"Snap, are you picking that up?" Jess Testor asked over the intercom of her X-Wing. There was some muffled static. "Snap?"

"Yeah, I'm picking it up," he returned. "One—no, now two."

Jess continued to watch her ship's movement scanner. "What do you think they are? Other ships on transport to Zylion 4?"

"I don't know...they're not very big, it seems. I wouldn't worry about it, but make sure your shields are up. Just in case."

Jess double-checked her ship's security features. "They're up...look, should we just go into hyperspace until we're there?" She asked. Her felt the hair on the back of her neck raise as she saw the two dots on her scanners moving steadily closer.

"No, we're nearly there. We're so close, we'd risk crashing into the planet once we dropped out of it."

"Woah, Snap, what's that?" Jess exclaimed, seeing a significantly larger third dot appear on the edge of her ship's scanner.

"Stars, I don't know, but I don't like it. Not one bit. Just...be prepared for anything," Snap said.

"They're not heading towards the planet...they're heading for us," Jess said in confused amazement. Her heart beating rapidly in her chest, Jess tightened her grip on her steering wheel as she made sure the craft was cruising at maximum speed.

Suddenly, her ship's security scanners began beeping. "Snap, they've latched onto me! They're aiming—" Jess was cut off as she veered her ship to the side just as a bright green blast shot past. She knew that blast: it was from a TIE Fighter. She hurriedly positioned her ship's lower gun backwards, using her scanners to latch onto the TIE behind her. She shot once, missing, then shot again, nicking the TIE's side panel, but it didn't do any real damage.

"Jess, my engine's been hit!" Snap exclaimed over the intercom. "I can't—" The intercom suddenly went to static.

"Snap!"

The TIE behind Jess shot successively at her, and she steered her vessel away as best as she could. But Jess saw on her scanners that another TIE positioned itself next to the other behind her, presumably the one that had shot Snap's ship. Both TIEs were now shooting at her, and Jess heard the hum and echo of the metal structure of her X-Wing as their blasts made contact with the edges of the ship.

The X-Wing rocked violently as a blast made contact with the left side of her ship, and a light lit up on Jess's control panel, indicating severe engine damage. "Dammit," she cursed. She continued to shoot fruitlessly at the TIEs behind her as she began to lose control of her ship, the engine on her left sparking and sputtering. "Come on!" She yelled at her ship.

There was a crash to her right as the other engine was taken out completely, and her ship slowed to a stop, hovering in space. Jess watched as the two TIEs sped on either side of her, turning around and positioning themselves in front of her. She stared ahead at them, waiting anxiously for them to blast her ship to pieces, but they didn't. Her eyes dropped to the movement scanner below her, and her heart dropped in her chest as she realized that the large third vessel was just behind her.

The TIEs in front of her began to back away from her X-Wing, and a wide, dark shadow was suddenly cast over her ship. She looked up, seeing the open top of a black ship engulfing her own. Oh, no…no...

Jess sat helplessly in her ship as the large shuttle swallowed her own, her head flipping left and right as she found herself in a small but brightly-lit white hangar filled with Stormtroopers. They moved forward along with her X-Wing, their blasters trained on her pilot cockpit. The hangar doors ahead of of her clamped shut, and Jess gulped in a nervous breath as the hangar's gravity pulled her ship down to the floor.

The Stormtroopers were on her ship at once, prying open the top of her cockpit and dragging her out of her ship. "Let go of me!" She yelled angrily. They began dragging her out of the hangar towards a dark hallway, and Jess looked forlornly back at her ruined X-Wing, seeing the rest of the hangar empty and realizing that they hadn't taken in Snap's ship. "No!" She yelled, tears welling in her eyes. "Where is he?" She asked the Stormtroopers around her in vain. "Where's Snap?"

"Shut up, Organa scum," one of troopers snapped.

Jess struggled futilely as they hauled her into a dark room, towards an uncomfortable looking metal chair. Like the one Poe Dameron had described, Jess remembered. They're going to torture and kill me here.

The Stormtroopers strapped her to the chair and subsequently cleared out of the dim room, the door dropping behind them. In the ensuing silence, Jess strained against the tight clamps around her arms and legs, hoping that maybe, just maybe, one of them wasn't fastened properly. But none of them would budge, and Jess grew still, her heart beating heavily as she awaited her grim fate.

Jess waited for what felt like an hour before the door to her small chamber suddenly lifted, and a tall, imposing figure in long black robes traipsed into the room. He stopped a few yards before Jess and and she saw that he wore a black and chrome mask underneath his hood, prompting her to realize who this was from other's descriptions: Kylo Ren. Formerly Ben Solo, Leia Organa's son.

