She sent Amilyn with Korrie to deal with the New Republic. Many of the Hosnian survivors would remember the formidable image of Mon Mothma flanked by her tall, elegant, soft spoken, intelligent, unflappable Gatelentaian advisor, and the charming, clever, quick-witted ex-Imperial ISB officer turned Rebel war hero advisor. They would be more willing to listen and take criticism from someone with Amilyn's experience and her gentle, confident, commanding presence. This left no one at the Bespin moon base to wake Leia from her nightmare. The images flashed to quickly to make out details, but Leia could see Anakin Skywalker as a young man, Luke when they were young rebels, flashes of Ben as a boy, and Kylo Ren as he was now. She could hear a symphony of voices, all saying different things, but one word sticking out more than any others, destiny. Darkness incroches on her, all the images and voices stop. Leia's cold, so cold, and then out of the darkness a sound that finally jolts her from her sleep. A laugh, a laugh like nothing she had ever heard before, a laugh that chills her to her very core.
Leia's heart was racing and her skin was covered in a cold sweat as she bolted up in bed, her breathing rapid, her eyes unfocused in the dark silence of her room. The nightmare faded quickly, but the feelings it elicited did not. Throwing the covers off herself, she swung her legs over the edge of the bed and then put her face in her hands as she tried to calm her breathing and rapidly beating heart. She was no stranger to nightmares, nor was she a stranger to nightmares coated in Force energy. Which is why after her third night of waking from dark dreams shrouded in the Force Leia didn't try to simply push the feelings aside while using more than her fair share of hot water in the water shower in her 'fresher. This time after she managed to calm her racing heart and rapid breathing she got up and retrieved her little Wicket tree.
After the celebrations following the Battle of Endor, just before she left the forest moon, Leia's little Ewok friend Wicket had given her an acorn from the tree his home had been built in. As part of her rudimentary Jedi training, Luke had asked her to plant the little acorn and use it as a focal point in her meditations. Much to Leia's surprise, as her skills grew over the years, so did the little tree. Her little Wicket tree, along with her small travel case of mentos, and R2, were the only things Leia had made sure to take with her as she moved from base to base, and ship to ship. If she were unable to grab them, than C3PO or Amilyn, or someone who knew their importance to her would.
Feeling the need to get out of her own space Leia took her little tree to the meditation room Amilyn had created, and the rest of her Force sensitive family used on a daily basis. The coldness of her nightmares lingered, and she wanted to feel the warmth of her loved ones. Setting her little tree on the floor Leia eased herself onto a plush pillow near the skyfairing scarves her love and their daughter loved so much. Then she closed her eyes, took several deep breaths, and began to mediaite. Her instincts were telling her that her nightmare was a warning, but of what? What was the Force trying to warn her about? She wished she were better at this whole Force thing. She used the Force in a natural untamed way, but right now she really wished she had a bit more of Luke's focused abilities. She didn't necessarily want to be a Jedi, but a little more training might have been nice to have right about now."
The stillness of the room was suddenly broken by a strange little, low, rumble of a hum. "Mmmm."
Leia's eyes flew open, her hand reaching for the blaster on her hip that wasn't there. Sitting in front of her was a softly glowing figure of a tiny alien species she knew nothing about. She only knew who the tiny alien was because of Luke's descriptions, and because she had once seen his likeness emanating glitchily over one of her brother's most prized holocrons. "Master Yoda?"
"A long time I have waited for you, young Skywalker." Master Yoda said, a soft smile on his aged face, his ears twitching up and down happily. "A pleasure it will be to train you in the Force."
Leia couldn't help herself. She snorted softly. "I'm a little old to be a padawan, don't you think?"
Yoda waved his hand at her comment dismissively. "Over nine hundard years I was when Qui-Gon came to me. Set me on the path to learn more about the Force, he did. Never too old to learn, you are. Mistakes I made in the past thinking otherwise."
"There's something dark on the horizon, Master." Leia said after a long pause to think through what was happening.
"Yes." Yoda agreed. "We feel it as well." His Force ghost moved closer to Leia."A part to play you have, young Skywalker. Details we do not have just yet, but training you will need." Stretching out his hand he used the Force to levitate the kyber crystal Leia wore around her neck. "Ah, received the gift I sent you, you did. Good. Good. Begin we shall, my padawan. No time to waste, we have."
Weazel had looked surprised when Cobak said Finn was related to someone named Jannah. For a moment, before he schooled his features, he had actually looked at Finn with awe. They wouldn't tell them how Finn could be related to this Jannah person, only where to find her. Pasaana was several days of hyperspace travel away, so after making sure the Falcon was fueled and stocked the little band of humans, dorids, and their Wookie set off so Finn could find Jannah.
