So I was kind of crazy in my outlining because I wanted everything that happened in this long ass chapter PLUS more, so I had to go back and rework a bit. Maybe I just went overboard in one section (you'll know the one), because I also have a lot of feelings about TROS I really needed to work out? All I know is that this was insanely fun to write, because now we're getting into the main meat of this plot, and I can't wait for you guys (the five of you reading, anyway) to see where it goes next.

To Do the Next Right Thing

Chapter 6

Rey kneeled down. "Did you want to join us, too, D-0?"

Currently the little droid took his usual position behind BB-8, very wary of the redheaded stranger standing beside Rey. "No, thank you," he quickly decided, scurrying away to hide behind Artoo instead.

Rey shrugged and stood, hoisting her pack higher on her shoulder. "Can't say I tried," she uttered.

Armitage raised a curious brow. "I've seen timid droids before, but I don't think I've ever seen one that's suffered some sort of trauma," he said.

She nudged his shoulder with her own, raising herself up on her toes for a moment. "Looks like you two might have something to bond over when we get back," she teased. "Come on, Tage, we should probably get going."

He scrunched his face. "'Tage'?" he repeated, like it was distasteful.

"Yeah." She shrugged again, hopping onto the boarding ramp of the Falcon. "Spent a while thinking about what else to call you while prepping. It was either that or 'Armie.'"

This time, he cringed. "All right, 'Tage' is fine," he conceded, following her. "I'll deal with it, I suppose."

Rey made a mental note to use the nickname as often as possible, if only to further annoy him. Onboard, Finn finished checking the filters on the water tank, and Poe popped his head out of the cockpit. "Shields look good, if you guys end up facing any smugglers. Navigation is set up for you to land near Scaparus Port—pretty close to the old academy."

Rey watched Armitage tense up beside her, a hand balled up into a fist at the prospect of going back to his homeworld. All she knew was that it rained quite a bit, had been under Empire control before the New Republic seized the planet. But the memories he had were far from pleasant. All they had to do was find old records. "Sounds good," she replied for the both of them. "Shouldn't take too long if we don't run into trouble."

BB-8 bumped past Armitage's leg, distracting him from his thoughts. Poe, of course, kneeled right down to give his friend words of encouragement Rey couldn't hear, except for a rather loud, "And you'll tell me if Rey gets you into any sort of trouble, won't you?"

BB-8 beeped in agreement, something along the lines of, "Of course I will," to which Armitage scoffed.

"He's lying," he said, crossing his arms. "He's probably only going to tell you if the situation is dire."

Rey, Finn, and Poe took a moment to gape at their interloper, unsure of how to respond to that. "I didn't know you understood BB units," was all Rey could come up with.

"I've been working with droids my whole life; of course I understand it." Why was his tone so infuriating? It must have been the snobbish, Imperial ring he had to it.

"Don't condescend to me," Rey warned. "I'm giving you the crew quarters, after all. Better than the holding cell we had you in all night, don't you think?"

"Fine, fine." Armitage held his hands up, conceding. "Let's get going then, shall we?"

Sighing, Rey pulled Finn and Poe aside for one last hug. "I wish you weren't so needed here, so we could do this all together."

Poe squeezed her waist. "Hey. There will be plenty of other adventures waiting out there when you return," he assured.

"Besides," Finn added, "someone's gotta watch this rogue before he causes anymore damage."

Rey sighed. "That's far too true." When she pulled away, she assured, "I told you, I'll keep in touch with transmissions every night. I'll be able to feel Finn through the Force and vice versa. I'm sure this whole experience will be... interesting, I suppose."

When BB-8 bumped against her leg, she rolled her eyes playfully. "All right, all right... if you're getting impatient, too, let's get going."

Finn and Poe offered a final squeeze to her hand, before departing the ship. Rey set her bag beside her smaller bunk before making her way up to the cockpit, where Armitage had already strapped himself in as co-pilot. "At least I've seen your memories to know you're an okay pilot, and not lying about that." She started locking in controls, hearing the familiar roar of the engine come to life.

"Given I was expected to be the best—nay, perfect—soldier, learning to fly was part of that training," he explained, starting a smooth takeoff. Rey gave a final wave to her friends, along with others from the Resistance wishing them safe travels. "Of course, it's not my specialty, like hand-to-hand combat or sharpshooting. You Force users are, annoyingly, far better pilots."

