Ben Solo and Maz Kanata found themselves trudging through the underbrush of the humid and dangerous jungle of Ryloth. It was a planet known for its deadly creatures such as gutkurrs, lyleks, and even the jungle rancor, although not native to the planet. The jungle trees were dense and difficult to maneuver as the two of them made slow progress. Ben followed Maz, as Maz seemed surprisingly agile for her age.

"So, you expect to find Yoda here, even though he died over thirty years ago?" Ben questioned Maz.

"Yes, but he will not be the same Yoda that your Uncle Luke had known," Maz responded, as she slipped through a few vines.

"So he is not Yoda then?" Ben questioned. He used his lightsaber to cut up some vegetation to open up a path.

"He has been born anew," Maz said.

"What?" Ben replied with unbelief.

Maz maneuvered through another tight passage of plants. "And why not. Snoke returns at each awakening of the Force. So do we."

"We?" Ben sliced through more vines. "First of all, what do you mean by we? Second, Snoke uses the dark side to return. How can we?"

"Not you, but Yoda and I," she replied. "We are one and the same, family members you might say, but more. We are Force-beings, with no beginning and no end, destined to be born and die with each era of the Force. Watch that can-cell."

A two-foot-long red insectoid buzzed out of a tree at Ben, its four wings vibrating so fast that they were invisible. Ben stepped back and sliced it in half with his lightsaber before it could damage him.

"But when we return, we carry with us only our connection with the Force. That is, it has always been that way." Maz pushed a limber branch forward to make her way. "Keep your head," she said as she let go of the branch and passed by.

Ben sliced the rebounding limb.

"As for Snoke, he uses the dark side to steal and prolong life. Yoda and I die and are born over. Snoke has used the dark side to avoid death altogether."

"So you and Yoda are born again and again for thousands of years?" Ben said in unbelief.

"Yes," Maz replied.

They began to work their way up a hill, Ben sometimes having to touch the ground for balance on the slope.

"So you remember everything from thousands of years?" Ben asked.

"No, we forget our previous lives." Maz stopped and turned to Ben. "That is why we must meet with Yoda. That is why you must meet Yoda. You both have forgotten."

"So, when do we find him?" Ben said.

Maz stopped suddenly and held up a finger for Ben to be silent. She listened carefully then looked up at the rising.

"He has already found us," Maz said pointing up the hill.

A giant gutkurr stood before them at the crest, its sharp mandibles snapping, waiting to make a meal of the two strangers; but it stood at bay as if heeled. The gutkurr was one of Ryloth's deadliest creatures, impervious to blaster fire and ravenous for meat. It had been the demise of many that had wandered in the jungle. Two more of the great shelled beasts arrived, flanking Ben and Maz.

On top of the first, sitting cross-legged on the dorsal carapace, was a two-and-a-half-feet tall, green-skinned boy with pointed ears and fine brown hair over the crown of his head. He had none of the wrinkles of his former self but was smooth and limber.

He lept off the top of the great gutkurr and landed gingerly on his feet; then he turned to the giant insectoid and mumbled some unintelligible clicks and vocalizations. The gutkurr clicked in response and then retreated a few steps to stand sentinel. It appeared to produce some sort of secretion from its mouth as if ready to eat.

The young being turned to study the two strangers. He squinted his eyes and touched his chin. "Twi'leks, you are not," he said. "This deep in the jungle, strange for you to be."

"We are looking for a Jedi Master who had once been called Yoda," Maz replied.

The boy looked confused. "This Yoda, I know not."

He thought a moment. "Jedi Master?" Then laughed and began to climb a tree out of sight.

Ben shot a glance at Maz with an open-handed gesture to imply, "What do we do?"

"Wait, Ben," Maz said.

A moment later the youngling landed softly in front of them.

"South of here, the lyleks are. Some time, we have. But not much," he said.

The gutkurrs drew in closer, snapping their jaws.

Ben held up his yellow lightsaber to defend.

The youngling leapt in front of him holding up a branch he had broken off a tree in defense. "No! None of that!" he commanded.

Ben did not stand down. "Your bugs are not behaving themselves."

"Behaving, they are. Dead, you would be if not. Away with your weapon!"

Ben extinguished his lightsaber. "I'm putting it away, but not because I think your stick much of a threat."

Before finishing his last word, he felt a sharp and sudden pain on the right side of his face. The youngling had leapt over him and struck him on the head with the stick. Then landing behind him stabbed at the bend in his knee. Ben buckled and fell the ground. The youngling jumped on his back and whipped his side.

"Ow!" Ben called out. "What is with you two!"

Maz laughed silently.

"Deception, there is in you!" the youngling said. He whipped him again on the head.

Ben became angry, threw him off his back, rose, and produced his lightsaber anew. The meat-eager gutkurrs drew in closer again, snapping their shiny brown mandibles. The youngling landed on his feet and faced Ben.

