This is my first and probably my only Star Wars story. Just writing for fun to see where I can take it- may or may not respond to reviews, questions, comments. It picks up right after The Last Jedi. I'm not a huge SW aficionado or familiar with everything in the canon so if there is something that just plain doesn't make sense, let me know. Thanks!

Rey turned over in her stiff cot uncomfortably. It was the dead of night and what remained of the resistance was fitfully sleeping off the events of Crait as Chewie rocketed the Falcon towards the only beacon of hope they had; a craggy outpost on the far reaches of Jakku.

Home. Could she call it that any more? The Falcon was her home now.

In the dark corner of the room, she saw BB-8's lights faintly pulse, glowing bright and then fading back and forth, Poe's hand on its top resting protectively. A quiet beeping echoed in the hot, small space from the machines that were monitoring Rose's condition. Rey didn't know the girl but she'd heard a little from Finn and Poe about the past few days and she admired the girl for her spirit; she was dedicated to the cause, and to Finn. Her chest moved up and down rhythmically but slowly- she was not doing well but she would survive.

Finn, sitting slumped against Rose's bunk with his head on his chest, grunted in his sleep across the aisle and Rey shifted, facing the wall again trying to untangle the knot in the bottom of her stomach. She couldn't escape the vision of Kylo Ren, his eyes burning into her as she made her escape not a day ago.

She had felt the air ripple around her as she clanked up the ramp hurriedly. It wasn't possible, was it? Snoke had said himself that he orchestrated the bond and now Snoke was gone, dead, with no possibility of tying them together anymore. Her heart raced as she spun around to face him, hair sticking to her sweaty skin, panting, praying that this was a trick of the mind or exhausted paranoia

He was there, but he wasn't. As their eyes met, Ren's fury crackled along her body, igniting her blood; making her hair stand on end as she stood in the doorway of the ship. His face was crumpled into a furious scowl, his jaw clenched tight in anger. He looked like he had something he wanted to say to her, but she was gone before he had the chance to make a move. The memory left a hollow feeling in her heart of defeat and sadness; Ben was lost again. She had distantly hoped against hope that there was some lasting good in him, some light that could overpower the dark someday, but she felt that hope fading the farther she distanced herself from him. When he decided to succeed Snoke, she was finished with him.

Disgust washed over her as she heard his voice ringing in her head again. "End it all. Join me." Her heart skipped a beat, the dark side tempting her to take his hand and seize the raw power that was offered, it was terrifying. Again she felt the loneliness that ached through her that night on Ahch-To in the cave and she felt like a fool for letting Kylo- no, Ben, he was Ben in that moment- know how empty and alone she was.

Something scurried across her feet in the dark and it startled her from her thoughts.

"Ah!" Rey bolted upright and slammed her head on the bunk above her. "Oh!" Her ears were ringing and suddenly everyone in the room was on guard.

"Who's there!" Finn shouted into the dark, on his feet with his fists raised towards the door, his back to Rey's bunk, shielding her from any possible intruders. The dim lights flickered on in response to the movement and he turned and blinked groggily at Rey, muscles still tense and confused.

"It's just me." Rey groaned, rubbing the forming knot on her forehead. That really hurt. She shifted the scratchy brown-grey threadbare blanket off her toes and let out an exasperated sigh. "Porgs…" she huffed under her breath. The small, furry, wide-eyed creature looked up at her and chittered emphatically before scurrying down underneath the bunk.

"Keep it down, would ya?" Poe grumbled from the corner, BB-8 whistling concernedly from underneath his arm. "I'm trying to sleep." He rolled over on the makeshift bed he had and threw his lumpy pillow over his head. Rose's machine beeped steadily in the uneasy silence for a moment as Finn regarded Rey and Rey stared at Rose. She could feel his eyes boring into her as she zoned out again.

"Are you okay?" Finn sat down on her bed and leaned his elbows on to his knees, looking concerned.

"Fine," Rey said dismissively. Finn wasn't going to accept that, he started to open his mouth to say something but she quickly cut him off. "I'm not sure I want to go back to Jakku." This wasn't entirely what was bothering her but she was unwilling to touch on anything else bouncing around in her head.

