Chapter 18
Mere hours had passed after Rey had settled into her own small quarters and eaten supper when General Leia called her into her ready room to brief Rey. The older woman looked as if she had sunk into deeper worry and Rey wondered exactly how the galaxy was fairing after the destruction of the Hosnian system.
Rey had a feeling that Luke hadn't told Leia what had occurred between herself and Ben and she imagined he wouldn't. It was something to be kept between Master and Apprentice and Rey appreciated that. She didn't think she could handle disappointment from Leia, or worse, hope.
Leia gestured for Rey to sit and the older woman brought her a cup of caf from a small tray in the corner of the room. She sat then, smiling warmly at Rey.
'Luke has told me about your progress and that your training has gone incredibly well.'
Rey nodded. 'I want to be of use as soon as possible. I feel bad enough not having been able to help over the last three months.'
Leia shook her head and took a sip of her caf. 'Your training is help enough. It's important, vital even to our cause.'
'Has much changed since I've been gone?' Rey asked, her hands slipping together in nervousness.
'The First Order is scrambling but they are still as present as ever. Be-Kylo Ren hasn't been seen since Starkiller, so we are to assume that he is potentially under the watchful eye of Snoke, training perhaps?'
Rey nodded. She knew that much. His anger and injuries did not come from fighting enemies but from killing acolytes and throwing himself into his training. It made Rey feel queasy and sensing Ben peeking into her emotions did not help make that sensation disappear.
'After the destruction of the Hosnian system, many more have joined our ranks, so much of the last three months has been spent training new pilots and our more senior pilots going on reconnaissance missions to see the state of First Order fleets. We believe General Hux to be travelling the Outer Rim, however we are unsure of his intentions, though they can only be terrible. Snoke's movements are unclear to us and what the First Order plans on doing next is unknown.'
Rey frowned and rubbed her chin lightly, closing her eyes and thinking. 'Luke senses nothing else?'
Leia sighed and shook her head. 'He senses a disturbance, but he is unsure whether Force sensitives will be involved in Snoke's exploits.'
'Perhaps the Knights of Ren, then?' Rey suggested.
The General nodded sadly. 'That may be exactly what he has planned. We do not know much about the group, other than their brutal efficiency and capability. Many if not all of them are resistant to the Force if not completely immune to its powers. If our suspicions are correct, Hux and potentially even Snoke may be in the Outer Rim looking to grow the Knights.'
'Is there any planet which seems like a likely base?'
She shook her head. 'We do not know much about many of those planets and the species that live there. Sending a squadron any further into the Outer Rim than we are now, into the unknown regions, could be incredibly dangerous, particularly if they were to run into Force users like the Yuuzhan Vong.'
'Or the Anzat?' Rey questioned, remembering her Force illusion in detail. Perhaps the Force had been giving her a hint.
Leia nodded and her hands joined together on the table, her cup set aside. 'You are capable of much, Rey. However, you are alone apart from Luke. It is asking too much to rely on you. If there were more Jedi we could perhaps think of another means of gaining intel, but we must rely on non-Force means.'
'I understand. What do you want me to do?' Rey asked.
The older woman sat straighter and picked up a pad to her side. She pressed several buttons and a planet was visualised in front of them above the middle of the table.
'For the last month excavation has increased ten-fold on the planet of Abafar and sources have told us that 1 million tonnes of Rhydonium is to be collected by the First Order in two weeks. The shipment leads us to believe it is part of their next advance and therefore it is an immediate priority for the First Order.'
Rey looked over the schematics in front of her of the desert planet's mining operation just outside of the city Pons Ora. It seemed to have been abandoned years ago.
'Much of the fleet has already been around the area for the last month and tomorrow the Black squadron will be on a reconnaissance mission to gain an understanding of the scope of the fleet and the view of the ground. In two weeks, I want you to lead a squadron of foot soldiers to sabotage the collection.'
'Understood,' Rey responded with a curt nod.
'You will meet your squadron tomorrow after your training with Luke is complete. You may train them how you see fit, though I have chosen them for their stealth and long-range weapons capabilities.' Leia turned off the projector and looked squarely at Rey. 'Once we receive the information from Poe on the scale of the First Order endeavour, I will brief you again and make clear of the explosives required and general schematics of the operation.'
