Chapter 4 – Coruscant
She saw the island again. The black cliffs that were topped with green grass and moss, resisting for countless of eons as the raging waves kept hitting the very foundation of their existence, towering proudly over the ocean and protecting the grey stony structures built within.
This time, however, she didn't see anyone climbing the set of stairs carved to its side up. In fact, it seemed that the island was deserted, devoid of any living creatures. Her eyes could only see inanimate things – an ancient village, a sacred tree and a mysterious temple.
But then she started to hear whispers, a voice that was a mixture of both a female and a male. Inadvertently, she tilted her head in order to catch the meaning of the words because they were unintelligible and she couldn't make out what the voices were trying to tell her.
Force...
The vivid images in her mind's eye, strange as they were, came to her immediately and the island sprouted with encompassing life. She sensed it in the flowers, grass and shrubs on the island, as well as in the strange bird-like creatures that inhabited it, the insects buzzing in the air, and in the fishes and other water creatures swimming in the ocean all around.
Since they all nurtured this life, she also sensed death and decay in the rotten plants, withered sticks, dead flesh and white bones buried in the soil. She could feel the warmth of the two suns orbiting the unknown planet, as well as the cold of the night when the moon replaced them, forcing the ocean either raise its tide or ebb it away.
Light...
This time, she saw a temple crudely carved into a side of the cliff. The whole building seemed to be ancient, yet barely touched by the ravages of time. If anything, it felt primitive and simple as if it had been one of the first structures of its kind that later developed into grandiose, beautifully decorated constructions.
A mosaic lined with white and black stones was affixed to the floor, depicting a person sitting in a meditation pose holding a sword. Two orbs – probably the two suns or the sun and the moon, Rey wasn't sure which option was correct – hovered on the each side of the person as if were two wells from which one could draw power.
Dark...
The image shifted and instead, she was looking at black rocks sodden with the water that kept coming in and out. There was a hole inside, ominously framed by some kind of dark seaweed and vines, giving it a sinister twist. Against her better judgement, she jumped inside and swam through the murky water, only to come up to the surface in a hidden cavern.
Once she climbed up, the originally black obsidian walls turned transparent, acting like a curved mirror because she could see her reflection multiple times. Confused, she touched it, expecting everything and nothing at all. To her surprise, a shadowy figure – male one, if she were to guess – approached her from the other side, placing its hand on the mirror in the same place as she did, forcing the image to clear up.
Balance...
Before she could see the face of the person on the other side, though, she was forcefully pulled back from the cave so she could watch the island from afar, just like in her previous vision in the tomb of Skywalker-Organa-Solo family. And just like earlier, the speed of her perspective accelerated. Tumbling down towards the island, she tried to do everything to avoid the inevitable and fatal crash but to no avail.
When her body forcefully hit the ground, she buried herself in the darkness.
These are your first steps, Rey.
"Ms Rey?" The already panicky voice of the golden droid roused her from her sleep when, all of a sudden, she drew herself up.
Blinking a couple of times, she quickly oriented herself in the unfamiliar and strange environment that was the main hold of the Millennium Falcon. The vestiges of the dream kept attacking her mind with images and yet, she could focus on the present to realize that she had fallen asleep on the bunk after the awkward call with her boss she had survived.
I recommend you to be quick about it. Once Snoke hears this shady story about some long-lost heir, you'll be glad that you're not anywhere near him.
"Are you alright, Ms Rey?" C3PO bent over her, conveniently offering her a glass of water. "I couldn't wake you up."
She shook her head but more to clear it than as a response because she instantly felt nauseous when she recalled the way she was falling through the air, down to her inevitable doom. "I'm fine." She croaked between the gulps, wishing her hands would stop shaking. Maybe she would even stop feeling the odd, yet energizing tug inside her chest.
"Where are we?" She asked the protocol droid before he could start freaking out over her state of distress or whatever she was experiencing. Sometimes, he was much more caring than a regular human would be.
"That's why I went to wake you up." C3PO explained, taking the glass back to the bar while Rey began to fix her bun hairdo. "We're almost on Coruscant. You wanted me to get you."
Rey jumped out of the bunk and stretched her muscles. Then she turned her business mode ON, pushing her dreams and the words of her boss in the back of her mind. She had a job to do and she wouldn't let anyone stand in her way. Even if she had to rummage through every single trashcan in the Galaxy, she was determined to get some real answers this time.
