Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars.
Please read and review, your feedback helps me to write better stories.
The Force Awakens: Sweet Dreams
"Watch where you cut up there!" called a gruff voice.
Rey stayed focused on the wires and the hydrospanner in her hand as she shot back with her own retort. "I know! I see the connecting wire right now!"
"Remember! It's the orange one!"
"No it's not! That's the outdated standard! They changed it to black and yellow striped when they realized that Aqualash mechanics kept cutting the wrong wire because they see color differently than humans!"
"Bah…" came the agitated reply.
Rey didn't let it get to her though as she lifted the hydrospanner up the rest of the way and severed the connecting wire. With that the last remains of the compressor that had been limiting the Millennium Falcon's movements were gone. She snatched up the wires as she carefully backed down the ladder.
Standing below her was Han Solo, the legendary smuggler who'd made the Kessel run in under twelve parsecs and the hero of more stories told to her in her childhood than anyone else. He was also the owner of the gruff voice and never seemed to be happy. At least, he hadn't seemed happy in any of the past few hours she'd known him, which really wasn't a large period of time to base a diagnosis on. With each passing minute she felt it was a more accurate assumption though.
Rey didn't mind, he might not ever be happy with her, but he did something else, he treated her like an equal. Han expected her to perform every task given to her perfectly, and she had. She'd called the Falcon garbage right before stealing it from Jakku, but after mucking around in it she couldn't help but admire the sturdiness of the old ship. She thought she could tell a little bit about why he might call the ship home and be so protective of her.
"That the last of it?" asked Han, eyeing the remains of the compressor in her hand.
"That's it," answered Rey, depositing the remains into a disposal unit. She knelt down to return the hyrdospanner to the unorganized mess that passed as a tool box.
"Great," commented Han, almost sounding pleased. "Did that bantha brain on Jakku install anymore modifications to my ship?"
"Not that I know of," replied Rey. "Since I was the one he paid to make changes to his ships, I'm sure I'd know if there was anything else. He might've owned a bunch of ships and made his living off of selling parts, but he had no clue about actually working on any of it."
"That's clear from his thinking the compressor was a good idea," muttered Han.
"I told him it was a horrible idea. He just threatened to halve the amount he was paying me. I decided it was his mistake and it wouldn't hurt me. I'd always dreamed of taking the quadjumper off planet somewhere. I never expected that the ship next to it was the legendary Millennium Falcon." She looked up at Han. "I'd heard of the ship when two Wookie travelers decided to regale me with the adventures of the famous smuggler Chewbacca and his partner, Han Solo."
"Figures," said Han. "Wookies get quite talkative. Of course, that's assuming they like you. Otherwise it's just one big howl and you're missing your arms. Speaking of missing arms." Han stuck his head down the corridor from the cockpit and yelled. "Hey big deal! How's Chewie doing?"
"He's doing fine," muttered Finn, walking down the corridor and stopping in front of the cockpit. "He's asleep in the medbay. I'm just waiting for the pain medicine to kick in for my headache. He's not really a calm patient."
"Yeah, he doesn't much like getting shot," replied Han. "And who said you could raid my medicine cabinet?"
"I'm not sure it did me much good," replied Finn, looking extremely haggard and tired. "I think all of that stuff in there is expired. Is there a place to sleep around here?"
"Get yourself to the port dormitory," said Han. "Sheets and stuff are either in there or the storage bay. Assuming they didn't get pouched for a few spare credits."
"It's better than nothing I guess…" muttered Finn. He managed to flash a quick smile at Rey. "Night. Please only wake me up for imminent death."
"Sleep well," bid Rey. Finn turned back down the corridor and staggered down it, absently rubbing his arm, possibly the price of holding down an angry Wookie.
"Guy's tougher than he looks," said Han, giving what Rey recognized as a compliment, at least coming from him. "How long you two known each other?"
"Only an hour or two more than I've known you," replied Rey, standing up and stretching. "I met Finn on Jakku. BB-8 recognized his jacket as belonging to his master. I chased him down to get it back."
"Oh? You catch him?"
"Knocked him down with my staff," laughed Rey. "Turns out he saved BB-8's master from the First Order, only for them to be shot down and stranded on Jakku also. Poe, BB-8's master, didn't make it. Finn's also with the Resistance though, so the data should be in good hands with him."
"That so?" asked Han. "Well, I guess the Resistance will take anyone."
"That's how it was with the Rebellion all those years ago too, wasn't it?" asked Rey.
"Well, they took me, so yeah," agreed Han with a self-deprecating smile. "Where'd you learn to fly a ship anyways? Don't tell me you guessed just from working maintenance on this old thing. I know an experienced pilot when I see one."
"Old flight simulators," admitted Rey. "If I had spare parts that I didn't need for food I'd trade them for things like that. I know how to fly a wide variety of ships from those."
"But you've never actually flown before?" asked Han incredulously.
