Chapter 4 Part 1

(Just wanted to get something out there again quickly)

The Hall of Dignitaries was something Rey would have had trouble even dreaming of back when she lived pn Jakuu. Living in a literal scrap heap was liable to greatly impact one's perception of a comfortable home, but what the young Jedi was seeing was something she had only read about in the scant few fantasy tomes and holobooks she was able to scrounge up out of the trader junk that made up her whole life. The walls were high, adorned in regal decor and had a design just as such. The theme was appropriately aquatic given their location and the Noobian culture, which was heavily inspired by the sea. Mermaids danced across the arches of the ceiling, some holding flowers while others held swords or shields. Their hair was long and flowed with such an organic and lifelike look that it appeared to Rey as if they were themselves truly flying through a deep sea, their grace and beauty captured in the snow colored stone with a skill that was almost incomprehensible. On both sides were rows of doors spaced out from each other, each one adorned with similar art. The deep red of the wood contrasting yet complimenting the aquatic art surpisngly well.

"I take it you like the look of the place," Talis commented. "You know, with your jaw hanging open."

Rey's eyes widened and her jaw and face promptly went rigid at the same time her cheeks became a slight pink. "Oh, my, well..." she stammered in a very unbecoming way for a Jedi, "yes. I admit, General, your palace is... incredible."

"And you haven't even seen the royal wing yet, Jedi. That truly is a sight to behold if you think this is amazing."

Gazing up to the ceiling and spinning around to admire every aspect of the hall, Rey said, "It is one of the most incredible things I've ever seen."

"Really?" The General's eyebrow peaked. "Then I am truly sorry for you, young lady." Rey halted in her tracks, surprised at Talis' remark, and seemingly saddened tone. She would have commented on it but was stopped before doing so. "Ah, here are your quarters," he said, gesturing to a new door on the right, this one showing off a statue of a mermaid with closed eyes and a spear in her hand. Talis opened the door slowly, revealing a bedroom as large as the crew's quarters on the Falcon. A bed easily three times Rey's size sat in the middle of the room; red and soft orange sheets and pillows covered it. A large ornate mirror over a dresser was to her right beside a massive closet, and on the opposite end of the room was a comfortable and lavish lounging area. But the sight that really stole the Jedi's attention was the stupendously large window gazing out over the sea below the cliffs the palace of Theed was built on. The full light of the sun made the blues of the sky and water all the more vibrant as they seemed to blend into one body at the horizon beyond. Rey could not prevent her excitement from reaching her face no matter how much she tried to maintain her composure. All the strife and chaos of the last few days seemed to fade away ever so slightly as she imagined herself finally having a chance to sit in peace somewhere not as cramped or dark as her precious Millennium Falcon.

The image of relaxation in luxury compared to the cockpit of the Falcon quickly transformed into a brief image of her first mentor as she mentally checked herself that the ship was not truly hers. Rey had inherited the smuggling frigate from a hard, always annoyed man with an obviously long history. But his appropriately loner visage slowly gave way to the first signs of a mentor the Jedi had ever experienced. He was hard on her, yes, but Rey was confident it was not without merit. Even in the brief time she had known Han Solo, hero of the Rebellion, Rey had learned more than she would have in a whole year under the abusive ownership of Unkar Plutt, and for this reason her gut churned as the image of Han explaining the truth of the Jedi Order, Luke Skywalker, and the power of the Force gave way to that one moment that stabbed at her everyday: the old smuggler's death.

From far off on the platform she and Chewbacca stood on, she watched as there was a shine of red, electric light exploding from his back. And then there was a scream… hers.

"Rey?" the General asked, pulling her back to reality.

Rey's eyes shot fully open and her face reddened in embarrassment. She turned to the General and said, " I apologize, General, I guess I got lost in thought."

"Something wrong?"

"No, nothing, just... memories, sir."

"Trust me," Talis raised his hands, "I understand what you mean. Why don't you take some time to relax and rest while we take care of your crew?" The man's voice was somber and calm, betraying his gruff and hardened appearance. However Rey did not have the strength in her to care.

"That would be... nice," she replied plainly, almost whispering.

"Then I will leave you to it. Simply press that button," Talis motioned to a small marble half sphere on the wall next to them, "and a handmaiden will come by to provide you with anything you need."

"Thank you, General," Rey said as her shoulder drooped from exhaustion.

"Of course, Miss." Talis put his fist to his chest as a sign of respect and went on his way, closing the automatic door behind him. Rey was then, much to her relief, finally alone.

To the young Jedi it felt like an eternity had passed since her last moments of true quiet, but it was the distinct lack of her uncontrollable Force connection to the others on the ship that eased her the most. At first, the constant awakening of new power within her while training with Luke had been a dramatic thrill, but something seemed progressively off about her newfound talents. Rey never would have fathomed that she would miss the dank and soul-crushing isolation of her makeshift hideout back on Jakuu, for the peace and quiet of solitude was a much better alternative to her than the constant pain and sorrow penetrating her mind the last three days.

Every waking moment she would have to spend some energy concentrating on blocking out as much of the reverberations through the Force as possible, if only so she could think on how best to continue to drown out the noise It was like someone was constantly shouting as loud as a whisper into her ear, as if some far off group was berating her across the desert of Jakuu, only barely within earshot. The first night, no sleep found her and she felt she would lose her mind as the more tired and stressed she became, the more clearly the pain of the others would come through. It was then that the noise truly began to seep into her being, seemingly polluting her mind and soul. She quickly grew to doubt herself even more than she was at the time, and that doubt grew into despair. As she lay there in the cockpit, trying to drown out the connection with the others, she had lost all sense of time and place. The void of space was more real to her than ever, and for a time it felt as if Rey was the only person in the universe, alone with the many voices of those she had failed. These feelings were no longer with her, and it was only when she realized this that she also realized she was already laying on the bed.

Rey stared to the ceiling, a mural of merpeople dancing about the waves, accompanied by strange aquatic aliens, all of which she had seen in the art pieces on her way to te suite. The Jedi took in the feeling of the bed, something she could not remember if she ever had actually experienced; all memories preceding her ownership by Plutt were hazy at best, and like looking into a puddle of mud and retch at worst. The bed was almost unbelievably soft, and it seemed as if it would swallow her like a calming, comfortable sarlaac. This was something she would not fight at the time; it would allow her prolonged quiet and peace. But how were the others, Rey found herself wondering. Were they as safe and comfortable as her? Were they treated the same, even though she was apparently seen as a celebrity, or a hero.

Hero.

The word stuck to her consciousness. Was she truly a hero? She almost forsook everything she believed in, or at least thought she did. "What do I believe in?" she wondered aloud to no one. As she looked back on the events leading to the battle of Crait, that question became more and more complicated. She wanted to immediately say that she was a Jedi through and through, that she believed in the good and the Light, and that these were the only things worth fighting for. But the recent events made truly accepting that within herself... difficult. The Sith she had met: Snoke and Ren, were undoubtedly monsterous, but what had Skywalker, the hero of legend given her? A look not into the powers of the mythic Jedi, but into their failings and the problems within their philosophy. With all the virtuous might and wisdom in the galaxy, they were still deceived by a Sith lord, and swiftly fell into darkness and desolation at the hands of Lord Sidious and Darth Vader. How could a just and heroic order of mighty warriors allow something like the Galactic Empire, and now the First Order to come into being and dominate the galaxy? Yes, very complicated questions indeed.

Rey's pondered these questions more for a moment while also sparing a thought for her companions, and two thought for Leia, before sleep took her in its grasp. Not even with her training could she even feel herself drift into quiet slumber.