"Neither do I but we need new ships." He sighed. "And more people." They were both doubtful that they would find people on Jakku willing to abandon all to join their ragtag bunch. With everything that had happened lately, it felt like they had already all but lost. They were down to one, old and rusty ship, about twenty people, and no answer to their distress signal. The losses had been great and it showed on Finn and Poe's faces. "So, you're a Jedi now?"

Rey was pulled back to the conversation, her eyes whipped up to meet Finn's. "Hardly." She was frustrated. "I only trained with Master Luke for a few weeks. I feel like I can barely control this thing inside me, this force."

Her face was calm but her eyes belied the terror that she felt. Every time she attempted to connect to the light, the dark was there to call her. "I need to know more but I'm scared." Finn put a hand on her back.

"I saw you move all of those rocks out of the way. You saved everybody in that tunnel. Without you, we definitely wouldn't have made it." He looked at her wide-eyed. "If there is anybody out there who can do this, it's you."

She smiled a small smile at him. "I'm happy to see you."

The ship shuddered a little and they both jumped to their feet. "Pitstop?" Finn looked at her with a mix of excitement and concern.

"Stay with Rose. I'll go find Chewie." She was out the door before he could say anything differently. If she wasn't going to sleep, she might as well be doing something useful. The ship was starting to bustle, many people must have been woken up by the jostle and were looking for direction on what to do. As Rey slid past people milling about, they looked at her with a mix of awe and humility. It made her uncomfortable and she quickened her pace, boots pounding on the metal grid floor, up to the deck.

Chewie roared when she entered the bridge, he was excited to see her awake. A porg sat faithfully on his shoulder, chirping away at three more who were scurrying around. He didn't seem to mind and all but ignored their commotion.

"What's going on?" She breathed. The air was crisp in the cabin, silent fans circulating new, cold air into the ship as the stars zoomed past. Outside the black abyss was streaked and speckled with multicolored lights of gases and fire. Every few seconds a piece of debris or an asteroid would pop in and out of view. They were traveling slowly, or slower than normal. They must be approaching something.

The General was in the corner, her hands folded elegantly on the table and a calm look on her face. Rey had not had much of a chance to talk with her after the news about Luke. Her heart ached for Leia and all of the loss she had gone through, Rey knew what it was like to be without a family.

"We've received a response to our coded recruitment signal on our way to Jakku. We'll be sending a team down to investigate shortly." Leia sounded older, wearier than she had a few months back. She was as powerful as ever, but the spark in her seemed to have dimmed a little bit. She pulled up the holomap and beckoned Rey to come closer. There was something Leia wanted to talk to her about, she could feel it; see it in the curve of her mouth but it wasn't fully formed yet. The pit in Rey's stomach grew heavier and she hoped it wouldn't be about Kylo Ren as she slowly waltzed to the table, peering down to see blue and white data points whizzing by.

Footsteps echoed down the stairs behind her and she could hear Finn and Poe shuffling their way through the small crowd. As Rey stood above the worn table thankful for the abated conversation, Poe bound through the door.

"Are we stopping?" He addressed the General in a casual manner. Finn ambled in behind him, stopping at the doorway to allow the small bumble of porgs to scramble down into the hall. The noise level dropped considerably and Chewie let out an audible, relaxed sigh.

"We are." Leia pointed one graceful jeweled finger to a seemingly empty space of map. It enlarged, once, twice, three times. "There." It was an asteroid about 10 times larger than the Falcon, hiding in the shadow of one of the many moons in the area. "There's an old mining base on this asteroid that has long been out of use but several hours ago we received a transmission asking for a meeting."

"Bad idea." Poe scowls, hands flat on the tabletop next to her making the holomap quiver more than normal. "It's risky and it's a trap. We don't have the people to spare on something like this. Where were these people when we needed them? It's a trap."

