"What do you know of the Force?" Maz asked, after Jenny and Rey seated themselves cross-legged on the floor in front of her.
Jenny shrugged. "Force? Sounds all mysterious. I've never heard of it before."
Maz's gaze shifted to Rey expectantly. "Child?"
Rey scrunched her face. "It's a power that the Jedi had...that enables them to control people and...lift rocks?"
Maz chucked. The chuckle became a throaty cough. She struggled to compose herself for nearly a minute, worrying Rey. But finally she regained control of her breathing.
"So close, and yet entirely wrong," Maz said. "Quite an achievement."
Rey pursed her lips. "That's what I've heard, in stories from travelers," she offered.
"But here is the first story," Maz said, pointing at the book in her lap. "Written by the ancient Jedi historians themselves.
"The Force is an energy field that connects all living things," Maz continued. "It enabled the Jedi to sense the thoughts, intents, and auras of other beings. It enabled them to glimpse the future or peer into the past. The Force gave them the ability to influence the physical world around them in many ways."
Maz began flipping gently through the book, pausing periodically to trace a page with one of her aged fingers.
"For millennia, the Jedi Knights, beings intimately connected to the Force, safeguarded all liberty in the galaxy," she said. "Free will, democracy, and freedom flourished. It was a golden age for the galaxy.
"But then came the Sith, users of the Force who chose to use its darker nature for evil. They sought to destroy all freedom.
"The Jedi and the Sith fought one another in a terrible war. They unleashed Force powers unlike any the galaxy had witnessed before.
"The Jedi should have triumphed, but their long reign had made them indolent and complacent. The Sith took advantage of this, and after decades of bloodshed, the Jedi were on the brink of annihilation."
Rey watched closely as Maz turned to a page near the end of the book, traced the words on it, and began reading aloud:
"'On the final day, on the bluff overlooking the Eternal Molten Sea, the Jedi fought for their lives. They believed the will of the Force had come out against them, and they prepared to rejoin it in serene surrender.
"But then he came: the Lonely God, the Noble Wanderer of Chaos, the Warrior of Time, the Oncoming Storm.
"His ship materialized from the ether. He stepped forth, and gave the Jedi what they needed most in their darkest hour. I cannot write the truth of his gift, for it was great and terrible. The Jedi prevailed. None of the Sith survived. Their total destruction ensured that the legend of what happened that day never found its way into their shadowy rites.
"But the Jedi's salvation came at a terrible price. The Jedi could not allow the Oncoming Storm to remain, but bade him leave. He complied, promising to stay out of the galaxy's affairs forever."
Maz glanced up from her book. "That's what this record claims. Yet other stories suggest the Oncoming Storm broke this promise. The tales of many races and orders describe a similar figure materializing in a magical craft and righting wrongs where no one else could. And I do not even know all the accounts and legends that exist."
"Blimey," Jenny breathed. Despite the situation, Rey couldn't help noting how cute her expression of surprised wonderment appeared on her face. "That sounds like...my dad."
"Your dad?" Rey questioned. "Seriously?"
"Yes, I believe this Oncoming Storm matches the description of your father," Maz told Jenny.
"Do you where he is now?" Jenny asked eagerly.
Lines of somberness creased Maz's old face as she turned to the last page in the book and peered at it. "There is a prophecy at the end of this volume. It states,
"'When the Last meets the First at the Birthplace of the Jedi, the Oncoming Storm will return and bring salvation to those who need it most.'"
Maz raised her head.
"Humph," Jenny commented. "Textbook enigmatic, those Jedi historians, weren't they?"
"What does it mean?" Rey asked, intrigued.
"The First and the Last could mean many things," Maz intoned. "But I believe it refers to the first Jedi and the last Jedi, meeting face to face."
"How…," Rey questioned, confused. "How can that happen?"
"I do not know," Maz said. "The language of Force prophecies can be easily misread. But..." She pulled her large spectacles off her eyes and returned them atop her head. She peered intently at both Rey and Jenny, her gaze flicking to and fro between them. "But the Birthplace of the Jedi is difficult to misinterpret. I am almost certain it refers to the first Jedi temple."
Rey blinked, ruminating on the legends she'd heard of the Jedi. None of them had mentioned the first Jedi temple.
"No offense Maz, but what does this have to do with finding my dad here and now?" Jenny asked.
Maz closed her eyes and remained silent.
Rey and Jenny exchanged questioning glances. Just when Rey was about to ask if Maz was okay, her eyes opened.
"The Force is awake again," Maz said. "Its will moves in renewed intensity. The Jedi are on the brink of destruction once more. As we speak, the Resistance, the final enemy of the evil First Order, searches for Jedi Master Luke Skywalker."
"Luke Skywalker?" Rey breathed in awe. "I thought he was a myth."
"He is real, I assure you," Maz replied. "And to my knowledge, he is the last of the Jedi, and he is rumored to be searching for the first Jedi temple."
Jenny sprang to her feet, causing Rey's fighting instincts to flare for a moment. "That's bloody brilliant!" she piped excitedly. "What do you mean 'easily misread?' You can't get any more proper and clear. We need to talk to these Resistance lot."
"It will not be easy," Maz said. "But then, nothing of importance ever is. Patience, child. You and your friend need to rest. I will see what I can learn tonight, and in the morning we will find out what the will of the Force has provided."
Jenny breathed deeply and bit her lip. "Right, patience. Not my greatest strength. But all right..."
She flashed Rey a cheeky smile over her shoulder. "...We'll sleep on it."
Rey was certain her face displayed a calm, neutral expression as she nodded in response, but inside her, Jenny's words caused a stirring of hopeful excitement, not unlike her emotions at seeing Jenny's rocket for the first time.
...
Maz waited until the footsteps of the two girls had long since died out. Then she opened the book to the last page again and held its rough fibers between her fingertips.
"Oh children, I wish I could tell you that I only shared half the prophecy," she sighed.
She hated withholding information. It was at least dishonest, probably even deceitful of her. But she made a promise to the person who gave her this book, and she intended to keep that promise. She'd already kept most of it. Now to fulfill the rest.
She closed her eyes regretfully, then tugged on the page. She tore it from its binding using great care. Then she hopped off the stool, replaced the book on the shelf, and folded the torn-out page into a small, neat rectangle. She slid the rectangle into a pocket on her vest.
"The will of the Force indeed," she breathed wearily, before beginning her climb up the stone steps.