"Poe's not Force-sensitive," Rey pointed out. "But he's one of the best pilots I've ever seen. Almost as good as me, of course."

Was it just her, or was that a hint of a smirk on his face? "Setting up for lightspeed," he announced, reaching up. Somehow it didn't seem as right when it wasn't Chewie.

When his hand dared to reach for the hyperdrive controls, she slapped his hand away. "Don't. Even. Think. About it," she gritted out. No, she'd do that part herself, too. It should be a relatively easy flight, anyway.

"Brace yourself, BB-8!" she warned, and even though she had to reach over a bit, Rey blasted them off to lightspeed toward Arkanis.


Once in autopilot, Rey let Armitage explore the crew's quarters, settle in and learn the ship a bit. Luckily the Resistance was okay with lending him a few more things to wear, which he placed meticulously in the walk-in closet. Yes, the crew's bunk was far bigger than the one Rey designated to herself, but this way, in any emergency, she'd be closer to the cockpit. He familiarized himself with escape hatches and secret compartments, the water tank and filters—all the technical aspects of the ship she shouldn't be sharing with him, but then again, who was he going to tell?

"I don't get it," he said, once they were back on the main hold. "This was the ship Ren obsessed about? So intent on destroying on Crait? It's... kind of a dump."

"I thought so too, at first," Rey sighed, settling in at the dejarik table. "But she flies beautifully. You know Han Solo made the Kessel Run in just twelve parsecs."

"That's just a myth." Armitage swiped a finger across a wall, nose scrunching at the dust he probably picked up.

"After flying the Falcon, I can assure you it's definitely possible. At least, in her heyday." Rey considered seeing what might be left at the drinks bar, but stayed seated. "Unkar Plutt tinkered with her to the point of her being almost unrecognizable, but I've spent the past year trying to bring her back to some former glory." She leaned forward, stretching out her legs. "Kylo Ren knew that was me on Crait, didn't he."

"Of course he did." Armitage stepped out of BB-8's path, the little droid enamored with trying to keep himself occupied during their downtime. "Although I don't know why he was so adamant on blasting you, when you were the one who killed the former Supreme Leader and he assumed that throne for himself."

Rey scoffed, rolling her eyes. "You can't possibly believe that, do you?" she asked. "Kylo Ren killed Snoke, not me. I thought maybe, if we both took him down, he'd... oh, it's stupid."

"Be brought back to what? The light side? Need I remind you of the awful things he's said about you. You've seen what he's done to me since then."

Rey closed her eyes, trying to drown out all the bruises General Hux had endured once Kylo Ren became Supreme Leader, the way he was tossed around like some mere rag doll whenever the thought suited him. "I have. Which makes what happened afterward even more strange, and probably stupid to say aloud."

Oh, shut up, Rey! What made her say that? It wasn't like he had a trustworthy face, although he was the only person who knew Kylo Ren probably better than she did. Flushing, she fumbled, and ended up turning on the dejarik table. Maybe that would change the subject.

"Oh." Armitage gazed at the holographic creatures that appeared on the table. "This is dejarik, right? According to General Dameron, the Wookie is rather good at it."

"When did Poe talk to you alone?" Rey wasn't very good at it—Chewie always won. She beckoned BB-8 over; maybe he could help.

"Last night, at the holding cell." Armitage started at the board intently, then made a move. He couldn't have picked it up that quickly, could he? "Mostly it was just empty threats of how I shouldn't try anything funny or conniving—though I've nothing to gain from your death. It's not strategic."

"How would I know that?" Rey pursed her lips, trying to think of a move. Dejarik had such odd rules, about who could move where, and how pieces could attack. She opted for the safest move, with the minimal amount of movement across the board. "For all I know you could kill me, hack into BB-8's main frame, and fly the Falcon across the galaxy to whatever retirement you have planned. Or whatever uprising, I suppose."

"There's no way I could kill you," he pointed out, making his next move. Damn, if she moved her current piece, it'd fall right into his trap for the taking. How did he pick it up so quickly? "And right now, it certainly isn't advantageous. You can read minds and manipulate them into giving us whatever information we want, and right now we're in a tense alliance. We may not like it, but... for the moment, it's better than any other alternative."

Rey moved back into starting position. "I suppose that's fair. And if all goes well, you'll find your mother and just keep your head down—retire, I guess. Adopt a Lothcat, even."

