When Jenny awoke the next morning, her head still throbbed painfully but not nearly as bad as yesterday. She sat slowly up in bed, noting the thin, worn blanket lying on top of her. Early morning sunlight shone through the chamber's open doorway, giving the place a homely feel. The girl who rescued her was gone.

Jenny placed her feet on the floor and climbed gingerly out of the hammock, doing her best not to aggravate the pounding in her head.

She held her pistol in front of her face, idly twirling it between her fingers. She considered returning it to its hiding spot in her shirt, but quickly remembered the encounter with those reptile-dog things the night before, and decided she might need the pistol again very soon. She flicked on the safety and slid the weapon into the right hip pocket of her shorts, where it was easily available.

She walked through the odd chamber to the exit, observing the rickety walls, worn cabling, and machinery inside.

When she stood in front of the exit, she put her hands on her hips and gazed out at the expanse of sand and dunes. Despite the barren sight and the dry heat already encroaching on her, she grinned.

Another world, she thought to herself! Jenny still hadn't tired of exploring new planets, even after a month of knocking around the universe. This life, the life her father also lived, invigorated and intoxicated her like lunar wine from the fields of Ama Neld. Gratefully, she breathed the harsh, dusty air into her dried-out nose and mouth.

"Mmm!' she moaned. "Marvelous!"

Sand shifted and crunched nearby as the girl from before stepped into view.

"So you're awake," the young woman said to Jenny.

Her expression remained neutral, but Jenny noticed a quivering gleam behind her eyes. Jenny knew that gleam well, it was the same gleam she often saw in her own reflection's eyes.

Jenny studied the girl with leisure, She stood taller than Jenny, though that wasn't unusual. She wore an assortment of off-white, beige, and taupe clothing that resembled pieces of robes, or the bed curtains Jenny had seen on her travels. An overdress covered a close-fitting undershirt that hugged a lean, slender body. Arm wraps covered portions of her arms. The staff she'd used so formidably the night before rested on her back. She wore boots suited to this sandy climate, and a pair of short pants that showed off athletic, toned calf muscles. The girl's skin had been darkened by the sun but remained surprisingly light. Dark hair and an angular, sculpted face gave her an air of solitary beauty, and Jenny found herself staring at the other girl in fascination.

"Here, drink this," the girl said.

She handed Jenny a full canteen. As Jenny took the flasket, she realized how thirsty she truly was. She brought the jug to her lips and chugged. The water inside tasted metallic and grainy, but delicious to her parched lips and tongue just the same.

Only after she'd trained two-thirds of the canteen did it occur to her they were in a desert, and perhaps the other girl might like some water too. Sheepishly she lowered the canteen, wiped her lips, and held the canteen out to the other girl.

"Thanks," Jenny said. "Better take your share soon, or I'll drink the whole thing."

"Go ahead," the young woman said. "I'll be fine."

Jenny gazed at the girl's weathered skin, her lean build, and her stoic posture. 'Yeah,' Jenny thought, 'she'll probably be just fine.'

Without a second thought, Jenny downed the rest of the water.

"How are you feeling?" the girl asked after taking the canteen from Jenny.

"I think I'll get quite the lump," Jenny answered, gesturing to the bandage on her forehead. "Moving about doesn't feel too great. But I think I'll live." She felt a warm smile of gratitude spread across her face. "Thanks to you. You saved my life, and I don't even know your name."

The other girl flashed her own sheepish grimace, but a hint of resolve and boldness nested behind it. "My name's Rey."

"Ah, what a nice name. Like from the sun?" Jenny asked, already noting how well the name suited her.

The other girl's face scrunched up. "No, not quite."

She strode past Jenny and stood in front of a wall where hundreds of tally marks had been scrawled. She rose up on her tiptoes, muscled calves flexing, and pointed to a spot high in the corner.

"See, like this," the young woman said to Jenny.

Moving closer, Jenny squinted at the spot. Written in teeny tiny letters was a word. The translation circuit Jenny had implanted in her scalp took the alien writing and shifted it before her eyes:

Rey.

'Aha,' thought Jenny.

"Well, nice to meet you, Rey. I owe you one for saving my life." She eyed the rows of tally marks. "Can I ask you what all those marks represent?"

Rey folded her arms, and Jenny's fighting instincts told her the other woman had become suddenly defensive.

"Just keeping track of time," Rey answered. "That's all."