"Easy for you to beat on a man that has been battered by a rancor!"

"Easy, it should be for you to beat on a small one," the youngling said.

Ben became angry and sharply looked at Maz. "This is useless. Did you bring me here to ridicule me? This Yoda doesn't even know who he is."

The youngling laughed. "Know myself, I do. But yourself, you do not know."

Ben sighed in exasperation. "How is this thing supposed to teach me of the Force? I doubt he even knows what that is."

"The Force?" the youngling replied. "Interesting, this sounds."

"See what I mean!" he said to Maz as he pointed to the youngling.

Maz adjusted her eyepiece and looked closely at the youngling. "Be patient, Ben."

"This is crazy!" Ben said in desperation.

"Crazy, you call your quest?" the youngling interjected. "Lost your way, you have. Searching for a ghost, you are."

Ben looked at the youngling with surprise. "What did you say? How do you know—"

"Searching for a ghost, you are," the youngling said. "This Yoda, you seek. Not here, he is. But a Force, you seek as well. Know anything of this, I do not. Help you, I cannot. Desire to help, I do not. Even if I could."

The youngling turned to get back on his gutkurr.

"Go, you both must before the lyleks return. Smell you, they will."

The youngling without much thought raised his hand and cleared a great ten-foot log out of the way. He placed it gently beyond a tree as it levitated and came to rest.

"A mess of this place, the lyleks make," he said under his breath.

"You do know the Force!" Ben exclaimed.

The youngling looked back before mounting. "That?" he asked. "The Force, you call that?"

Maz stepped forward and came within arm's length of him.

"You must help us, Yoda," she said. "This man needs your help."

"The Force, you say it is. The man, he has the other side of this Force. Feel it, I do. Help you, I will not. Lost, he is."

Maz looked down at the ground in thought. The youngling turned to leave.

"Wait," Maz said. "Look at me."

The youngling as if disinterested turned back to look at her face.

"Do you not remember me?"

The youngling studied her face. He raised an eyebrow as if remembering something, then lowered it as the memory evaporated.

"I have changed much," Maz said. "Look deeper."

The youngling tried again for a moment, then resigned with bored capitulation.

Maz grabbed his face before he could turn away. "Wait. Look." She closed her eyes, "I may not be able to use the Force now. But there still is one thing I have left that I can do. Let my Force flow through you, my friend. Learn what you have unlearned."

A dull green light began to emanate from her hands. The youngling's eyes widened and his pupils dilated. He struggled weakly to free himself, but Maz held him tight. The glow began to grow; and the youngling's eyes brightened with the green light, not dull any longer. The intensity grew to the point that Ben had to cover his eyes, the light becoming a brighter yellow. Yet it was only for a moment. Quickly, the light disappeared, and the youngling crouched on the floor panting. Maz put her tender arm over his shoulders and helped to raise him up.

Once he had caught his breath, Maz made sure he would look at her. "You," he said in confusion. "Your face . . ." He stumbled like a man waking from sleep. "Your face, I know." He could not take his gaze from her, absorbing every detail. "How?" the youngling asked.

Maz smiled and drew near to him. She placed her hand on his shoulder gently. "I have picked up a new trick since last we knew each other, Friend."

"Old, you have become," Yoda said.

"I look a whole lot better than you did when you were my age," Maz laughed.

Yoda smiled. "Maz? Yes, your name, that was."

He turned to Ben. "But him? Why are you with him?"

"He is Anakin Skywalker's grandson," Maz answered.

At that Yoda's ears rose. He narrowed his gaze on Ben. Ben shifted his stance, realizing he was being scrutinized.

"Blinded him, the dark side has," Yoda said. "Much evil, he has done." Ben looked to the ground and rubbed the back of his neck. Yoda saw his sheepish reaction. "But hope, there is. Follow me, you must." He leapt high into the air to mount his gutkurr. "Hurry, you must. Too long, we have been here."

….

Finn panted, trying to catch his breath. Blood dripped from his mouth, ears, and forehead. A six-armed, torture droid hovered above his semi-reclined restraining table, its arms retracted at the moment as it lingered over its unyielding patient. An officer stood before Finn, administering the questioning. The officer's face was calm, but the corners of his lips showed his veiled amusement. He nodded to the droid, which lowered two arms to Finn's temples. Needle-like fingers at the tips slowly inserted at each temple. Finn tried to struggle for a moment. "I wouldn't do that if I were you," the officer said. "This procedure has a way for permanently damaging the patient-that is, if you don't remain completely still."

The officer smiled. "Now tell me. The same question. Where is the Resistance base? And be careful to remain still . . . for your sake I am concerned."

Finn remained silent and adamant.

"Very well," the officer pointed to the droid.

Two stormtroopers stood sentinel outside the torture cell. Screaming could be heard from inside the door, screams that progressively became quieter, not because the torture lessened, but because Finn's voice grew more and more hoarse. It was loud enough, however, that other First Order personnel would slow down in interest as they passed the door; but their walks returned to normal as the dark shadow of Darth Irata appeared around a corner.

