Found
Rey was on one of her solo missions with Poe when she sensed it. There was something off with the force on the Sentinel Base.
It has started off as a scouting mission, meant to go in and gage the size of the First Order base, the weaponry available, and the number of occupants, before the left to report the number back to the Resistance. It was meant to be a reconnaissance mission, and nothing more.
Except she could tell something was wrong.
Since training with Luke, she had learned to train her abilities. To be more in tune with the force, and to use it to sense everything around her, even the things that were small. But there was something wrong when she tried to sense what was on the base.
There was a small room, every so tiny, but she couldn't sense it. It was like it was completely disconnected from the Force, like it was being hidden.
"We need to land," she told Poe, and he gave her a surprised look.
"We have our orders from General Leia," he reminded her, "We're just supposed to gather insight as to what's on the moon and leave. We are not to engage with the base or let them know we're here."
"There's something there," she told him softly, "Something I cannot sense."
"Which means someone has gone to great lengths to make sure that whatever is there is not found," Poe mused.
She thinks later that the only reason they carried out their side mission was because Poe was the pilot with her. No one else would have been crazy to land on an unknown base with no back up in case things went terribly wrong. No one else would defy an order from General Organa so bluntly.
"If there's something on there, we need to know what it is," Rey reminded. The rest of the planet was relatively harmless, and she wondered if it seemed so to keep the Resistance from finding it, or more importantly thinking it was worth capturing. Especially when there were still a decent amount of First Order ships and bases which more weaponry.
"I agree," he said. "We'll land on the north side of the base; it looks abandoned enough that no one should stumble onto our ship. Then we must move quickly."
He landed the ship, and pulled out EL-16 blaster, and she secured her lightsaber to her waist. Hopefully neither of them would need to use their weapons. This was meant to be a reconnaissance mission, and she knew if they messed up, the entire First Order would show up within moments of a message getting out to them. And that was absolutely the last thing she needed to happen.
And given the fact that she was there, she knew it would be even faster that they showed up.
They moved stealthily through the base, knocking out two Stormtroopers, and putting on their uniforms. She moved the bodies behind some bushes, and prayed they would not wake up until long after they had left the base far behind.
She moved closer to the room. It was like a black hole, completely absent from the force, and she was confused. What was so important that someone had used Force Stealth to hide an entire room and what it contained? What was the First Order hiding?
"You there," she heard a Stormtrooper call out, as they approached, "You are not authorized to be in this section."
"You will let us into this section. We have the clearance we need," she spoke using mind tricks to get the Stormtrooper to let her in.
She could tell Poe was holding his breath, confused as to what was happening.
"I will let you into this section," the Stormtrooper said mindlessly. "You have the clearance you need."
Poe gave her a victorious smile, "Nice going," he whispered, not wanting to attract any more attention.
They were steps away from the room, when she stopped.
"We're here," she told him, "Whatever it is that the First Order is hiding, it's in this room."
"Let me open it," he commanded. She gave him an incredulous look.
"You're invaluable to the Resistance Rey," Poe informed her, "We cannot afford to lose you. As much as I'd rather not die either, I'm more disposable."
She protested, but it was too late. He had tried to open the door.
Only to find it locked.
She frowned, and took a step forward, as she used the Force, to sense the door itself, and try and open the mechanical bolts keeping it closed. She could feel it begin to shift, as the door opened up and flew open.
Poe gave her a victorious smile, and she grinned back at him.
As the stepped forward, to see what the room contained, she was surprised to find it to be more of a prison than a room which contained weaponry or anything else she could have imagined.
And she was even more surprised to find out who the prisoner inside the room was.
Han Solo.
"You're dead," she said, confused, and his eyes shot up to look at the Stormtrooper. She lifted off her helmet, and he looked surprised.
"Kid?" he asked her, shocked. "What are you doing here?"
"You're dead," she repeated again. "How are you alive? What are you doing here?"
"Snoke," Solo shook his head, "He got me rescued from the Starkiller base, and made sure I was healed."
"Why not let you die?" Poe asked, "Your son did kill you."
"He claimed it to be some sort of final test," Han shrugged, "If Ben was truly Dark, he wouldn't hesitate to kill me again. And if he failed, then Snoke would force him to kill me as a punishment. He hid me from the force, to bid his time, so everyone would think I was dead."
She heard movement from down the hall, "We need to get you out of here, now," She commanded, putting on her helmet again.
She waited, as the Stormtrooper guard they had snuck past the first time approached, and she used the force to lift him up and drop him, to render him unconscious. She stripped him of his uniform, and handed it to Han.
"Thanks Kid," he said, pulling it on, "I was starting to lose my mind in there."
They closed the prison door, and began to move, quickly, but not quick enough to draw attention. They were nearly out of the base, when Rey heard a Stormtrooper call out.
"Lock down the base! The prisoner has escaped!"
She could see a Stormtrooper look up to see the three of them, as they tried to head in the direction of their ship.
"You three, where are you going?" the Stormtrooper in front of them asked.
She turned, feeling her heart begin to race; they couldn't get caught, not now. Not when they were so close to getting off the base, and returning back to the Resistance.
Poe drew his blaster, "Run back, Rey. Take him with you."
"What about you?" she asked, eyes widening. "I'm not leaving you here alone, Poe!"
"You won't be!" he insisted. "I'm coming. Just let me buy us some time."
"Let's go, Kid," Han said, grabbing the blaster attached to his uniform, and began shooting. "The sooner we get off this moon, the better."
She nodded, as she ran back towards their ship. They were so close to escaping.
She heard a yell from behind her, and she turned to see Poe grasping his leg.
"Poe!" she yelled, "Run. We need to go now."
She ran to the ship, turning it on, as Han took a seat beside her at the wheel. She turned the ship on, as Poe made it onto the ship. The Stormtroopers were coming out in groups now, shooting at them, and she knew it was only a matter of time before they got out their own ships and began to chase them. And the last thing they needed was to have the First Order chase them around the Galaxy as they tried to escape.
"Let's get out of here," Poe said with a wince, as he sat down on one of the seats.
She nodded, and the ship began to fly into the air. Han used some of the weapons to shoot back at them, as she drove the ship forward, and off into space. And once the coordinates were locked on, they made the jump to hyperspace.
They had done it; they had gotten off the base. And even if they had strayed from their mission, they had succeeded in a way that she hadn't expected.
They were bringing Han Solo home to his family.