"Let's go, then." She gave a command, albeit having no real crew to order around, and headed off towards the cockpit to prepare the freighter for landing.
Considering that this was her first landing with a spaceship of such a kind, it went surprisingly smoothly. The autopilot equipped inside the systems of the vessel was indeed very user-friendly and supportive. With the combined help of the two droids accompanying her, she touched down almost as if she had been born a professional pilot.
When she saw the colossal seat of the Church of the Force towering in front of her, her jaw dropped down on the ground and her head started to spin due all the hustle and bustle with all its lights, people and sounds. Since it was early in the morning, the sky above her head was coloured in the shades of pink, orange and blue, making the former Imperial palace and the former Jedi Temple in one to look almost animate.
"You two have been here before, right?" She threw the question over her shoulder at the two droids. "Because I thought that we would land in more of a... public space than right here."
Naturally, she wondered whether it was even allowed to so brazenly park a ship at the foot of one of the most famous buildings in the Galaxy. Yes, it had its own landing platform – actually, several of them – and its own hangars, but those were for the personnel, students and other acquaintances of the Church, at least she assumed so. But not for a visitor like her.
The standard on many other planets was to go through the process of identification, registration and leaving the ship at the reserved parking space. But somehow, she just found herself right in front of the seat of the Church without anyone questioning her legitimacy of being here because neither had she been contacted by the defence squadron or threatened to be shot down if she didn't do as they said.
For some reason, she couldn't shake the feeling that two droids whose previous owners had been regular visitors of this place had something to do with it.
"Unlike mine, Artoo's memory has never been wiped out." C3PO informed her amidst of the beeping sounds of his fellow droid. "He remembers everything."
Rey simply nodded, too weary to sigh, and turned towards the domed astromech. "Good. In that case, I assume you know your way around here." She smiled and patted his head once she received the answer she wished to hear. "Lead the way, then."
R2D2 beeped several times in excitement and started moving towards the entrance of the former Jedi temple with Rey and C3PO scuttling behind him. Luckily, they didn't need to study the new floor plan of the reconstructed headquarters of the Church of the Force because the main hall now included a large reception desk with several droids standing behind the counters.
Since he seemed to be free, Rey approached a kind-looking silver droid who reminded her of her golden friend. "Uhm... Hello." She greeted him with a tentative smile, realizing that she had absolutely no idea how to convince the droid to tell her what she needed to know. She wasn't prepared for such an official eventuality.
"What can I do for you, Ms?" The droid replied in a smooth voice, his fingers hovering over the keyboard, ready to execute any command that would be given to him.
Rey bit the inside of her mouth nervously but decided not to beat about the bush and cut to the chase. There was no harm in asking, after all. "That's a bit tricky. I'd like to know if Ms Leia Organa recently arranged any appointment here and if so, with whom she was supposed to meet." She said with as much confidence as she could muster.
"I'm afraid I can't disclose such private information to you, Ms." The droid replied without a single blink, his programming too protocol-driven to even think that she was insane.
His golden counterpart tried to intervene but Rey raised her hand to silence both him and the domed droid standing next to her. "I should have introduced myself first." She apologized humbly and lowered her head in a professional shame. "I'm Rey, lawyer from Plutt & Associates with the seat on the planet of Jakku. I was assigned to deal with an inheritance matter regarding Ms Leia Organa."
The droid did nothing to show that what she had said posed any meaning to him or that it would convince him to share the information she had asked earlier. "I know that what I'm demanding to know is private but I really need to speak with the person Ms Organa planned to meet. He – or she – possesses a very important knowledge about the heir I'm looking for." She tried to look desperate, albeit she already felt like it.
Apparently, some of the humanity so typical for her two companions was also stored in others like them because the droid reached for a scanning device standing on the counter and lifted it up. "Can you provide your ID?" He asked in anticipation.
She rolled up her sleeve and extended her arm to let him scan the microchip injected beneath her skin above her wrist several years ago. Once her identification data were checked and the droid verified that she was indeed the person she had claimed to be, he started to search for something in the system. She could only watch him and hope that he wasn't calling the law enforcement to imprison her.
"Ms Organa did arrange an appointment recently. She was to meet Master Lor San Tekka." He informed her all of a sudden, much to her surprise. "Should I check if he's available to meet with you?"
"Please do, thank you very much." She heaved a deep sigh of relief, her excitement growing.