"That's weird." Finn said from where he sat beside Poe on the bed in the Falcon's captain's cabin.
"How's it weird?" Poe asked, his dark twinkling eyes locked on the same view as Finn's.
"Rey doesn't like sitting still." Finn replied. "She hates not being up and doing something."
"True." Poe replied.
Sitting on the floor on the other side of the room in the meditation pose that Ahsoka preferred, her shins flat against the floor, her butt sitting on the heels of her feet, her hands resting atop her thighs, Rey was deep into her morning meditation.
"It's been forty mintues and she hasn't even twitched her nose." Finn continued.
Poe laughed softly, not wanting to disturb Rey. "She told me that Master Tano told her that the old Jedis could meditate for days. Rey's only manages a couple of hours at a time, and that's only when she has one of her teachers with her to help calm her restlessness."
"How long do you think she'll be like that?" Finn asked next.
"No idea, buddy." Poe shrugged. "I guess it depends on what she's doing."
The cantina looked like many cantina's across the galaxy but Rey knew were she was because of the orange RX series droid tucked away in a high alcove in the far wall. She wondered why, of all the places her subconscious could have conjured, it had picked Oga's. Her best guess would be because it was the last cantina she'd visited so it was fresh in her memory.
"Oga's huh?" Han said as he slipped into the booth across from his daughter. He chuckled softly as he looked around. "Some good memories in this place. So, what's on your mind, kid?"
"The Cloud-Riders." Rey replied, smiling despite herself because she always smiled when she got to see her father again. "What do you know about them?"
"Why don't you fill me in what Chewie's told ya, and I'll fill in the rest." Han replied, returning his daughter's grin. He listened to what Rey knew and nodded. "Yeah, that about covers it as far as first incounting them on Savareen. That happened before the Rebellion, back then they were just a gang of mercenaries trying to fight the Empire on their own. They managed for awhile, giving the Empire hell mostly in part because of their leader Enfys Nest. After I was strong armed into joined the Rebellion by your mother I went looking for her to see if she wanted to join the Alliance. Your mother was a little on the fence about it, the Alliance had some issues with a guy who didn't think they were being extreme enough, but she, for some Force forsaken reason, trusted my judgement. Nest's cell joined behind the scenes and was a huge help."
"I strong armed you into joining the Rebellion?" An annoyed voice repeated a few feet away. "Is that how you remember it?"
Rey's head snapped to the side and blinked. Standing there, arms crossed but a playful smirk on her face, was her mother. A flicker of panic washed over her, followed by annoyance at herself. Had she pulled her mother into this again? "Mom?"
Leia looked a little sheepish as she walked over to stand by the table. "It seems I've accidentally crashed your daddy daughter time."
"You?" Rey asked, eyes a little wide with surprise.
"I'm meditating." Leia explained with a shrug, like her meditating was no big deal, when it fact it was. Her family knew she wasn't normally the meditive type. "I sensed you and followed that feeling."
Rey's eyes went even wider. "You're meditating? On purpose?"
Leia chuckled at her daughter and then turned to her husband, her heart aching a bit at the sight of him. "So, I strong armed you into joining the Rebellion?"
Han stood and looked into Leia's eyes, his smirk the one meant only for her. "Now look, Sweetheart, you know what I…"
"The way I remember it, you were there for the money, or at least that's what you kept insisting you were there for." Then she returned his smile. "But no matter how many times you threatened to leave and never come back, you always came back." She paused for a moment, savoring the old familiar banter. "You were like a lost puppy following me around." Leia teased, and Han laughed. She savored the sound of it. "Hello Han."
"Hiya Sweetheart." Han replied, pulling her into his arms.
Rey watched her parents and could feel the anger rising in her chest again. Ben's actions the night he fell to the Dark Side had separated them, had broken what Rey had always thought unbreakable. Then just as they were given a chance to fix what was broken between them, Kylo Ren murdered her father, taking him away from her mother, taking away their second chance. Slipping out of the booth Rey walked to the other side of the cantina, giving her parents some privacy. She couldn't outright leave since she was the one controlling this whole thing, but she could at least give them a little space.
"Leia." Han said softly as he held her close.
"Don't." Leia replied into his chest. "Han, just don't, please, you have nothing to say you're sorry for."
"I couldn't bring him home." Han replied sadly.
"You tried, and it cost you everything." Leia said as she pulled back enough to look up into his eyes. There were tears in hers. "I miss you."