Leia stood then and was quickly followed by Rey. The older woman walked around the table and pulled Rey into a strong hug and kissed Rey's cheeks. 'I'm so proud of you. Thank you for everything you have done so far, I know you aren't obligated to do it.'
Rey smiled and shook her head. 'This is what I want to do.'
The General smiled and her hands lightly touched Rey's cheeks before she let her go and left the room.
Rey looked around the ready room and it wasn't much different than the one that had been in Ben's dreams. The thought made her heart ache as if it were her own pain to feel and not Ben's, as if it were her own memory. She took one last glance before leaving the room, squeezing the hilt of her Lightsaber and pulling it from the holder at her waist. Rey still needed to find a better way to attach it to herself and for some reason, she felt more comfortable holding it in her hand, feeling the crystals pulse in her palm.
XxX
Despite all that had passed over the last four months, the base was quite lively and there were always smiles and greetings available to Rey. Her training with Luke had continued as if they hadn't left Ahch-To, the only difference being that they didn't have to eat grain anymore and every now and then there would be interested faces – mostly the children of the rebels – who wanted to watch her train. As Rey had decided to create a staff, Luke began to teach her methods of utilising both blades over one. Rey didn't find it so difficult after years of using her staff on Jakku and therefore she learnt incredibly quickly, fast enough that Luke could teach her more Alter abilities.
The team that Leia had put togther for the attack on Abafar was a small team of five: three men and two women, made up of a Togruta named Jorr, a Klatooinian named Takada, a Sarkhai named Boril and two Coruscanti women called Nadiya and Delina. They seemed to have had experience as spies for the Alliance, but were incredibly aloof about their activities. Rey had no idea what more she could possibly teach them, so she spent an hour speaking with them about the events that she had missed over the past few months.
It was comforting for Rey to be surrounded by so many people now, even more so than she had ever been around on Jakku. Finn was always ready to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner with her and it put her mind off Ben. Thinking of him just made her frustrated and being without him in her dreams made her waking moments feel absent. She had grown so accustomed to those dreams at times, that it was strange to be without them.
When Poe and the Black squadron returned from the reconnaissance mission, thankfully unscathed, Leia called Rey into the ready room again to be briefed, though this time Poe as well as several other high ranking officers sat in on the briefing.
Rey took a seat beside Leia and glanced around at the older officers who looked at her warily. She could understand why. They didn't know her and the only other Lightsaber-wielding Force user they knew of in the galaxy other than Luke, was Kylo Ren. She imagined the Lightsaber in itself did not instil them with much confidence.
Leia sat down at the strategy table and looking over a datapad in her hand, she began to speak. 'Commander Poe's mission has found that the majority of the First Order's squadrons which are patrolling Abafar are on the ground. He noted approximately five TIE fighters, four transporters and no large terrain vehicles, only speeders. We can estimate that a hundred Stormtroopers will be on foot, though the workers on the planet may also be charged with security. A single ship should be able to approach the planet with some ease, as the First Order have currently only placed one lancer-class frigate just outside of orbit. We believe the intention is to underestimate the importance of the load that they will be collecting and to therefore attract less attention. By taking advantage of this, we will be able to slow the First Order down immensely.'
Captain Cypress cleared his throat and looked from Major Brance to Poe. 'Do you still not have any intel on what they will be doing with so much Rhydonium?' he questioned. 'It's uncommon to fuel ships with that anymore.'
They both shook their heads and Poe leant forward. 'At the rate they are working at it definitely seems vital to whatever their next move is.'
'What are other common uses for Rhydonium, anyway?' Admiral Statura asked.
'That may not do us well to bode on that question as they may be using it for something we have never seen before. Much like Starkiller base or the Death Star.' Leia responded.
Rey looked down into her hands thinking. She was unaware of the many uses of Rhydonium and assumed it could only be used to fuel ships. On Jakku, whenever she had found the fuel leaking from ships, it was only ever collected and traded on as fuel for speeders and swoops.
