"Not you." Rika clarified as soon as Poe motioned for their ship. "Just her, and the laser sword girl."

"Yeah, I don't think that's a good idea." Poe took up a defensive position next to Maia. She reached out softly with the Force and tugged on Rey to get her outside. She hadn't done this in a long time, usually she left Rey alone, but as she reached for the girl she felt something else reaching for her too. A darkness like the one that surrounded the town was reaching for her too. Fear gripped her momentarily, but her reach was broken. Rey exited the ship, her lightsaber unlit.

Maia turned her attention to the younger girl for the first time in a long time. She had suspected Rey was struggling with her place in the Force, but she hadn't felt the dark side actively reaching for her. It wanted her and this place was only making it stronger.

"What are you doing here?" Rey asked Rika as soon as she walked exited the ship.

"I would like to talk with you and your master, alone."

Maia didn't know who she wanted to be alone with the least, Rika or Rey. The darkness that seemed to swirl around them focused on the other two women and filled her with dread. Poe saw Rey and retreated into the ship but she knew he would stay right next to the door.

"What do you want Rika Dravvad of Chandrila?" Maia asked as Rey stood next to her.

"Since I was a child, I've known things about people they didn't want me to know. It's given me a lot of advantages in this life and I want it to give me more. I was hoping that you could teach me a few tricks."

They exchanged glances, "The Force isn't for tricks, it's so much bigger than that." Maia said coolly, "We can't just 'teach you a few tricks.'"

"I don't need all the mumbo jumbo that goes with the Force, I just need more tools to help my friends."

Rey turned her back to Rika and leaned into Maia, "Maybe, we could just help her out."

"That's not what the Force is for." She responded firmly. She didn't like any of this and she wasn't going to change positions now. "The Force is much bigger and more complicated than a few tricks. One thoughtless action can send you spiraling towards the dark side without proper training."

Rey turned around, "I can teach you a few things."

"Rey!"

The younger woman stepped forward, ignoring her, "We need more help Maia, this is how we are going to get it."

Maia huffed and crossed her arms, "Fine, do whatever you want." She looked back to the ship and didn't want to go back there either. Under the open skies of her birthplace she suffocated under the weight of the stars. She walked off, back into the city, Rey let her go without protest. She could disappear easily in this city and she was already out of their sight. Don't let go. She had said this morning, but she was always the one walking away.

The darkness was hard to pinpoint in the city, it seemed to imbibe the red dirt and every whisper from every house. When she was a child, there hadn't been a name for it, just the feeling that she needed to leave. Years later, it was even more oppressive than she remembered.

Her feet took her through the city. It was much the same as it had been, dirty and ramshackle, she hadn't been surprised that her things were still there, this place would never change. But maybe it could. These group of rebels wanted to change it, why shouldn't she help them? She stopped and looked back, maybe Rey was right too, doing good in the galaxy was what they were supposed to be doing. Rey was the next Jedi and all that, it wouldn't hurt for Maia to listen to her. She found her way down into the tunnels. She had never been in them before today, they had been too scary for her younger self. Down there, she searched out the light and it led her to the old door they had been to earlier. She knocked and nothing happened. Movement next to the door caught her eye. A small droid no bigger than her fist was looking at her from a small alcove on the wall. It beeped at her and she beeped back. The door opened a crack and Jak poked his head out, "What are you doing here alone?"

"Can I talk to you?"

Jak opened the door and let her into their hideout.

Poe had fallen asleep waiting for the girls to come back to the ship. Tel had disappeared off to his family's house, Finn and Rose were asleep on cots in the cargo hold. He was jostled awake by Rose, her face full of concern, "Where are Rey and Maia?"

"What?" He rubbed at his eyes.

"Rey and Maia aren't here."

When her words registered with him, he shot up, "What do you mean they aren't here?"

Before Rose had a chance to explain, Tel appeared, out of breath and sweating, "We have a big problem." He pointed outside the ship.

Rose and Poe walked out into the rising sun and saw in the sky, a First Order destroyer.

Something tugged on the edge of her shirt, familiar and insisting. Maia turned around and there was a small boy with bright red hair and eyes so green you would swear they were made of grass. His face was solemn as he looked up at her. He waved her down to him and she knelt to hear what he had to say. She listened as he whispered what he had done and how he needed her help. She nodded and took his hand.

They walked through the halls of the Jedi Temple together to the meditation room. Ben Solo was sitting there, and so was Rey, their hands barely touching. As soon as she walked in she felt his anger directed towards her. It swirled around her and the small hand in hers slipped away. Rey reached out for her but the room faded into darkness.

She sat up in the bed the rebel group had given her for the night. Her and Jak had talked about their childhoods and Maia had told him what happened after her disappearance. He believed her now, but he wasn't forgiving her yet. Talking didn't absolve her of guilt but she did feel a little better.

After her disappearance, Jak's life had been difficult. He paid off their debt to the Dennon Collective then worked as an algae collector until recently. His son had been killed in the blast set off by the First Order group. He took up arms against them and wanted them off his planet. Maia asked if he was interested in fighting a bigger fight and he said he hadn't thought about it.

"We used to think a lot about getting off this planet."

Jak nodded, "That was before. This is my home, I don't have time to think about other people right now."

The small group of rebels were gathered around their holo table, whispering and pointing. Above their heads she saw a familiar shape, a star destroyer. She rose slowly, reaching out in the Force and was met with a wall of anger and hate. He was here and he was angry. Poe had been right, this had been a trap.

There was a knock at the door, it must have been the correct knock because they opened it without question.

Rika walked in and light a familiar crackling blue light saber in her hand and cut down the man who let her in. Others filed in after her and started shooting the rebel group. They were unprepared for an attack and all of them fell in front of her.

Rika stormed up to her, "Well Jedi Master, you didn't see this coming did you?"