Armitage sighed. "The state of this galaxy is completely laughable. Absolute anarchy isn't the political system anyone should want." His next piece moved closer to her side of the board.

"And a dictatorship is?" Rey slit her eyes, trying to figure out a move.

BB-8 beeped out a suggestion, to which Armitage replied, "If she does that, I'm certainly guaranteed a win."

Right. Armitage could understand him. Rey sighed, going back to her original move. She was safe for now... she supposed. "The Empire could only work for so long, before an inevitable uprising. Unfortunately, my grandfather thought he could repeat history twice."

"I'm sorry... your what?"

Oh. Oh no. Rey was trying to step away from one mine, and walked right onto another in the process. Might as well say it quickly; it was honestly less embarrassing than... the other thing. She kept her eyes glued to her holographic pieces, but Armitage wasn't going to make his next move until she explained, and he was going to keep lording that over her. The ship was big, but certainly not big enough to avoid the question. "The Emperor was my grandfather," she said quickly. "Kylo Ren revealed that to me, and the Emperor confirmed it when we came face to face."

Luckily, Armitage made a move on the dejarik board instead of letting the information affect him greatly. Unfortunately for her, he took out the first of her pieces. Damn. "So you go by 'Rey Palpatine' now?" he asked.

Rey shook her head. "I took a trip to Tatooine, to return Master Luke and Leia's sabers until they're ready to be used again. While I was there, Luke told me through the Force that I was free to use his name. I'm 'Rey Skywalker' now."

Armitage scoffed. "I know I'm the last person to be talking about names, granted I've all but given up mine, but what you really should be doing is embracing the name your grandfather burdened you with. Embrace it. Turn it into something you believe in, instead of it being in complete association with his legacy."

He honestly had a point. Even BB-8 beeped in agreement. "Well... I honestly only told one person. Some random woman on Tatooine, and in the moment, that's the name that felt right. To Finn and Poe, I've always been just Rey, and for them, that was enough." Rey retreated her next piece back to avoid Armitage taking out another one of her pieces. "I suppose I'm still having an identity crisis, even if I apparently know exactly who I am."

"And on that, we can both agree." Damn, did he just take out another one of her pieces? Armitage could honestly take on Chewie with these skills. "With how much Ren obsessed over finding you, I always assumed you were Skywalker's daughter, so I can see why you'd want to take on the name."

"That'd make us cousins." The feeling brought an... odd comfort to her. Rey stared down the board, bringing both her legs up to cross on the bench. It was her best thinking position. "I suppose it works—he did give his entire life Force to save me." Her next move was tricky, but at least he couldn't take her out by moving into this position. At least, not with the pieces of his closest to hers.

"Kylo Ren, saving your life?" His scoff was close to a snort. "You both seemed so intent on destroying each other—I never would have seen that coming."

Rey shrugged. "Well, I couldn't have defeated my grandfather without him. I was just so grateful for what he gave for me, so I kissed him."

If there was an expression meant just for absolute, pure disgust, Armitage Hux wore it perfectly. It was enough to get her to flush from head to toe—especially since BB-8 was also hearing this information for the first time.

"You what?" he beeped, backing away like he didn't know her anymore.

"I'm sorry, but the droid has a point. Also, why? Didn't he try to kill you and your friends? Make you feel like you were in some isolated place?" His face hadn't moved in the slightest. Rey had a feeling he might actually vomit at the thought. "Take it from someone who's actually been abused in a similar matter—by the same person, mind you—that's not a recipe for romance."

And yes, it was awful. It was strange. She couldn't explain the feeling or why it had even happened in the first place, and that's what she hated most about it: the shame. The fact that she could never tell Finn and Poe it happened. "You're the first person I told," she confessed lowly. "And quite possibly, the only person I'll tell, because I'm sure Finn and Poe will be just as, if not more so, disgusted with the thought. And trust me, I still haven't come to terms with it, either."

"Then why did you do it?" Armitage had been so engrossed in the thought that he faltered. Maybe this wasn't such a bad thing? "You're obviously not comfortable with the idea, and I don't think you're attracted to him."

"I'm... not," she said. Saying it aloud at least confirmed it. "I saw in your mind, that Julen kissed you, too—probably around the same time. It was your first kiss, too, yeah?"