'Regardless.' Rey was brought out of her thoughts by Leia and she swallowed. 'Rey will be leading a squadron to the planet in 14 days to infiltrate the base there and destroy the Rhydonium. Using the recon information from Commander Dameron, we have been able to piece together the general schematics of the base and where the storage facilities will be. Because of the nature of this mission, it is intrinsic that we keep it under wraps and that as few as possible are aware of the details.'
Everyone in the room nodded and Rey looked over the images that Leia had brought up over the centre of the table. The base wasn't of complex design and she imagined that it had not changed ever since it was built. She was somewhat thankful that her first mission did not have to be an all-out war effort and that she could grow accustomed to what she would be involved in, in future.
The officers continued to talk between themselves about specific weaponry and the ship that would be provided to aide in the mission and Rey caught Poe's eye and he grinned at her. It was clear they both did not need to be involved in the conversation and he gestured for her to leave with him.
Rey eventually was coaxed into slipping out of her chair, bowing to Leia who glanced up at her and gave Rey, her blessing to leave, and then she slid out of the room with Poe.
His arm was almost immediately around her shoulder and he chuckled as they began walking towards the general direction of the mess hall.
'I'm glad you got back unscathed,' Rey said with a smile.
Poe winked at her and shook his head. 'My mission success rate is in the high 90s, I would say. That whole abduction on Jakku was a singular incident.'
Rey laughed. 'You don't need to emphasise how capable you are to me, Poe.'
'Why? Can you read my mind now? See my whole past?' he questioned quickly, though Rey could tell he was joking.
She nodded. 'Absolutely. Right now you're thinking about sharing a sizable bottle of Corellian whiskey with me and finding out the true scope of my abilities.' Rey clucked her tongue and shook her head. 'You are just like Finn, you know that?'
Poe laughed. 'I think you'll find it is Tevraki whiskey I want and why else do you think Finn and I are friends?'
Rey smiled and shook her head. 'Tevraki whiskey? Isn't it notoriously easy to get drunk on that stuff? Are you searching for information too?'
'I would never think of doing something like that, how can you think so badly of me, Rey?' Poe responded, pretending to be wounded.
'Call it intuition.'
Poe frowned then. 'Regardless, we require a moment to get to know each other again and I would like to celebrate a completed mission.
They turned a corner just before the mess hall and the familiar gait of Finn appeared in front of them. Poe whistled through his teeth and Finn turned, his eyes narrowing, seemingly offended by being whistled at. Poe gestured to him with the hand that wasn't over Rey's shoulder and then mimed slogging back a glass of whiskey.
'I don't think he'll want to drink with you, Poe.' Rey commented with a chuckle.
'Don't be ridiculous, it's his favourite thing.'
Poe let go then and approached Finn, putting his arm over him and pulling him into the mess hall, Finn almost in a headlock. Rey followed after with a grin on her face and sat down with them.
'Where's this whiskey I was promised then, Poe?' Rey asked.
Finn agreed with a grunt and he side eyed Poe. Poe didn't seem distracted by the expression and he winked at Finn before slipping a hand into his jacket pocket and pulled out a sizable bottle of Tevraki Whisky.
'We had a little pit stop,' he admitted and began to uncap the bottle.
'I'll get us some food then,' Rey said, unable to hide the laughter bubbling within her.
Finn seemed to shake his head as he watched Poe take a swig of the whiskey straight from the bottle and make a satisfied sigh.
Rey gathered up three trays and began to pile them all up with food. She aimed to get a variety and was incredibly preoccupied. Even though the mess hall food wasn't the greatest, Rey had only known rations for so long that the variety of food was enough to take her out of reality. The trays eventually grew difficult to manage with her hands, so she took advantage of her utilisation of the Force as she carried them back to Finn and Poe, set with three cups precariously balanced on one tray.
'You can't be doing that with balance alone,' Poe commented once Rey sat down.
She laughed and shrugged her shoulders, immediately reaching for a spoon from the basket in the middle of the table and she spooned a heap of stewed meat into her mouth.
'I don't think you'll be able to get it out of her,' Finn said. He grabbed his own fork and speared some vegetables, before taking the now filled cup offered by Poe.
'Tevraki Whiskey is a special thing,' Poe replied.
