Flying Solo

Chapter 2

"So tell me what happened, from the beginning. And I know when a person is lying so don't even try." I looked Finn dead in the eye as he fidgeted with his sleeve. I was able to finally get him alone.

     He looked up at me and then to the droid placed on the floor beside of me. Running his hand over his head he let out a long breath.

"I don't want anyone else to know." Finn talked quietly leaning into my direction.

"I don't have anyone right here that I would tell." I replied back calmly.

"My names not Finn—well it is Finn, but my last name was FN-2187." He explained.

"You're a defector?" I asked curiously as he nodded in return. "I've never met a defector before— the order usually hunts them down before they get to us."

"We received intel that the map to Luke Skywalker was on Jakku, and the Resistance was trying to get it first. They told me to fire on civilians... and I couldn't." He managed. "When Poe got captured I knew I needed a pilot to get out of there so I helped him escape. We stole a TYE Fighter and crashed on Jakku, and when I woke up Poe was gone." Finn finished his story as I felt the weight in my chest become heavier.

"He always wanted to fly one of those." I chuckled.

"Were you guys—?" Finn made a weird gesture with his hands that made me stifle a laugh as he implied what I knew he was implying.

"No." I laughed. "Although Poe would love to be,
But he'd never admit it." Finn nodded his head and looked to me for more of the story. Pushing away the burning sensation in my eyes I decided to indulge him.

"My first solo mission I got into a bad situation with the wrong people. I met Poe and he helped me get out of it, and then after, I told him he should join up with the Resistance. That was six years ago, and he's been one of my closest friends since." I smiled weakly at the old memory.

"I'm so sorry." Finn placed a hand over mine and gave it a small squeeze.

"I'm fine, this isn't the first time I've lost someone close to me. We're fighting a war and this is what happens." I explained taking a deep breath. "I think it's time we see what BB-8 has for us." I looked over at the droid as he beeped.

"So... fugitives." Dad walked in and eyed Finn and Rey as she joined us.

"The First Order wants the map. Finn is with the Resistance and I'm just a scavenger." Rey explained. Dad looked over at me to confirm and I simply nodded, it wasn't my place to expose Finn.

"Well let's see what you got." He nodded over to BB-8 who beeped as he moved to the center of the room.

     BB-8 projected a small picture into the air before zooming in. Across the room was the images of different planets and route mapped out.

"It's a map." Dad sighed.

"It's not complete, that's just a piece." I observed getting up and looking closer at it. "The map to Luke." I breathed out.

"Why did he leave?" Rey asked curiously. I looked over to my father and saw how he was debating on whether or not to talk about it.

"Luke was training a new generation of jedi. One boy, an apprentice, turned against him and murdered everyone else. Luke gave up and disappeared. Those closest to him think he went searching for the first Jedi temple." He explained.

"The Jedi?" Rey furrowed her eyebrows. "I always thought they were a myth."

"So did I." Dad responded. "I always believed it be a bunch of mumbo-jumbo. An all-powering force that surrounds everything and controls life?" He laughed.