V.

Takodana was a remarkable marble of green and blue. Upon seeing it Rey felt her breath hitch. She'd only heard tales of such planets on Jakku. She'd only seen such images in her dreams. As they entered Takodana's atmosphere and flew closer to the surface, Rey's eyes grew misty with emotion.

"I never knew so much green existed in the galaxy." She all but whispered. Slowly she turned to look at Shwaz beside her in the pilot's seat. There was a look of wonder on his face. His bright eyes turned to her. They were the same color as the ocean beneath their ship.

"Me neither."

He flew the ship closer to the surface and they coasted over vast seas and past dense forests. They approached a monument in the distance. The nearer they got, the more it looked like an ancient temple.

"What is that?" Rey took in the sight before her. It appeared to be a castle with multiple flags. "Do you think we're safe here?" She said, leaning forward to get a better look at the aged building.

"I'm not sure," Shwaz said as he landed the ship onto the grassy surface. "Something tells me you should be armed."

"That same something that tells you if someone's telling the truth or not?" Rey couldn't help but say.

He gave her a sharp look, but it was nothing like the dreadful glares he'd sent Finn. "Exactly. Do you have a weapon?"

"I've got this." Rey lifted her quarterstaff.

Shwaz gave her a sour look. "That's it?"

"That's all I need."

He sighed. "We should really get you a blaster, but that'll do for now."

They left the cockpit and searched for their droid friend. It was Rey's idea to keep him hidden within the ship. Shwaz found a spot near the refresher where BB-8 could be kept safely beneath the floor. The droid had let out a sad boop at not getting to follow them, but Shwaz insisted that BB-8 understood their reasoning, much to Finn's disbelief.

"How does he even understand that thing?" Finn had whispered to Rey.

"He told me he learned binary when he was a child." Rey had replied.

"Yeah?" Finn had leaned closer to her ear. "And how do we know he's not making it up?"

Rey had given Finn a look. "I understand enough binary to get the gist of what BB-8 is saying, that's how."

Once the droid was hidden, Shwaz approached Finn. Rey tensed upon seeing the grimace on his face. He stopped a few steps in front of him and crossed his arms against his chest.

"This is where our paths diverge, Stormtrooper." Shwaz said.

Finn's jaw clenched. "I'm not a Stormtrooper."

"Shwaz, stop antagonizing him!" Rey stepped in. She was tired of their arguing, and she couldn't help but feel relieved that Finn was leaving. If he had stayed, Rey had a terrible feeling that the antagonism would never end.

"Fine." Shwaz still had a slight scowl in place. "Let's not waste any time. The last thing we need is the First Order tracking us down."

Together the three of them exited the ship. Rey stepped off the landing rail and took a moment to admire the scenery. It was like walking in a dream. The aromatic air was humid and cool. Around them the forests were teeming with life. Birds sang and chased one another through the trees, small mammals scurried in the bushes, and swarms of winged insects buzzed about the area. Rey crouched down a moment and felt the dewy blades of grass. She didn't realize she was grinning until her cheeks started to hurt.

A large hand touched her shoulder with an unprecedented gentleness. Rey looked up. There was amusement etched on Shwaz's face. "As beautiful as it is, time is of the essence."

"Of course." Rey rose to her feet. "To the castle, then?"

Shwaz nodded.

The path to the gate crunched underneath their feet. Rey felt her boots crush patches of plant life and scatter pebbles and rocks around. She almost tripped once, not expecting a tree root to poke out of the earth below them.

They crossed the threshold and made their way to the large doors of the castle. Rey watched as a droid walked down the steps and passed them by. From where they stood she could hear a loud cacophony of voices from within. Music blared, glass shattered, lifeforms yelled and shouted and laughed raucously. This was the end of the line.

"Finn?" Rey addressed the man. She outstretched her hand. "Good luck and safe travels."

He smiled and shook her hand. "You too, Rey. Good luck on your mission." Finn released her hand and glanced at Shwaz. "Both of you."

The man opened the doors and entered. He didn't look back. Rey watched as the doors slowly shut. She inhaled sharply. Why did it feel like something important was slinking away into the darkness? Rey took a few steadying breaths. She was being silly. This was just her body's way of informing her she was overwhelmed... or something.

"Are you alright, Rey?"

Beside her Shwaz looked at her in concern. What did she ever do to deserve his concern, she wondered. They didn't know each other very well at all. In fact, they hadn't spoken much about anything unrelated to their mission. Yet she trusted him. Despite his dark moods, and the occasional terrifying look his face took on, she just knew she could trust him.

"I'm fine. Really." She forced a smile. "Shall we go in?"

Inside the castle were lifeforms from all walks of life. Her ears perked up at the sound of music. Such things were a rarity on Jakku. In fact, Rey couldn't remember the last time she heard real musical instruments. Off in a corner the band played their upbeat tune, moving in time with the beat.

They were meandering through the crowd and toward what looked like a bar. Rey had to lean close to Shwaz in order for him to hear her over the ruckus.

"Where are we going to find fuel for the ship here, Shwaz?"

"The bartender will likely know." His low voice was almost inaudible. "And if they don't, then we'll keep asking until we find someone who does know."

Rey nodded and stuck by the man's side. A few more... aggressive lifeforms scowled at her whenever she got too close. One even bared its fangs at her when they walked past its table. But she wasn't too afraid. Rey was no stranger to confrontation. She'd been in multiple fights back on Jakku. On that planet, it was defeat or be defeated. And when you were defeated on Jakku... bad things happened.

The bar was long and lined with ancient looking stools carved from wood and nailed to the floorboards. Several lifeforms were already indulging in drink. A few looked like they were close to slipping from their seats and collapsing into a heap. Before they could quite reach the counter, someone stopped them.

"You!"

Before them was a short lifeform. Judging by the pitch of their voice, Rey wanted to say they were female. Her skin was a burnt orange colour and thin strands of white hair covered her scalp. But most notable of all were her goggles covering her large brown eyes. She was pointing right at Shwaz, who looked bemused by this.

"Are... are you pointing at me?"

Instead of answering, she clambered onto the dining table and inched closer to Shwaz. Her small hands went to her goggles and Rey watched as her eyes appeared to grow several sizes larger. She appeared to ignore his question.

"You're the one I've been waiting for." She breathed, eyes taking in his appearance.

His eyes widened minutely. "That was you? I could... I could feel you the moment we entered the atmosphere."

Her face broke into a grin, heavy wrinkles appearing near her eyes, and she let out a joyful laugh. "Oh yes, that was me, child. I have been anticipating your arrival for many weeks now." She leaned back and adjusted her goggles, making her twinkling brown eyes reduce in size.

"Forgive me. I am Maz Kanata. Welcome to my home!" She raised her arms into the air and jumped from the table. "Come, my dears. We are due for a discussion."

Rey looked at Shwaz in confusion. He shrugged and followed after the short woman. Not wanting to get left behind, Rey followed after him. She wasn't sure what to think about Maz, but she didn't think the small lifeform was any danger.