Rey had lived her life on the planet Jakku waiting for her parents to return and retrieve her which she was certain that they would, it's what she told everyone who would listen and nobody really believed her and not even she was really convinced. Was a story she told herself to try and not dwell on the fact that her parents were junk traders who sold her for drinking money.
She spent her days scavenging for parts and hoping that what she finds will get her a decent meal; she tries to think of the stories that she has heard and read of the heroes that took down the Empire and built the New Republic; Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia and Han Solo. She surprised herself when she found herself managing to move parts that she was scavenging and wondering if this was the Force. She began practicing with whatever free time that she could get.
One day she found Stormtroopers searching the marketplace and found Finn a Stormtrooper who had deserted; part of an Empire remnant cell that was a local crime organisation in this part of the galaxy. After the death of Emperor Palpatine; the Empire did their best to try and fight on but after their surrender they had splintered into small cells that tried their best to rebuild to their former glory.
Rey wanting to help her new friend who said that he could get her to meet his new allies in the New Republic military; tried her best to fight off the Stormtroopers with the Force but her inexperience at actually fighting showed and it was more clumsy than anything else. She was sure that she destroyed several stalls.
However she stared in awe at a figure cloaked in white with a white Vader like mask use a blue lightsaber with energy hilts take down the Stormtroopers with little effort. Rey excitedly went up to him along with Finn and asked "are you a Jedi? Can you take us to the New Republic as Finn here says he wanted to defect to them and I'm Rey..."
"You can call me Ben; I got here to finish off the Stormtroopers but to discover a Force signature, should have guessed it would be used by an amateur." The Jedi told her and she looked affronted at being insulted. "I have seen worse; you just need a teacher and I can show you to one if you want to talk to your family first." Ben offered but Rey said she didn't have one here but was excited at the idea to be trained as a Jedi.
Rey and Finn followed Ben to a ship where there was a Wookie at the open door. They were scared but Ben walked up to the Wookie and said "Don't worry Uncle Chewie; found a Force sensitive with no family and a renegade Stormtrooper."
They went in as Ben told them "welcome to the Millennium Falcon!" They were stunned realising the Wookie must have been Chewbacca and Rey was ecstatic to be in the legendary Millennium Falcon. They were met with a welcoming old man and Rey thought this must be the Han Solo, Finn and Rey were wide eyed to be realise that Ben was the son of Princess Leia and Han Solo.
Finn and Rey kept in touch as Finn joined with the New Republic military under his new ally Poe Damon and Rey was enlisted in the Jedi Academy. She squealed to be met with Luke Skywalker himself who shook his head at the new student; he had her close her eyes to try and feel the force but she wasn't getting it at first as she held out her hands as Luke had her feeling grass before hitting her hand with it.
Rey was disappointed about how her first day went and Ben came to tell her assuredly "Don't worry about Uncle Luke; he is just a little bit grumpy from having to train new Padawans who expect their knowledge of the stories to be everything they need to know about being a Jedi and the Force. Plus leading the New Order and stopping any supporters of the old Empire from making a power play. Once you get the hang of it he will soon warm up to you."
Rey did get the hang of her lessons and Luke was much warmer to her and her fellow students; he warned them that the stories of the old Republic and the Jedi Order in their final years were mostly nostalgia as it was their faults and weaknesses in their final years that Palpatine took advantage of to set up the Empire in the first place. It was their job not to repeat the mistakes of the past and to create both a Jedi Order and a Republic that actually lives up to their legends.
Rey and her fellow students once they were ready went out on missions with Ben leading them to track down criminal cells as well as members of the Sith worshipping cult known as the Sith Eternal which was a failsafe Palpatine had incase he was defeated. Rey had her friendship with both Finn and Ben growing and got to meet Ben's mother Chancellor Leia of the New Republic.
Rey had began having nightmares of herself in the Dark Side and shared them to Ben as he and Luke began helping her to control the temptation of the Dark Side. "I once was going down that road as well but Uncle Luke helped me and has had set up lessons to help those tempted as not knowing how to deal with those tempted basically helped create Vader." Ben had told her.
Ben was looking for Rey in the academy as Luke sent him to find her as they wanted to discuss her to being promoted to Ben's team; he ended up finding her cooing over Grogu in his personal nursery. "How old is he and what's his name?" Rey asked as Ben looked amused.
"Grogu and he has been here far longer than I was even born; he was already 50 years old when Uncle Luke came across him. Will share you the story some other time." Ben explained as he motioned for her to follow him shaking his head amused at her bewilderment.
Rey was happy at how her life had turned around since escaping Jakku.
Here Ben was never turned and still looked up to his grandfather enough to use a white version of the Kylo Ren suit that he had in the movies. Here I deliberately wrote it so it's up to the reader if Rey and Ben's relationship becomes romantic or remains platonic like siblings. Plus I hope I had a nice balance with how Luke was portrayed here; if things happened differently and he had to deal with nonstop new students enamoured with his legends. Aragorn_II_Elessar helped inspire this fic as I can't remember the name but there was this oneshot he wrote where the cuteness of Grogu was enough for Ben to turn from the path of the Dark Side.
I know that the Disney Star Wars trilogy is quite divisive so especially since I know people on the sites who are not fans even though I am of the movies; I want to try and make a fic that fans and non fans of the sequel trilogy can like which I know is a tall order considering Star Wars' fanbase has a reputation like the Sonic community. The ones who take it far past acceptable such as attacking Rose's actress and Eric Butts who got bullied just for shedding tears of joy at the trailer for Rise of Skywalker. With what Jake Lloyd (no joke one of the Youtubers I am subscribed to went to high school with Jake) and Ahmed Best (since I admit to liking Disney Star Wars I might as well admit that I liked Jar-Jar as a kid and still do despite getting the criticisms) had to go through; it's unfortunately not a recent thing.
I admit that I was on the fence at first about Rey being a nobody since I got it in my head that she would be Luke's daughter but I grew to like the message that you don't need to have some secret lineage to be a hero. Plus the grass force joke was funny and I will not regret putting it in here.
To the non toxic Star Wars fans I say May the 4th be with you.