It took several long minutes that seemed to be long as an eternity itself but the droid eventually guided her through the former Imperial palace so she could see this mysterious man by the name of Lor San Tekka. R2D2 and C3PO remained downstairs with the Millennium Falcon to guard ship. She was rightfully afraid that it could be confiscated with no one around to explain where the vessel came from.
As expected, Lor San Tekka had earned his position of a Master with his experience and wisdom if his age written in the wrinkles etched in his light skin was any indication. In spite of his years, however, he still stood tall on his own legs, his white hair gracefully framing his face, stressing that he was a seasoned man who knew more about life and history than he would perhaps like.
He also treated her with a gentleman-like respect, not giving away any unpleasant or arrogant vibes. They introduced themselves to each other, shook hands politely and Rey was asked to sit down which she gladly did because the awfully familiar feeling that she had seen a very similar – if not the same – office in her vision back in the crypt made her knees shake.
"Why did you wish to see me, Miss Rey?" Lor San Tekka asked, pouring a cup of tea for her that she accepted with a warm smile.
Biting her tongue, she cursed herself for not rehearsing some sort of a speech on the way here but then again, it was hard to train something when she had no idea what to expect. "You were supposed to meet with Ms Leia Organa who, as you surely know, unfortunately passed away." She began, trying to hide her nervousness behind the rim of the cup.
"Yes, I heard the sad news." He confirmed solemnly, clasping his fingers together. "But as far as I know, my meeting with her wasn't planned as a business one. I didn't expect her lawyer to show up."
Rey put down the cup and cleared her throat. It was time to tell him the whole truth if she were to find out anything valuable. "You flatter me, Master San Tekka, but I'm not her lawyer." She admitted with a shy smile.
Then she went on, describing her predicament to him. She briefed him on the reasons of her journey to the planet of Chandrila, about her meeting with Maz Kanata and the situation-changing discovery that the son of Ms Organa was alive. She also didn't forget to mention the exploration of the Organa estate that had resulted in the only clue she had – the meeting Leia arranged with the man in front of her.
Her eyes occasionally slipping behind the old man's back towards the large viewport, she concluded her story with citing the reason why she had wished to see him herself – if she were to conclude the deal to which she had originally been assigned to accomplish, she needed to find Ben Solo.
"I have to say that you are quite a dedicated lawyer, Miss Rey. Others in your situation wouldn't probably bother with it as much." He complimented her with an appreciative nod of his head, his blue eyes studying her.
She chuckled earnestly, her cheeks slightly burning both with embarrassment and helplessness. "Thank you but to be honest, I don't have much of a choice." She informed him to let him know that her options were limited and returning without achieving her primary goal was useless.
It seemed that he understood what she meant but refrained from further comments. Rather, he chose to focus on the reason of her visit. "Unfortunately, I can't confirm whether Ms Organa wished to meet me because of her son. All I know is that she wanted to discuss a private matter." He remarked with a rub of his chin, momentarily looking into the distance as if he was looking for something inside his memory.
"So you two weren't close?" She deduced from the way he had addressed Leia and the fact that Leia would have probably told him beforehand what the purpose of her visit was supposed to be. As it seemed, Lor San Tekka wasn't the 'dear friend of hers' who had let her know where her son resided.
The old man redirected his gaze back on her, his lips forming a smirk. "No, we weren't. In fact, I was never so lucky to meet with her in person." He admitted with a shake of his head. "I was once a good friend of her brother but my path never crossed hers."
Nodding in understanding, Rey swallowed the bitter disappointment barging on her tongue because it was way too soon to give her hopes up. "Let's assume that she wanted to talk to you about her son. What do you think she wanted to know?" She asked instead because if San Tekka had personally known Luke Skywalker, he might have been an acquaintance of Ben Solo, as well.
"Considering that he spent three years of his life here—" San Tekka began pensively with a tap on his chin.
"What? Three years of his life?" Rey interrupted him immediately, watching him both with disbelief and excitement. She had finally met someone who could confirm that Ben Solo was alive because he had seen him after his supposed death.
With a sigh, the man clasped his hands together and leaned back in his seat because he wasn't used to being cut off in the middle of his speech like that. Age was catching up on him and a thought once opened could be lost in a second if not fully uttered or recorded. "Yes. He left Coruscant about... seven or eight years ago." He estimated roughly, scratching his head.