"Alright," said Jenny, dropping the subject even though she wanted to know more.

Now, I..." Jenny continued. She glanced around in mild embarrassment before asking, "Is there a toilet nearby?"

Rey nodded. "There's a refresher station out back," she said graciously. "I'm not sure where you're from, but it's not much of one. I bought it in place of a day's rations years ago. I have to fix it every other day, and it's extremely hot inside."

"I'll manage," Jenny assured her. "Be right back."

She could practically feel the other girl's eyes on her every movement as she turned and headed outside.

….

Rey was playing a game of string and spindle in an attempt to distract herself from her growling stomach and thirst-ridden mouth when Jenny returned from the refresher. Dropping the game on the floor, she stood quickly.

'Calm down,' she hissed at herself. 'What's gotten into you?'

But the same hopeful excitement she'd experienced when first laying eyes on Jenny's ship fluttered inside her stomach now as she looked at Jenny.

"Feeling better?" Rey asked because she couldn't think of anything else to say, almost immediately regretting her words.

Jenny chuckled. "Lots."

"So...your ship was quite unusual," Rey prompted, eager to change the subject, and extremely eager to learn more about this girl and where she came from.

"Yeah," Jenny agreed, strolling through the room with her hands behind her back, surveying the chamber's furnishings. "It used to be even more boring. I've had to make some...modifications."

"Where did you get it?" Rey asked.

Jenny idly nudged a stray power converter on the floor with her foot. She glanced up mischievously at Rey. "I...borrowed it. The current owners were too busy with other things and didn't have much use for it."

"Okay..." Rey didn't fail to notice the way Jenny said 'borrowed.' "Where are you..."

"Do you live here all by yourself?" Jenny interrupted. She was staring at the marked-up wall again. Rey glared at her, and Jenny averted her eyes from the wall guiltily.

"What if I do?" Rey questioned, squaring her shoulders and folding her arms defensively.

"Out here, in the desert, all on your own?" Jenny pressed.

"I can take care of myself," Rey said.

Jenny's eyes flicked up and down Rey's body, and she smirked. "I don't doubt that. I just mean it seems sort of lonely."

Suddenly she put a hand over her mouth and moaned. "Oh, I'm sorry, was that rude?" Jenny asked. "I'm still...not very good at conversations."

Rey's ire subsided quickly at the worried, stricken expression on Jenny's face. "Don't worry about it. I've heard plenty worse at the Niima Outpost on a good day."

"An outpost, huh?" said Jenny. "Why don't you live there?"

"Not a chance," Rey said, not bothering to hide her disgust as she thought of Unkar Plutt, the Outpost's lumpy, leering boss. "I prefer to keep to myself."

Jenny stared at her, half smirking. Finally she said. "Well, what about your family? Are they around?"

Rey's muscles tensed and she looked at the floor. "They're away right now. They'll be back soon though."

She hung onto her own words and willed them to be true.

Jenny was watching her closely. "Rey...I said I owed you for saving my life. How would you like to go on a trip? Just a short spin. We can pop off and be back in a couple days. You can take a break from...," she gestured with her arms to the walker's compartment, "from all this."

Rey laughed. "A short spin? In what? I'm sorry Jenny, but your ship won't be flying anytime soon."

"Maybe not," Jenny said. "But there's something inside." Her eyes twinkled briefly. "A piece of machinery that I can use to fix up another ship. Surely there's another ship around here I can buy."

Hating to be the bearer of bad news, Rey slowly explained, "I'm sorry, but your ship's probably been picked clean by now. This place is full of people like me who salvage downed ships and sell the parts."

Jenny's eyes widened. "What? No no no! We need to get back to my ship!"

Rey didn't like that idea. "You're not in the best condition to go out there." And I can't afford another day without some good salvage, Rey thought. "Besides, like I said, your ship's probably been pulled apart."

Jenny strode over to her. Rey stiffened instinctively, but didn't shy away from Jenny's touch when the other girl placed her hands on Rey's shoulders.

"Rey, I know you're not going to believe me, but that 'component' on my ship, it's special. Very special. Hard to come by. It's called a vortex manipulator. Or it used to be. I've modified it a bit."

Rey was transfixed by the sincerity and worry in Jenny's petite face. The hopeful, excited fluttering returned to her stomach.

"Vortex manipulator," Rey said, testing the words on her tongue. "What is that?"

Jenny paused before answering, "Well, Rey, it lets me travel through time."