Rey walked with purpose to the cell door. Her steps were not heavy but still produced a threatening echo in the cold hall. The stormtroopers straightened their posture and stood taller at her approach.

She did not look directly at them but barked the order, "Open the door."

They complied as quickly as they could. The door opened with a slicing noise and Rey entered. The officer's smug amusement vanished promptly upon seeing her and was replaced with a trembling lower lip. "Lady Irata," he stammered. "We are making progress."

"Did he speak?" she questioned.

"Well, no, Lady Irata," he admitted. "But I am getting close."

She smiled cryptically. "Good. Let me try."

He gave the signal for the droid to remove the needled arms. Rey waited until they were completely withdrawn. Once removed, her black-bladed lightsaber staff ignited and cut down the officer, slashed through before he even knew to defend himself.

"Guards!" she called out.

The stormtroopers ran into the room, their blasters in hand, but their constitutions were not ready for Rey. Her attack surprised them, the lightsaber staff dancing toward them, as they fired to no effect. In a flash, their heads hit the ground, with their smoking blasters and bodies a fraction of a second later.

She ran to Finn's side and unbuckled the restraints. He was surprised as well.

"What . . ." he struggled to say.

"I'm getting you out of here," Rey said. "Can you walk?"

Finn nodded and stumbled from the table. He took a few weak steps but could manage.

"That's good enough," Rey said and grabbed his hand. "Come on."

They rushed out the door and into the hall. She slowed them down as personnel and troopers walked by, holding Finn by the upper arm as if he was her prisoner.

"Around this corner is a transport to the loading bay," she said in a low and unemotional voice. She made him turn the corner. He stumbled but stayed upright.

The transport door was closed, and they had to wait a minute before it arrived. Rey waited confidently. Finn shuffled his feet in anxiety. Anyone passing by seemed to hurry their steps to move past Rey as swiftly as possible,

"Seems your reputation is helping us," Finn commented.

"Quiet," was all she said in return.

The transport door opened, and a few technicians exited. They saw Rey and then bumped into each other as they tried to return to the transport.

"No," Rey ordered. "Get out."

The technicians sidled out as best they could and disappeared around a corner.

Rey and Finn entered and the door shut. They were both able to relax for a moment.

Finn turned to Rey. "What is going on?"

"I'm rescuing you," Rey said staring straight forward.

"Yeah, that's what I mean," Finn replied, his voice heavy with sarcasm. "Why?"

"Does it matter?" she retorted.

"Yes. Yes, it does," Finn said contentiously. "I save your life. You do that dark side walk all in my head." Finn waved his arms as he said this. "Then send in that Mr. Needles and his pet droid—and look at me!"

Rey reluctantly focused on Finn.

"Look at me!" he demanded again. He was angry. His face was beaten, blood dried on his face, and fresh blood dripping from the needle holes in his temple. "This is what you have done! And now you are rescuing me? Forgive me if I need to know why."

Rey appeared shaken and did not want to look directly into Finn's eyes. Her confidence wavered. "I . . . I . . ." she stuttered but stood tall as her confidence returned. "Snoke told me about my parents. He told me about my father and what he did."

Finn stepped closer, a little too close.

Rey continued, but she would not look at Finn. "He had done things, in order to do what he thought he needed to do."

Finn angled to get Rey's eyes. "Look at me."

She raised her eyes to his. "My father caused great suffering."

"There's more," Finn replied.

Her voice quivered and her eyes wandered way again. "I will not be like him."

"Some of that may be true," Finn replied. "But I don't need the Force to know you are lying to me."

A flash of anger passed over Rey's face, then subsided. "What?"

"Look at the suffering you have done to me. This is the cost . . ."

Rey really looked at him for the first time. She saw through the physical pain shown by the cuts and bruises. She saw the deeper pain.

Finn appeared as if he would fall to the ground, but he managed to stand still. "This is the cost of loving you."

The words hung heavy in the air and settled down on Rey. It was too much for her, as the reality she knew to be true became undeniably evident before her. Her constitution failed, and her veneer of confidence melted away. He closed the gap between them. She then drew close and kissed him. The kiss was soft but painful, their faces mixed with joy and fear, not wanting to let go, but fearing to continue. The did not know where this path would lead.

Their internal conflict was settled, however, as the transport was suddenly jerked to a stop and their embrace broke abruptly.

"What was that!" Finn exclaimed as he was shocked back to reality.

Rey darted her gaze around the transport. "We're not there yet. They must have stopped us."

She lit her lightsaber staff and began to cut a hole through the door.

"How far away from the loading bay are we?" Finn asked.

"Not far. That's not the problem," Rey informed. The transport shook again, the metal whining. Finn fell over.

"What was that?" Finn asked again as he tried to get up.

"The problem," Rey answered, fear on her face. "Snoke."