Rey was informing General Leia of their progress. Leia nodded in approval. "Good work, we need all the good news we can muster right now." She said. Rey furrowed her brow in confusion. "Why's that?" she asked. Leia folded her arms. "The First Order is moving to strike; we're attempting to build our forces by persuading other star systems to join our cause." She explained. Rey's mind instantly went to Finn. "How long do we have?" she asked, trying to hide the concern in her voice. Leia unfolded her arms. "Our spies say a little under a standard week, but I'd like you to get back here before then." She said. Rey nodded. "Yes General." she said. Leia paused for a moment. "…How is the old geezer anywho?" she asked. Rey smiled. "He's okay. He told us he left to search for the first ever Jedi temple, he said that he needed something to be a match for Snoke, and that he'd find it here." She summarized. Leia rolled her eyes. "That sounds just like him, scavenging for dusty old artifacts." She paused for a moment. "Well, as long as he's doing okay…is there anything else?" she asked. Rey shook her head. "That's about it." She said. Leia nodded. "Alright. We'll be contacting you over regular intervals for updates. We'll inform you of any developments." She finished. Rey nodded and closed the holoprojector.
Luke was smiling as he entered the Falcon, taking in all of the old memories that lay within its hull. "Wow… she hasn't changed all that much since I've last been aboard." he reminisced. Chewie grunted a description of the state of his ship. Luke looked around once more. "I never thought I'd see her again; how did you and Han get her back?" he asked. Chewie grunted an explanation of how they tracked the Falcon, and how they found it in the hands of Finn and Rey. Luke looked towards Rey, who was standing in the corner of the room, isolating herself from the group. Luke stroked his beard in contemplation.
Luke was rummaging through a box of old junk when Rey approached him. "So… you're The Luke Skywalker?" she nervously asked. Luke kept his attention on the box. "Mhmm." He hummed. Rey recalled what she heard of him back on Jakku. "There are stories about what you did during the war with the Empire. Most people consider them legends, fairy tales to entertain children." She lightly pressed. Luke's attention remained unchanged. "You want to know whether or not they are "just legends", right?" he asked. Rey remained silent. Luke stopped what he was doing and turned to face her. "Well, it depends on which story you hear. I certainly never took on the Empire singlehandedly. In fact, when I was just about your age, I was living on Tatooine, helping out my aunt and uncle with moisture farming." He explained. Rey blinked in surprise. "Really?" she asked in disbelief. Luke nodded. "Oh yes, I was just a farm boy. I wasn't born or destined into greatness; it didn't matter who my family was, or who they may have been. All that mattered was that I was a kid with a choice to make." He stated. Rey took a moment to process what she had just heard. "A choice…" she repeated back. As Rey reflected upon herself, Luke had gone back to rummaging around the box. "Aha!" he proclaimed. This caught Rey's attention. Luke held up his discovery. "At long last…my old nemesis!" he announced, holding up the training remote. He looked to Rey, who was giving him a look of bewilderment. He laughed. "This little thing was what I used to train to become a Jedi. We were always on the run back then. We couldn't afford to have a proper training program, so we had to make do with what we had." He recalled. Rey looked the man up and down, unsure of what to make of him.
R2 entered the room and blipped a question to Luke. He raised an eyebrow. "Dejarik? I don't know, I'm a little rusty. Promise to go easy on me?" he asked. R2 beeped out a negative tone. "Hah! Didn't think so." He exclaimed. R2 chirped a laugh all the way out of the room. Luke looked to Rey. "Care to join us?" he asked. She shook her head. Luke nodded and leaned forward. "Time to get my hide handed to me by a droid." He held up the training remote. "As for you my old adversary… we shall have our long-awaited rematch… later." He promised. He put the remote back in the box. Rey watched him as he left the room, still unsure as to what to make of him.
Luke put up a good fight in the game of Dejarik but was ultimately bested by the droid. Chewie, who had been on the sidelines, growled in outrage. Luke nodded his head. "I think you're right Chewie, R2 is a cheater." he said. Chewie barked out a laugh. R2 chirps out in the tone of a laugh as well. Rey watches from a distance, feeling like an intruder.
