A/N: Please read and review!

Where were you when our hearts were bleeding?

The Hosnian System was gone. Coruscant was the natural place for the remaining powers in the galaxy to meet. It was in the core, and had once been the seat of the government. It might return there, as both the Resistance and the First Order were seeking to control it. Right now, though, it was a neutral planet, as was much of the core. Those planets closest to where Starkiller had been threw in their lots with the Order, but the loyalty did not stretch far.

Dantooine, for example, was unofficially in support of the Resistance. It was of strategic importance, but thus far was not allowing any troops to be stationed or any representatives to be hosted. There were a suspicious amount of trade vessels getting boarded in Resistance-space and losing their cargo before returning to Dantooine. The fact that the queen there did nothing in retaliation showed her hand – clearly, she supported her old friend from the end of the last war.

Hutt space had always been largely ignored by the Republic and the Empire, and was now growing in power. While there were treaties in place to prevent it, the Hutts saw that these would not be enforced and took advantage of the chaos to take over their neighbors. Life was quickly becoming more difficult on the Outer Rim, as galactic laws were flagrantly disobeyed. The Hutts were not the only ones to act.

Trade routes had become exponentially more dangerous. Pirates were on the rise, and prices were driven up to account for lost goods. Which only increased the number of pirates, as life became unaffordable. Neither the Resistance nor the First Order had the power to address the problem, and both were focused the war. So the needs of the galaxy went unmet, and it was easy to affix blame to one power or the other.

The neutral planets were an asset for both sides – it was a resource that did not need to be defended. One of these, on the Rimma Trade Route, called Sullust, was known for its mines. Luke Skywalker and his student, Rey, journeyed there to get a kyber crystal. Their presence must go unnoticed to avoid pulling the planet into having to choose a side, so they did not take the Millennium Falcon. Luke had persuaded General Organa that it would be best if it were just the two of them, and she'd finally relented.

Two people in the span of the galaxy would hardly be noticed, he reasoned, and she was forced to agree. Rey was piloting their small ship, which was hardly of any interest to the pirates, and they attracted little attention as they landed in one of the smaller cities. Payment was required to leave their ship in the landing bay, which made Luke frown, but then they were on their way.

"Kyber crystals are rare, and hard to move. It's not profitable to mine them, generally. Only Force-users are interested in them," Luke explained as they walked through the woods outside of town. His hood was pulled over his head and his hands were tucked in his sleeves, making him look very much the Jedi from legend that Rey had always pictured.

She had her own robe and copied his stance, smiling to herself. Though there were those in the Resistance who treated her differently, who treated her as a Jedi-in-training, it was not often that she was reminded of her status. And being here, with her master, made her think it must be how everyone saw them, and she liked that idea.

"Force-users aren't a good customer?" she asked thoughtfully.

Luke smiled grimly. "Not since before I was born."

Appropriately sobered by the reminder, she focused on walking. Luke didn't often talk about the fact of what his father had done. Sometimes he talked about Anakin Skywalker, but almost never about Darth Vader. He had, however, come to terms with who his father was, unlike his sister. It was apparent, at least to Rey, that Leia still struggled with it. Rey wondered if the wounds were fresher because of Kylo Ren – if they would have both been more willing to accept Darth Vader/Anakin Skywalker if the last thirty years hadn't given them reason to remember the Dark Side.

"How many of us are there?"

"Not many. A lot of people are Force-sensitive, and some even follow the Force religiously. But the power to manipulate it is extremely rare. And even those of us who can… Well, not everyone has the same aptitude."

She frowned slightly, processing this. "Is there a way to find others?"

Coming to a stop where the path they'd been following turned into a tunnel, Luke looked at her thoughtfully. She shifted her weight when he didn't answer right away, concerned about what he might be able to read. "It's recognizable when you come across someone who has the capabilities," he explained at last.

She bit her lip and turned her attention ahead, impatient to continue.

"Rey."

The muscle in her jaw jumped as she forced herself to meet her master's gaze.

"You will have to go in alone. Don't be afraid. Trust the Force – and trust yourself. Whatever you see… You can overcome."

