Entry 2. Hanna City Speedway— Practice Track

05. 12. 52 ABY

"What's my time?"

Allie eagerly and breathlessly climbed out of the cockpit.

Ben glanced down at his timer on his datapad. "Three minutes and twelve seconds. About average."

Allie sighed.

"But you're consistent," Ben pointed out. "I had a real problem with that when I was starting out. I had wild ranges for the times."

"Stormbreaker's fastest time is two minutes and seven seconds," Allie said. "I've got to cut it down by sixty-five seconds."

"Have you looked at his strategy?" Ben asked.

"No," Allie admitted, a little embarrassed at her oversight.

"Watch his last race," Ben said. "In fact, watch all his races. Learn his strategy. You've put in all the time you need on the track. Now you need to put in time with your mind."

"Do I hear my son talking strategy?" Han chuckled as he joined the Solos in the pit of the practice track in Hanna City. "Way I remember it, you winning depended on what kind of a mood you were in. Hells help us if we found you in a bad one."

Ben's face grew stony as Han and Allie snickered.

"My point still stands," Ben said, his voice cool. "Allie, I want you to watch what Stormbreaker does to win. Figure out what you have to do to counter that strategy."

"Fine," Allie said. "It'll give me something to do until the party tonight."

"Make sure to be ready in three hours," Ben said. "We're getting there early."

"Got it," Allie said. "I'll meet you in the foyer."

With that, she scrambled into the locker room, and changed out of her flight-suit. Donning instead a simple sleeveless tunic and pants that went to her knees and no-further, Allie left the stadium and started the walk back to the Solo house.

The glass high-rise towered close to the stadium, and wasn't too far from the old Senate building. Allie knew Leia wouldn't currently be at home, since the Senate was in session on Hosnian Prime.

Still, Rey had taken her newfound retirement interestingly. She dabbled with mechanics, learning to cook, and of course, Jedi meditation with Luke. Her father was steadfast, with the only change being his own interest in the Jedi stuff with Luke.

Allie would be lying if she said that she never thought about becoming a Jedi. But she supposed she could do all that later, if she wanted, or even both. But flying was the thing she loved best. She could never do without it.


When she entered the lobby of their apartment, Allie smelled something burning.

Mum's cooking again.

Allie made sure to avoid the kitchen. She wasn't in the mood to pretend to enjoy whatever her mother had burnt this time. She entered her bedroom, and turned on her datapad. Within a few swipes of her fingers, she had the races queued up. Starting with the race from just two days prior.

What surprised her was that number 21 was at the back of the crowd for most of the race, riding the bumper of one of the other speeders. Then, at that last lap, when Allie had overtaken numbers 12 and 87, he moved swiftly, with precision through the ranks, faster than Allie had ever seen.

She blinked. She'd never seen a standard model like the ones they raced go that fast before. Why had no one noticed?

It wasn't like it was his trademark strategy or anything, either. As she changed into her pretty red dress, styled her hair, and pulled on shoes, she watched. Kyp was up to new tricks. Ones that not even his aunt used.

What was going on?

"Allana?"

She jumped, and turned her head to see Rey standing in the doorway, in a lovely green dress and her hair styled into three buns, as usual.

"Allie, are you ready to go?" Rey asked.

"Yeah," Allie mumbled. "Sorry."

"It's alright." Rey grinned. "You're just like me and Ben."

"Of course I am," Allie said. "It's in my blood."

"That it is," Rey said. She hesitated, her grin faltering. "This is what you want to do, right? Blood doesn't have to determine what you do."

"It is," Allie said. "What else would I do?"

Rey grew serious, sitting down next to Allie on her bed. "Be a Jedi?"

"Maybe someday," Allie said. "But I'm not ready. Not yet."

"Okay," Rey said. "I just remember how you used to want to go off with Luke and train to be a Jedi Knight."

"I was six," Allie said, rolling her eyes. "I was little, and my dreams changed. Besides, Dad would've never let me go."

"I sometimes wonder if I should've fought harder with him on that," Rey confessed, her hazel eyes flicking down to her hands. "But for such a long time. . . It was almost like he was afraid of Luke."

"But they get along great," Allie said with a frown.

"I don't understand all of it," Rey admitted. "I might've joined sooner, but Han pulled me out of a bad situation. I owed it to him to give my best and brightest."

"Don't worry about me, really," Allie said. "I want to be a pilot. I'm having the time of my life."

"Okay." Rey tucked a free wisp of hair behind Allie's ear. "I suppose Han and your father will be calling for us any moment."

"I suppose so," Allie said, standing up. She offered her arm to her mother, who gleefully accepted.