wanted by others, to be sought after and courted. The feeling led to a darkness and sorrow within her, so she quickly shoved it aside and focused on some of the other cantina activities. Rey lavished the experience, and closed her eyes as she soaked in the pure energy from all of the hustle and bustle.
Just as she eased into her warm drink and the warm atmosphere, a tremor rubbed her mind and a shiver went straight up her spine. The force disturbance was so strong it nearly took the air out of her chest, and she instinctively put up her mind barriers as quickly as possible as a last ditch attempt to avoid her signature being picked up. Slowly, she reached down to her wrapped garment and pulled it up to cover more of her face.
The waves reverberated off of her chest, each one a sonic pulse that sent all of her nerves buzzing like hundreds of tiny insects frantically fluttering their wings. Whatever it was, it was getting closer, stronger with the passing parsecs, but she was frozen, worried that any sudden movement or haste would only bring unnecessary attention to herself. Suddenly, the vibrations hit a crescendo and her eyes instinctively darted to the direction it was coming from: a dark cloaked figure. A movement of a shadow, the dark figure lumbered to the main bar and a black leather gloved hand beckoned and indicated a beverage to the bartender.
It was almost as if she no longer had any control over herself, as her eyes remained glued and focused on the stranger's every move. It was time to go, to avoid the danger, but it was hopeless and she simply had to stay. In one fluid motion, the strange force beacon removed his hood, revealing a head of tousled black curls, and a dark closely cut beard to match it.
But no, she had felt something like this before. There was a familiarity to it, a cold comfort that could never be replicated, but it couldn't possibly be what she remembered from before. But then, as if on cue, the man turned his face and she could see the distinct strong nosed profile and dark pooled eyes. Without warning their eyes locked, the surrounding scene of the bar seemed to freeze and then blur and fade, leaving the two of them alone. It was him, it couldn't be, but it was. Kylo Ren.
I see you…
The echoed words in her head sent her catapulting back into reality as the surroundings and chatter came back to her senses, and one of her hands immediately reached down to her lightsaber. The feel of the hard metal under her cloak gave her some sense of security, knowing it was still faithfully at her side if she needed it. That was long enough, she was endangering the mission every second she stayed here, she was playing with fire and knew better than to wait around until it started to burn. Master Luke would surely be ashamed of her right now. Making slow concise movements, she tossed a few credits on the table and stood, making her way back out towards the small speeder bike. Mounting it, she pointed in the direction of her lodging, and didn't look back the whole way.