AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thank you for being patient! I hope you enjoy the next two chapters! I know it's been a while!

DISCLAIM: I DO NOT OWN STAR WARS

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Chapter 9: The Rookie

. . .

The hanger seemed smaller than yesterday.

She'd ransacked ships five times larger than this one, but those abandoned ships on Jakku were more like cold graveyards compared to the one she found herself in now. This one was the outpost at the end of the day during portions hour.

She thought of her room, her room... The silence, no wind, no smell of exhaust or metal... As lonely as it may have been, she preferred it over the bustling of the hangar.

She hadn't seen him this morning like she had anticipated, more eagerly than she would have admitted.

Her ladies woke her with breakfast, another silver plate full of various juicy fruits, proteins, and breads. She liked the egg part the best, she had a similar type once or twice on Jakku, and it made her feel a little closer to home.

They carried in a fleet of clothing in their arms, they looked old and ragged, easily identified as a man's choice, but they were stacked and folded with crisp corners. When she took them, they felt light, but strong. They were meant to protect skin and allow its user to be mobile, much more than her Jakku scraps had done for her.

She slid into a jumpsuit, which felt loose even around her broadest parts, and the legs seemed to slip far past her feet. It was a good thing they had also brought her a fitting pair of boots to tuck them in and a belt that buckled around her waist.

Rey looked in the mirror to her side, almost grimacing at her sight. She hadn't noticed the thin, red and black star that rested on her bicep. "Does this mean I'm in the club now?"

No response.

Instead, they had given her the final pieces of her ensemble, a few pairs of gloves, and some elastics for her hair.

When this ritual had finished, one of the ladies in her room politely escorted her into the hallway, where she was handed off to a First Order Official, who spared no courtesy and looked rather disrespectfully upon her. Rey cared very little from this.

She snapped out of her thought when a spark flew from her torch and landed on her arm, she saw this from her face shield and shrugged it off, continuing her work. The Official instructed her to repair the side of a TIE Fighter that was entirely blasted from an impact, most likely another flying craft.

Welding came naturally to her, it was something to focus on and intricate, it was like an art to her. But this was not her speedracer or some small task, this TIE Fighter had been lifted into the air with cables from overhead, matching evenly with the unscathed side for easier work. She had to climb a ladder and hold the extensive torch firmly in her grasp as not to drop it.

Rey shared the mechanic station with other men and women, mostly men. It was a large section of the hanger where they would refuel, repair, and fix any damages that could be salvageable. Their tools were all neatly placed and shined under the constant lights, welding stations for individual craft pieces, even computers for ordering parts needed. In the back was a small recreational room with sofas and tables for lunch breaks, which made her wonder if the Mechanics were involved in some Unionized labor committee... But she thought that more out of humor.

The workers were instructed not to speak with her unless absolutely necessary, most of them would not even look upon her. Once in a while she'd find the occasional glance, but nothing would come from this. From above them was a platform, to which there were constant, staring eyes of officers and generals above. They watched every move and twist of a wrench they made, taking careful consideration of sabotage and mutiny. Just like home I suppose, she thought to this, continuing her work.

She had joined the long pieces of black metal in their star-like figure, matching the blueprint exactly. She looked upon her work, checking each section carefully before admiring. Kylo Ren or someone in the First Order must have decided the grey paint-job of the Galactic Empire was out of style, since red and black had become the new trend for the fighter jets. They did look more menacing in that way, but only up close.

Painting the jets was another person's job, but after that job was finished and dried, she would install the solar arrangements.

Rey climbed down the ladder, placing her torch back into its sheath, taking the cart by its handle, and rolling it back to its station. She thought it'd be best to tell someone her project was finished and ready for its next step, she was almost excited to have to speak to someone, since this was indeed a necessary interaction.

She screwed the welding station's pipeline to the wall so the gas could refuel, which was another thing she liked best about these tools; they all came with step-by-step instructions. When she looked back on her finished craft, she was disappointed to find someone had already climbed the ladder in full mask and suit, and begun to spray her work with paint.

Maybe next time...

The hanger was receiving another shipment of goods from a large craft she could not identify. It hissed sharply as it landed, finally giving its engine a rest from the likelihood of a long distance. She watched closely, waiting for the obviously bad-guy looking boxes filled with weapons or credits would be rolled off the platform... Or maybe girls like Rey, even...

Instead, they were a group of men. Each one stepped out with a confident stride, wearing various colors of dark leather. They looked dirty, but probably not as filthy as Rey was when she first came here. The dozen or so men stepped boisterously off the platform, arms swinging with their jackets, exposing their concealed blasters.

These were the men that were more often on the run on Jakku, Rey picked up on this by looking upon their obvious leader. He was a massive man, his beard was thick and unkempt, and he had a voice that boomed through all the noise. She was surprised to see how welcomed they all were upon their arrival.

