Once the ship was en route through hyperspace, Luke requested that Rey join
him in the lounge. "Have a seat," he gestured toward a comfortable chair.
Curious about what he could want to talk about, she took a seat.
Luke began. "Did you ever hear that I was married?"
Rey shook her head. "No – in fact, until the other day, I thought you were just a
myth," she laughed apologetically. "Sorry." "I think it's better if I just show you,"
Luke said. "Take my hand." Hesitantly, Rey reached out and grasped his flesh
hand. Instantly, she saw a flash, as she did in Maz Kenata's castle, and a
scene played before her eyes. She found herself on a temperate planet, in a
cleared area dotted with individual huts. Opposite of them she could see a
temple of some kind, with a beautiful red-headed woman standing outside the
entrance, who also appeared to be heavily pregnant.
Crouching near her was a little 5-year old girl. "Mama, look what I can do!" The
girl reached out a hand and lifted a small stone off the ground without
touching it, and held it there. With the other hand, she activated a child-sized
lightsaber and raised it, deftly slicing the stone,the two halves clattering to the
ground. "Your lightsaber skills are improving, Rey! Your father will be so proud
of you!" The little girl beamed with pride, which only widened upon seeing a
blue-eyed, sandy-bearded man approaching, wearing the robes of a Jedi
Master, his lightsaberswinging from his waist. He reached down with one
fleshed and one gloved hand to grasp her under her arms and lift her up into
his. "I saw that, sweetheart, you're doing wonderfully!" He gave her a kiss on
the cheek. "Ow, papa, your hairs prickle!" He laughed and set her back down,
then took his wife into his arms and enveloped her in a long kiss. For some
reason, papa's hairs didn't seem to bother mama at all. "Today I'm going back
to that temple I found. I'm sorry it's so far away, but there are Kyber crystals
there. We need them. I'll take the X-wing. I'll try not to be too long. Can you
hold things down here?" "As always, farmboy," she said with a smirk. "Don't
take too long."
She pinched him on the the rear. He lovingly rubbed her belly before kissing
her again, kissed his daughter on the top of her head, and said, "I'll be back
before you know it. Don't go anywhere."
There was another flash and Rey found herself at the same place at nighttime,
and it was raining, but it wasn't enough to dowse the raging fires she saw all
around her. The temple was burning and was quickly becoming a pile of
rubble, and all the huts were ablaze. She stood and surveyed her surroundings
in horror. She saw an X-wing arriving from a distance, saw it make its
approach and lower to the ground.
She saw the man she had seen earlier exit the ship, take a look around, until
she saw his gaze lock onto something near the temple entrance. On the
ground outside lay a human form; at the end of an outstretched arm lay a
purple lightsaber, steam rising off it from the rain. He rushed over and turned
the still form over. He brushed the long, red hair out of her wet face, bent
closer as if observing something, then let out a horrified scream, one she had
never heard a man make before, as he collapsed in grief on top of her form.
The child inside her, who had never even had a chance at life outside the
womb, was now gone, too.
There was another flash, and Rey was suddenly in familiar territory, on Jakku.
She recognized the area as Niima Outpost. A teenage boy she recognized
from the academy took her by the hand and led her toward Unkar Plutt's
trading post. She recognized several other students from the academy
accompanying him. Behind them she recognized two ships - Han's Millennium
Falcon and a shuttle from the Jedi academy.
"I will make a deal with you," she heard him say to Unkar Plutt. "Look after this
girl until she is grown, and as payment, I will give you this ship." He gestured to
the Falcon. "It's the Millennium Falcon." Unkar Plutt seemed suddenly very
interested. His greed got the better of him - if he had a better side. "So all I
would have to do is feed her?" "Just treat her as a slave, if you see fit. But if you
hurt her in any way, you will answer to me. Her name is Rey- that's all you need
to know," Kylo Ren replied.
He then placed Rey's hand in the chubby hand of the criminal and ran away to
join his companions in the stolen shuttle.
As they took off, she screamed, "Noooo! Don't go!"
"Quiet, girl," Unkar retorted.
The vision ended and she found herself once again sitting before Luke.
Her father.
She immediately lunged out of the chair and into his arms, and he met her for
a warm embrace. "I've always loved you," he whispered into her hair. Tears
rolled freely down her cheeks as he stroked her hair. They hugged tightly for
along while, and she felt like she was 5 years old again. The family she had
waited for so long to return – of course Luke couldn't come back for her, just
like Maz Kenata said - but she could go to him. She gradually released him
from the hug. "I found her body, but I didn't find yours. You disappeared that
night – I never saw you again. I assumed you had been killed too, because I
could no longer feel your presence."
He continued. "I was utterly crushed. My whole world had crashed down
around me. My students were all gone. My wife and unborn child were dead.
My oldest child was missing. I have to admit that there was even a point I
didn't want to go on living. I felt responsible for the whole thing. I sent myself
into exile because I had failed. So I made the pieces of the map, gave part of it
to an old friend of Leia's, and the other part to Artoo, then said goodbye to him
and commanded him to shut down indefinitely until he was given the signal.
Then I came to Ahch-To, where I've been ever since."
They could hear beeping from the cockpit, signaling that they were
approaching the Ilenium system. "I'd better get back," Rey stated. But before
she left, she came back to Luke and embraced him again tightly. "I love you,
father," she said. "I've waited for you for so long." He hugged her back. "I'm so
glad to have you back, daughter," he replied.
Rey smiled, then turned back toward the cockpit. Now she was looking
forward to seeing her "Aunt Leia" again.