Jess shivered in fear as she stared at the silent and terrifying figure before her. She felt a pressure building in her mind, and she stared back confusedly at the unreadable metal mask.

"Jess Testor. An Organa pilot heading to Zylion 4, on assignment to train a new legion of pilots," Ren said at last, his voice inhumanly deep through the mask's modulator.

How did he know? She thought, and then she remembered that he could read minds. Her body grew cold with dread.

Kylo Ren took a heavy step towards her, his head tilting slightly. Jess felt greater pressure in her mind, and she winced.

"Where's Snap? Snap Wexley," she questioned nervously. If I'm going to die, I might as well find out what happened to him.

Ren took another step forward, staring at her through his mask. "Your friend is gone."

Jess shook her head in disbelief. "No...no…" A tear slid down her face before she felt Ren surge into her mind further. She stared at his gloved hand as he strained it out towards her head, sifting painfully through her thoughts. Jess winced and groaned as he pushed deeper.

"Where is the Organa faction producing new ship fleets?" He questioned, stepped even closer. His straining fingers were inches from her forehead. "Where?"

"I don't know!" She exclaimed, gasping for air. "I'm just a pilot, I'm not involved in production!"

She yelped in pain as the pressure built in her mind.

"It doesn't have to be like this. Where is it?" He demanded.

Jess hissed through her teeth, gripping the edge of the metal chair in an attempt to brace herself against the pain. "I don't know!"

Ren suddenly pulled out her mind, his hand lowering and his head shifting away, as if in thought. Jess breathed heavily, her head still throbbing in dull pain. "You know, you captured the wrong person. Snap would have known," she hissed.

Ren's mask flashed back to face her, and he lifted his hand once again, breaking back into her mind. Jess struggled to breath against the pain as she felt him sift through more of her thoughts and memories. But she felt him bring up different ones this time.

"Leia...she's...alive…" Jess heard him murmur through the mask. She stared at his mask confusedly. "You've seen Rey…" he observed softly.

After a few long moments Ren released from her again, pacing away from her chair. She could hear his low, bothered breathing through his mask, and she grew more fearful as his arms raised at his sides, balling into fists. This is the end, Jess thought. I'm going to die at the hands of Leia's own son.

"No, you aren't," Ren said abruptly. Jess jolted, staring across at him in surprise.

"I'm not going to die?" She asked hopefully, her heart racing.

"I didn't say that," Ren said darkly, staring at her. Jess gulped. "Just not at my hands."

"No, please—" she implored, her beseeching eyes following him as he swiftly left the room. She again attempted to shake out her chair, rattling the metal, but it was to no avail. Once again she was alone in the dark and silent room.

….

"Are you ready to try it out?"

Rey shaded her eyes against the bright sun, blinking across at Luke. She watched as he engaged his blue saber and took a defensive stance. Rey smiled, something she rarely did nowadays. "Yes, I'm ready."

Rey pulled her new lightsaber shaft off of the clip at her belt, holding the shiny metal before her. She switched it on, smiling again as the two brilliant yellow plasma blades ignited at both ends.

"That's a formidable weapon," Luke said admiringly. "And as shining as a ray of sun," he said, winking. "Tell me again, how did you decide you wanted a double-bladed saber?"

Rey's smile faded from her face as she remembered the truth. As she was reminded of him. "I...I told you, I used to fight with a staff on Jakku. So, it just makes sense," she said.

Luke moved towards her, his saber poised towards her, and Rey gripped her saber in preparation, holding it diagonally before her. Luke swung out at her, and Rey was quick to block him with one end of her saber, tilting it as she made an offensive swing of her own with the other end.

She focused on her footwork as she swung at Luke, who was smiling like a proud father as he dueled her. At one point Luke attempted to strike below her saber, and she blocked it swiftly, swinging her saber perpendicular to the ground as the bottom blade made contact with Luke's.

Luke stepped back, and Rey swung her saber overhead, bringing one side down powerfully onto the Jedi master's blue saber, the plasma hissing louder with the sudden contact. She swung her saber again at her side and then hit Luke's saber with immense force.

"That's very good," Luke said delightedly, lowering his saber after her hit. "You tend to do a lot of spinning for one of your fighting form, I've noticed," he remarked, rubbing his bearded chin.

Rey gave Luke a small smile, but she sighed, staring down at her saber. Memories of Ben's spinning, whip-lash fighting style flashed into her mind. His warm face flashed into her mind, and her mouth quivered.

"Rey?" Luke called, stepping closer to her.

