III.
Niima Outpost was always busy. Lifeforms of all sorts trudged in with their findings and presented them to Unkar Plutt. They were then dismissed with a pathetic amount of rations that they were expected to survive on. The value of parts differed on an almost daily basis. What was worth three-quarter portion one day ended up being one-quarter portion the next. It was wrong. But that was part of life on Jakku: living with injustice.
"Next!" The Crolute called.
Rey stood up to the Concession Stand and presented the salvage parts to him. He grumbled and eyed the starship remnants before slapping down her survival rations onto the counter.
"Half-portions."
Ridiculous. Those same parts were worth one whole portion of rations last week. But she bit her tongue and took them off the counter. There were more important things to think about.
She gripped her quarterstaff tight as she left the area of the Crolute's stand. Her heart pumped at an elevated pace. Rey couldn't help but feel on edge, as if at any moment Plutt's minions would find them out and turn them in to the First Order.
Onward she walked until she reached the watering hole. There Shwaz stood, arms folded across his chest and looking awfully cavalier. At his feet was BB-8 wrapped in brown cloth, hiding in plain sight. She stopped in front of him.
"Ready to go, then?" Shwaz stepped forward and dropped his arms to his sides.
Rey could only nod. She still couldn't believe they were planning to steal one of Plutt's starships. It was insanity, pure and simple. While Rey's heart was pounding from nerves, Shwaz looked completely at ease. As if commandeering a ship was another past time for him.
Maybe it was.
It was as if he read her thoughts. "You're nervous." Shwaz said in a lowered voice. "Are you sure you want to do this?"
Wasn't that the question of the year. Did she?
She didn't get a chance to respond.
"Look out!" Shwaz pulled her out of the way just in time. A man launched himself into the watering hole and drank like he'd never seen water before. He would have plowed her over for sure. Rey winced as she watched saliva from the large mammal beside them drip into the water.
"You can let go of me now," Rey snapped the moment she realized Shwaz's hand was still gripping her wrist.
He released her, as if scalded. "Sorry."
Rey huffed and looked over to where the droid was hiding. Her breath hitched. Beneath the cloth, BB-8 had rolled and bumped right into the man dying of thirst. The young man whipped around and his hand immediately went for the droid's cover.
"Hey!" She shouted.
But he had already uncovered the droid. He looked up at Rey in confusion, water dripping down his dark skin and wetting his clothes.
"What is wrong with you?" Rey hissed at him as she covered BB-8 up. Had the droid been recognised? Would the First Order be alerted? "Didn't anyone teach you not to touch things that aren't yours?"
He looked taken aback. "I'm sorry! I didn't know it was yours."
"Rey, we have to go. Now." Shwaz said.
"Right." Rey stood. "Well-"
She didn't finish her thought. A blaster bolt whizzed over her shoulder. Rey's eyes widened and Shwaz shouted at her to get down. He whipped a blaster from his belt. She turned and ducked as another blaster flew over her head. Shwaz aimed for the group of stormtroopers and fired.
"Perfect!" Rey scowled. Her eyes turned to the man beside her and she glared. "This is your fault."
"What?" His dark eyes widened.
"Rey!" Shwaz shouted, dodging blaster fire with an unnatural ease and firing back. "Let's go!"
She uncovered BB-8's now useless disguise. The droid directed an anxious beep at her.
"It'll be alright, BB-8." Rey tried to soothe him.
"Follow my lead - NOW." Shwaz yelled.
Rey sprang to her feet. She ran after Shwaz and BB-8 rolled on behind her. Together they sprinted through the tented market. Shwaz turned his head over his shoulder and shot at the stormtroopers. A loud scream alerted Rey that he must have hit his mark. They pushed past the crowd of lifeforms and entered a small dark tent to catch their breath.
The flap in the tent moved. Rey whipped around and scowled. It was the young man from the watering hole. She immediately pointed her quarterstaff at his chest, preventing him from coming closer. "Why are you following us?"
"I'm not following you!"
BB-8 let out a series of beeps and Shwaz lifted his blaster pistol.
"You have one minute to explain why you're wearing clothing that belongs to BB-8's Master." His voice was dangerous and made the hairs on Rey's neck stand on end.
The young man lifted his hands up. "Listen - it's not what it looks like." He looked down at the droid. "Your Master was Poe Dameron, right?
BB-8 gave an affirmative beep.
"He was captured by the First Order. I helped him escape but his ship crashed on Jakku. I'm sorry, but he didn't make it. This jacket was all that was left."
From the corner of her eye Rey saw Shwaz slowly drop his arm. "He's telling the truth."
But Rey didn't drop her quarterstaff. She held her ground. "How can you be certain?
"Because-"
An explosion right outside the tent made them all jump. The cloth flapped from the sudden gust of air and sand blew into their eyes.
"RUN." Rey shouted and sprinted out of the tent.
Together they dodged the blasts from the TIEs above. Rey led them toward the shipyard. This was not how she had envisioned the hijack would go. At all. Explosions rang out in the Outpost. Clouds of sand erupted to their sides as the TIEs missed their target.
"There! That one ought to do the trick!" Shwaz pointed at the ship.
"We need a pilot!" Their tag-along said from behind them.
"We have one!" Rey and Shwaz said in unison. She turned to look at Shwaz in surprise. He mirrored the look.
"What about that ship?"
Rey huffed when she glanced over her shoulder at the ship the man had pointed at. "That one is garbage." She said at the same time Shwaz vehemently shouted, "Not in a million years."
Behind them one of the TIE fighters blew up the freighter. It exploded into several shades of red and orange and smoke plumed into the air. Rey didn't spare it another look. They needed to get into the ship before it was next.
"Let's GO." Shwaz yelled, pulling them back into reality. Together they sprinted toward the ship. Rey's ears felt clogged after another explosion shook the ground. Her heart was galloping at a concerning speed, but there was no time to think about her health. Survival was all that mattered.