Chapter Thirteen

The flight to get Poe and Rose was uneventful. Most trips through hyperspace were. At least they had been before the First Order developed that infernal tracking technology.

Chewie handled most of the flying by himself. That left Rey bored with little to do but think on all that had happened. She didn't like they way she had left things with Leia. Rey knew that the older woman was just looking out for her, but she couldn't stand by. If something happened to Finn, she would never forgive herself.

Bored and needing to distract herself, Rey worked on her lightsaber modifications. She thought that with the crystal broken in two, she could fashion a saber staff. She had learned all she could from the old texts, but the infernal thing didn't always work. The balance and weight of the staff felt reassuringly familiar. She felt much more comfortable with this design than she had with the original saber.

The problem came when she tried to activate it. Sometimes, it worked perfectly. The blue blade erupted from both ends in perfect sync. Other times, the flame refused to spark at all. The staff would hum in her hand but nothing else happened. The worst, at least in her estimation, was when the blade erupted in a jagged and barley contained stream. It reminded her too much of another blade. One that burned red instead of blue.

Rey didn't know what was wrong with it. It was frustrating, but it gave her something to do and she was grateful that it kept her mind occupied. Besides, when it was finished it would be a marvel. She wondered if any Jedi had ever tried this design.

She had envisioned a staff that could also break apart into two smaller sabers. Allowing her the versatility to adjust her fighting style to whatever was needed most. She imagined that there would be times when dual wielding sabers would come in handy. At least, it would if she could ever get the blasted thing to work properly.

She was relieved when Chewie announced they had arrived. Setting down the saber staff, she arrived in the cockpit just as they were coming out of lightspeed. It was eerie to see so few lights illuminating the planet. This planet had once been a thriving center of trade. Now only the lights from a few city centers could be seen. The sight filled Rey with dread.

Chewie seemed to share her feelings.

"I know Chewie. I don't have a good feeling about this either."

…..

Torrential rain met Rey and Chewie as they landed the Falcon. It was supposed to be midday, but it looked like the middle of the night. They landed in a sparsely populated portion of the planet because they couldn't risk having the ship losing the ship in the fighting or to looters.

Finn's last communication had not included any information on where they might be headed. Rey knew the location of the last city that they were in but didn't want to risk coming any closer until they had a better idea of where the duo went.

Rey hoped that when they landed they would be able to re-establish communications. No such luck.

It didn't leave Rey and Chewie with a lot of options. They debated about the best course of action but there were no good options until the rain stopped.

Flash flooding was a real concern and Rey didn't like sitting around. They had disobeyed a direct order from Leia and flew across half the galaxy to find their friends. Now, they were on the same planet, but still no closer to finding them. Both Finn and Rose were resourceful and smart, so she had confidence that they found somewhere to shelter but no one's abilities could keep them safe forever. Not in a world that had fallen so far into anarchy.

Chaos seemed to be spreading across the entire universe. Once peaceful planets that had even avoided conflict during the Clone Wars had been consumed. Nowhere seemed immune.

The reports of the atrocities committed by the First Order and the impending trial rocked the galaxy. However, the reports were no longer just about the First Order. While the numbers were far less, some reports had started to emerge about civilians killed by Rebel Forces. The specter of Saw Gerrera had emerged once again. Rey knew that there could be no comparison between the First Order and the Rebellion, but the news had left many people feeling like they had no one to trust. That everyone was a villain in disguise.

Feeling frustrated Rey paced around the Falcon. There had to be something she could do to help locate Finn and Rose. Without a lot of options available to her, Rey did the only thing that she could, she would try to reach out to them with the Force.

Rey had never attempted to locate someone via the Force before. She could still feel the connection to Kylo Ren but that was different. They shared a bond that was extremely rare. Not one to vacillate when she made a decision, Rey sat down and cleared her mind. She reached out just like Master Luke had instructed during that first lesson on Ahch-To.

Her senses immediately flooded with sensation. It was overwhelming at first, the sheer cacophony of sensations. It felt like the entire planet and everything on it was shouting at her. She wasn't prepared for it. Ahch-To had been a small peaceful planet with limited life in comparison to this world. The planet that they were on was significantly larger and with a greater population. It was also in chaos. Rey felt the pull to fall into that abyss. And with the pull to the dark, she also felt the pull to Kylo.

Feeling him snapped her out of the downward spiral. She wasn't here to find Kylo, she was here for Finn and Rose. She rallied her defenses, slowly reestablishing mental walls to block out all of the unnecessary sensations. Finally, after she felt like she had control, she focused her mind of Finn. Replaying her memories of her friend, she started searching out for a sensation that matched him. She thought of his smile and his courageous heart. Slowly, carefully, she used those memories and feelings as a guide. Visualizing the planet, she imagined sweeping over the surface while holding the memories of Finn. Finally, Rey got a vague sensation of him. Focusing in on it, she felt certain that this presence was her friend.

Relief flooded through her. He was alive. Her concentration finally gave away and the connection severed. Exhausted, Rey fell forward. It had worked. She didn't know Finn's exact location, but she knew that he and Rose were still safe and that they were somewhere due West of here.

Sitting up, Rey wiped her brow. Sweat dotted her brow and she felt physically drained. Rey had grown stronger with the Force but learning new abilities still took it out of her. It was like exercising a new muscle, it only took a little bit to exhaust her at first but the more she practiced the easier that skill became.

As much as she wanted to race out immediately to Finn and Rose, Rey knew that she needed to rest. She needed to be at her best before she set out. There was a lot of danger between her and Finn and she would need to go it alone. It was too dangerous to leave the Falcon unguarded and Chewie was the best choice to stay behind.

Sighing, Rey promised herself that she would set out soon. She just needed to eat and take a short rest. Then she would head out, torrential downpour or not.

….

Kylo instantly stopped his training. He felt her. The scavenger was reaching out with the Force. Kylo knew that she was not searching for him, but it was the first time that he had felt her actively reaching out before.

Kylo knew that he had to act fast, she would put up her mental shield as soon as she felt him probing. He scanned her unguarded mind, looking for clues about her location. A slow smile spread across his mouth. He had her. He knew where she was. The scavenger was on Polk, looking for her friends. Now he just needed to go get her.