"I miss you too." Han said softly, his voice thick and low.
When Rey looked over her shoulder she saw her parents kiss and it helped to soothe the anger but only for a moment. Closing her eyes she took several deep breaths. When she felt a familiar hand on her arm she opened them to find her mother standing beside her and her father standing behind her. She smiled at them as best she could.
"So what were you talking about before I crashed the conversation?" Leia asked.
"Enfys Nest." Han replied.
Leia looked surprised. "That's a name I haven't heard in ages."
"Here's another one." Rey said, smirking. "The Noghri."
"You found a Noghri?" Leia replied with wide eyes.
Rey nodded and began updating her mother on what had happened the last few days. When she felt her hold on the dream slipping she tried hard to hold onto it, not ready to let go of being together with her parents again.
"It's alright, kid." Han reassured. "This won't be the last time we're together. I promise. Don't over do it."
Leia nodded. "You're father's right, sweetheart. We'll do this again."
Rey simply nodded, then hugged her parents and let the dreamscape dissolve around her as she brought herself out of her meditation.
Pasaana was a desert world, but unlike Jakku which was all desert browns and dead ship grays, Pasaana was full of color. It started out with bits of green in the bushes and patches of long grass that grew between the dark reds of the rock formations that jetted out from the open desert. Then as they entered the market town the colors came from the fabrics and beads used to decorate the buildings and stalls. But most of the color came from the people of Pasaana, the people filling the market square were dressed in the most vibrant colors Rey had ever seen. Rich warm golds, bright yellows, bold oranges, fiery reds, vivid pinks, warm blues, all colors one would find in the sky during sun rises and sunsets. They were beautiful.
Chewie stayed behind to secure the Falcon while Rey, Poe, Finn, C-3PO, and BB-8 went into the main market town to find some ground transport. The Cloud Riders' camp was somewhere in a valley surrounded by the red rock hills they had seen as they approached the planet's surface. The winding valleys and jagged rock formations wouldn't allow them to fly the Falcon right to the encampment, so they were going to take ground transport and once they found the camp, Chewie would bring the Falcon as close as he could. As they walked amongst the stalls and people, Rey could hear the whispers and took notice of where the veiled eyes of the beginnings they passed were falling when they looked at her; her lightsaber.
"Threepio," She said softly to the golden droid shuffling along behind her. "Do you know what they're saying?"
Threepio tilted his head a bit as he listened and shifted the words through the over six million languages he had stored in his memory. "Yes, of course I do Mistress Rey. The word used most is a version of Jedi, the word the older Aki-Aki are using is Ashla."
"Ashla?" Finn questioned.
"It's the Light Side of the Force." Rey explained.
Threepio nodded his head. "The Aki-Aki are an ancient species. It is not surprising they would use the same word as say the Lasat."
"Are the Aki-Aki Force sensitive?" Rey asked. "How do they know I'm Ashla just from my lightsaber?"
"That's easy." Poe said as he looked over at her and smiled. "You radiate goodness, Rey. You don't have to be Force sensitive to see it."
"While Commander Dameron's statement is clearly romanticised, he isn't wrong." Threepio said, "And yes, I believe they could be, though not in a way that allowed them to be Jedi. Many species are Force sensitive but do not have the ability to manipulate it the way Jedi do."
As Threepio continued to chatter Rey reached out with the Force, gleaming the surface emotions of the people around her. She sensed no malice or danger, but hope, awe, relief, and even reverence. Knowing that they didn't seem to be in danger was a relief, but the awe and reverence she felt made her uncomfortable. She wasn't someone to be revereared, she was just a girl with a complicated story, a stolen child found, a sand flea, a savanager…. A Jedi. That last word sounded a lot like Ahsoka in her head, and it made her smile and wish her teacher were here with her. Ahsoka could tell her how she was supposed to handle all of this, how she was suppose to act around these people who whispered as if she were someone special.
They managed to acquire a sand sailer and general directions for heading out to the Cloud-Rider encampment, Rey getting the latter from an old Aki-Aki who insisted on calling her Ashla. After gathering a few supplies and loading up the droids the trio headed off north west of town and into the desert. It was late morning and according to the Aki-Aki they should reach the encampment by evening. As they boarded Poe went to the ship's controls and Rey couldn't help but smile. "Do you know how to operate this thing?"
"I can fly anything." Poe said with that dashing hot shot grin of his.
"Yes, but you don't fly a sand sailer." Rey pointed out.
"I got this." Poe said with a cocky tone while testing out the controls of the sand sailer.