Later on, Rey found Luke in the cockpit of the Falcon. He was looking around, reminiscing about old times. She waited a moment before he turned to her. "You need something?" he asked. She felt embarrassed. "I'm sorry, I didn't want to interrupt-" Before she could finish, Luke raised his hand, signaling she wasn't bothering him. She continued. "I've informed General Leia of our situation. She said to hurry back to base as soon as possible, the First Order is planning to attack The Resistance home planet." she said. Luke got up and began to walk. "I see. Well, I've told you already. I need more time." he reiterated. Rey followed him, the intimidation she felt from him before had diminished. "Surely your answers can wait to deal with one battle?" she asked. Luke shook his head. "Without my answers, the war will never end." He stated. Rey grew frustrated. "What good will your answers be if there is no Resistance left to defend?" she asked him. Luke turned to her. For a moment, he wore that look of caution and sorrow again. This time Rey noticed. "And why do you keep looking at me like that?" she asked, slightly annoyed. Luke stared at her for a moment, until he finally nodded his head. "Come with me, I have something to show you." he said with an air of mysticism. He walked out of the Falcon with her reluctantly following behind. He took her into an ancient-looking cave. Inside was a vast open area covered with what looked to be obsidian, with several other passageways to other rooms and exits. Luke came to a table and gestured for her to sit. "So, what do you think of the first ever Jedi Temple?" he asked her. Rey looked around. "It's very... dark, damp, and very stuffy in here." she said with restraint. Luke howled with laughter, the echo traveling throughout the structure. "Well, it's no Coruscant temple I'll give you that." He looked around the vast open space. "Although it did do its job back in the day. And it still has secrets left to share." he said. He turned back to Rey. It seemed he was growing more relaxed around her. He rose suddenly. "Come on! I'll show you what I've found so far!" He said excitedly. Rey rose as well. Before she could have a chance to protest, he was off. Practically skipping his way into one of the many doors, Rey hurried after him.
They arrived in a room filled with books, artifacts, and ancient holocrons. Luke gestured around the room as he sat down. "Many of these artifacts are as old as the temple itself, but there are also some of a more recent age. A good number of them aren't even holocrons, they're books which contain ancient Jedi knowledge. Fighting techniques, different ways to manipulate the force, philosophy, and the history of the era when this temple was built." He detailed.
Rey attempted to humor him by listening, but she was at her wits end. "Look, I know you're excited about your dusty old junk..." she interrupts. Luke looked hurt by her comment. "But we're in a hurry! The First Order is coming! The Resistance is in danger! The whole bloody galaxy is in danger, and you're here having a grand ole time catching up with old friends and shooting people weird looks! There must be some truth to those legends about you saving the galaxy, isn't there?" she finished. Luke simply looked at her, amused at her words. "Perhaps." he retorted. Rey rolled her eyes and paced around the room. "What about you?" he asked. That question made her stop in her tracks. "What?" she asked, caught off guard. Luke continued. "What's your part in all of this? What's your investment? What's your story?" he asked.
Rey gathered herself and sat down beside him. "I… the earliest I can remember was living on Jakku. I don't know how I got there, or when… I was just there. Unkar Plutt looked after me when I was younger, but for the most part I was alone. Alone for years, waiting for my family to come back… Then one day, I found a droid in trouble, and I chose to help it. Unkar Plutt wanted the droid in exchange for rations, I said no, so he sent his thugs after me. That's how I met Finn." She said. A smile came across her face when she mentioned Finn. She continued. "He told me he was with The Resistance, and that the droid was carrying a map to you." She recalled. Luke raised an eyebrow and smiled upon hearing that. "We found The Falcon not long after and used it to escape The First Order. And soon after that, that's when Han and Chewie found us. Then we had to rescue them from some gangs that Han owed money to, and we unleashed the Rathtars that Han was storing to do it! Then we all escaped in The Falcon!" she said excitedly. Luke admired the shine in her eyes as she detailed her adventures. She continued on. "Then we went to Takodana to get BB-8 back to the Resistance, that's where I found your saber!" she described. Luke nodded. "I remember." He said unenthusiastically. "And then The First Order came, and I was captured by Kylo Ren. He tried to get the map from my head because I had seen it, but I fought back and resisted! Then I tried it out myself on a guard to let me go, and it worked!" she explained. Luke's expression grew increasingly concerned, much to Rey's inobservance. She continued on. "Then I ran into Finn, Han, and Chewie, who had all come to rescue me. We planned on blowing up the center of the base so that The Resistance could have a shot at destroying it, but then… but then Han…" she trailed off. Luke nodded in understanding. She attempted to continue on. "Then… Finn and I were running to the Falcon, but Kylo intercepted us. Finn tried fighting him but… he was hurt badly. Then… something happened I can't quite explain. I… I visualized the saber in my hand and then… it was just… there." She tried to explain. Luke's expression was grim. "Just like that?" he cautiously asked. Rey nodded. "Yes… and I fought Kylo next. And… it was strange… he had the upper hand, but… I somehow won." She recalled. Luke studied Rey's face very carefully. She continued on. "Then Chewie picked us up in the Falcon, Starkiller base was destroyed, we put the map together and… well, you know the rest." Rey finished. Luke studied her for a moment, then nodded his head. "I'll start excavation and exploration tomorrow at first light. If I don't find what I'm looking for, we'll leave later in the day. How does that sound?" he asked. Rey paused for a moment, then nodded. "That's great" she said. Luke smiled, then put his arm around her and led her out of the cave, back to the surface.