Chapter One: The Beginning
Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars in any right or fashion. If I did, Reylo would be canon. Let me know if I should continue past the first chapter; send me reviews. It's been a while since I've written fanfiction, so I'm a bit rusty. Bear with me, I have big plans for this. :)
"Rock bottom became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life." - J.K. Rowling
Hardly anything had made sense in Rey's life up to this point. From childhood, she had been raised on Jakku, scouting out pieces of scrap metal and spare vehicle parts to eke out a minor existence. She was used to hard labor, unforgiving conditions and careful people. That part had made sense, and she tried not to dwell too long on her missing set of parents. It was a way of life, no... existing. That word kept cropping up as she sat on a cold, metal seat aboard a Star Destroyer, bound for who knows where. The bench seat carried about five others, and the seat on the other side held six other captives. Unkar Plutt had sold them into another form of captivity to the First Order, and they were not given a chance to argue. Young and old alike wore looks of curiosity and fear, not knowing what they were headed for. No one said a word except a singular young boy, asking his mother where they were being taken to. She did not have an answer, so she merely put a finger to her mouth to convey silence to him. Rey looked upon the broken family with a kind of pity, knowing fully well that the mother did not have the heart to tell him how afraid she was as well. After countless hours, a soldier in the full white uniform of a Stormtrooper came back to the cargo hold and stared down each one of them. "We're arriving at our destination. Keep quiet, line up single file and follow me." No one dared go against the soldier's orders, so they just nodded. About ten minutes later, a slight jolt and a mechanical hissing sound told them they had arrived. Everyone in the cargo hold lined up as they were told, and another Stormtrooper followed their line of twelve. They marched into even colder temperatures, and Rey saw a silvery white substance falling from the sky.
"What is this?" She wasn't trying to ask anyone in particular, but the lead trooper turned around and addressed her question.
"Haven't you ever seen snow? Ignorant slaves from Jakku..." His remark trailed off into the snow and they continued to march into a large steel facility. The sheer size of it elicited a collective gasp from the captive party, and suddenly Rey felt more nervous than ever. They had not been told where they were going, or for what reason. Of course she was outraged when the troopers dragged her onto the ship, flailing the whole way. Who was Unkar Plutt to sell her like a piece of his own property? No one would listen though, and that was the reason her party was taken. No one would miss scavengers from Jakku; they were of no consequence. Her thoughts suddenly came to a halt when her eyes met the personnel marching around the facility. The lead trooper turned to the company and halted their progress. "This is Starkiller Base. You have been brought here to become part of our personnel. Cooperation will be rewarded, and opposition will be met with destruction. Would anyone like to be brave?" He sneered the last part. Everyone shivered, and the trooper laughed. "That's what I thought. All the men, step to the left side." They did as told, except the young boy. "You too, boy." The boy clung to his mother's skirting for dear life, a look of fear clearly written on his face.
"Mama, please..." The trooper from the back strode up and grabbed the boy from his mother, yanking him to the left side. She cried and started trying to go to him, until the trooper pointed his blaster at her.
"Get back in line, woman." Her eyes widened and Rey watched as she walked back to the women's side, knowing there were very few choices to be made in the situation. A man from the left side grabbed the boy by the hand and looked at his mother.
"We'll take care of him, Sheera." She looked a bit more comfortable, but her eyes still filled with tears as the trooper from the back lead the men away. Rey watched as they filed to a hallway off to the side, wondering where they were headed to. Five women were left looking at each other, wondering what fate they would be facing.
"The rest of you will follow me." Their lead trooper started to walk again, and Rey's company had no choice but to follow. They made their way down a few hallways, taking many twists and turns, then taking a lift to the third floor. If they expected her to remember this, she would be in so much trouble. One more straight hallway lead them to a door where the trooper put his hand up to the reader, and they were admitted. Rey's eyes met a rich brown desk, neatly stacked with tablets and a few commlinks. Behind the desk stood two people, a red-headed man and an armor-clad warrior.
"Welcome to Starkiller Base. I am General Hux, and this is Captain Phasma." General Hux did not smile, and both of them stood with their hands behind their back; a formal gesture, not necessarily of polite foundations. The red-headed general gestured to the person in armor, and a smooth female voice emitted from the mask.