Now it was his turn to flush. "There was no time for fraternizing when the galaxy was in such disorder," he dismissed, but Rey couldn't have cared less that he had no experience. It's not like she did, either, even if she was far younger. "Besides, you've heard all the awful things people have said about me: too skinny, redheaded."

"'Thin as a slip of paper, and just as useless,'" said Rey, drawing from the terrible way Brendol described his son. Kylo Ren said similar things about her. Licking her lips, she tried to take him in. Sure, his hair was strange, but it reminded her of a very pretty sunset, the ones that made her think that maybe growing up on Jakku wasn't all that bad. Those cheekbones could cut durasteel. There was always this intense gaze in his green eyes, like he was observing the situation in its entirety. He had really nice lips, she realized, plump and lovely, and completely inherited from his mother. They'd be nicer if he smiled more. "But there's a reason Julen wanted to kiss you, and it wasn't just the adrenaline of winning the war." She finally took out one of his pieces, taking satisfaction watching one hologram destroy another. "She thought you attractive, I think."

"It was too out of the blue for me to really process until it was over," he said. "I didn't think it would be so... wet."

"Right?" Rey exclaimed. "But when I felt it, in your mind, I realized it was the same as when I kissed Kylo Ren. It was... clinical, almost. Strange and in the moment, and yet, I feel nothing afterward."

"Other than shame and regret?" Armitage advanced toward Rey, but didn't take her second to last piece out just yet.

"Not exactly that." How did one explain it? At least Armitage understood the feeling, and why it was kind of wrong. "It was more like... a kiss of gratitude? Because I knew he was dying and there was nothing else to give? He felt like—a cousin, or brother, in that moment. I suppose that was a factor in taking the Skywalker name."

"All right, you've officially made it far worse, which I didn't even think possible." Somehow, he was able to look even more disgusted, and right then and there, Rey vowed to never tell another soul about this kiss, ever. "Please never talk about this again; I can't stand the image."

"Okay," she said quietly. She conceded her piece to Armitage, so he could just give her a quick and merciful end to this game. There was no way she could win. "I suppose, in a way, you've helped me process it, and it's a huge reason why I'm vouching for you—if I can give him that second chance, it wouldn't be fair if I didn't do the same for you. I've been juggling with this for a while, and now I think I have my answer: I'm not attracted to Kylo Ren. He's dead, and he's never coming back, and that's completely fine. And I don't think that kiss counted, just as I don't believe yours with Julen does, either, if we didn't feel whatever we were apparently supposed to."

"A do-over?" Armitage pointed at the board as if to ask for another match, but Rey could tell he was talking about, well, whatever screwed up "romances" they had for all of two moments.

"I think so," Rey decided. "I think a real kiss would take me completely out of myself. It shouldn't make me feel strange, or make me think about family. It should feel... different, I suppose."

Armitage reached over to turn the holograms on the dejarik board off. "I doubt I'll ever experience it, but I'm sure you'll have your chance," he assured. "Whatever that 'different' might be."

"Don't sell yourself so short." Rey waved a dismissive hand. "I'm trying to give you a new lease on life, after all."

"Nah, I'm pretty sure he's a lost cause," BB-8 quipped. "You might be, too, after that awfulness."

"Gee, thanks." Rey rolled her eyes.

"Are all the droids in the Resistance this... outspoken?" Armitage asked.

Rey raised a brow, leaning forward on the table on her elbows. "Do you understand all astromechs?"

"Most of them, I suppose."

This time, it was her turn to scoff. "You haven't heard anything until you've talked with Artoo, then," she said. "Now there's a droid that's lived a far too crazed life. Although I think his jaded nature allows for some pretty fun conversations."


"Why is the closet so damn huge if neither you nor Solo are really... connoisseurs of clothing?" Armitage leaned against the doorframe of the walk-in closet, appalled at the dismal state of wardrobe between the two of them, between all of Rey's similar tunics and Armitage's borrowed coats.

Rey shrugged. "General Calrissian was the original owner. According to Chewie, he had quite the collection of capes, and I'm supposing that's what the closet space was for."

Armitage pointed behind him. "That would probably explain the state of the refresher."

"Ah, yes." It could easily fit two in the bathing area. Poe had originally pointed it out when she first asked a question about it, and that had been Rey's real introduction to, well, the basics of intercourse. "I'm guessing not even your First Order quarters were as extensive."

"The room itself was larger, as I had a tendency to do quite a bit of work in my quarters, but the closet and refresher? Certainly smaller than here," he explained.

