This morning started much like others had. Rey pulled her uniform dress over her head, and it slid over her black undershirt. She gave it a final tug and twisted it slightly into place. She pulled a brush through her hair and whipped it into a half-up style before putting on her usual bit of makeup. Her mind wandered back to her academy days when she'd learned some makeup tricks from a roommate, and then used her newly discovered art skills to improve upon her knowledge. She wondered for a moment about what had happened to her roommates and decided their fates hadn't turned out as strangely as hers had. Of course, their lives hadn't started as strangely as hers either. Her mind wandered to her parents as she continued with her morning activities, but she quickly pulled her thoughts from them. She let them wander further, and they landed upon her new acquaintance—she was hesitant to say friend—Pavel. That cured the short spell of hopelessness she'd felt when she thought of her parents. She thought about what he'd told her of his childhood as she finished her morning and headed towards the bridge. It must have been so happy. I wish mine could have been. She thought of snowmen and snowball fights—but she equated the snow to sand, and it put a bit of a grainy feeling in her mind, so she stopped thinking about it. She made a mental note to ask Pavel what snow felt like.

She arrived on the bridge and pulled her thoughts that way. She smiled at the familiar faces and took her post. As she smiled in Pavel's direction, she saw his face beam back. That left her with a warm feeling as she brought her mind into work mode.

Things were quiet for the first few hours, but that calmness was broken when the ship wandered close to a large, white planet.

"Captain," Spock began, "I am getting readings similar to those from Takodana, however they are much stronger. I suggest getting a closer look, as they seem to have been harmless."

Rey thought for a second about what Spock had said as she heard but ignored what Captain Kirk had responded with.

"Commander, are those readings maybe close to what you got from my lightsaber when you studied it?" she said after the captain was finished.

Spock thought for a second and confirmed. "Yes, I believe they are."

"Rey," Kirk said, "You can join the away team if you'd like."

"Thank you, sir. I will."

He turned his gaze in Pavel's direction next.

"Mister Chekov, you can join the team as well. We'll need that Russian expertise of yours," he said with a smile.

Pavel smiled back. "Aye, Keptin."

Nyota looked in Rey's direction as Kirk assigned the rest of the members of the away team. She shot her a sly smile.

"You get to go with your boyfriend," she whispered, in a mock-taunting tone.

Rey glared at her and denied it, but her face was warm, and she had to quickly remove the smile she didn't notice she was wearing. Nyota just laughed.

Pavel got up from his seat and walked past Rey on his way out.

"C'mon, I'll show you how to dress for this!" he exclaimed.

She nodded and followed him.

He led her to sort of a closet where crewmembers used the computer to replicate clothes. It was a rather simple room; with several kiosk-like installments containing screens for picking garments, and benches for putting on shoes. Under the screens were slots where the folded clothes would appear. The two walked to a free screen and Pavel took over. He promptly accessed the keyboard and changed it to Russian, putting in a keyword with precision and speed. He selected the coat that appeared and changed the sizing and color. She watched as it became a beautiful velvety coat with a bit of false fur peeping out at the sleeves and neck.

"Regulation says that for a cold planet we hef to hef a specific set of undergarments for our uniforms. Ve hef free choice for a coat though, as long as it meets some standards. Zees meets zose standards," he proclaimed, smiling.

That smile didn't last long as he looked over to her.

"Do you like it?"

"Of course I do! It's nice and looks warm. It's gorgeous!"

He smiled again. "I'm glad."

It promptly appeared in the slot, and she pulled it out and slid it on. She smiled at him.

"It's perfect!"

He smiled back and did a quick glance over her in his coat, thinking to himself how nice she looked in it. Bringing himself back to the task on hand, he brought her to where the warm undergarments were. Making and taking a pair, she let him have the screen again. He got her a scarf to add to the mix, followed by a pair of warm socks and mittens. He switched the keyboard back to Russian and typed again, his word search revealing a fuzzy ushanka. He made it match the coat and almost made the computer replicate it, but he froze. He looked at her.

"I was about to give you a hat," he chucked a little. "I guess I've gone a leeeeetle overboard?"

She looked at the hat, then at him, giving him a sly smile.

