Hope Remains - A Reylo Story

⭐Four⭐

Stars blurred into the vacuum of space around the Falcon, light in the ever consuming darkness. R2 was sat in the communal area beeping away to Lira who was playing with her Wookie and Pilot dolls. Rey sat in the cockpit of the Falcon watching the stars merge together as they travelled through hyperspace. Nerves racked through her entity - it had been almost two years since she learnt to close the bond of her own free will and four years since she had seen Ben in person. The Falcon was set in autopilot, peacefully gliding along to Lothal when the coms went off. Rey hailed the signal and Poe's voice chimed through, "Black Leader to the Falcon!" Rey felt a small smile spread across her lips at the memories that flooded her: Poe, Finn, Rose and herself talking through the coms and discussing battle strategies, the playful flirting between Rose and Finn and the banter between the lot of them.

"I read you loud and clear, Poe. What is it?" Rey asked him.

Poe cleared his throat before speaking. "I am sending Captain Naara Vaa to assist you at the village. Finn insisted on going too but I told him you would return soon." Rey turned the information in her mind, she had only briefly met Naara but she remembered her being a blue Togruta with a sharp tongue.

"Where will she meet me?" Rey enquired.

Poe checked the signal that Naara had sent him. "She said to meet her on the suburbs of Dinar, her ship will be towards the East." Naara had left for Lothal early this afternoon to inform the restless villagers of Rey's arrival - the Last Jedi would be there to protect them.

Rey set in the coordinates for Dinar and she felt the Falcon alter it's course. "Very well, Poe. We're about four hours away still."

"Good. Over and out." Poe said shutting off the link before Rey could answer.

Rey sunk back in the pilots chair, Naara's presence could prove very useful whilst Rey distracted Ben. From what Rey knew of the First Order Outpost on Lothal, it was situated close to Dinar but not too far away. Dinar was a main city on Lothal but surrounded by many villages of farming communities enough to make a proper riot occur with little thought for the consequence. Rey sighed. She understood that life without a lot of money meant taking drastic measures or doing tasks that would provide little such as scavenging. She didn't miss it, the blaring heat and unsanitary water, insufficient food. But regardless of that, Jakku had toughened Rey up, provided her with essential skills that would enhance her chances of survival in this corrupt Galaxy. Rey had learnt how to fight, she knew the ins and outs of imperial machinery and star ships, she knew how to hunt and survive on minimal rations when there was little. Her most impressive find had been a flight simulator that she learnt how to fix and taught herself how to fly. Aye, Jakku was a harsh environment but Rey knew she would not be the young the woman she was today without learning how to survive or depend on anyone else.

Rey closed her eyes, the gentle humming of the Falcon's engines and the smoothness of the flight eased her into sleep. The added effect of white noise from Lira's intermittent squeals and R2's beeps soothed her - she wasn't alone anymore. Her mind emptied as if water was draining through a sink, it was almost as if Rey was entering a meditative trance, yet Rey could tell the difference between sleep and meditation.

Rey stood in the mausoleum with Poe as the coffin bearers interred Leia's perpetually lifeless body. Rey walked over to the other tomb. Inscribed was 'Padme Naberrie, former Queen Amidala of Naboo and Senator of Naboo'. The stone carving of Padme showed her radiance but also how young she was when she died. Too young, Rey thought. Her hand grazed the top of the stone tomb when a vision flashed before her eyes: a young Padme frolicking in the green meadows with a young and handsome man. He was tall and his hair tawny, Rey recognised almost instantaneously that this was a young Anakin Skywalker. She removed her hand to see Poe eyeing her suspiciously. Rey gave him a small smile and stepped outside of the mausoleum to give Poe a solitary moment.