Rey sat at the hall table scrubbing the decade's worth of grim that had accumulated on some of the parts she'd purchased. It was a bit warm inside the ship but she wasn't about to leave it open for anyone to just walk into. As it was, she looked up when the tell-tale sound of the door carried from down the hall and Kai walking and she heard the door shut behind him. She saw that he was carrying a couple of envelopes and some larger bags which meant that he'd found work for them and she sighed in relief.

He sat down across from her and looked the multitude of parts over. "Looks like you had a good day."

She already begun separating them out. "I got anywhere from four to six of each of the items on the list so we should have plenty.

"You got everything?"

She swallowed. "There's a part called the crystal chamber. It's the most vital part. I couldn't find a single one."

He didn't seem surprised and she tried not to become irritated that he'd expected her to fail.

He shook his head at her. "Don't take it that way. There's always something missing. If it was easy, everyone would be carting light sabers around. And besides. This is just one city, we've got a whole planet to look through still."

She shrugged. "So you found us a job?"

Kai put the bags on the ground before handing the envelopes over to her. She pulled the documents out and looked over the terms. They were fairly generous, she thought. There were two job but both were for the same person. They'd be hauling a shipment of textiles to two different planets. The employer was providing the fuel directly along with a decent amount of credits that she hoped would be worth the same amount by the time the job was done.

Kai put one of the bags up on the table. "He also bought us dinner."

Rey looked up from the contracts and at the plastic bag in front of her. It was tied off but a bit of condensation had formed inside from steam. She hadn't eaten much that day so she reached over and untied the bag.

The smell of meat and bread filled the small space. She reached inside and pulled out the round container and opened it. It smelled alright but whatever it was looked strange.

"You've never had these?"

She shook her head and he smiled. "They're called soup dumplings. I used to eat them all the time as a kid. They were my favorite. This planet has the best ones and my dad…"

Kai trailed off and she said, "You never talk about your family."

He began divvying them out onto two small disposable plates. "There's nothing to tell, really. My parents were almost non-existent for most of my life. My mother was our village leader and far too busy to deal with her own son so we had a couple of droids that were my friends. My dad was a transporter for the village so he wasn't around much, either. Then the First Order came and they're both dead now so it's not like any of it matters anymore."

He handed the plate to her and she put her hand over his. He was sad but she also felt bitterness and resentment coming from him. "I'm sorry that your parents weren't there for you."

He shrugged. "They made sure I didn't want for anything and my life was pretty cushy, all things considered. It was just…lonely." He smiled sadly for a second before shaking it off and pointing to the dumplings. "You need to eat them a special way."

He showed her the way he'd always eaten them and she copied him, slurping down the savory liquid with a look of pure joy. He was right. They were amazing and if she ate far more than her fair share of them, he was polite enough not to comment on it except to ask her if she wanted to have them again the next day.

She gulped down the last one and looked at him. "I feel like I could eat these every day for the rest of my life."

Kai laughed. "Let's not overdo it." His voice became wistful. "After this is all over, I'll take you around the galaxy so you can try everything. There are thousands of worlds out there, all with their own culture, food, art…I want you to see it all."

She smiled. "That would be nice."

"Yeah. It will be."

They cleaned everything up and she put the bag into their trash compactor before turning back. Kai stood there holding up two of the bags. She walked up and took it from him.

She looked inside and just saw grey fabric. "What's this?"

Kai seemed uncomfortable for a second before speaking. "Well, I was talking to the textile guy and he was showing some of their fabrics and pointing out their uses. And you've been wearing the same two sets of clothing for almost five months now. Not that you don't look fine, I mean…"

She knew what he meant and while he hadn't said it, she'd been very aware of how threadbare stained her clothing had become in the last few months. "So…"

"The guy threw in a couple of extra bolts of fabric for free so I had some things made for you at one of the seaming shops."

She pulled out the clothing from the first bag and looked it over, unsure of how it was supposed to work. She looked back up at him so he pointed out a few things and told her the order they should be put on in.

"Why don't you go try it all on and we'll make sure it's all correct."

She nodded and carried the bag into her room. It may have taken her a bit longer to get into all of it as there were several layers but thankfully, most of the materials had some stretch so they fit perfectly and would be easy to move around in.

She came back out and looked over at Kai. His eyes were wide and his pupils blown at the sight of her and she felt her ears redden slightly. "Looks alright?"

Kai cleared his throat and got up before walking to her. "Yeah. I mean. It suits you."

The outfit was done in different shades of grey that seemed to blend together seamlessly. The shirt was a pant-less lighter grey body suit that had no sleeves and was high-necked. Over that was a pair of form-fitting darker pants that she ticked into her black boots. Her arms would be covered by sleevelets of the same grey shade. This was all rounded off with a chiffon over piece that draped over her shoulders and fell around her knees much like her desert look. At the top it was the same light grey color but it faded to black as it reached the bottom. The whole thing was belted at the waist.

"It's—It's really beautiful, Kai."