Rey just smiled and lifted her own cup to her lips, smelling the contents and then tasting it with the tip of her tongue. It was sweet but also very strong and she found herself spooning some food into her mouth to ease the burn.
'What was it like training with the master anyway?' Poe asked, drinking back some whiskey and taking a bite of a forkful of greens.
'Fun? Interesting? Fulfilling?' Rey answered.
Poe pouted and poured more whiskey for her. 'Is that it? He didn't make you see the light? Open your mind to another world? Make you see god?'
Rey chuckled and shook her head. 'Isn't that a little farfetched, Poe?'
'Ah you haven't spent enough time with Poe to figure out his obsession with needing to be entertained.' Finn said, spooning potatoes into his mouth.
Poe gave him a glare and sipped at his whiskey, gesturing to Rey that she should do the same. She followed, but made sure to take measured drinks.
'I learnt a lot as you can imagine, but it was incredibly difficult and will continue to be. You both know what it's like to train constantly to improve your ability in something. Or have you both just gotten by somehow?'
Finn nodded and grinned.
'He's been in and out of the infirmary for the last three months. You should have seen him when he was in the wheelchair, the nurse had to do everything for him.'
Rey smiled. 'Oh really? What was this nurse like?' She looked at Finn carefully as if she were trying to read his mind and he caught onto it.
'Are you trying to read my mind?' he questioned, trying to sound angry but seemingly impressed.
She chuckled and shook her head. 'I wouldn't do that to you.'
'So are you saying you can do it?' Poe questioned, his brow raising.
'I think I'll keep that a secret until I use it on you.' Rey answered.
Poe frowned and took a few bites of his food and then looked back at Rey. 'Can I at least see your Lightsaber?' he questioned.
Rey nodded and pulled her staff from its holder and held it out to Poe. 'It's a staff, so it has two blades. Don't hurt yourself with it.'
The pilot looked it over, turning it in his hands and oo-ing and ah-ing about the metal used for the body and the quality of its parts. He was impressed when Rey told him that it was mostly made up of salvaged metal, particularly from old Empire machinery.
'It definitely has a rustic edge to it. Just like you.' He winked and passed her back her weapon.
She grimaced before putting it back into its holder.
Finn rolled his eyes and finished his cup of whiskey, which Poe immediately refilled. 'Are you trying to get us drunk?' he questioned.
Poe nodded casually and sat back in his chair, leaning it backward. 'How else can I interrogate you both?' he asked. Finn seemed to react to it and Poe only blew him a kiss before hiding his mouth behind his cup.
'I do want to hear about this nurse, though.' Rey commented.
Finn pouted and Poe laughed and waved it away. 'It'd probably be better to ask Snap, since she's his girl. He wasn't too impressed about Finn's gaze on occasion.'
'You talk like you know everything.' Finn glared at Poe again.
Poe just laughed again. 'I would hope I do, or why else would they call me Commander?
'Ooh, so she was an older woman?' Rey coaxed with a laugh. 'Too bad Finn.'
The former Stormtrooper rolled his eyes and ate more of his meal. 'Do you really want to be in league with Poe Dameron?'
Rey nodded and smiled wide. 'Where else will I get all the dirt on you from?'
'Ah Jessika.'
Rey looked at Poe and he was waving to someone over her shoulder. When Rey turned, she could see Jessika Pava, one of the other pilots that she had briefly met before she had left D'Qar. The young woman had her own tray of dinner and grinned as she came over to their table.
Poe gestured to the empty seat beside him and Jess first put her tray and cup down and gave a quick salute to Poe, who laughed it off.
'You've met Jess before, haven't you?' Poe questioned.
Rey nodded and smiled at the woman, before she held out her hand. Jessika shook her hand, a wide smile on her face.
'How's it like being back?' Jessika asked, piling her fork high with food.
'Like a culture shock all over again. Poe is trying to get me drunk and hasn't considered that I might want to keep my body free of impurities.'
Poe pouted.
'Do you think when you're done with training that Luke would consider teaching us a few things on the X-wings?' Jessika asked, excitement in her eyes.
Poe cleared his throat, looking offended. 'So I'm not good enough anymore, Jess?'
Jess just laughed. 'If Karé thought for a second that I was giving you a compliment, she'd have me hanging upside down from my fighter. Is that what you want Black Leader?'