"The First Order is also still recovering from their losses. Snoke is gone which leaves the position of Supreme Leader in question. Kylo Ren has assumed it for now but the confusion won't last long. We need to strike them again while the iron is hot." She stared him down with temperance. "We still need these people and they need us. Poe, when we land at the base, you and four of your team will go and scout it out. We'll keep ready back here in the event something goes wrong."

He seemed shocked at the news that Snoke was gone, exchanging a side glance with Rey for confirmation. She had been there, what did she see? Rey kept a straight face, brows furrowed and back tense with her fists on the table, showing nothing. Did Leia know that it was actually Kylo Ren who had killed Snoke?

Finn stepped forward to the table, "I'll go." Leia nodded.

"I'll go, also." Rey sat up from the table. She needed to expel the anxiety she had, maybe getting out there would do the trick.

Poe stared Leia down. "If this goes tits up, we'll be in and out in a flash. Do you have a map of the base?" She tapped the holo a couple more times, sorting through the data.

"This is the best we have. It's old, but it will work." She unplugged a small chip and handed it over to Poe. "We don't have the highest quality tech here so you'll need to take BB-8."

"Wouldn't dream of it otherwise." The faintest sly look slid over his face. "Round 'em up, boys!" He started to march off and added as an afterthought, "and, girls." Chewie grumbled at him.

"Chewie, I need you to stay with the ship. You're the only one who can fly this hunk and get us out of here if things go south." Poe pulled his gun from its holster and checked the ammo cartridge quickly before clipping it back into place with a couple sharp snaps and bounding down the steps. "Be back soon."

"Finn," The General looked at him firmly. "Make sure my team comes back."

Finn shot a quick glance at Rey and a sharp salute to his leader before following after Poe, his boots clanking down the steps and fading into the hum of the ship.

"You, stay." Leia leveled a look at Rey. She was calm but there was something in her eyes that told Rey she wasn't going to get away with any bullshit. "I want to know what happened on Snoke's ship." She stood from the table and strolled to the wide window to the left of Chewie.

Rey took a deep breath, her big brown eyes trained on Leia. "I went there hoping to change Kylo Ren's mind and bring him back to the light." She swayed almost imperceptibly as she shifted the weight of her body from left foot to right foot, anxiously. "It was a naive decision. I wanted to believe there's still some good in him but…"

"Ben has been gone a long time." Leia cut in, turning around, her dusty lavender robes flowing and her mouth set in a hard line. "I don't blame you for trying. There is something special about you, I can feel it. The force connects all of us, you and me; you and Kylo Ren." She took a few sure steps forward, leveling her shoulders with Rey's. "It is both helpful and dangerous. I believe Kylo Ren will take every opportunity to use it to destroy you."

Chills went down her spine and she remembered the interrogation from the first time she had met Kylo Ren. She felt the hot tendrils of the dark side crawl over her mind as he tried to manipulate her, the clarity when she pushed back against him. Did Leia know about their bond? Did she know about his offer to her?

But, he isn't totally gone…

"Ben killed Snoke." Rey offers up to Leia, defending him almost involuntarily. She can't tell if the woman is surprised by this or not. She thinks she sees something in her eyes but then it's gone. The control panel beeps. They're here. Rey looks to Leia but she is already leaning over the datapad, evaluating and calling shots. She leaves, hustling down the grated stairs feeling no less relieved that she told someone about what happened with Kylo Ren.

The air is cold and wet but Kylo Ren feels hot with anger. He paces back and forth in the imperial cabin on the Finalizer. His boots click sharply on the black floor, only making him angrier. An offending vase on the desk catches his wild eye and he grabs it viciously, slamming it into the wall behind the desk shattering it into a hundred pieces. It's not enough but the sight of destruction brings him closer to center as a bot speedily rolls in to clean up the mess.

The events of the days before play through his head over and over. Fighting Luke; killing Snoke; fighting with Rey and fighting against Rey. The thing that burns him the most is the look in her eyes as she ran.

He wasn't expecting anything when he made a desperate grab at her through the force. He was spiraling: Luke had tricked him, the rebels got away, his army was air around him bubbled and suddenly she was there. Her back was to him, her breathing ragged. Sweat dripped down her neck and her hair stuck to her skin. The air was salty, she was still on Crait somewhere but he would never find her in time.

