CHAPTER II

Rey felt a strong rush of danger before even knowing what it was. She had already grabbed Finn by the hand and started running out before any soldiers had started blasting their way in. Finn was amazed at how quickly she anticipated everything and with such agile reflexes: was it precognition?

"Quick, the droid!" Finn yelled, and Rey turned around, ducking just in time to avoid blasts. She noticed Veep rolling his way towards her on the floor on his tiny wheels. Within one second she had picked up Veep, and leapt back up towards her secret exit.

"This way!" she cried to Finn, who was blasting his way at the soldiers, then followed her.

Rey had long ago installed secret explosives in her dwelling for security reasons, and sure enough, this invasion activated them. In less than a minute, a speeder-boat went shooting out of the dwelling's stem and straight into the ocean while the dwelling exploded behind them.

"What was that?" Finn asked, incredulous.

"Security," Rey yelled, "Always prepared in case of any trouble."

"What kind of trouble do you normally have?"

"None before today."

"You took some pretty extreme measures!"

"Let's just say I hate visitors," Rey said with a smile.

The speeder-boat continued into the night, until the soldiers and dwelling were far away from them. Finally, when they felt safe, Rey turned off the ignition and the boat came to a stop.

"Those soldiers back there were horrid," Veep said, "They reminded me a bit of the old Stormtroopers."

Both Rey and Finn had only vague memories of Stormtroopers, the military of the Empire from back in the old days. Just the visage of their armor had been a source of fear for an entire generation, and had finally been outlawed after the Empire had collapsed. Still, rogue Stormtroopers had lived on and spread for several years afterward, and many of the current generation remembered them as dangerous thugs. Finally the Senate had offered a reward: any remaining Stormtroopers out there who turned in their armor would be offered a small compensation as well as new lives and employment in the Republic. This had been a clever way to demilitarize the galaxy. All Stormtrooper armor was now banned.

Sadly, the newer military hadn't turned out much better. Now cloning facilities had sprung up everywhere, creating makeshift clone armies, used by various factions for any purpose. Not all clones were perfect. And now, being this close to Finn, Rey finally understood one as a sentient being: a creature of flesh and blood.

"We really should get out of the ocean," Veep said, "I can't exactly swim, you know."

"Hold on a second," Rey said, still processing the fact she had lost her home and all of her, admittedly few, possessions.

"They blew up my transport," Finn said, "I'll need to hitch a ride off this planet. Are there starships at the nearest outpost?"

"They made you?" Rey asked, deliberately ignoring him.

"Yes," he said shyly.

"How old are you?"

"I don't know. All I ever remember is being in a room full of clones who look like us-er, like me. I'm still getting used to saying me. All my life, I've always been part of a collective. We all follow orders. We all are told to kill. We assassinated countless members of the Coalition. And then one day, I thought for myself. I started thinking as me, not them. It was-terrifying and exciting."

"What made that happen? What made you-become you?"

And Finn only shuddered at this thought:

"Kylo Ren."

"Who is he?"

"Look, do we really need to go through a tedious history lesson?" Veep interrupted, but Finn went on, solemnly.

"He's the leader of the Sith Imperialists and was our master. His rage is worse than I ever thought anyone could ever be. They say he is the one who killed Luke Skywalker."

"Luke Skywalker? The hero?"

"I don't know what to believe about Skywalker," Finn said, "I've heard his name yelled in worship and in frustration so many times."

"I heard he was the main rebel who overturned the Empire," Rey said, "But there's so much talk that no one really knows anything anymore. And no one cares."

"They say he was very close to Gen. Organa. Whatever the case, something happened between him and Kylo Ren. Now Skywalker is gone and Ren has only gotten more powerful. I've seen Ren order more senseless slaughters than anyone else in history. One day I realized he couldn't be my master; he's a monster. And the more I thought about him, the more I realized I didn't need any master."

"But how can he be that powerful?"

"The Force. He's stronger with the darkside than anyone I've ever seen. Speaking of which, what about you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Are your Force-sensitive?"

Rey had a hard time even wrapping her head around what this question, as she had a hard time even understanding what it meant.

"Why?"

"The way your reflexes jumped into high-gear back there; those were some pretty sick defensive abilities."

"Uh, thanks," Rey said, unsure if this was a compliment.

"I'm telling you this because my guess would be that you've got it, whatever it is."

Rey paused, debating whether or not to share this story. Finally she did.

"A few years ago, I was at Niima Outpost doing my usual trading with Unkar Plutt. After I finished, I was walking through the city when suddenly a passing stranger turned really sharply. He gave me a look like I had overwhelmed him or something. He told me 'You're strong with the Force! I haven't felt a presence this strong in years!' I saw he had a lightsaber on him, so he must have been one of those Jedi or Sith or whatever people. Anyway, he was kind of creepy so I ran off. That's all I know about the damn Force. So I guess it's real."

"Oh, believe me," Finn said, "When you've seen a man stop lasers in mid-air or choke someone across the room just by making a fist, you know how real it it."

There was a pause as they both took this in.

"I hate to break up this tender moment," Veep said, "But what about me?"

"Alright," Rey said, "Here's what we'll do. You said something about this droid having classified information?"

"Yes," Finn said, "I need to get him to Coruscant."

"Then we'll go to Niima Outpost. In the morning, we'll catch a charter flight out of here. I'm going with you."

"Oh, for goodness sake," Veep said, "Who invited you?"

"Pardon the droid," Finn said, "but I don't know if you'll want to come on this mission. There's a lot going on and it's a dangerous galaxy-"

"I know," Rey said, "But my home's been destroyed, and there's nothing for me here. I've never had a reason to leave this place. Now I finally have one. I'm going to take my first step, learn about this thing called the Force. Maybe I'll even meet this big bad Kylo Ren, and we'll see if he's as scary as he's cracked up to be."

"Rey, you seem like a good person," Finn said, "I'd hate to have your blood on my hands. I-ugh, I'm still not used to making decisions."

"Yes," Rey smiled, "Making decisions on your own can be tough. I guess you're still learning how to do it. I'll help you become your own person, Finn, if you do the same for me. Now how about we find shelter at the outpost, and got some rest?"

"It's about time," Veep said, indignantly.

Rey powered the speeder-boat back on and off they sailed. Soon they arrived at Niima Outpost and rested their vessel just outside the raft-city. Finn slept well, Veep switched off for a while, and Rey looked up at the sky. Naragna had sixty-three moons, so almost every night was sure to have at least five full moons and ten crescent moons. Those moons gave her hope, and the thought of going on an adventure filled her with excitement. As she drifted off to sleep, she dreamt of all the things they had discussed. In particular, she dreamt of the Force.

And far, far away, at the Finalizer was making its way through the deepest corners of space, Kylo Ren sat alone on his throne, feeling a strange pull. Someone very strong with the Force was dreaming. And with a smile, he realized he could hone in on those dreams, and even enter them. He began to speak to her.