As opposed to him whose mind was time-worn and thus slower, she was capable of doing the quick math in the matter of seconds. "But... Wasn't he a teenager back then?" She wondered, throwing a dumfounded, almost accusatory look at him. "You didn't think of contacting his parents who were looking for him to let them know where he was?"
The almost aggressive tone of her voice could have surprised him if he wasn't experienced enough to be able to hide it. "I asked him if he wanted me to contact them and he said no. He was also given a chance to change his mind but he did not." He spread his arms with a shrug of his shoulders. "All I did was to respect his wish."
Rey snorted and wagged her head. "Excuse me but legally, he was still a child. Now—"
"There's no doubt that you are a lawyer, Miss Rey." He raised his hand to halt the verbal onslaught she was about to begin as if she were on a court. "Yes, he was indeed still a child but this is Coruscant. This is the headquarters of the Church of the Force."
She fell silent, tolerantly accepting the status of this place. A slight portion of the New Republic planets, including Coruscant, refused to fully adapt and conform to the intergalactic legal system, maintaining their own so they could handle the specific issues of their worlds in their own way. At the same time, however, Coruscant housed and oversaw several intergalactic institutions that followed their own legal code that was nevertheless recognized by the New Republic.
"People of all species and all age from little children to teenagers, from adults to the elderly, come here to study and train how to harness and control the Force." San Tekka explained with a telling gesture of his hands. "If it is required, the children are under the legal guardianship of the Church of the Force, not their parents."
For a brief moment, she couldn't resist the thought that made her wonder what would have happened if she had been an orphan on Coruscant and not on such a backwater place like Jakku. She could have worked in this very temple, close to all the ancient and legendary knowledge. San Tekka, this wise and kind man, could have been her guardian, and not the opportunistic and greedy Plutt.
"I see. I'm sorry if I offended you in any way." She apologized with a deep nod of her head to make sure her message was conveyed correctly.
"You did not." He accepted her apology with an assuring smile, leaning forward. "But back to the reason of your visit, Miss Rey. As I was saying, Ben Solo spent three years of his life here, studying the Force."
'I'm sorry. I'll make amends.' Those words were all Ben had written in the letter he had left in his room on Chandrila. Words and handwriting Leia had surely memorized to the point she saw them in her dreams and behind her eyelids whenever she closed them. As it seemed, the amends her son intended to make included completing his training and expanding his studies as his uncle had wished.
But why he had chosen such an obvious training ground as the headquarters of the Church of the Force? Why he had walked into the lion's den and risked that someone might recognize him and alert his parents about his location?
People here had surely been aware of who he was and what kind of rumours circled around through the Galaxy, including the news of his alleged death. Even if they had been sworn to secrecy, the word could have easily gotten out.
But maybe… maybe he had chosen his training ground exactly for the reason that it was the headquarters of the Church of the Force?
Since the building was a former Jedi temple and an Imperial palace, the well of a hidden knowledge and the library of the Galaxy – albeit some of texts were irretrievably lost during the Imperial era – it represented the centre of everything related to the Force. If Ben wanted to find information hidden somewhere in this impressive and colossal edifice – probably in its rich archives – then the risk was definitely worth it.
"Was he interested in something utterly specific?" She tested the waters carefully, letting San Tekka to decide whether he would show his hand or not.
"Yes, he was. Like many others before him, he wanted to find the birthplace of the Jedi Order hidden somewhere in the Unknown Regions." San Tekka responded calmly, making no secret of the – in his opinion – futile endeavour to find the fabled word where the ancient Jedi texts were believed to be sheltered. "He spent hours in the archives but sadly, the Empire wiped out a large portion of them."
Considering that the Emperor himself was a Sith, the greatest enemy of the Jedi, it was no surprise that he had seen to the irremediable loss of the knowledge amassed by the defenders of the Light. He had proven as much by orchestrating the horrific 'Order 66' that had led to the massacre of his archenemies with only a handful of them being able to escape without any considerable harm.
"Since he couldn't find what he was looking for, he started to spend more time with me, trying to make me talk about my life and my experiences." San Tekka continued, smiling nostalgically at the distant memory. "I suppose he thought that the desired information was in the heads of the people, especially the elder ones."
As a rookie who was still trying to find her place in the world, Rey could relate to that. "Do you have any idea where he might be?" She asked the man hopefully, albeit it had already been a few years since Ben Solo left Coruscant.
"No. I haven't heard a word from him ever since." He informed her with a regretful shake of his head. "But I advise you to contact his family."
