Spark of Hope

Chapter VI

The surviving Zaveens were taken into the Akiva palace dungeons to await sentencing. Fortunately, no outgoing messages were picked up on the Resistance's radars, so there was no chance the First Order could know their whereabouts. Luck was on their side for once.

As the days wore on, Poe barely saw Rey. She remained locked up in her room doing... something. When he brought up the topic of the young Jedi, General Organa said she was training, but she wouldn't go into details of how. On the rare occasion when Rey came to eat with everyone else, she really wouldn't talk about what she was doing either.

Both women, being hesitant about the subject of Rey's training, intrigued him. He wanted to know what they were being so secretive about. Bored—because Finn was equally absent since he almost never left Rose's side in the Medical Ward—and thinking up of something to do if he could successfully get Rey out of her room, he mentioned it to BB-8.

The droid beeped happily. "I think Rey would agree to that. Let's go see her!"

Poe and his droid headed toward Rey's room. As they drew nearer, his purposeful stride slowed as his confidence faltered. She was an attractive girl, but that wasn't the reason why he wanted to spend time with her... Right?

He wanted to spend time with her because... she needed a break.

Yeah, that was it. He'd go with that. Knowing Jedi could read minds, he'd be sure to keep his feelings for her stored away. Maybe he could distract her by thinking of flying or something instead of her.

Approaching her closed door, Poe raised a hand to knock, but hesitated. He glanced down at BB-8, looking up at him curiously.

"What if she says no?" he whispered.

"She won't," the orange-and-white BB unit beeped confidently.

Poe huffed. His droid had more confidence than him at talking to a beautiful woman. Well, BB-8 wasn't human, so he didn't understand the fear of being rejected.

He took in a breath for courage and rapped his knuckles on the door.

"Rey, it's Poe," the fighter pilot began. BB-8 beeped in irritation. "...And BB-8. May we come in?"

There was a pause.

"Sure," she said.

Her door slid open; BB-8 rolled straight in, followed by Poe. Rey sat cross-legged in the center of her room surrounded by four thick, old and heavy-looking books. His eyes scanned the rest of the room; it disappointed him there wasn't anything important looking.

He looked back at the books. Were the books what Rey and General Organa were so mysterious about?

"So, you stay cooped up in here reading?" Poe began when he walked toward her and folded himself down. "Sounds boring."

Rey smiled. "Sometimes I practice and others I meditate."

"Still sounds boring."

"The life of a Jedi," she said.

"Where did you find the Aionomica and the Rammahgon? The Sacred Jedi Texts were believed to be lost," BB-8 said after looking down at the books for a while.

Poe looked over at the droid. The what? He had never heard of them, but if they were sacred and had been believed lost, no wonder Rey and General Organa kept it quiet.

She looked at BB-8. "You know what they say?"

He beeped affirmatively.

"Don't tell anyone that's what I've been reading, okay?"