Rey remembered Ben attaching a stick to the hilt of the blue saber on Drecenia. I think you're meant to use a double-bladed lightsaber, his words resurfaced in her memory. She sniffed, fighting back the flood of emotions that always remained tempered just below the surface.

She jolted as she felt Luke's hand on her shoulder, and she looked across at him, her eyes watery.

"Rey, you're not thinking of him again, are you?" He asked.

Rey bit her lip, sniffling again. "I can't not, Luke, you know that. There's always a part of him with me, I—I can't get rid of it," she said, her voice breaking.

"I know," he said calmly. "A Force Bond will do that. It will just take time, Rey, it's okay. You can still be a Jedi," he said, looking at her encouragingly.

A glimmer lit up in Rey's eyes. "You think so?" She asked.

"I know so. You're strong, resilient. Attachments are natural, but unhealthy ones like this are only temporary," he said, rubbing her arm and sliding his hand away from her. "Maybe we should end our training for today. Is that okay?"

Rey nodded, brushing the stray hairs out of her face.

"Go spend some time with your friends, Rey," Luke said, heading back towards the main Organa base. "As you know, they're the best medicine."

Rey waited a few moments in the large forest clearing after she watched Luke leave. She looked up at the blue sky, shading her eyes against the sun again. Where are you, now? She wondered. A small part of her still held onto the hope that Ben would one day answer back. Do you even still think of me?

….

Later that afternoon, Rey was working on all fours in the colorful garden behind the small house that had been designated to her. She had taken up gardening to pass her free time and to help clear her mind. Leia even had pilots bring back new flowering seeds from other planets for her to try and plant sometimes.

"Rey! You'll never guess what happened!" She heard Finn exclaim as he bounded into the garden behind her.

Rey turned around, lifting to her knees as she smiled back at her friend. "Hey, Finn! What is it?" She asked. "Hey—be careful of those!" She cautioned, pointing to the patch of yellow and blue flowers that Finn had nearly trampled.

"Oh—sorry," he said, making a wide berth around them.

Rey stood, dusting off her pants with her gloves as Finn approached. "She said yes!" He said.

"Oh, that's fantastic, Finn!" Rey exclaimed, spreading her arms wide and hugging him tightly. She released from him, smiling brightly and raising an eyebrow. "It's so good to see you! So, when's your first date?" She asked.

"I—I don't know. I mean, I haven't gotten that far yet. I just was excited that she said 'yes,'" he said, his brows furrowing.

"You mean, you asked Jess out and you didn't even make plans?" Rey asked, laughing.

"Well, I mean, I only saw her for a short time, on the fuel station we decided to meet at. I was heading here, of course, and she was heading to another planet, to do training with some new pilots. We didn't have a lot of time to make plans."

"Ah, I see," Rey said, nodding. "When will she be back?"

"In about a week, she said she only needed to be on Zylion 4 for a few days," Finn said, rubbing his arm. He gestured towards Rey. "I know it's only been a few weeks since I've seen you, but it feels like it's been forever. How are you?"

"I've been good, just continuing training with Luke. He's been great."

"And Poe?" Finn asked, raising an eyebrow.

Rey frowned. "Finn, you I don't feel that way about him. And you know romantic attachments are forbidden for Jedi."

"I know, I'm just kidding..." he said, his gaze turning serious for a moment. Rey sensed that he feared he had brought up a sore subject, and she smiled to reassure him. He then returned her smile, playfully knocking his fist into her arm. "That's why I'm not a Jedi. Sucks for Poe, though," he said, chuckling.

"Ah, he doesn't even like me like that," Rey said, rolling her eyes.

Finn raised his eyebrows. "Of course he does," he said. "I mean, you've seen the way he looks at you," he added.

Rey shifted her gaze uncomfortably, unsure of what to say. Finn was right; there was always an obvious affection in Poe's gaze. Wanting to change the subject, Rey glanced back at the unburied pack of seeds behind her, and then turned back to Finn. "Care to help?" She asked, gesturing to the seeds.

"Sure," he said with a warm smile. "Is this, like, a friendship garden?" He asked.

Rey laughed, kneeling down, and Finn followed suit. "Sure, it can be," she said, continuing to laugh as they began planting the seeds.

It's nice to have our original two best friends back together again, but it looks like Finn's love interest is in grave trouble. Same with Rey's! Has Ben been reverted back into Kylo Ren? Why can't he communicate with Rey, and why can't he sense his family? Will he ever return Rey's telepathic calls? Looks like something else is at play here. Or someone else. Thank you for reading!

Bonus: Yes, Allan will be coming back into the story, don't worry :) I've always had plans for him. Important plans, may I add.