"Luke," she murmured, and he smiled kindly.

"You can do this," he told her reassuringly.

She looked ahead again, then back at him. "What did you see?"

His eyebrows rose slightly at the question, clearly not expecting it. "I saw my enemy, but with my face. I… It was a reminder of how easy it would be for me to turn to the Dark Side." She must have looked afraid because he put his hand on her shoulder. "You are one of the strongest people I've ever known, Rey. You will see your fears, but you can overcome them."

She gave him a nod and made her way forward. Luke sat down to wait, fighting the apprehension that threatened to overwhelm him. She would be fine. It wouldn't be like the last time.

The path was well-worn as it left the forest and turned downward into an old mine. It hadn't been used in a long time, and she picked her way carefully, looking out for anything obscuring the narrowing tunnel. Her breath was caught in her throat and she was unsuccessfully trying to focus on calming thoughts. Nothing was working. It was dark and her light barely showed enough for her to keep walking, let alone what might lie ahead.

There were plenty of times she'd gone into the unknown alone, she reminded herself. Finding valuable parts to salvage required going places that others were unwilling to go, and the inside of old star destroyers was hardly safe. Somehow, though, the thought of being surrounded by cold metal and wires was preferable to rock and stone. Perhaps it was just lack of familiarity, or perhaps it was the growing sense of power that she remembered noticing when she'd been on Ahch-To with Luke. The old Jedi Temple had been rife with it, though she hadn't had the skills to recognize it then like she could now. As she moved deeper into the caves, the stronger it felt.

Suddenly, she felt like the ground was shaking beneath her and she fell heavily forward. The ceiling above her collapsed and she rolled out of the way just in time. Dragging herself to her feet, she was shocked to see Luke standing there, lightsaber drawn.

"Rey?" he questioned, reaching out to touch the rocks. Chewbacca was suddenly behind him, expressing his concern. "I don't know, Chewie. If she's caught with him, I don't… I don't know what he'll do." His voice was pained and he looked almost desperately at the barrier.

The cavern abruptly faded and she found herself strapped to a chair. The restraints did not budge as she tested them, and she looked up to see him crouching there, watching her. He was looking for the map. She couldn't show him. If he knew where Luke was… What would he do?

But then he had the map and he was going to Ahch-To and she was powerless to stop him. She watched, terrified, as he drew his lightsaber and approached Luke, who was defenseless. Who stood with a look of shock as he was cut down by his nephew. She screamed, and suddenly found herself on the Resistance base on D'Qar.

Leia's hand was wrapped like a vice around her upper arm. "My brother is dead because of you. Because you couldn't keep him out," she snarled.

Covering her face with her hands, Rey dropped to her knees and tried to explain what had happened. Finn was there, and Poe, and they were looking at her in disgust. She was put on a ship and Chewbacca took her back to Jakku. There were no supportive growls this time, no farewells. He left her and she was trapped here. Again.

Unkar Plutt, that vulture, was waiting at her house. He was pleased in that greasy way of his to have her returned to him. To his servitude. Shaking her head, she tried to remember what Luke had said before she went in here, but the feeling of despair threatened to overwhelm her, and she ran inside her house.

It was the same as it had been, untouched, which the more rational part of her brain considered unlikely. Collapsing, she felt the walls closing around her and she curled up into a ball. She couldn't do this. She couldn't handle what they were asking of her, what everyone was asking. She just wanted to go home, no matter how small a life that was. At least she knew what she was doing, what she could expect. Nothing ever changed, but at least no one looked to her to affect the state of the galaxy. It was too much.

Her eyes were closed, and she took a few deep breaths. Everyone told her how powerful she was – was she just going to let her fears control her? Or was she going to do something about it? Resolve filled her as she stood up, holding out her hands until the walls of her home returned to their usual size. For a moment, she lingered, considering her old life. Then she pushed again and it all disappeared.

The cave was back – the real one, she was relatively certain. There were crystals glinting in the walls and she moved forward calmly. Surveying her options carefully, she found one that called to her. Breaking it out of the stone surrounding it was easy, and she turned to make her way back out of the cavern.