Before she could try to think of a less awkward subject (though really, they'd already gone over her heritage and her biggest secret, so really, nothing could be worse), warning beeps from the cockpit alerted Rey that they were getting close to Arkanis, and should be switching over to manual piloting. "We should get going."

They strapped in, bringing the ship out of hyperdrive. There was this eerie grey surrounding the entire planet, like tense rain clouds threatened their very presence. Armitage was right, this probably wouldn't be like the rain she'd experienced on Ahch-To. Thank the Maker they brought panchos and umbrellas—Rey had almost considered not bringing them. And, once they were in the atmosphere, and Rey felt the pounding of rain against durasteel, she realized that even with all the equipment she brought, they still were probably going to get soaked.

"What do you remember about this place, Tage?" she asked. "Was it always like this?"

"We'll see when we land," he replied. "But the rain—I remember that. The Academy is a little under two klicks away from the port, and I remember using diplopods as transport. I wonder if it's still the same."

Rey paled at the thought of having to ride something like that, but then again, she'd dealt with far worse on Jakku. "Well... at least the water supply will be good when we leave, once we filter it, of course." She landed at the coordinates Poe had suggested—a close enough walk to the port to where gathering fuel and supplies wouldn't seem too burdensome, but far enough so no one examined the famous ship, or worse—tried to strip it for parts.

BB-8, who had heard the pattering rain outside, backed away at the thought of the fact that he had to travel out there and would likely get wet. "You'll be fine," Rey assured, wrapping a poncho around him. She tied it in front so he wouldn't trip over how long it was, then packed up her own bag to include her datapad, a few credits, and her choice weapons, of course, should they run into trouble.

All right... they could do this. It was just one file at the old Academy, to just find her name... and then a general database would tell them exactly where she could be. Sure, the Academy had been seized years ago by the New Republic, but there had to be some old computer that still worked somewhere. No one was going to know anything about an Imperial kitchen worker from years ago in this port, Rey imagined.

Armitage led the way, almost as if in a trance—some muscle memory that spotted the Port in the distance over the rocky terrain and knew how to get there. Rey couldn't tell his expression with his scarf used as a makeshift hood, umbrella low over his head. She had to practically speed to keep up with him, but poor BB-8 kept nudging against her ankles as he rolled beside her, trying to stay under her umbrella. The rain seemed to beat down in this unrelenting pattern, cold and harsh, like daggers threatening to stab the fabric of the umbrella and cut right through, soaking them all. Really, she should have brought warmer layers; why didn't she think of that?

She was damn near out of breath by the time they reached the port, a run-down marketplace surrounded by only a few ships, nestled at the base of two cliffs. Rey scrunched her nose, taking it all in—especially the putrid smell, made worse with the humidity with the rain and the wind coming from the coast. At least the marketplace had a stable roof, so she could take off her hood and shake out her umbrella. BB-8 finally rolled forward quickly to keep up with Armitage. "What's that smell?" she asked lowly.

"This is a fishing port," he explained. "I'd practically forgotten it until now." His eyes darted about, but the residents of the port seemed engrossed in their own trades, haggling amongst each other, wrapping their various scars and injuries in bandages. At least no one seemed to recognize them, though Rey noted that Hux still wanted to keep his bright hair hidden, as if that would bring up any suspicion.

"And how would one ask for transportation two klicks up the coast?" There wasn't a single resident who looked particularly friendly—but Rey wasn't above using her powers to get what she wanted.

Armitage slit his eyes in the direction toward the end of the marketplace. "Jasko's," he said.

"What?"

"Not what, who. My father used to lament about him, and I thought he might be the only person he might hate almost as much as me."

Being here, in this sensory overload back on his homeworld might have brought back all these memories so clearly, without her probing again. "Well, if he was an enemy of your father's, and is possibly still alive, wouldn't that make him an ally in our case?"

"Not necessarily." Hux stopped her from dashing toward the shop. "He ran an underground business selling comm booths not monitored by the Empire. The caf sold there, from what I heard, wasn't half bad."

Rey sighed. "He wouldn't know anything about your mother, would he?"

"If he did, he'd be rather old. And he wouldn't say anything without a hefty price. I say we stick to heading toward the Academy."

"Fine." Rey pouted. Next to the shop, though, she noted a covered droid transport. Perfect. She pointed her chin toward that direction to show Armitage. "Then how about we use that?"

