The Spark [1]

Chapter 7

"Oh, boy," Dad mumbles. "Hey Maz," he says louder.

The talking and music start back up again. Maz makes her way to us. She looks up at us.

"Where's my boyfriend?"

"Chewie's working on the Falcon," Dad tells her.

"I like that Wookie," she says and looks at me. "Brianna Solo," she pulls me down to her height and hugs me. "Boy, have you grown."

"Hi, Maz," I say.

"I assume you need something. Desperately. Let's get to it," she turns around and walks away.

I follow her. I look around and see people gambling and drinking. One drunk man around my age, late twenties early thirties, approached me.

"Heyyyy, hot shtufff. Wanna come get a dwink wif me?" he slurs.

"I wouldn't try it, buddy," I hiss at him then hold my lightsaber to his neck.

He backs up. "Woah, woah, woah. Okay."

He wonders back to the bar.

Maz sits us at a table and calls over a waiter. I get a cup of Gatalentan tea. After we all settle down we start talking. BB-8 chirps.

Maz looks at Dad and I. "A map. To Skywalker himself?" she chuckles, "You are right back in the mess."

"Maz, I need you to get this droid to Leia," Dad tells her.

I sit back and sip my tea, waiting for this to play out. He refuses to see her after the whole Ben incident.

"Hmm. No," Maz says with a shake if her head. "You've been running away from this fight for too long. Han," she speaks an alien language, "Go home. I'm sure your daughter wants you there."

She looks at me and I smile over the rim of my mug.

"Leia doesn't wanna see me."

"Please, we came here for your help," Finn tells her.

"What fight?" Rey asks.

"The only fight. Against the Dark Side. Through the ages I've seen evil take many forms. The Sith. The Empire. Today, it is the First Order. Their shadow is spreading across the galaxy. We must face them. Fight them. All of us," Maz tells her.

"There is no fight against the First Order. Not one we can win. Look around. There's no chance we haven't been recognized already. I bet you the First Order is in their way right," Finn stops and looks at Maz.

I look at her. She's changing her glasses. Studying Finn.

"What's this? What are you doing?"

Maz gets up on the table and in Finn's face.

"Solo, what is she doing?" Finn asks him.

"I don't know. But, it ain't good."

"If you live long enough you see the same eyes in different people. I'm looking at the eyes of a man who wants to run," Maz finally says.

Finn leans forward. "You don't know a thing about me. Where I'm from. What I've seen. You don't know the First Order like I do. They'll slaughter us. We all need to run."

"Hmm," Maz climbs off the table. "You see those two? They'll trade work for transportation to the Outer Rim. There, you can disappear."

"Finn," Rey speaks.

"Come with me," he tells her.

"What about Beebee-Ate? We're not done yet. We have to get him back to your base," she says.