'Yes, it's exactly what I want Blue Three.'
She frowned and then looked at Finn, narrowing her eyes at him. 'It doesn't help that you compliment him so much. He learnt some of those fancy manouveres from me.'
Rey chuckled as Poe seemed to ignore what Jess was saying, but Finn put his hands up in defence. 'I say what I see.'
'Absolute showman.' Jess added, shaking her head. 'Now Luke Skywalker was a real pilot. Your master was the best there was back in the day, Rey.'
She sat forward, listening to Jess. 'He doesn't often talk about his pilot days much. I don't think we could even convince him into an X-wing again.'
Jess sighed. 'I suppose an autograph will have to suffice.'
'I'm still so offended,' Poe said. He then picked up Jessika's cup and looked into it. 'What's this?'
'Water?' she responded.
He shook his head and downed the drink immediately, before refilling it with the whiskey.
'This is a day of celebration, Blue Three.'
Jessika took the cup back from him and sipped at the drink, her face immediately showing her pain. 'Celebrating what?'
Poe held his cup to Rey. 'The return of the Jedi.'
Rey chuckled and forked a selection of berries into her mouth before following it with a swig of the whiskey. She squinted at the taste, but went with it anyway.
'You know I was expecting your response to be that we survived another mission unscathed, but no. Of course not.' Jess sighed at her superior and friend, shaking her head.
Poe laughed and then looked at Finn, who had been finishing his dinner and casually ignoring Poe.
'Back to the subject of getting dirt on Finn.'
Rey clapped her hands together and nodded. 'I almost forgot about that. What have you been up to whilst I've been away Finn?'
'Absolutely nothing.'
Jess seemed to find that hilarious and she spluttered out some of her rice before putting a hand over her mouth. 'Didn't you nearly get into a fight with Snap?'
Finn sighed and put his head in his hands. 'It was an absolute misunderstanding.'
'Oh really? Oddy said he had to break up an argument between the two of you,' Jessika responded casually. She spooned more food into her mouth then.
Poe laughed and slapped the young woman on the back, almost causing her to choke. She gave him a glare and he put his hands up in apology. 'I knew you were hiding something.'
'It was resolved immediately,' Finn replied, looking sour. 'And it was about something completely different,' he added rather pointedly.
Jessika raised an eyebrow but did not comment.
Rey pouted. 'Finn I wanted to come back and find out that you've been causing trouble across the whole of D'Qar.'
'Exactly!' Poe agreed, holding up his cup. 'He's young and regained his health. All he could do was worry about you, as if you were in any danger.'
She shook her head and tutted. 'I bet that was just an excuse.'
Finn sighed and scraped a few remaining beans into his mouth. 'Is there nothing more entertaining than my life?' he questioned.
Poe smiled and shook his head. 'You're a complete mystery and it's fascinating.'
Rey and Jess both nodded in agreement and Finn took to downing the rest of his whiskey instead of saying anymore. The action caused the other three to burst out laughing and their laughter didn't seem to cease as they drank their way through the bottle of whiskey, leaving them all incredibly tipsy.
XxX
Rey stumbled back to her quarters that night and when she ended up in her cot, she sighed heavily, losing all will to change into her sleepwear. She could feel her whole-body throbbing from the alcohol, but it was her heart that ached the most. A few tears had been shed on her way from the mess hall to her quarters involuntarily, but here they were free to flow. She wanted to see him, she wanted to feel his arms around her again.
When she closed her eyes, Rey could imagine opening them again on the clearing in the forest, Ben waiting for her, his back against that great oak.
She sighed and took to staring at the bare metal ceiling and whispering to herself as if he were there to listen to her words. As if he could hear her just over her bond. Rey told him she was still there, that she was still waiting, that she could wait.
Then she recalled what he had said; that he didn't want to torment her any longer and she was frightened. What if he decided to truly walk away from the Force or even worse? And Rey wouldn't know until she felt nothing there, an empty place where he had been in her heart and her mind.
Turning onto her side, she could feel Luke's force signature not far away and she wiped at her cheeks, knowing she had to stop doing this for the sake of her master and for everyone else. She was being too selfish.
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