Kai handed her another of the bags. "There's a couple more changes of that stuff along with a few extras in this bag but I also got you this." He pulled the last of the packages aside and reached inside and revealed a long trench coat. He helped her put it on. She found it wasn't heavy at all but was very comfortable to wear. The coat was black but had some kind of grey pattern embroidered all over it and it had a high collar and hood that kai pulled up over her head.

She smiled at him. "Not exactly discreet."

Kai shook his head. "Discreet is over rated. We're not part of some ancient order but we're strong, we should dress the part."

She rolled her eyes. "Stars, you and your theatrics."

But he didn't seem bothered. "Hey, half the time, theatrics are all you need to get the job done."

She couldn't help but ask. "You got these made so quickly. How did you afford this?"

He shrugged. "It wasn't that bad. The roto seamer had one of those kiosks that makes your clothing for you. It was a small fee to have one of their people put the design together for me. But that's why I was able to get it all done in one day…And I knew you'd be mad if I just had them do it for free."

She smiled and took his hand. "Thanks." But she sighed. "So what do we do about the crystal chamber? What if we find one and it's too expensive because its rare?"

"We'll worry about the money later. We don't pick up the textiles until the day after tomorrow so we'll try a couple of the other cities in the meantime."

She nodded and went back to her room and took the outfit off. She didn't want to scrub parts while wearing it.

Rey stepped off the ship the next day after they landed in another city. She felt powerful and, for the first time that she could remember, she felt beautiful in her new clothing. It was a bit colder in this part of the planet so she wore the coat with the hood up but didn't fasten it closed.

She looked back as Kai came out of the ship behind her and shook her head while smiling. He'd gotten a few things for himself as well. She should have known. His clothing was similar to hers and it was fairly obvious that they were meant to match. His shoulders weren't bared but he still sported a thicker over piece that was shorter. His clothing was a much darker grey than hers but his coat was black as well and matched hers in style though it lacked the patterns. She tried not to think that it made him look like a Knight of Ren, more specifically, Kylo Ren. She didn't want to think about him.

He reached into his pocket and pulls out a couple of longer scraps of fabric. "Here, wrap this around your face and keep your hood up."

She took it and found that it was a piece of the light grey chiffon. "Why?"

Kai wrapped his own face, leaving only his eyes uncovered. "This particular city is a bit rougher than the one we were in yesterday. If things go south for whatever reason, I don't want our faces broadcast over the 'net. Take this too."

He handed her a blaster that she attached to her belt and let the coat fall over it. She also did as he asked and wrapped the chiffon over her mouth and nose. "You really think it will be that bad?"

Kai only shrugged. "Better to ere on the side of caution."

She nodded and the pair left, making their way through the streets. This city was dirtier than the last one and people were not nearly as friendly. It was all she could do to keep from snapping at the rude people that passed by. Many of whom, made cat calls towards her.

"Just ignore them."

"I'm trying."

Indeed it felt like something inside her was uncurling and looking for an excuse to commit violence. She kept it bottled up as much as possible as they tried shop after shop, only to be turned away. They eventually got a name of a zygerrian junker called Nybren who they were told had gathered up the rest of the chambers.

They walked out of the last shop with the name and Rey turned to Kai. "Zygerrians are a vicious race that sell their own kind into slavery. What if he won't part with the chambers?"

Kai shook his head as they walked down the street in the direction of the junker's shop. "Everything in the galaxy is for sale. It's just a matter of figuring out a price."

Rey nodded but was still doubtful. She tried not to stare as the streets got narrower and the lighting dimmer. Prostitutes and slick dealers trudged around looking for buyers and Kai had to wave off more than a few of both as they made their way to the shop.

The pair eventually came to a stop outside a junkyard, surrounded by fencing lined with razor wire. She could see small hills of smashed ships piled all over the place along with broken down machines that looked to be in the process of being repaired. There was a building that she supposed was the retail space in the front so they went in there.

As they walked inside, Rey could see spottily repaired machines sitting on every available surface and the place was as filthy as she'd expected. She stayed by the door as Kai went further in, eyeing the place for anything resembling a crystal chamber. After a few minutes of silence, the Zygerrian came out of the back.

He eyed them with their noticeably more expensive attire with unconcealed avarice. "Come looking for crystal chambers, have you?"

She tried not to look surprised but apparently he picked up on that even without a response as he shrugged. "No one who dresses like that comes to these parts without something very specific in mind and the only thing I have here that would draw the likes of you are my crystal chambers."

Kai stepped forward. "What's the price?"

The zygerrian looks thoughtful for a few seconds. "10,000 credits. Each."

Rey's eyes widened in shock. "That is outrageous."

But the junker just shrugged. "That's what they're worth, babydoll. The First Order confiscated almost all of them but I've got the last ones left in this entire sector."

She felt out his mind and instantly became repulsed. Not only was he selling the chambers for more than ten times what he himself had gotten them for but he was also making money on the side as an informant for the First Order. He was placing small trackers in the chambers and then selling the information to the Order so they could track down anyone who bought them and presumably eliminate or force them into service with the Knights.

Her eye twitched as Kai attempted to negotiate for the chambers. He too, knew what is going on and she could feel his desire to slit the throat of the rodent he spoke to. His feelings combined with her own disgust caused her temper to begin to flare.

