I Am No One[Star Wars: The Force Awakens Fanfiction]

4

Finn and I tread through the city, carrying my two bags and headed for my land speeder. BB-8, lively as always, does circles around Finn's feet, keeping him aware and quick on his own feet as the little droid tries tripping him. "That's enough, B. Finn isn't used to you yet. Just let him be."

"Ah, Rey, he's alright. Really. I actually kind of like him."

"Well, I'm telling you. Just be prepared because he can get really annoying. Once, he wouldn't even talk to me. That naughty little thing. BB! No biting!" I snap. Finn jumps, looking back from me to the droid to me again. I can't help it. I laugh hysterically at him. He sighs, kicks BB-8 aside, grumbling something about me being the annoying one.

"Where is your speeder again?"

"I'm sorry. It's still a little ways. It's by the fueling station and Camont. You know, Jakku's towns are tiny."

"As I've noticed. I'm much too used to city speeders at every pedwalk corner."

"Coruscant city boy, huh?" I turn to walk backwards and remark about him. "I should have known. What brought you here, then? Some kind of crash?"
"Not exactly. I abandoned my post. I left the Empire."
'That couldn't have been an easy choice, I imagine. Why did you leave? I have to say, I've crossed many, many, many stormtroopers in my lifetime, but I've never met a disloyal one."
He gestures to himself, laying out his palms and raising and lowering them around his body. "Well, you've met one now. I came to a point where my eyes were opened and I can now see the Empire for what it really is. It's had power for far too long and has kept the Rebel Alliance crushed under its foot, it scares me to think that we won't be able to ever get ourselves out of this mess."

"I thought the Alliance was destroyed long go, when the second Death Star was destroyed. And hasn't the Empire always been in control?"

"Ha! No, Rey. Trust me, I should know. There are still Rebels out there, fighting. And I think they might be stronger than the Empire wants to admit. But, really, Rey, I've seen Rebels before. Rogue pilots, diplomats, slicers. They love messing with the Empire, doing whatever little thing they can to confuse them. As for the Empire's rule of tyranny, it wasn't always like this, destroying homes and planets and businesses just for the fun of it. Some say it started with these two guys called Emperor Palpatine and Lord Vader."
"I know about Palpatine, city boy. Who doesn't? The Empire makes sure everyone knows who he is. He's the kriffing awful man who started this whole mess."
"And Vader was his right hand man. No one knows what happened to him, but it's rumored he was the one to destroy that planet Alderaan."
"It's been so long, Alderaan is almost like a legend with the rest of what Captain Solo was talking about. It's hard to even imagine some kind of resistance cell out there, trying to pull a whole galaxy out of the Empire's grasp. Do you really believe it's possible?"

When I look at Finn, I am met with the most determined look I've ever seen. His face remains strong, not wavering under doubt or apprehension. I admire his strength and find myself wishing I could at least look so sure about something. "I believe," he starts answering. "That I want to." And, not a moment later once he says this, a loud explosion sounds from behind us and my eyes dart to see a fire starting in one of the nearby markets. It starts huge, intimidating, looming over the market place. Smoke and puffs of fire fury emenate from the scene, but it quickly grows when I hear a star fighter of some sort, shooting through the sky, racing across the air of Jakku as it begins a desperate chase. I switch my gaze to the sky and that's where I see the TIE fighter, careening through the bright blue sky. It appears to have a specific path, carefully lowering its altitude, seemingly headed for me and Finn.
"We have to go back," I hear in the back of my mind and it takes me a couple seconds to actually turn my focus to Finn. "They were a lot of people in that market, a lot of good, innocent people." He starts at a light jog to head back towards the massacre and I, still staring in horror, put out an arm to stop him. "The lightsaber," I mutter.
"What?"

"They know. They know we have the lightsaber. No, Finn, we need to go back. Now. Finn, now!" With no warning, I turn on my heel and speed for my life away from the scene. I can hear the TIE screaming behind me, releasing laserfire of fury at us, hot on our heels, starting up an angry, desperate chase. Fear consumes me, begins the production of adrenaline, and something clicks in me that I put on a sudden burst of speed, practically flying myself away from the TIE. I can't imagine why this lightsaber is so important to them, but they must want it very badly as they continue on in this very unfair pursuit, screeching through the sky, still chasing us.
"How could they possibly know we have a lightsaber?" Finn shouts at me with a bit of frustration surfacing.

"Well, might I suggest it was your brilliant captain Solo? I knew he seemed to know too much!"
"Ohh, Rey. Don't let us forget you running your mouth about that stupid thing to the city of Tospey!"
"Well, heaven forbid I become curious! You tell your captain I want nothing to do with him!"
"Then, where are we headed?!"
"For the captain's darn fast ship, you nerf herder!"
Distance is irrelevant as I continue dashing through the sand, hardly even thinking as we go. I dare a glance over my shoulder to see the white wings and black body of it nearing close enough for me to see the black helmeted figure in the canopy. "Rey!" Finn grabs my shoulder, jerking me back around. "Come on!" He saves me from the results of my panic attack, but fear looms closely and I want to cry out, to scream as we race on. Another blast sounds at our backs and I jump at the feel of the heat so close to my sparsely protected skin. I lose track of time, of distance, of thunders and explosions, of wreckage sites we leave in our tracks. But, all comes back into focus when we see the Millennium Falcon again, hovering just over Jakku's sandy surface. Captain Han Solo stands in the boarding ramp entry, holding out an arm for us to take. "REY! Finn!" he shouts, the worry evident in his tone, his hand shaking, anxiously waiting for me to catch up. "REY! Come on! Hurry up! REY!" With all my remaining strength and energy, I dart for the Falcon, pushing myself with all I have, pushing myself to go harder, faster. As I near the captain, I hold out my own arm. He reaches for it with both hands now and as soon as I am near enough, he picks me up under my armpits and pulls me in. I sink to the floor, my lungs burning, chest heaving, body demanding more air and the ability to take more in at once. I wait a while, collect myself, and hear Finn doing the same, but less breathless, more controlled. Of course, he's a stormtrooper. Or, was.
"Thank you," I manage, pushing myself up to stand and look to Han Solo.
"No problem, kid. Glad I could help you both."
I pull my pouch off my shoulder and check to make sure the ancient weapon is still there. I find it, take it into my hands again and hold it in a firm grip. "Why do they want the lightsaber so badly? Is there something special about it? Look, I never meant to find it. I didn't even think they were real before today."

"I know kid," he says, taking the weapon from me and putting it into a compartment I hadn't noticed. Probably smuggling compartments. "And trust me, they couldn't care less about the weapon. It's who has it that interests them."
"Why? I'm nobody. I have nothing, I owe no one, I've never gotten in trouble with the law of the Empire, I celebrate Empire Day every year as I am commanded to-"
Solo stops me, raising both arms and approaching me slowly. "You're right, Rey. They don't know who you are, but you scare them. If someone has a lightsaber, they're just going to play it safe and assume they know how to use it. They're also going to assume you're a Jedi. And Jedi are a threat to the Empire, the Knights of Ren, Supreme Nerf Herder Snoke. News of a Jedi would be very unsettling, it would give people hope and that's the last thing the Empire needs right now. Trust me, kid. I know more about the Jedi and Sith and the whole batch of them than I want to. Follow me and you'll be moderately safe."
"Well, that's reassuring," Finn and I simultaneously mutter as Captain Solo marches off to the cockpit.