"Not bad. I thought we couldn't avoid the diplopods." Why was it the genuine approval on his face brought her a swell of happiness? She shouldn't have cared about something so trivial. "If the Academy fails, then we'll come back to Jasko's as an alternate resort. Or whatever hint the Academy might give us."

The creature guarding the droid transport didn't look too friendly, but she did want to do the talking, if she needed to be more... persuasive. "We need transport to Arkanis Academy," she said, keeping her voice strong.

The creature just raised one of its brows and answered in a language Rey didn't understand. Before she could ask BB-8 to try and translate, Armitage, to her surprise, responded without missing a beat.

She blinked, surprised. "What did he say?"

"She," Armitage clarified. "And she's demanding an outrageous price for this transport, as expected, even though it's less than two klicks away."

And here Rey thought Jakku and Tatooine were the lowest of the low when it came to scummy creatures looking out for only themselves. She frowned. "I can't use my powers of persuasion if I don't know the language."

"Let me handle it," he assured, before turning back to the creature. When he responded, he gestured to Rey, and damn if she wished she could understand what they were saying. And here she thought she knew quite a few languages in the galaxy.

The creature scoffed and said something that sounded like an insult, but Armitage instead reached over to Rey's hip and showed off the hilt of her saber as a warning.

"What the hell?" she uttered, but whatever he said, the creature backed off. Still, Armitage paid her a few credits for the trouble—obviously far less than whatever she demanded.

"Come on." He nudged Rey toward the transport, and the creature booted up the old R5 unit, presumably to let it know their destination. Even BB-8 kept quiet about it all, not letting out a single beep until they started off past the port, inhabitants no longer in sight.

"What did you say to her?" she asked, curious.

Armitage shrugged. "Honestly I didn't learn much of the language, my short time here, but I knew how to make a threat, trust me. So I mentioned you would cut her down if she lowered her price."

"And that won't raise suspicion when we return to port?"

"She has a point," BB-8 chimed in.

"On this planet, it's pretty common. Back in the day, the planet hosted Project Harvester, and that was all about the Empire's interest in Force-sensitive individuals."

"So they'd know a Jedi if they saw one," Rey concluded.

"More like, someone who knows how to use the Force well," he clarified. "And they would not mess with them. So no, she'll likely keep quiet."

"All right." Rey looked through the rain to see the looming, dilapidated Academy coming up in the distance. The terrain, it seemed, was somehow rockier than Ahch-To, and far less warm and comforting. Rain there was refreshing; this was harsh and unrelenting. Grey, not blue. She could see Armitage tensing up the closer they got, all those terrible memories she'd seen briefly no doubt flooding tenfold into his mind. Memories he'd been trying to suppress for decades, suddenly surfacing all over again.

When they stepped off the transport and ordered the droid to wait, Rey could feel that sense of dread in the Force, letting her know that this place wasn't for the faint of heart. But something else in the Force gave her the feeling that they would find what they were looking for—and it shouldn't be too difficult, given the whole Academy was abandoned, vines crawling up its walls, metal rusting, stone cracking and crumbling.

She finally addressed the feeling, especially since Armitage bypassed his umbrella, just standing there in the rain with only his jacket and scarf quickly getting soaked. Maybe he just needed that feeling to wash over him, quite literally. He made no move to try and break his way in.

"What is he doing?" BB-8 asked, still hugging close to Rey's leg. "If he just keeps standing there, the rain is going to short out my circuits."

"I don't know," she replied lowly so he wouldn't hear. But they approached him slowly, Rey again trying to read his expression, of which she was quickly starting to learn its nuances. Was that a good thing or a bad thing? It was far too early to determine that, but there was the slight pout in his lips, the grey wash darkening his eyes. The furrowed brow was normal, but this was of unease, not anger.

"Tage, are you okay?" Rey dared to brush her hand gently against his arm to get his attention.

His shoulder shifted, not expecting the touch, but he kept his eyes on the building. "I'm fine," he assured quickly, trying to shut down her probing. "Let's go, while there's still light out."

The Force told her that he was anything but fine, but she quietly followed him inside the crumbling entrance of the Academy.

Yeah, I know. ANOTHER cliffhanger. But I hope the length of the chapter made up for it all!

As always, comments and kudos are insanely appreciated. They assure me that someone actually WANTS to read this crap.