Rey forced her gaze away from the junker. She looked anywhere but at him. But she felt his eyes on her, his thoughts clear to her as he mentally undressed her and weighed the price he'd get if he sold her to one of the brothels. Her teeth clenched but she did her best to ignore the odious little beast.

It all came to a head when the zygerrian continued to wave off Kai's attempts to negotiate and he turned back to eye her. "Tell you what. I'll trade two chambers to you. For her."

Her head snapped up and she could feel Kai trying to calm her down as her breathing picked up. "You vile, disgusting little creature! How dare you!"

Her eyes didn't move from the junker even as his leering smiled dropped from his face and he began clawing at his own neck. A few seconds went by before he fell to the floor, his breathing cut off. She watched, taking a malevolent sort of glee as he struggled for oxygen; trying to fight the power of the force. Her hand was out and her fingers stretched in his direction as she walked forward. The zygerrian was lifted from the ground and slammed into the wall as she moved closer.

Kai is beside her, his hand on her arm. "Rey! What are you doing?"

But she shook her head and pushed him away. "This foul cretin thought to buy me as if I were nothing but furniture! I'm doing the galaxy a favor by removing the stench of his existence."

Kai pushed back and wrapped his arms around her from behind. "Rey. This isn't you. Stop."

And just as quickly as the haze came over her, his words jolted her back to herself. The alien fell to the ground and scrambled up and all but ran into the back of the shop. Rey stood there, her hand still raised and she brought it to her face and looked at it as if she didn't recognize her own fingers.

She turned to look at him for a few seconds before running from the shop.

Kylo knew he should go after her but he didn't. The reason for their being in that dirty little shop was still in effect. Only now…Rey wasn't there and she wouldn't have to witness his methods. He could hear the vermin cocking a blaster from behind the curtain and he smiled.

Rey sat in the cockpit of the ship, panting not just in exertion from her run back but in shock and fear at what she had almost done. If Kai hadn't stopped her, she'd have killed that shop owner. He was the lowest of scum but that wasn't a reason to kill him.

A voice whispered in her mind that if the creature thought it could get away with saying such a thing, that it had almost assuredly done such a thing in the past and had gotten away with it. It was a stain on the galaxy and deserved to die.

She shook her head and released her thoughts into the force, trying to force the dark feelings from her head.

She heard the ship door open and close and she shut her eyes as Kai came in a sat down. "Rey."

She turned and found him looking at her in concern, his eyes sparkling in that way they did at times. He was holding a small bag that he dropped onto the dash. "I got the parts. He practically shoved them at me if I promised he never had to see us again."

"There are trackers in those."

"I've already removed them."

Her eyes shut. "How can you be so calm? I almost killed him."

He reached out and took her hand and she felt him enveloping her mentally like a soft blanket, blocking out the nastiness of the world they lived in. "Rey, you haven't really slept in weeks and you've been stressed about these parts. It was a mistake."

But she shook her head and her lips trembled as tears of frustration slipped from her eyes. "I can't sleep. He keeps finding me."

"Kylo Ren."

She nodded. "I think when I'm asleep, I'm not able to guard myself as well and he can use that to track me. I can tell he hasn't let go of me."

Kai leaned in closer. "Rey, he won't get you. You and me. Together we're stronger than him."

She dropped his hand. "You don't understand. He's inside me. It doesn't matter how well I can fight because I can feel his influence eating away at me. I feel like he's driving me insane…" She wasn't looking at him but she heard his sharp intake of breath.

His voice was soft. "It doesn't matter. He doesn't matter. You just need to focus on your abilities. Forget everything else."

"But at what cost? What if I go dark?"

"Rey, remember the teachings from the archive. You have to allow the darkness in for it to take hold. You are pure light, you never willingly let it in. Kylo Ren is just trying to scare you into making a mistake."

She finally looked at him. "It's working. That masked creature…he's the stuff of nightmares. I feel so powerless when I think of him."

"Then don't think of him. Think of your friends…Think of General Leia. Think of…me."

She looked at him again and he reached up and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her from her seat and into his lap. He'd never done such a thing before but she appreciated it now as she buried her face into his neck. He might never love her the way she wanted to be loved but that was alright with her. So long as he stayed with her.

And there it is. The first real bought of violence from Rey, though it won't be the last. But let's be honest, if you hadn't slept in weeks you'd probably force choke someone too. I know that I have metaphorically bitten the heads off of people in the past after some long nights.

I have this weird pet peeve where, for some reason, I hate it when people describe outfits. I don't know why it makes me shake my head but there it is. And of course, what did I do? I described the outfit. I twitched while writing it and went back and forth on adding it or taking it out. Even so the description isn't really complete because I didn't want it taking up too much space. I sort of envisioned there to be an extra attachment that would fasten under the collar of the coat so that it would have a thicker cape as well. They travel to all sorts of planets with all sorts of climates so I wanted it to be versatile. And I probably could have used the word 'ombre' to decribe the fade effect of the chiffon over-piece, but that seemed too 'earth' and not terribly 'Star Wars'.