AN: Sorry for the delay. University started again and I'm learning for my master exams. The next chapter is a little longer than the others. Enjoy! Before I forget:
This text is the "mind talk" of Kylo Ren, this text is the "mind talk" of Layla and 'this text' are Layla's normal thoughts.
The euphoric feeling Layla had, disappeared as suddenly as it had come. There was the droid that had the map, the BB-unit, but it was in company of the girl and communicated with her. She looked up and spotted Finn and Layla over the short distance, a hostile expression on her face. Thanks to her sharp senses Layla was able to analyze the situation within seconds. Whatever the droid had said to the girl, she was running towards them now, her quarterstaff ready. She was about to attack them and neither Layla nor Finn had a weapon to defend themselves. The saberstaff was out of option. The space in between the tents of the marketplace was too narrow for it and Layla didn't want to hurt someone with the blades. So, there was only one option left.
"Finn, run!"
She turned around and began running, slipping between the stalls to lose the follower. While Layla was fast and agile despite her dehydration, Finn was not so lucky. He tried to follow her, but the girl was faster and slammed him to the ground with her staff. Layla stopped and watched for a moment, before she decided to help Finn. 'One last time!' She went over to them.
"What's your hurry, thief?" The girl asked, threatening Finn with her staff. He was still on the ground breathing heavily. He was right, his day was pretty messed up and it didn't seem as it would end soon.
"What … thief?" Finn answered. The droid rolled over to him and shocked him with a small bolt of electricity. For a little astromech droid it was quite aggressive. Finn protested and tried to stand up, but the girl still held him down with her staff.
"The jacket! This droid says you stole it!"
Layla looked at Finn. He was wearing the jacket he had pulled from the TIE fighter. "He didn't!" She interrupted. "I was with him, when he found it and I can assure you, he didn't steal it!"
"He says it belongs to his master." No wonder the droid was so hostile. A bit of sympathy dwelled in her heart. Such a loyal and devoted companion was rare in the galaxy.
Finn sighs. "It belonged to Poe Dameron. That was his name, right?" He paused. "He was captured by the First Order! I helped him escape, but we were hit, and our ship crashed." He stopped.
"They crashed right into my ship," Layla continued. "I found Finn and he tried to help your master, but Poe didn't make it."
The droid seemed sad and rolled off. The girl looks Finn over again, lowering her staff.
"So, you're with the Resistance?"
Layla held her breath. The question was only directed at Finn and she wondered what the stormtrooper would answer.
"Yes. I am. I'm with the Resistance. I'm with the Resistance!" He finally stands up and Layla used the Force to hit him on the shoulder. He turned in shock and she gave him a disappointed look. He was such a coward.
"And you?" The girl studied Layla.
"I'm not. I just wanted to visit a friend when he destroyed my ship." She pointed at Finn. "Now, I'm kind of stuck here." The girl nodded and her attention switched back to Finn.
"BB-8 says he's on a secret mission, he has to get back to your base."
"Yes, he's carrying a map, that leads to Luke Skywalker, and everyone's after it."
Layla sighed. If Finn continued like that, everyone on Jakku would know about the map by evening. The girl looked concerned but curious. Just when she was about to say something, BB-8 beeps madly and they peek around a tent. In the distance there were two stormtroopers talking to the hooded creatures the girl had beaten before. And they pointed their way. The stormtroopers looked at them and Finn grabbed the girl's hand. She protested but Finn ignored her as the two ran towards the tents again. Layla waited a moment and when the troopers started shooting at her, she reached for her saberstaff. Wielding a staff with two blades was a little tricky and Layla hadn't used it in real combat before, but it would be enough to hold off some stormtroopers. An unstable green blade ignited on each side of the staff. They were rather short, but still long enough to repel the laser blasts. She managed to knock out some of the attackers charging at her. When reinforcements for the troopers arrived, she turned on her heel and ran after Finn and the girl. The tents on the marketplace were like a huge maze. She had to turn off the staff to not hurt someone and the crackling, humming sound of the blades made her nervous anyways.
The others had already made it out of the outpost and they were running at a pace it was hard for Layla to catch up. In contrast to Finn she hadn't had any water and was dehydrated, and she wasn't used to physical exertion like this. She followed them across an open field to a freighter that looked quite familiar to her. The First Order had sent TIE fighters that were now shooting at everyone moving on the ground. 'Yes, destroy the droid and we can start over searching for Luke!' Whoever was in command of this assault had clearly no idea how valuable information on Luke's whereabouts was. She shook her head and managed to step onto the ships boarding ramp unharmed. She looked for Finn who had already found his way to the ventral laser canon. The ramp closed.
"Finn, are you okay?" She asked looking down to the gunner's position.