He swore that he saw her flinch as she turned around and locked eyes with him- disbelief, fear and something else he couldn't center on. Something that made his heart race and his adrenaline spike. Kylo didn't know how to feel in that moment, the vision of her leaving in panic, and the rage bubbled up inside him again. How dare she!

That woman… He snarls internally, taking a sharp breath. Her face lingers in his brain; her large brown eyes; her hair wild from movement; sweat rolling down the bridge of her nose, her lips open and cheeks flushed from exertion. He felt the roils of fury deep in his body as he remembered the look in her eyes as he offered her his hand. She had rejected him. She had embarrassed him. She had made him fail.

Something in him sank with dread every time he relived the memory. He was so hopeful that she would say yes and grab on to him, so sure that the one person who seemed to understand him would understand this too: an end to the loneliness. He wanted the fighting to end, he wanted to stop killing people but the resistance had to give up in order to make that possible. She just didn't see it the way that he did; she could have had it all and he would have had...

"Supreme Leader." The voice was slimy with a hint of sarcasm.

"What do you want?" Kylo Ren growled low as the cabin's doors wooshed open and Hux strode in. Hux's eyes traveled to the bot that was still sweeping up the shattered vase and then to Kylo with a glimmer of smugness on his face. Kylo's hand twitched reactively, itching to squeeze the man's throat and be done with him.

"We'll be landing on Cantonica shortly for supplies." Hux's eyes wavered between submissive and spiteful. He was an ugly man, Kylo had decided, knowing that Hux was constantly plotting and planning for only himself. He was sloppy and it was easy for him to see that it wouldn't take much to invade his mind and make him a brainless puppet. "I believe the generals of the Order would like you to address them with an update, many of them are anxious to meet with you..."

"You'll do it." Kylo reached for his new helmet. It was heavy in his hands, heavier than the last. The black metal shone, even in the cavern-like glossy black room. His fingers carefully traced the chrome outlined eye plate. He had yet to put the helmet on and he wasn't sure why he hesitated.

"What?" Hux choked out. "But Supreme Leader, the other generals would not listen to me." His skin was whiter than normal. Kylo knew that he was sending him into the snake pit. Hux had his share of good fortune on the battlefield and he understood the game of war, but he was no politician. The other generals did not respect him when he was Snoke's lapdog, they certainly wouldn't respect him now that Snoke was gone.

Kylo had decided that if he were going to rule, he was going to do so from afar. It was time to end this madness like he had told her. He meant it. As it stood the First Order knew neither that Snoke was killed by his hand or that Skywalker was dead. The only way to accomplish this was to stay one step ahead of the leadership of the First Order. His rule would undoubtedly be questioned after these recent failures and the death of Snoke and he needed to take advantage of the upset before he lost the opportunity; the more distraction he could create now, the more time it would buy him.

"You positioned yourself to be my right hand, now do it." He bit out at the red-headed man. "Or should I ask someone else to take your place?"

Hux said nothing as he turned and left, two guards in tow. Kylo was thankful for it. He couldn't stand the man but he was easy to manipulate and he had the resources he needed for establishing himself.

He leaned over and pushed a key on the datapad languidly. "Get my Silencer ready."

"Yes, Supreme Leader." A voice rattled back immediately.

He spun on his heel, helmet tucked under his arm, and clipped down the halls of the Finalizer to the hangar for his craft. He needn't take any clones with him, this was one trip where it would be best alone and with great stealth. He climbed the few stairs into his black, bi-winged ship, the door sealing with a hiss behind him. Everything was as he left it, ready to carry him forward. The air smelled clean and sterile and it gave him a small comfort. This was his ship and he knew it like an extension of himself. Settling into the captain's chair behind the large red glass, he loaded up the datalink. Kylo Ren was off to find the one person who might know where the resistance was hiding and he knew she would be found easily.

"Where to today, sir?" His nav system chimed.

"Takodana."