disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars. All original characters are of my creation.

Two Months Later

The outskirts of the Niima Outpost, Jakku

….

Naya wiped away the sweat from her brow and frowned. The heat was thick and humid, inflaming her lungs every time she inhaled. The sun was blaring down on the terrain around her, increasing the temperature. It was hell. She already hated this place. Naya and her mother had been dropped off at the Niima Outpost. Their hike had taken them away from the outpost, Naya couldn't even see any form of civilization from where they currently were. They were out in the middle of nowhere with the damn sun beating down on them. She hasn't even been on this planet for that long and she already wanted to leave. She wanted to go back home.

"Come on," Naya turned her attention to her mother who was a little ahead of her. "Zara's tent is just over that hill, let's go."

Naya blew out a frustrated sigh, adjusted the straps of her bag, and began trudging behind her mom. Her feet sunk into the hot sand with every step, making it rather difficult for her to keep up with her mother. But Naya had to make do with what she had. "Why did we have to come here?" Naya finally asked.

"We came here because staying at home wasn't an option for us anymore."

Mila's answer made Naya glare at the woman in front of her. That kind of excuse only enraged Naya's mid-level frustration. "Staying at home has never not been an option for us," she quickly argued her point. "There has to be a reason why we left. Almost like-" Naya stumbled in her steps, almost falling down to her knees but was able to catch herself. "Almost like you're keeping something from me." She finally managed to finish once she gained her footing.

At this, Mila stopped and looked up at the sky, her shoulders slouched in exhaustion. Wiping the sweat away from her face, she turned to her young daughter. "Why would you think I'm keeping something from you?"

"Because we wouldn't just leave home like that, especially to come live here." Naya made sure to verbally express her distaste for the desert terrain. Mila didn't say anything, she only waited until Naya was standing right next to her.

Naya heavily exhaled and a tired groan ensued shortly after. "And why couldn't papa come with us?"

Mila wiped at her brow again and looked down at the sand, trying to think about how she was supposed to explain this to her. "Your father had to help General Organa, he's where he is supposed to be."

"No," Naya quickly disagreed. "He needs to be with us, we need to be together."

"I know." Mila agreed, the sadness immediately etched on her face. Mila wanted that more than anything. To be together again. The whole family. That was a wanting not worth holding onto anymore. "But this is how it's going to be for now on."

"I don't like it."

"I know," Mila repeated. "We need to get to Zara's, come on."

Naya sighed but followed her mother up the hill, a rather challenging obstacle for her. It was steep and Naya's little legs could barely make the walk without making her stumble a few times. Once they made it over, Naya could see a tent not that far from them and she exhaled in relief. Finally, they would be able to get out of the sun.

"Not that far now." Mila commented, hoping that it would motivate Naya to keep on going. She had no other choice but to continue on.

When they finally made it to the hut, Naya could see a fairly short statured woman with dark hair and tanned skin, standing outside the entrance. Naya had no idea who this woman was but by the look on her mother's face, the older woman was someone she knew. That didn't come as a surprise to her. Naya knew that her mother was born and raised here. Jakku was never a place that Mila talked about much. There was no need to discuss the matter. All Naya knew was that her mother left Jakku and somehow met her father along the way.

"Zara." Mila's tone was dripping with relief.

Naya was able to take a quick notice that the woman was a little older than she had anticipated. That, or, spending years out in the sun has aged her skin making her look older than what she was.

Zara greeted both of them with a hearty smile, giving Naya the sense that they were being welcomed without much hesitation. Upon seeing the condition that they both were in, Zara's smile faltered. "Where were you two walking from?" she asked, her brows creased with questioning.

"We got dropped off at the Niima outpost."

"That far out?" Zara's eyes widened as she assessed both of them and then quickly nodded. "Well, come into the hut." She motioned at them to follow, wanting to get them into the hut as quickly as she could.

Mila gently ushered Naya in, both of them feeling the immediate relief of finally getting out of the sun. Zara had grabbed two canteens of water and quickly handed one to Naya, hesitantly taking it from the women's hand. Naya went to take a drink when she took notice of a young girl who was sitting at a work table, scrubbing away at mechanical parts.