She did a double-take and rapidly blinked several times to disperse her confusion that nevertheless prevailed. "But... his family is... gone." She objected with a logical argument, raising her eyebrow quizzically.
"His biological family is perhaps gone but his surrogate one isn't." San Tekka readily soothed her worries. "He has at least two uncles who were very close friends of his parents. One of them is Chewbacca who resides on Kashyyyk and the other one is Lando Calrissian whom you can find on the planet of Cantonica."
Great. A feral wookiee living on a jungle planet and an owner of the Canto Bight casino. While the former was perhaps harder to locate due to the unpredictable forest covering his homeland and Rey's inability to speak the wookiee language – she did understand some of it, though – the latter was even harder to approach unnoticed with all the security measures and guards in place inside and outside the casino.
"I'm sorry that I don't have any better information for you." San Tekka sincerely apologized when he saw her shoulders slumping in disappointment.
She looked up at him and forced herself to smile. "That's okay. You gave me two new directions and that's actually much more than I had when I was leaving Chandrila." She assured him, the gears inside her head working on a viable solution in the meantime.
With a nod, he shuffled the feet under his table but was in no rush to say goodbye to the woman in front of him. He sensed her underlying need to ask more questions but she quite obviously needed some time to work up the courage to do so. He didn't twiddle his thumbs, though, taking advantage of the moment of silence to study her unique and interesting Force trace.
"If you don't mind me asking," she approached the subject as carefully as she could, "did he tell you what happened to his uncle, Luke Skywalker?"
From the way she tip-toed around the topic and the control she applied on the tone of her voice, he correctly guessed that she knew more than what the official version about Luke Skywalker's passing said.
She was obviously fully aware what Luke had once meant to the organization she was currently visiting. She also hinted that she knew that Ben Solo – either directly or indirectly – had played a part in his death and questioned whether he had been forgiven for his transgression since he was allowed to live in Coruscant by the authorities of the Church.
"Yes, he did but not in full detail. His trauma was still too fresh." San Tekka admitted, his eyes mirroring the years-lasting grief over the loss of a dear friend. "But even from the vague description he gave me I could tell that he blamed himself deeply."
Her heart clenching with a strange feeling of empathy towards all sides involved, Rey nodded and pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "From what I've gathered his control over the Force must have slipped which caused a rock-fall that killed his uncle." She let him know what she had discovered during her snooping-around session inside the premises of Organa Engineering Company.
"I assume the same." San Tekka concurred, still wondering whether the loss of control had been provoked by an active use of the power in a twisted way or accidentally due to emotional fluctuation. "It explains his desire to complete his training and to make sure that he was always, under any circumstances, in full control of his power."
Considering the thread of disbelief weaved in the voice of the old man, Rey guessed that what Ben had tried to achieve was unattainable. From the little she knew about the Force, her understanding was that it was an omnipresent energy connecting the universe together which meant that everyone and everything was part of its existence. Only the rarely gifted ones, though, were able to consciously sense it and thus, harness it.
Those who were born with such a gift could use the Force for good, thus adhering to the Light side of the Force, or for the evil, thus adhering to the Dark side of the Force.
Ben seemed to tread the fine line between both because if he sought to be always in control, the effort reeked with the attempt to bend the Force to his will. Considering his family background and the traumatic experience he had been through, Rey didn't consider it surprising, though.
Experiences were what shaped people into who they were as they learned from the mistakes and tragedies, achievements and fortune they lived out. His motives were comprehensible to her. She just hoped that it didn't consume him completely and his originally good intention to make amends didn't send him on a Dark path.
"Did you hold it against him?" She asked breathlessly, the curiosity getting better of her.
The question seemed to bother San Tekka as if the answer was contradictory. "I… didn't. Luke wouldn't want me to." He admitted hesitantly, pondering how much he could unveil from the inside politics of the Church.
"But when it comes to the Church…," he began to unload the burden that rested on his shoulders for far too long, "…not everyone was so keen on accepting him. Others, however, were more than happy to do so since they regarded it as a satisfying dig at Luke's memory."
Her eyebrow arched, prompting him to tell her why would anyone want to be so disrespectful to a dead man who wasn't just a hero of the Galaxy, but also their former colleague, teacher and advisor. She could understand why people would detest Ben, especially since his presence in the temple had been dubious at best, but why to taint the man whom they owed their independent existence without persecution was... strange.