"Yeah, I can do this … I can do this!" He sounded like he tried to convince himself of it. "The girl is a pilot! She's in the cockpit!"
"Thanks! Hang in there Finn. With the TIE's at our back we'll not be able to leave this junkyard." 'Not to mention, that we'll die in this junkyard!' Layla made her way to the cockpit. She placed herself in the co-pilot's seat. "Have you piloted her before?"
"Her?" The girl looked at her, curiosity all across her face as she started the engines. The Falcon roared to life and in the same moment the TIE fighters started attacking them. Layla watched her right. She wished she had spent more time at home with her father to actually learn how to fly the freighter in the right way. To her relief, she found the switch, she was looking for.
"Shields up! By 'her' I mean the ship!"
"No, it
hasn't been flown in years!"
Too concentrated to continue speaking the girl flipped some switches and the Falcon rose from the ground. It slammed into the outpost's archway before she managed to stabilize it. Layla eyed her. The girl was young, not older than twenty, with dark brown hair and freckles around her nose. Her skin was tanned from working in the desert sun.
"Since we are probably going to die together, we should at least know who you are. I'm Layla and the other one is Finn!"
"I'm Rey!"
"I guess you know your way around here? There are two TIE fighters chasing us! You can try to outfly them or Finn shoots them down. Is there a place where we have a little cover from the laser beams? The shields won't be enough protection if both fire at us!"
The girl, Rey, nodded. Layla was positively surprised by how Rey managed to pilot the Falcon. The ship was old and she had her own mind. It was a wonder Rey had lifted her into the air. They headed for the sky.
"Stay low! Stay low!" Finn shouted and Rey only gave a confused answer. "Stay low! It confuses their tracking!"
"We really need to find cover!" Suddenly, everything went quiet and Layla felt her surroundings shifting for a moment before she closed her eyes. She felt nauseous and couldn't fight the presence that was slowly creeping into her mind. When Finn had mentioned her brother, she had hoped he wouldn't be aware of her or ignore her.
Fatal mistake. Hearing his voice made her body shiver. He sounded angry. I am! Give me the map!
Why should I?, she answered. How can you be so sure, that I have the map?
You are on Jakku! This is nowhere! The map is the only possible reason why you are here! For a second, she wished to intensify their connection and look where he was at the moment.
Stop talking to me! In case you don't remember, we parted on bad terms and you killing Lor San Tekka only made it worse! It wasn't her best idea to provoke him, but if she pushed him over the edge a little, he wouldn't be able to participate in the hunt. She focused on her own anger and sent it to him through the connection.
Why should I care? He was just some acquaintance of Skywalker and he refused to hand over the map!
Maybe if you had asked nicely? She was moving on dangerous terrain. It was enough to make him snap. A dark wave of anger hit her together with some images of destroyed controls. Keep destroying the ship! It would fit in perfectly with the other Star Destroyers down here!
Stop talking!
You were the one, who invaded my mind! And now, get out! The nauseous feeling had passed and Layla raised her mental shields to shut him out. It worked and when she opened her eyes, the noises of her surroundings returned. They were flying towards the sky. The TIE fighters at their back were gone, probably destroyed.
"You're okay?" Rey watched her with a concerned look in her eyes.
"Yes, just a nasty headache. How long was I out?"
"Not that long. One of the TIEs was destroyed at the old Star Destroyers, the other was shot down by your friend."
Layla nodded and called BB-8. "Can you calculate a save route for us, BB-8? We just need to get away from the First Order. Mid Rim or Outer Rim will do!" The droid beeped happily. Of course, she could have used the navigation computer, but BB-8 knew where his base was and she was sure he would guide them into the right direction.
AN: Thanks for reading and please leave a review. Thank you to 'Arianna Le Fay' and 'Bad Ass Female Fighter' for your comments. Again no beta so please notify me about any mistakes.
Normally, I plan my fics from beginning to end, but this one is more fluid I'd say. That means, I'm interested in your ideas and I'll probably use some of them in the future. Please inspire me! I received a question concerning the twins' father and I'm still not sure what to do with him. Do you want him alive or dead?
Now, I'll answer some questions (There are not really spoilers in the answers, but if you don't want to know, don't read them!):
Arianna Le Fay - 'Who is the twins' father?' and 'Can Layla have Luke's lightsaber?': I'll probably reveal the father in some future chapter, but they definitely have a father. I just don't know yet if he's still alive or dead. And for the lightsaber, which one? The original one of Anakin or his personal one? The original one is, like in the movie, still in Maz' possession. I'll give it to Rey first, but maybe they'll change weapons at some point since Rey is more the staff-type. Guess she'll look amazing with a saberstaff instead of her quarterstaff.