"Is that her?"

Naya heard her mother quietly ask the question and she turned her attention to the two women who were standing close to each other. Naya saw Zara nod her head in confirmation at Mila's question. This made her incredibly curious. Who was this girl?

"What is she doing here?" Naya couldn't help herself. She wanted to be a part of the conversation.

"Poor girl was left here by her family, no explanation." Zara shook her head, sighing sadly. "Plutt essentially placed her in my care, I couldn't really argue with him. So, she is going to be staying here."

All of what Naya had heard made her feel a little off. Just the fact that her family dropped her off here was enough to make Naya feel a little upset. "Why would her family just leave her here?"

"Hey, Naya." Mila quickly ended her daughter's questioning. "Why don't you go and take a seat? Drink your water and rest, okay?"

Naya didn't try to hide her disappointment. She knew that her mother and Zara were going to have a conversation and she wasn't supposed to hear it. And there was no way she was going to get any answers from either of them. Without putting up a fight, Naya walked over to the table and sat down directly across from the girl, who was still cleaning the parts.

As Naya uncapped the canteen and took a few drinks, she couldn't help but take a quick glance at the girl. She hadn't ceased her cleaning and it didn't seem like she was going to acknowledge Naya's presence. Naya continued to stare at the girl across from her. She looked to be about five or six, maybe younger. With hair pulled back into a messy style and her face was already sporting dirt that was sticking to her forehead and cheeks. And Naya took notice of fairly fresh tear stains that had made trails down her cheeks. This young girl looked lost and Naya could only feel sympathy towards her. This poor girl was just dropped off by her family. No explanation. Just left here, of all places.

Naya tried to make sense as to why that would happen. What would prompt her family to leave her somewhere? Despite wanting to simmer in her own privacy, Naya knew that she was carving out a new goal for herself. To gain this young girl's trust.

Naya remained quiet, taking quick sips from the bottle. Also ensuring to keep up the careful glances at the young girl, who didn't show signs of stopping her work. At one moment, she paused and picked up a water canteen next to her, only to shake it after realizing that it was empty.

Naya pursed her lips together and without hesitating, extended her arm out, offering her water to the young girl. She stopped and hesitantly looked up at Naya, both of them meeting each other's eyes in a gentle stare down. The girl looked almost afraid to take it from her, thinking that Naya was making a mistake by offering it to her. Only then did Naya offer a faint, encouraging smile which allowed the girl to accept the gesture.

Naya pulled her arm back when the exchange happened and this time both girls continued to look at each other. Normally, Naya would have felt some form of discomfort from someone staring at her. In this case, it didn't bother her. Naya felt a surge within her, she wanted to talk with her, try and get to know her.

"What's your name?" Naya finally asked, her voice was quiet. One might have thought that she was trying to make sure that Zara and her mother didn't hear.

Instead of answering, the young girl took a few drinks from the canteen and offered it back to Naya, who simply shook her head. You keep it, were the unspoken words. The young girl placed the bottle down on the table and went back to work.

"You can tell me your name." Naya gently pressed the matter. "I think we are going to be seeing each other a lot."

No response. Just the sound of the cleaning brush against the mechanical part.

Naya cinched her lips to the side. "My name is Naya." She decided to offer her name up first, thinking that it would be an invitation for the girl to speak. But it never happened.

Naya sighed quietly and scanned over the table, seeing that there were more objects that needed to be cleaned. There wasn't much of a conversation that was being held and Naya didn't know what else to do. She grabbed one of the objects, along with a cleaning brush, and began to clean the oil and grim away. Naya had become engrossed by the task, she initially didn't know that the young girl had stopped and was staring at her.

When she finally looked up, Naya could see a mixture of confusion and surprise written on the girl's face. Naya looked down at the part and then shrugged. "I don't mind helping," She commented, coolly. "You shouldn't have to do all of this by yourself."

Those words seemed to settle down the confusion that had sprouted up. Even though it wasn't said, Naya could read the small hint of gratitude that crossed the young girl's face. They both descended into a comfortable silence, that is until Naya decided to try and carry on another conversation.

