"Nice flying back there." Mara said turning to Rey in the pilot's seat.
"It runs in the family." Rey said with a grin.
"That it does." said Luke, coming into the cockpit and gingerly lowering himself into one of the chairs. "But it looks like you got your mother's sense of humor." Luke said with a soft grin.
"So how exactly did you two meet?" Mara questioned, looking over to the two young passengers.
"Well, it all stared back on Jakku . . ." Rey started sheepishly.
"She chased me down and hit me with a stick." Finn interrupted .
"Like mother, like daughter." Mara snorted.
"I don't recall you ever chasing me down with a stick." Luke said, a confused look spreading over his face.
"Picture a lightsaber instead." Mara said with an evil grin.
"I'm guessing there's a story here." Rey said, glancing at the two of them.
"Long story short, I wanted to kill him when I first met him." Mara stated matter of factly.
"Isn't that metaphor a bit severe?" Finn asked.
"Oh, that's no metaphor, she really wanted to kill me." Luke said with wry humor.
"Sometimes I still do." Mara murmured under her breath.
"That's reassuring." Finn said, leaning over to Rey he whispered. "I'm starting to have some serious concerns about your family."
"You're not the only one." Rey whispered back."Next stop Batuu. That is, if you want to come." Rey said hesitantly, looking at her parents she had waited so long for.
"No, you're not going back to the Resistance." Mara said to Rey with a stern look in her eye.
"Excuse me? My friends are there and they need our help or at the very least my help. I will not turn my back on them." Rey said stubbornly.
"Your mother's right. I've seen what war does to a person, Rey. You do not want to have that experience." said Luke with a haunted look on his face.
"My organization, Blazing Suns, can keep us safe." Mara said.
"You run Blazing Suns?" Finn exclaimed, jumping up from his seat.
"Do you have a problem with that trooper?" Mara growled.
"Blazing Suns, what's that?" Rey asked, looking at each of the people around her in turn.
"It's only one of the largest syndicates in the galaxy." Finn said. "Formed shortly after the formation of the old empire, it was called Crimson Dawn originally. But someone took control just about the time the war between the empire and the rebellion started heating up, changed the name and its cause. It faded away until about five years after the Battle of Endor when it blazed onto the galactic stage, where it was a significant part of the resistance to the Thrawn Campaign. It was said to have the most complete collection of information anywhere in the galaxy, rivaling even the famed Obra-skai libraries." Finn explained.
"An old friend on mine by the name of Talon Karrde took it over from it's previous leader, a woman named Qi'ra, and turned it into what it is today. When he died I decided to lead in his place." Mara explained further.
"Well, if you are in charge of that, it's no wonder the First Order wants you." said Finn.
"What do you mean the First Order wants me?" Mara said getting up and stalking towards Finn with a predator's grace.
"It's not just you." Finn gasped out, backing up against the bulkhead. "All agents and troops of the First Order were to search out all high ranking members of the Blazing Suns syndicate with the directive to suborn or remove."
"So they're threatening my people, are they? How long has this been going on trooper?" Mara growled.
"The order came down shortly before I left, so about six months." Finn said dejectedly.
"Six months, that puts it within the time of the whole tibbana gas fiasco on Taul. I thought Fein's explanation was a little too convenient." Mara said to herself. "Let's see how well he does with H'sishi on his tail."
"Now what?" asked Finn. "The First Order will be after us now, so where do we go from here?"
"We should join back up with the Resistance." said Rey. "I'll contact General Leia to let her know we're coming." Rey said, reaching for the comm.
"No," Mara said, holding up her hand and then looking over at her husband. "Luke should do it."
"What! No, Mara I can't talk to her, not after all that's happened." Luke said
"That's exactly why you have to be the one to talk to Leia." Mara said sternly.
Luke opened his mouth as if to protest.
"Don't start Skywalker, you know I'm right." Mara said pointing at him. Luke sighed in resignation and activated the comm.
Dropping out of hyperspace around Sullust, Leia's memories of the second Death Star came rising to the surface.
"General Organa, we're being hailed." Poe said warily.
"Shields up then respond, Commander Dameron. We can't be too careful." Leia said coming up behind
him and gazing out of the viewport.
"Tantive V this is the Ghost, do you read me?" came the tinny voice from the comms.
"We read you Ghost, why are you not at the base on Batuu?" Leia asked worriedly.
"Batuu is of no help to us now, General. We were the first to arrive there but when we dropped out of hyperspace there was a planetary blockade. We got out unharmed and came back here to warn the others."
"Where are the others?" Leia asked.
"They're in that asteroid field on your port side currently on low power mode. We thought it safest in case anyone dropped by."
"Good thinking, Captain Syndulla. But we still need a new base."
"I might be able to help with that one General. I've been in contact with my uncle Governor Ezra Bridger of Lothal, he's heard of or predicament and is willing to house us temporarily until we can find a new base."
"General, we're receiving another transmission." Poe said.
"Put it through." Leia said.
Seeing the figure of his twin coalesce brought tears to the old Jedi's eyes. "Leia." Luke said, his voice full of remorse.
"I know." Leia said her voice tinged with sadness. "There was nothing you could have done."
"I'll understand if you don't want to see me." Luke said.
"Of course I want to see you Luke, We need your help, I need you, more than ever." Leia said.
"But. . . ? Ben, it was all my fault." Luke said confused.
"No it was Snoke." Leia said with conviction.
"But if I had trained him better. . ." Luke moaned.
"Enough, Skywalker. You've had nearly fifteen years to wallow in guilt. It's time to move on." Mara said firmly.
"As much as I don't like agreeing with Mara, she's right." said Leia.
"Very well. Where should we rendezvous with you?" asked Luke.
"We should go to Batuu." insisted Rey.
"Batuu is a loss, but we've been granted a reprieve. We have been given a temporary base on Lothal. I'll send you the coordinates." Leia said.
"Okay, we'll meet you there." Luke said signing off.
"General we're picking up a ship, starfighter class. It's a single TIE Silencer." Kaydel Ko Connix called out.
"Clear the aft hangar bay now and activate the tractor beam on my mark." Leia said rushing out the door.
"Show yourself!" screamed Kylo Ren when he heard a door hiss open behind him. Whirling around he saw Leia standing there unarmed. "So the time has come at last, prepare to be reunited with Han Solo." He said menacingly, igniting his lightsaber and pointing it towards her, then charging towards Leia.
"Your father was a good man and he will always be with me." she said dodging his blade as it slashed down. "When the time comes for me to become one with the Force, I will be glad to see him again, but that day is not today." Ducking his blows Leia reached out and gripped his lightsaber's hilt turning it off. As she continued to hold the hilt with one hand she reached out with her other hand and caressed Kylo Ren's face, reaching out to the Force.
"Sleep." Leia said as Kylo Ren fell into her arms in a heap bringing the smaller woman to her knees, both of their cloaks pooling on the floor of the hangar.