As the sand salier skimmed over the sand Poe whooped with excitement and joy as he tested out just how fast he could get the craft to go. Rey laughed, Finn looked a bit queasy, and Threepio whined the whole time. Poe slowed down as they approached the valley and it's maze of gullies and canyons. Rey had been keeping an eye on their surroundings with the Force and sensed them before they appeared. Putting a hand on Poe's arm she told him to slow down, that people were coming towards them. Sure enough minutes later their sand sailer was flanked by swoop bikes. They didn't attack but were aggressive about herding them to a clearing where another group of riders waited.
Finn held up the marker Weazel had given them to let these Cloud-Riders know it was ok for them to be there. Then he spoke, "I'm looking for someone named Jannah. Weazel said I would find her here."
There were murmurs among the riders that meant they must have been talking using comms in their various helmets and masks. Finally one of them said to follow and the trio was lead the rest of the way to the encampment. The encampment was tucked into a large basin and was more of a settlement than an encampment. There were living spaces, communal spaces, a pool of fresh water, and room for livestock and even crops. They left their vehicles just outside the basin and walked the rest of the way. There was only one way in and one way out and it was heavily guarded. Poe spotted several droids placed along the ridges, and guard posts along the plateaus. Armed and armored beings stood watch at the opening to the basin with several Anooba hounds at their feet.
"Seems a bit much." Finn said in a low voice.
"We don't know what this planet is like." Poe replied. "Just because the Aki-Aki town looked peaceful enough, we don't know what the rest of the planet has to offer."
Finn nodded. "Point."
They were lead to a woman with dark skin, hair and eyes. She was around their age group, older than Rey and Finn but younger than Poe. She was standing in a paddock with equidae of some kind that had tusks. The beast had long shady hair the color of burned ashy coal, bright intelligent eyes, and two curved tusked on either side of his mouth. The woman was brushing the animal out while singing softly to it. One of the men escorting them called out, "Outsiders, Weazel gave 'em a marker. They're looking for Jannah."
The woman, dressed simply in dark cropped pants, a dust yellow tunic, and half boots, turned away from her work to look them all over. Then she padded the animal and whispered to it, sending it off to feed or get a drink or whatever it wanted to do. Then she walked out of the paddock and over to the group. "Jannah, huh?" The woman's voice was accented in a similar fashion to Rey's. "What do you want with her?"
"My name is Finn, and I'm looking for my family." Finn told her in response. "And I was told by Cobak that Jannah and I are related."
"Related?" The woman repeated and then moved closer to Finn and began eyeing him critically. She noticed the way the other two moved in closer to him but paid them no attention. "How are you related to Jannah?"
"I don't know." Finn answered honestly. "I was kidnapped, taken by the First Order from Savareen when I was three. I went back to Savareen to find out what happened, to find out if I had a family, and that's when Cobak told me about Jannah."
"Stolen babies don't come back from the First Order." The woman said hotly, her anger flaring and her hate of the First Order clear. "They are turned into mindless slaves and shoved into white plastoid armor to fight in their war to bring the Empire back."
"The indocrantion never stuck with me." Finn explained. "I was able, with some help," He glanced at Poe. "To get away from the First Order." Then he glanced at Rey. "And find the Resistance."
The woman narrowed her eyes at all of them now. "You're with the Resistance?"
"We are." Rey answered with a nod.
Shifting her gaze to Rey the woman looked her over and of course her gaze caught at the weapon on her hip. "Is that…"
"Yes." Rey confirmed. "It is, and yes, I am."
"And you?" She asked Poe.
"Pilot." He answered. "Best the Resistance has."
For several long moments the woman stood there looking at the three of them. "Come with me." She ordered with a jerk of her head towards a cluster of communal buildings. "Doc's an old model med droid but he's capable of telling me if you really are my little brother or not."
Finn's eyes went as wide as was physically possible. "Little brother?" His heart was racing as he stumbled into a step to follow her. "You're Jannah?"
"I am." Jannah answered.
For the last five days she'd sat alone in the cave meditating. She had traveled to Dagobah, faced and acknowledged her flaws, faced her fears, and resisted temptation. Then she was guided to Morabond where she was confronted by the specter of Darth Vader, telling the Dark Side that not only did she live, and through her the Sister lived, but Anakin Skywalker survived in the Light as well. She faced the test of the Temple, and passed, and then was guided to this cave on Christophsis where she began her meditation and training with Anakin. Even in her deep meditative state she could feel when her master appeared in the cave with her, and it brought her comfort. But then she began feeling other presences surrounding her and she slowly began pulling herself back into full awareness.