"Give me that hat."

He grinned and complied.

Soon she had on the hat, scarf, and mittens in addition to the coat. She looked quite Russian, and it made Pavel laugh to himself.

"Now to get some for myself."

The two "Russians" arrived in the transporter room toting their phasers, a staff, and a lightsaber. Kirk burst out laughing.

"Man, you've really gotten to her, haven't you, Mister Chekov? Or should I say Comrade?"

Pavel laughed back. "No sir, you can keep it at Lieutenant. Zat vas a long time ago."

Rey was a little confused but laughed as well. She felt like a stiff blob in all of her getup and hoped she'd be able to fight if things came to that. She did like her hat though; it was cozy and warm once she'd gotten used to it.

"We ready to go?" Kirk asked, in winter fatigues of his own.

"Yes sir," everyone on the away team said in accidental unison.

"Mister Scott, beam us down."

"Aye, Captain."

Before they knew it, they were all surrounded by bitter cold. The wind whipped at their faces, carrying snowflakes with it onto the already snow-coated ground. Rey found herself looking to the gray sky and at the falling snow, which looked very much like space, a place she was oddly more comfortable in. Turning her attention downward, she took a mitten off and stuck her bare hand in the snow. She quickly removed it, put her glove back on, and made a snowball. She smiled to herself, now knowing what snow felt like without having to ask anyone.

"This reminds me of that time you kicked me off the ship for giving you a warning, Spock," Kirk teased.

"It was necessary, Captain, as you were violating many different rules and-"

Kirk cut him off. "Relax, Spock. I'm here now, aaaand also in charge. No worries!"

If Spock were fully human, he would've been glaring double-edged daggers at his captain. For now, though, he was only glaring single-edged ones as Kirk chuckled at him.

Kirk heard Pavel take a breath through the nose and release it in a grand sigh. His gaze was redirected. There stood Pavel, back to Kirk, with his fists on his hips in a dramatic pose.

"Ah yes. Bitter cold, no sun, temperatures close to the single digits. Home sweet home!"

Almost the entire away team began to laugh at that, including Pavel as he dropped into a more natural pose. He faced them again, eyes bright and nose red.

"Mister Spock, where are those readings coming from?" Kirk asked in an attempt to bring the group's thoughts to the mission.

"They are almost everywhere, sir. However, they seem to be concentrated nearby in what seems to be a cave, in which I suggest we take shelter. We seemed to have come during a snowstorm."

"Eh, I've seen worse," Pavel said to himself, garnering a giggle from Rey.

Once they were inside the cave, Spock started getting readings on everything. Meanwhile, Pavel started chatting with the other two members of the away team. One was a nurse from a colony in the outer reaches of the federation, while the other was a Canadian security guard named Morin. The two got along very well as they shared experiences of living in the cold.

The chats and studying were abruptly cut off as a distinctive roar could be heard overhead.

"TIEs," Kirk observed. He promptly switched to command mode.

"Phasers to kill. Stay in this cave for the time being."

He pulled out his communicator and flipped it open.

"Kirk to Enterprise. Enterprise, come in."

Nothing.

"Great."

Rey activated her lightsaber as the cave began to shake. They could hear muffled explosions. Kirk looked at Spock, whose face was one of slight concern.

"Get out of the cave!"

Everyone took off running towards the door, making it out in time to avoid the incoming avalanche.

Once outside, Kirk tried to contact the Enterprise again and failed, but this time it wasn't due to the cave. They were being jammed. In the distance, the silhouette of a First Order shuttle could be seen, as could the silhouettes of two dozen stormtroopers. The TIEs were in the sky now, and a firefight could be seen between them and the Enterprise. Rey activated her lightsaber again as the stormtroopers neared. There was one more figure, though. The silhouette was much darker, as the figure was dressed in black. The troopers were running now, and the black figure produced a red, crackling, cross-guarded lightsaber. Before both parties knew it, they were enveloped in a battle.

Rey had run after one of the stormtroopers when she was thrown to the ground. The impact jarred the breath from her, but she couldn't remember being hit by anything. When she got her bearings, she saw the dark figure standing over her, a mask and hood obscuring his face. Before she could examine him further, his lightsaber came for her. She had just enough time to grab hers and block his powerful blow. She kicked at his feet and was able to buy enough time to jump back up.

