Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Regency AU)

V

Rey, Scavenger

Finn and I sat under the deck as the three sides bartered.

We crawled to look at both sides.  Both had guns.

Chewing my lip, I looked around for a way out of the mess.

My eyes fell on a bundle of ropes running along the passageway.  Instinctually, I knew they held open and closed doors.

Pulling a knife out of my pocket, I eyeballed which ones they were, intending the doors to fall between the gangs and Han Solo.

I severed them and waited for the doors to close.

Instead of the heavy wood falling to the deck, I heard roars, then screams, as the Grizzlies attacked.

After the huge beasts had galloped over the hatch and gone, Finn and I lifted up the hatch above us.

I sprang up and helped him pull himself up.

"Let's go!"

We sprinted down, trying to figure out where Han was.

I examined a wall of ropes.  After a bit, I realized Finn was no longer behind me.

"Rey!  Rey!"  I heard his screams from a distance.

Han had rigged up some sort of mirror system to be able to see more of the ship at one time.  I ran my hand over the ropes, slicing one just as Finn was being dragged through it.

The heavy door fell on the grizzly's head, crushing it.  I sprinted to where he was, pulling him up.

"The door!  It closed!"

"That was lucky!"

We reunited with Han, Chewbacca, and BB, and jumped across the gap into the ship.

The two older men jumped up to the wheel.  "If we can make that, the Bears can too."

I nodded and pulled out my knife as we slowly began to pull away.

We were almost home free when a bear noticed us.  The bear's muzzle was covered with blood from the other two groups.  It ran towards the edge of the ship and made a mighty leap.

I held my knife firmly in my fist and waited to battle it.  It grabbed onto the railing, scrabbling before it fell into the ocean.

I couldn't help it, I cheered as we sailed away.

Han left Chewbacca to the heavy wheel and went down to inspect the heart of the ship.  I followed him.

As the engine picked up speed, things began to his and whistle.

Chewbacca let out a distressed yell.

"I know, I know! I'm working on it!" Han yelled back.

I dropped down next to the engine and started ripping at mechanics.

"What are you doing?"

I ignored him.

Finally, I pulled it out.

I stared at the piece in astonishment.

"What'd you do?" Han asked.

I held up the bit of gear.  "I bypassed the compressor!"  I looked up at him, expecting him to be as excited as I was.

He just responded with an unenthusiastic "hm" and turned away.  Why wasn't he excited?  I did it!  I saved the ship.

I put the metal down on the ground and went up to the helm, where Finn was beginning to bandage Chewbacca's injured arm.

"Stay.  Still!" the younger man grunted.

"Careful with him," Han said, not turning around.

"Careful?  He's already tried to kill me three times!"  Chewbacca grabbed his neck and pulled him forward.  "Which is okay," Finn choked out.

I looked out over the ocean.  "Where are we going?"

"I've got a friend who can get you on a clean ship and send you and your friend to the Resistance base."

"A clean ship?"

"The whole world's looking for this ship right now.  I don't know why, but the First Order really wants that cat."

BB meowed and went back to licking himself.

"Why do they want BB?"

"That map he's got."

"The one to Luke Skywalker?"

Han nodded.

"I thought he was a myth."

"He's real.  The Jedi.  The Force.  All of it.  And the First Order's looking for him."

I mouthed wow.

Han smiled.  "We're coming up to Takodana now."

I looked out at the island and gasped.  "I've never seen so much green in the whole world."

He glanced at me, then maneuvered the Falcon into the port.  We walked up the stone building, designed to look like a castle keep and draped with flags.  A statue of a woman stood in the courtyard.

"Now, Maz is a bit of an acquired taste.  Whatever you do, don't stare."

"At what?"

"Any of it."

And Han opened the door.