"Your group has been chosen to become part of the First Order, and you will have an opportunity to show which side you favor by completing general tasks assigned to you." Captain Phasma gestured toward two of the older women and addressed the trooper. "These two will not do for manual labor. Take them to the testing facilities and see if they have any other useful purposes." They were taken out of the room by the trooper, and the rest of them found themselves alone with the general and captain.
"If you disobey the Order, you will be disposed of. The area of Niima Outpost has been declared a neutral territory, so unlike the Resistance, you do not automatically get branded with the traitor label." Hux spat the word 'traitor' like it was venom in his mouth. "The Captain will assign you to your tasks, and you will be observed. There is nowhere you can run, nowhere you can hide. Do the right thing, and do not fight us. We are not the enemy." With that eerie statement, he waved them off, and Phasma lead them out of the office.
There were only three women left in their group, and Rey did not feel any camaraderie with her two other companions. Yes, they had made an existence together, but that did not mean they were friends. They were cordial to each other, but she did not even know their names. One was slightly older than her, and the other was about five years younger than her. They found themselves in a linen room, and Phasma addressed them once again. "You three are going to be tasked with sanitation and housekeeping. Your work starts tomorrow, and we will come back to this location at six o'clock sharp in the morning. I will show you to your rooms, and I will retrieve you in the morning." The three women were lead to separate rooms and Rey found herself in a room much greater than her AT-AT on Jakku. The bed was a pristine white, and the floor was a smooth gunmetal grey. She roamed around her quarters to see a refrigeration unit, a dark grey couch which was softer than anything she had ever felt before, and the fresher was stocked with fluffy towels and wash cloths. There was a mirror as large as the sink was long, and she finally observed herself outside her desert surroundings. Her tanned skin was covered in sand and dirt, and her clothes hadn't been washed in weeks. What was the point when you knew you were going right back out into the same conditions? She had no idea what purpose Starkiller Base held, and honestly, right now, she didn't care. She just wanted to mind her own business and keep her head low as she had been for the last few years of her life. Her stomach growled, and food did sound like a good idea right now, so she meandered back into the small kitchen and opened the fridge. Soup mix and water were waiting for her, and she put the two together, allowing the container to warm itself. After slurping the soup standing up, she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and drank some of the water left in the canteen. A profound wave of sleepiness captured her and she knew she would need to shower before she laid down.
The shower echoed throughout the bathroom in a way that made her feel safe and more comfortable, and as soon as she stepped in, a brown puddle of dirt and filth gathered in the bottom of the tub. Grabbing a bar of soap, she rubbed the cleansing bubbles on her hands and began cleaning herself. The soap smelled of petrichor, and Rey felt tears welling up in her eyes. The smell rain on the desert rain was a godsend, and nothing could stop that feeling from coming down on her. After she was properly cleaned and scrubbed, she grabbed a towel off the sink and walked into the bedroom. A wardrobe on the side of the room held five black robes and five sets of clothes for daily wear. She put one of the sets of clothes on and fell back on the bed with a soft thump. Far softer than anything, even the couch, the bed guided her into a restful sleep in which she found herself on an island, feeling the sun in a far different way than before. She was not burning in the heat, rather enjoying it. Her normally dirty clothes were beige colored from being cleaned, and her hair was flowing freely from the normal three buns she wore. Rey closed her eyes and let her face go toward the sun, raising her arms. She felt more free than ever with the salty ocean water reaching her nose, and she felt infinite. Peace flowed through her for the longest moment, and then suddenly, she felt a presence behind her. It was torn between warm and cold, and she turned quickly to find the source. Instead, the sun turned to warm rain and she saw a tall man clad in black. He raised his face to meet her's, and she saw a metal mask. He came swiftly at her and drew a crackling red lightsaber, poised to take her down. Rey screamed and woke with a start, throwing herself into a fighting position. The nightmare made her face hot and she was embarrassed because she realized there was no one in her room to attack her. After checking all the rooms in her area, she crawled back under the covers, confused as to what her dream was trying to tell her.
Many rooms down from Rey's, a dark-haired man was sleeping soundly until an electric jolt went through his body. He jumped from the bed to find darkness, and a sudden cold hitting his chest. Sweat poured from his forehead and he wiped it away with the back of his hand. Trying to find the source of his awakening, he closed his eyes and began trying to meditate. What a lot of good it did considering he just got woke up, but finally he settled into the peaceful state of mind that was required to see the Force. After a few moments, he opened his eyes wide once again and felt his throat go dry. "She's here."