He was after her again. Now that she knew what was happening, she could better anticipate things. However, his fighting style was unlike anything else she had dealt with, as he swung at her with a sort of calculated recklessness. Over her concentration, Rey heard Pavel crying her name and caught a glance of him pointing his phaser at her opponent. He was attacked by stormtroopers before he could fire, however, and directed his firepower towards them. Meanwhile, Rey pulled out her phaser to gain a quick edge on her opponent. She fired at him, but he extended his hand and froze the blast in midair.

"Foolish girl," she heard him say. He threw the blast back at her, but she was able to drop to the ground to avoid it. Once she was back on her feet, he was upon her again. They fought for a few minutes, with Rey trying hard just to keep up. Finally, he caught her in a lock against a tree. He bared down on her and it took all of her strength to keep him from killing her right then. To her surprise, he spoke to her.

"I can tell you are extremely strong in the Force. You can't get far on your own. Join me, and I'll teach you."

"Never," Rey growled.

"Then you can die with your ship."

She pushed him back enough to get herself off the tree. In a quick glance skyward, she could see that the battle with the TIEs had ended with a victorious Enterprise. She spoke to the man again.

"I think you underestimated us."

He let out something between a growl and a scream and ran at her. Several stormtroopers had converged around her and began firing at her upon seeing their leader in such rage. She struggled to try to block some of their blasts, but before she knew it he was upon her.

Suddenly, she felt a burning sensation on her arm and cried out, momentarily dropping to the ground.

Pavel cried her name so loudly his voice cracked.

In her pain and anger, her hand flew to the ground, something like a shockwave emanating from it. All the stormtroopers and the man in black flew backward. Some of the stormtroopers closest to her flew hard and hit things, killing them. The man did an undignified flip, landing on his back.

She stood up, observing what had happened. Pain shot through her arm and she winced and held it. The wound was deep, and her vision began to go black. The last thing she heard was Pavel's voice crying her name again.

When she awoke, the First Order was gone, and the nurse was being beamed up with her.

Everyone else was being beamed up as well, but Kirk held Pavel back.

"Pavel, I need you to hear me out."

"Ay, Keptin," Pavel said with a hint of uncertainty.

"I need you to keep an eye on Rey. I know you two spend some time together."

The younger man looked at him quizzically. "Why, sir? If I may ask?"

"That man she fought had the same powers as she does. I'm afraid that either they're using her to track us, or she's telling them where we are. Now I'm not saying to look very hard. Just see if anything seems out of the ordinary. If you do, let me know. If not, it's alright."

Pavel's heart dropped and he stammered. "You don't think she's a traitor, do you?"

His mood promptly changed. "Why vould you say zat?! Ve hef no idea vat either of zem can do. He easily could track her. He's vay more skilled zan her. I don't think zat-"

Kirk cut him off. "Chekov. I said to hear me out. I'm not meaning that I know she's a traitor. I just don't want to end up making a big mistake."

A defeated, upset Pavel looked into his captain's eyes. He bit his tongue in an effort to hold back tears and made sure to regulate his voice before he spoke. "Aye, Keptin."

As Rey went home after her short stint in the medbay, she put her hand in her pocket and pulled out the token she had taken off the ground from her opponent. Opening her hand, she examined her new kyber crystal.

A/N: AAAAHHH I'M SO SORRY. Ok so my life has changed a lot since I wrote chapter six lol. I've finally started writing again.

Ok so a few things:

I'm sorry for my past cringier writing. I realize this chapter probably wasn't much better, BUT.

Also I realize that radar operator is NOT a viable career choice on the Enterprise. My dad read through like chapter one one time and was like, radar operator….you realize they have like sensors right

Anyway I can't really change it now, so suspend your Trekkie disbelief. (If you have that.) If I get around to all the planned sequels I have, she changes jobs to one that makes a lot more sense. So sorry about that.

More A/n: My brother was reading the early chapters and the same goes. Please suspend your Trekkie disbelief since there's a LOT that doesn't make sense. I'm gonna try to do better XD