"You see," he began upon watching her confusion grow, "when Luke resigned from his posts within the Church and left to train his nephew, some disapproved of it and saw it as a... a betrayal of Jedi values and indulgence to family attachments that would eventually lead to his downfall."
"What kind of bullshit is that?" She snapped without watching her mouth but she couldn't help herself.
She understood that Jedi had to be impartial in order to prevent favouring their loved ones. But from what she had found out from the diaries of his deceased sister, Luke didn't leave the Church just to train his nephew and fulfil a family duty, he also hoped for Ben to join the Church in the future and become a cornerstone of the academy he intended to establish once he would return.
San Tekka compassionately nodded, smiling at the sympathizing soul sitting across him. "I completely agree." He concurred and licked his lips nervously. "However, attachments are... still a very controversial topic within the Church."
His wish was to resolve the matter and determine – once and for all – whether the Church forbade and condemned attachments, tolerated them but didn't encourage them, or supported them and celebrated them. Due to the conflicts among followers of these three streams, however, the issue had been put on the back burner with no reasonable discussion in sight for the near future.
Since her time had run out and she really didn't have anything else to say, Rey shuffled her feet. "Well, I guess I should be going. Thank you very much for your time, Mr. San Tekka. It was a real pleasure to meet you and talk to you." She appreciated his kindness and his willingness to help her out.
"The pleasure was all mine, young lady." The old man smiled at her, longing for such kind of visits more often. Managing the Church perhaps was a dream come true but it could get exhausting and mundane at times. "I truly hope that your quest to find Ben Solo will be successful. And if you find him, give him my regards."
Her mind already wandering to her next destination, she stood up from her seat. "I will." She promised sincerely, extending her hand to offer a handshake.
At first, San Tekka reached for her hand but then he seemed to change his mind as if he wasn't entirely done with her. Instead, he reached inside one of the drawers of his desk, pulling out a transparent box with a hologram disc inside of it, puzzling Rey to no end. Then, almost ceremonially, he pushed it in front of her as if he was giving her the most precious gift in the entire Galaxy.
"I think you should have this. It's a package for beginners that every newcomer to the Church of the Force gets." He gestured towards the box with a proud gleam in his eyes since he had invented it. "It contains holobooks and texts about the Force, history of its users, several instruction holovids on meditation, mental training, combat… you name it."
Still with the outstretched hand, Rey blinked a couple of times to disperse the haze of confusion inside her head, unable to respond.
"I just want you to know that whatever your future plans are, you are always welcomed here." San Tekka said in a way that sounded as if he was making a lucrative offer she shouldn't turn down.
"Why? Why would you give me this?" She asked him in puzzlement, not trying to sound like an ungrateful brat but the meaning hidden behind this forthcoming gesture was beyond her comprehension.
The old man leaned forward with his hands clasped on the desk, piercing her with a well-aimed, stern gaze. "I think you why, Miss Rey. The Force is very strong with you." He announced solemnly, ignoring her 'what-the-fuck-are-you-talking-about' frown. "You might be at the beginning of your awakening but your power grows stronger every day."
Gaping at him in shock, she started to wonder if he had lost his mind because what he was telling her sounded crazy. She wasn't a Force-sensitive or whatever these people were called. She would know if she were one. Sure, she had had some vision in the crypt and quite recently, she had dreamt about strange stuff aboard the Falcon, but those weren't real. They were just subconscious fantasies of her overactive mind.
And she didn't posses any exceptional traits. Neither had she had any extraordinary abilities. She couldn't tell what anyone else was thinking or guess what they were about to do. She couldn't move objects just with her will, let alone make herself more agile and enhance her reflexes. She had no recollection of being able to sense other beings or anything more in general.
"I don't—"
"—still in denial, I see." He interrupted her with an understanding nod because he saw this kind of reaction to the news on the daily basis. "Read what I gave you. Perhaps you'll understand."
With that, he stood up and finally took the hand she was still offering to reciprocate the handshake. "Good luck, Miss Rey, and farewell. Although I firmly believe that we'll meet again one day." He bid his goodbye to her and released her hand, his posture indicating that he was done with her for now.
It didn't seem that she had any choice in whether to accept the gift or not, so she picke up the transparent box with the hologram disc and stared at it for a moment. "Goodbye." She bowed her head, leaving the office of Master Lor San Tekka lost in a whirlwind of pensive thoughts.
The End of Chapter 4