Ahsoka managed not to gasp as she took in the faces gathering around her. "Master Obi-Wan."
Obi-Wan smiled warmly at Ahsoka. "Hello there. It is truly good to see you again, Ahsoka."
"You as well, Master." Ahsoka replied.
"It is good of you to say so, child." Obi-Wan replied, his voice laced with sadness and regret. "I owe you an apology, Ahsoka. I should have stood with Anakin against the Council, I should have fought harder to keep you in the Order, I should have…"
"We all should have, Obi-Wan, but we did not." Yoda said as he appeared. "Mistakes were made, yes, countless mistakes, made by us all. However, Ahsoka leaving, a mistake it was not. Better she is for it." He turned his attention to Ahsoka and smiled warmly at her. "A Jedi of the Fallen Order you are not, Ahsoka Tano. Follow the will of the Force, like Qui-Gon, you do. A true Jedi that makes you. Better Jedi you will help forge. Proud of you, I am."
"Master Yoda." Ahsoka whispered, her eyes burning with budding tears.
"A great Darkness is on the horizon." Obi-Wan told her. "And you will play a part in it's defeat."
"How Master?" Ahsoka asked, turning to look at her old friend.
"By continuing to forge what it fears the most." Said a third voice. Though she did not know him she knew of him. Qui-Gon Jinn.
"And what is that, Masters?" Ahsoka asked, her eyes darting from face to face.
Anakin appeared and smiled that cocky smile she'd missed so much. "A balanced Skywalker." He paused for a moment and then explained. "I fell to the Dark Side. My son fears the Dark Side. My grandson has embraced the Darkside, and forsaken the Light. But my granddaughter, she embraces the Force as a whole." He held out his hands as if balancing a scale. "Light and Dark together in equal measures."
It was Qui-Gon who said, "The fall of the darkness will come with the rise of one who is true harmony with the Force."
"Spouting prophecy again are you my Master?" Obi-Wan teased.
"We shall see my Padawan." Qui-Gon replied. "We shall see."
Jannah refilled everyone's mugs from the pitcher of locally made ale before walking back over to the table in the center of her small hut and sitting across from Finn. She took a long gulp from her mug, set it down, and sighed. "We were on Savareen because it was safe. I was sick, nothing serious just one of those things every kid gets, but I was feverish and weak. You were just so young. It was dangerous for Mum to take us with her, and she trusted the people on Savareen." Jannah got a far away pained look in her eyes as she continued. "They must have waited until she left, not wanting to tangle with her and her best people." She paused to take a drink. "They landed in three transport shuttles. Men in gray and black uniforms yelling at the monsters in white armor to take what they needed, supplies, food, water, fuel, and children."
No one wanted to interrupt her story but Poe couldn't help himself. "Children? More than one?"
Jannah nodded. "There were four of them, my brother, two other boys and a girl. All of them were two, or three seasons old. I was still feverish and in a nearby hut away from the other kids. When I heard the shouting and the blaster fire I looked out the window." She sighed and dropped her head. "When I saw one of the monsters grab Jael…"
"Jael?" Finn repeated, his eyes wide.
"It was your name." Jannah explained, and then continued. "When I saw them grab you, I ran from the hut, but I couldn't get to you. They put you and the others on one of the transports and left." She looked away from Finn again as she said, "I heard one of the elders ask one of the men in a black uniform, why, why were they taking their babies, and he said, because the Empire needs children."
"They needed children to turn into soldiers for the First Order." Poe said angrily.
"Mum searched for you." Jannah said when she was finally able to look at Finn. "I don't think she's ever stopped."
"She's alive?" Finn asked, his eyes once again wide. "Who… Who is she? What is her name?"
Jannah smiled proudly as she said, "The leader of the Cloud Riders. Enfys Nest."
Renee Sloane was good, but she wasn't former Emperor's Hand turned Jedi Mara Jade good. Mara was able to pinpoint Sloane's trajectory with Biddy's help, and follow it to a nowhere backwater planet. From there Sloane booked passage on a freighter to a mining colony deep in the outer rim, where she met with four men. Taking one of the men's personal transports Sloane headed for Savareen. Mara's stomach twisted into knots. Wasn't that the planet Rey and her boys had gone to? While Mara followed Sloane's trail, she had Biddy keep tabs on the men she'd met with. Shortly after Sloane left the mining colony so did the men. Biddy tacked them to a farming moon. What was Sloane up too? And why was Mara's danger sense telling her that it somehow involved her niece?