"Where are you from?" She didn't look up, the silence that followed her question was her answer but that didn't stop her. "My mother and I just arrived here on this…piece of desert." Naya's tone hinted at the still present distaste for having to come here. "I still don't know why we had to come here." She merely glanced up at the girl, seeing that she was still preoccupied with her cleaning. "Do you know why you are here?"

The question struck a nerve. Naya saw the girl's face tense and her eyes narrow, like she was trying to stop tears from falling.

She regretted asking the question, immediately. Naya silently berated herself, "Sorry, forget that I even asked that."

"Naya."

Naya stopped her task and looked up at her mother who was peering down at her, curiously. "What are you doing?"

Naya shrugged, "I was just helping…" Naya paused, remembering that she had not received the name of the girl sitting across from her. "I was just helping her clean these."

Mila scanned over the object in Naya's hand and then shifted her gaze over at the other girl. "Hello." Mila tried her hand at getting the young girl to talk. Of course, nothing. Not even a glance. Mila didn't take it to heart. This young girl was confused and scared. It made sense that she wouldn't have the trust to talk with her. Looking down at her daughter, she offered a faint smile. "We will be staying with Zara tonight. Then tomorrow we will be moving into our hut."

"Where is it?" Naya asked, although she didn't sound too enthusiastic about the idea of having to live in a hut in the desert.

"Just a couple of feet away from here," Mila gently brushed at her daughter's hair. "Zara said that the former occupants left. Therefore, it is ours for the taking."

The news didn't make Naya feel any better. In fact, it made her feel more agitated. They were moving into a hut, which meant they were staying here. For a good amount of time. Naya placed the contents in her hands back on the table, "How long are we going to be staying here?"

If anything, that was a question Mila didn't have the energy to discuss with her. She was tired, not just from their hike, it was from everything. Only two months since she learned of her son's death and now they had dropped almost everything to relocate here.

"Naya." Mila exhaled, her hand rested against her forehead. "Sweetheart, I don't know how long we will be here. All I know is that it will be for a while."

"Is papa going to come and see us?" Naya had been silently debating whether she was going to push the subject of her father any more. She felt that she had every right to question her mother about it. Naya wanted to be with both of her parents.

Mila knelt down in front of Naya and took hold of her hands, "Not for a while."

Naya stared at her mother with a dead panned look.

Mila gave her daughter's hands a gentle squeeze, "Your father went to for the New Republic because he was needed there. The General needed him at her side."

Naya slowly shook her head. "I like General Organa," she began and paused to think of her next words. "But she doesn't need papa with her. We need him. We are supposed to be together. Why can't we be together?"

Mila lovingly caressed her daughter's cheek. "I know, I want the same thing. I wish that we could go back to how things were. But we can't."

"Because of Jaiden."

That name had been a sore subject for the past two months. Bringing it up now certainly didn't do either of them any good. Mila couldn't answer that with anything. Hearing her son's name only brought that painful realization to the forefront. Now, she wouldn't be able to stop thinking about it. "Yes." Mila quietly confirmed. "It's because of what happened."

"You and papa didn't even try to keep us together."

That comment struck something within Mila. She and Calum had tried, desperately tried to deal with what had happened. Tried to help each other cope with the loss of their son. However, dealing with each other's pain and grief was overbearing for them both. They had to deal with it in their own way, on their own terms. Calum left. He went to stay at First Republicbase. There he would be able to work, almost non-stop if he wanted to. That is how he was going to cope with this. And Mila, she didn't know what else to do. When Mila told Naya that staying at home was no longer an option, she was telling the truth. Walking in the same house where her husband and son used to live was too painful. Mila wanted to get out and she had to take Naya with her.

Mila gave Naya's hand a reassuring squeeze. "Naya, sweetheart, we did. We tried our very best."

"No, you didn't." Naya was going to be persistent with this. "Because if you had actually tried, we wouldn't be here."

Mila silently shook her head, denying Naya's accusations.

"If you two had actually tried, you and papa would still be together and we would be together. Like it should be."