"I'd do maintenance and then I'd need to put the ships through their paces to test that things are working, under armed supervision of course."
"Well, guess it worked," commented Han.
"Yeah," agreed Rey, yawning loudly as she did so.
Han studied her briefly before turning away and settling into the pilot's seat. "Go get some sleep. We're still a way out from our destination."
"You sure?" asked Rey, letting out another yawn.
"I'm sure. It only takes one person to pilot through hyperspace anyways. Get yourself settled in the starboard dormitory. Same deal as the other guy."
"Night," bid Rey.
Han didn't reply, so after a moment she left the cockpit and followed the corridor to the starboard dormitory. As luck would have it everything she needed for the bed was folded neatly in the storage locker. She got out several blankets and pillows, probably meant for the other two bunks and piled them on the one in the middle. She didn't even bother to change out of her filthy, dust covered clothes, instead just wrapping herself in blankets and burying her face in pillows.
Sleep had never come easy to her, at least not for a long time. Despite the weariness that filled every part of her body her mind still raced. At first it replayed the events of the day, each adrenaline pumping moment of it. Faces flashed through her mind of all the new people she'd met and was now traveling with. She'd loved stories of the crew of the Millennium Falcon and now she was on it with Han Solo and Chewbacca… She expected to wake up any moment and find herself back on Jakku, scrambling to find enough parts to feed herself one more day.
After her mind had reviewed the day's events several times it instead moved back to familiar memories. She fought against recalling such moments. She didn't want to think about them. They made her long to be back on Jakku. The memories told her that her current happiness and excitement were wrong. She belonged on Jakku. She had to be on Jakku. That's where they'd come back to get her…
Eventually though, sleep found her and she drifted away from the familiar hurt and new excitement to a land of fractured images and comforting darkness. As she shifted from dreamscape to dreamscape, never really stopping in one, she felt a strange call. She followed the call unconsciously and appeared in a small dark room. Machinery surrounded her, flashing lights and displays everywhere. She tried to move but couldn't, her arms and legs attached to something.
She could only look forward helplessly as a dark, intimidating figure in a metallic black mask walked into her view. Instead of words a low roar issued from the masked figure. They held out their hand and Rey felt excruciating pain, but she fought against it. The pain stopped briefly as the masked figure studied her. They brought both hands up to their helmet and clicked a release. A hiss came from the helmet as it unlatched. Rey felt terror flood her as the figure slowly lifted the helmet off of their head. She knew that whatever was under there she didn't want to see. A scream came unbidden to her lips, breaking loose from her.
"Hey! Wake up!" yelled a gruff voice, throwing Rey out of her dream. She came to, sitting up on her bunk. She looked around in wide eyed terror. Hands reached out and touched her cheeks, holding her head in place. As her vision came back into focus she realized she was looking into the worried face of Han Solo. "Hey! Are you okay?"
Rey realized she was breathing heavily and she worked to calm herself. She closed her eyes and worked on controlling her breathing. She realized she was covered in a sheen of sweat. After a moment she thought she had everything under control and she opened her eyes, Han still looking worriedly at her.
"Yeah…I think I'm fine…" she muttered. "Just a bad dream…"
"Must've been one hell of a dream," said Han, removing his hands from her face.
"Yeah…" replied Rey, fragments of the nightmare coming back to her. "I was held prisoner, unable to move. A person covered in black with a faceless helmet was saying something to me but I couldn't hear them. They seemed familiar even though I know I've never met them…"
"A man in a helmet and all black suit?" asked Han.
"I don't know if they were a man," replied Rey. "Or even human. Or any species. They just seemed like a monster."
"I bet he did," muttered Han sadly.
Rey looked at him. "Sound familiar?"
"Way too much so," replied Han. "There's always one for everyone I guess. Used to be Darth Vader, he was creepy enough. Haunted my dreams for a long time. Now it's Kylo Ren of the First Order. All black armor, billowing cape and a face mask that lets nothing away. That sound familiar?"
"That sounds like the person in my dream," agreed Rey. "I've never met him before in my life though."
"And pray you never do," said Han. "I sure wish I never had…"
They both waited there silently for several minutes, Rey fighting away the last vestiges of her nightmare and Han lost in reminisce. Han shook himself out of his thoughts first and looked at Rey in concern. "Are you going to be fine now?"
Rey nodded. "Yeah, I think so."
"Well, you know where to find me if you're not," said Han, turning to leave the dormitory. "I'll take on Kylo Ren for you."
"Thank you," replied Rey. She laid back down and tried to fall back asleep.
Han stood at the entrance to the dormitory for a moment before turning off the lights. Rey wasn't sure she actually heard what he said next, so softly did he say it, but she took comfort in the words none the less.
"Sleep well."
Sleep soon found Rey again but this time her dreams were safe from the monsters and terrors that constantly tried to haunt her. Instead they were filled with piloting the Millennium Falcon under Han's supervision with Chewbacca, BB-8 and Finn along for the ride. A dream come true.