They were all escorted through the hanger, the man with the long hair spoke to the officer, who gladly smiled back... This hardly the welcoming party she received upon her landing, More bad guys, go figure...

It was a bad habit of Rey's to be nosey, but she also thought it to be more of an acquired skill.

In essence, Jakku was a very boring place. Once in a great while, though, Rey found that people-watching were one of her favorite pasttimes. She would listen to conversations as she cleaned and finalized pieces of metal, tuning her mind in like a radio.

She picked up on different languages like satellites, pinpointing them and breaking down what they were saying. Sometimes she swore she could even pick up on conversations from far away, hearing them so clearly as if she were standing right next to her target...

Satellites... She thought to herself, her eyes lifted as her mind shifted to this new revelation, I've never thought about it like that...

Rey shut her eyes, hearing the outside world of engines and clanking suddenly fade away in a swift notion. She left herself alone in her mind, concentrating on whatever it was she thought she could grasp. She'd never tried such a thing before, never meditated or muse over this strange conception, but here she was.

Are you there?

Her thoughts began to stretch far beyond her mind, stretching and reaching into the air, bouncing off whatever got into its way like a ship navigating through a satellite trail. She touched the tip or her fingers to her thumb, feeling a new, electric sensation she had never felt before course through her hands.

Please, I need you...

Suddenly, she was no longer in the hanger. She didn't need to drown out the sounds of ships and labor, because there was none at all... Relief grounded her feet to the floor, and she felt compelled to open her eyes.

It was a man. He stood maybe 10 feet away, but he was there. The room-... Or wherever they were was pitch black, and for a moment it was as if he was nothing more than a shadow. His clothes were dark charcoal, and his hair was black and thick as smoke.

His back was towards her, but his distressed stance made her realize he was fully aware of her presence...

Rey didn't realize her mouth was open, she was too bewildered of the eerie phenomenon that was happening... Her voice cracked, "Hello?..."

The shadow's dark head of hair shifted slightly to the direction of Rey's voice, not enough to see a profile, but it was enough for Rey.

The corner of her lip began to curl, then the other, "It's me- It's... It's Rey..." She managed to rasp, trying anything to lighten this mood. It was him, she was sure of it... But she never expected their first meeting to be so apprehensive...

She wanted to run to him, but she couldn't. She wanted to wrap her arms around him, bury her face in his clothes. Hell, she just wanted to look at him, but she couldn't... It was all so dreamlike, surreal in a way. There was a force of sorts repressing these thoughts, the urges she could not satisfy were hardly bothering her at all...

The Jakku girl could only speak, "Tell me your name, please tell me I need something to-."

"HEY," She snapped her head in the direction of the sharp bark, it was a stormtrooper standing in his place firmly before her. In a swift rush, the hangar began to flood her concentration, breaking the trance and violently forcing her into reality. She met his black eyes out of instinct, but hazily began to collect her bearings... Only half aware she was being scolded by a First Order Stormtrooper...

"What are you standing around for?" He snapped rudely.

What the hell... She thought quickly, Was that a dream...? Was that real...?

"Sorry," She felt compelled to say, only half registering what was really happening right now. She cracked a smile, hoping to relieve some tension so she could collect her thoughts, "I just finished-"

"Knock off the attitude, greasebag."

Did she just talk back? She didn't think so...? "I'm sorry," She said forcefully this time, "It won't happen again."

"Are we going to have a problem here?" She thought he replied more obnoxiously than he needed to. Rey figured he was the youngest stormtrooper in this hanger, and he needed to prove a point to the literal man above and pick on the newbie... Just like home...

The stormtrooper viciously snatched her arm and held tight, but not powerfully. Before she could protest, she watched his helm tilt to the man above them, he shouted, "The rookie needs an attitude adjustment."

Apparently this was enough for the brooding officer, who merely waved in the direction of the empty rec room. Rey felt her stomach drop, this had to have been some initiation she wasn't aware of, as none of her 'coworkers' were taking any glances or part in this verbal assault.

She felt him yank her arm, and she was being pulled effortlessly towards the recreational room. He hit a button to the side with his free hand, the door whooshed open, and Rey was thrown in. He stepped in, staring intently as the door slammed behind them. She faced him, refusing to let any fear or unsettlement show in her eyes, "Listen, I wasn't doing anything, I was working and I just stopped, okay? I'm sorry."

He ignored this, only shielding the window with a pulled, fabric curtain, they were sealed in.

The stormtrooper turned to her, his body movements became gentle, and his voice softened evidently, "It's okay, you're safe in here."

Rey felt the confusion sink in, her face twisted and her brows furrowed, wondering what exactly this man was talking about. She watched his hands lift towards his head, his fingers locked under his helm, and they lifted gently. He removed his mask.