"Naya." Mila's hardened voice silenced Naya from venturing any further. Mother and daughter stared at each other. Naya being a little taken back from the sudden harshness in her mother's tone. The outburst should have been expected. Naya was striking every nerve, hitting them with full force. She didn't want to hear it. "Naya, tha's enough. No more. Do you understand me?"

Naya had been rendered speechless. The tears that were brimming her mother's eyes was enough to hint to her how much she was suffering. Not that Naya was completely clueless to that matter. Her mother was always good at hiding it. Except now. Her voice was raw with newly dug up pain and a sense of hopelessness was etched into her features. Hopelessness that she would never be able to escape this mental hell of being a parent who lost a child. Naya had never seen her mother in this kind of state, never seen her this broken. It was scary. Seeing her mother slowly crumbling before her. And the worst part was that there was nothing Naya could do to help it.

Instead, Naya swallowed down what was left of her anger and slowly nodded her head. "Yes, mother." Naya quietly voiced her understanding.

Relief and regret soon flooded her mother's face. Relief that Naya knew her place and regret for how she raised her voice. She quickly ran a hand through Naya's hair and kissed her forehead before stepping away. It wasn't exactly the kind of note Mila wanted to end on, she just couldn't find anything to say to her daughter. In a sense, Mila felt that there was some truth to her daughter's accusations and she couldn't find a way to truly defend herself against them.

Naya sat in a few moments of silence before immediately going back to cleaning, feeling the urge to do something. Anything that would help her to vent out her own anger in a subtle way. Unbeknownst to her, the young girl sitting across from her saw everything and was now staring at Naya. Now completely curious as to who she was. Where did she come from? Why exactly is she here? She knew that it had something to do with her family. As for what the actual cause was, that wasn't established in the conversation between Naya and her mother.

Naya had been cleaning vigorously, not even realizing that she was being watched until an uneasy feeling came over her. She paused and slowly looked up, meeting eyes with the young girl. There was no scrutinizing or judgement written on her face. Her expression was soft and Naya swore to herself that she could see a small hint of what looked like sympathy and also curiosity. It didn't take Naya long to realize that she must have listened to the entire conversation. She couldn't really blame the girl. Naya and her mother weren't exactly trying to keep their voices down.

But Naya could feel herself growing uncomfortable. Not from the staring but from the fact that she had to see and hear any of that in the first place.

"Sorry—about that." It was hasty. Naya didn't seem to put much into that apology. She just wanted to get the words out before her discomfort could grow into outright embarrassment. "I don't think we'll be talking about it anymore" There was a very quiet laugh that followed her sentence which was her trying to make light of this situation. However, it fell flat, making Naya feel more insecure.

Instead of trying to carry on with it, Naya only picked up her cleaning where she left off and soon the young girl did the same.

The sun was just starting to dip behind the sand dunes. The sky was alive with a prominent sunset, one that Naya had seen often back on her home planet. She missed her home. She missed seeing all the green and the trees. The familiar faces and buildings. She missed the small creek that she and Ben would always frequent.

And just like that, her mood suddenly dipped. The small ounce of peace she had been feeling while looking at the sunset was now gone. Replaced by confusion and sadness, emotions that she had learned to bury these past two months. Never really allowing herself to live in it, never truly moving on and accepting what had happened. How could she? Jaiden, her brother, was gone and the person responsible for that was Ben. Her friend who was now a murderer. This is the same boy she went walking through the forest with, the same boy who she exchanged silly jokes with, the same boy who taught her how to skip rocks, and in return, she taught him how to climb trees properly.

How could this be the same person? How was she supposed to accept that Ben would commit such an atrocity?

It was a concept Naya could not wrap her mind around, no matter how hard she tried. It didn't make sense. Ben had always been kind, granted when she first met him he was a little bitter towards her. That was expected from someone who tried to keep to themselves most of the time. And, like anyone who isolates themselves, once someone has cracked through they are in for good. There is no way to just leave. Naya saw Ben for who he truly was: kind, mindful, and soft spoken. A young boy who had too many expectations placed on his shoulders, something that Naya was able to spot at various times. However, that was something he never fully discussed with her. It was a fact that came with being Leia Organa and Han Solo's child and Ben preferred dealing with it on his own. He would briefly touch on the subject, only enough for Naya to understand where Ben was coming from. And she did understand him, that was one of the few things Ben admitted to Naya as being something he was grateful for. And he was plagued by something much darker, something he never fully told her about. Either he didn't want to scare her or to protect her. She was never quite sure.

There was always a sense that there was more to him than what she realized. Things that she would never know about.

Naya felt the gentle tug of a smile on her lips once she recalled the memory. When everything was simple and good. Not complicated and dark, like how they were now. Naya began to mindlessly trace a picture in the sand, thinking about the forest and started to remember her last day on her home planet. She was standing at the creek and skipping rocks, trying to savor every minute she had. Thinking about Ben and how it was their favorite spot. Also hoping that she would be able to leave him there and not take him with her. Of course, she failed at that. The time she spent there didn't feel long enough. Before she knew it, Naya and her mother were stepping off a ship and were greeted by nothing but sand and sticky humidity. The change happened too fast for Naya. She can't remember what happened back at home the last two months she and her family were together. The only memory she had of her home was that last day of being in the forest. Everything else is nothing more than a blur-a meager stain on her memory. Anything good that happened there is overshadowed by her brother's death. She can't get away from it.

When the picture was finally done, Naya rested her hand in her lap and stared down at the tracing. Several trees encircled around one large rock which she and Ben would always sit on, and the small creek that was in front of it. This tracing didn't do the actual location any justice but it made Naya feel more at ease. It was easy for her to replace this sand tracing with the actual image.

Out of the corner of her eye, Naya saw two small feet appear next to her and when she looked up, there was the young girl holding onto a plate. After a brief moment of looking at each other, the young girl finally handed Naya the plate, which she took in a slow manner. Once the exchange happened, the young girl turned around and sat down in front of the tent, a few inches away from Naya, and began to eat the food from her plate.

Naya stretched out her legs, placing the plate down in her lap but couldn't find her appetite. She simply played at the food for a few minutes before glancing back up at the sunset. "Have you ever really watched the sunset before?" Tearing off a piece of bread, Naya couldn't help but smile. "I did it a lot back on my home planet. Not everyday.." She placed the piece of bread in her mouth and chewed vigorously. "I would always stand out in front of my home which was where the best view of it was." Naya continued, not really paying any attention as to whether the girl was listening or not. "And I would watch all the different colors appear on the horizon. They sort of blended together. And it would always get a lot cooler. I've always preferred it when it was colder." She paused as the image filled her with warmth. "Watching sunsets always made me feel happy and safe." Naya finally swallowed the contents in her mouth and let out a long sigh. "Now, it never lasts long." She finished and stared down at her food.

There was only silence that followed which prompted Naya to turn her head to side. The young girl was looking at Naya with an enamored look on her face. There was a small glint in her eyes, something that caught Naya a little off guard. Earlier, the young girl's eyes were slightly red and tired. Now, there seemed to be a small ounce of hope and wonder in them. At this, Naya offered a genuine smile.

The young girl then moved her focus on the tracing next to Naya, silently inquiring about it. Naya's smile grew when she looked down at it. "It's a forest that I went to a lot," she began to retrace the outline of the trees as she continued. "There were more than five trees, there were a lot of them. They were so tall too." Naya used her hands to try and showcase the size of these trees. Naya then began working on the creek. "And this is a small creek that I always would end up at. This was where I went to get away from everything." She finished with the tracing, "Do you have a place like that?" she asked, looking up at the girl.

The girl took a moment longer to appreciate the sand tracing and silently took in Naya's words. Finding that she was actually trying to picture what this place looked like. In response to Naya's question, she pressed her lips into a thin line and went back to eating. But not before Naya could catch that wonder in her eyes one last time.

After that, Naya actually felt good, like she accomplished a small win. Before, Naya couldn't really gain any kind of emotion from her other than small hints of sympathy or curiosity. Now, she has been offered a small glimpse into who this girl was. Naya had a gut feeling that she was heading in the right direction when it came to this new goal she had made for herself upon arriving at Zara's hut. That she will eventually gain her trust.

"Well, whenever you feel like telling me, I'll be more than happy to listen."

Edited: 5/10/2020