The man had dark skin, his stormtrooper collar tightened around his neck, defining his facial features. He was handsome, and his voice was rough, but recognizable...

She realized who she was speaking to and her eyes widened, "You're the stormtrooper from the ship... FN-... Something, something."

"217... My friend calls me Finn, though," He was looking at her appearance, and it was easily readable from his pleasant expression he had more on his mind, "I saw you over there and I just-... You look good."

She lifted her brow, unsure how to respond to this. The silence obviously made him nervous as he began to fidget with words, "I mean like-... Last time I saw you, you were all like- dirty, and your face was all red and-..."

Smiling now, Rey wanted to laugh. She wondered how this man could have been a stormtrooper, or were they all like this on the inside?

"You know what I mean," He blushed "It's great to see you."

His expression was honest, it made her heart flutter looking upon him now, he was indeed handsome and charming... No, She thought, the smile faded, Remember who's back on Jakku...

She replied finally, "What's this about?"

His expression fled, a solid, serious one took its place, "Okay, we don't have much time," He said quickly, "I'm gettin' outta here."

Her heart ceased to flutter, in fact she felt it stop once upon those words, "What? How?"

The trooper's words seemed to fumble in his thoughts, he struggled to get them into the air. He held his helmet on his hip and in the crook of his elbow, "Listen Rey, I don't know you, but I know you don't wanna be here... There's a Resistance member on board, he promised to get me off this ship if I helped him, but he promised me we wouldn't go without you..."

Hope...

Hope!

She said nothing. She couldn't, her mind was too concentrated on wrapping her head around this situation. A stormtrooper and a Resistance member? A First Order traitor? Was this drama a usual occurrence...? Or is it just my lucky week?

Finally, she managed, "Why...? You just said you didn't even know me, why do you want to help me? Not to mention you're a bloody stormtrooper talking about treason..."

She watched him step forward, his eyes stared intently upon her, but she felt no aversion to this. He became a foot away from her, and yet only stood maybe a few centimeters taller than her. Their eyes locked, and in a way... She liked the intensity that came from this.

"I know... but Rey when I met you, I don't know, I just knew you were special...

Special, She thought to herself.

This place will break you, I don't want that to happen to anybody else..."

"What do you mean break me?"

"I just mean this is a bad place, like really bad..."

She thought of her room, the chandelier and her bed, the features she'd never even experienced like a full bathtub... It was all a ploy, she knew it from the start.

But this was the straw that broke everything. This was it.

"What's the plan, then?"

He smiled, it was obvious he was holding his breath during that stance, but he finally relaxed. "All right, well..." His smile vanished, "We don't really have a plan yet... But we're working on it."

This hardly had any effect on her point of view, in fact, it didn't change the way she felt at all. There was hope, and that was enough.

"Well then what do you need me to do?"

"Nothing, when we get something together, I'll let you know. It'll be a couple of days, so just hang in there and stay out of trouble," He chose his next words playfully, "No attitude, got it?"

She smiled again, "I think I can manage, even though all you bucketheads sound the same."

He returned the smile.

They stayed like this for a moment, she thought it was a nice reprieve to be standing before someone who didn't tower over her like someone else she knew...

But now she realized she had to be more careful with her thoughts and actions, if this was to work, she'd have to keep her nose clean... But until when was her main concern.

"We'd better get back... Try to act more sad, I guess, make it convincing that I'm a mean guy."

He went to place his helmet back on its place, but Rey stopped him. There were so many concerns in this plan, but Rey had one more that needed to be brought to light, "Wait..." She stopped his hand, their eyes locked again, "Kylo Ren, what does he want with me?"

The trooper paused, the side of his lip stretched, his eyebrows raised, and his shoulders shrugged. "Company I guess? I don't really know, no one does. Best to keep it to yourself, too. You're just a mechanic, don't draw attention to yourself." He put his helmet back on his head, locking it firmly in place. "Come on, let's go before someone starts getting suspicious." He took her by the bicep again, this time gently. "Just hang in there, I'll come back when we're onto something. 'Til then, just keep your head down."

The helmet made him look taller, but she didn't care. She didn't hear the button being pressed, but she heard the door. After that, she was thrown a bit more roughly than she anticipated. She felt short gazes from onlookers as she stumbled to catch her footing, when she lifted her chin to meet their eyes, they looked away.

The stormtrooper made one last glance before her, he was glad she turned back to him, only he wished he could give one last smile or a wink in her direction. The helmet hid it all.

As he walked away, she thought of something pleasant to say to him, even though he threw her a little too hard, it was all for show.

This is real, She thought, I can't lose this, I can't...

Please tell me your thoughts and review as honestly as possible. No Star Wars FanFiction is perfect, unless it's written, sealed, signed, and kissed by George Lucas himself, but I hope this makes at least 1 person happy.

Thanks for reading! Come back for 'Chapter 10: A Stir.'