Star Wars VII - Revised and Redacted

Chapter 03: Wanted Droid

Author's Note: The part with Kylo Ren interrogating Poe for information on the location of the data module would've gone here, but I didn't change much except for removing all references to the Resistance, switching them to the Republic since my version has the Republic still in charge and fighting to maintain its hold on the galaxy.

The Republic has had many years to build their forces and spread their influence across the entire galaxy since the fall of the Empire. It doesn't seem likely they'd refuse to act against the intrusion of the First Order and leave it to a small band of rebels. Their legitimacy and authority are being challenged by the First Order, and they must respond forcefully and decisively to that threat to prove they can rule effectively and defend their people from attack or star systems will lose faith in the New Republic and abandoned it as they did with the Old Republic.

In this version, there isn't a Resistance but the full might of the New Republic itself turning to face the First Order. In fact, due to the other alterations, the title of The Last Jedi doesn't fit anymore for Episode VIII, so the next one would've been called Stand of the Republic, but that is something for another chapter, perhaps the next book.

Anyway, following the interrogation, and Kylo getting the information he wants, the scene transitions to this...

The morning sunlight greeted Rey and Sentis as they exited his tree house.

"I'll have the ship ready by the time you get back," Sentis promised.

"I won't be long," Rey replied, climbing on her speeder. "I want to pick up a few things before we leave here forever."

"It may not be forever," Sentis offered. "That's the benefit of freedom. You can go where you want."

"Just in case then," Rey corrected, powering up the engine. "See you soon."

Sentis waved as she shot away from the woods at full speed.

The trip was uneventful for the majority of the distance, but an explosion caught her attention when she was passing an arid canyon. It wasn't a large detonation, but it did kick up a sizable quantity of rust colored dirt into the air, enough to get her attention. Adjusting course, Rey piloted her speeder toward the disturbance.

She parked her speeder a fair distance from the canyon. Even though it made it harder to reach if there was a problem, it was less likely to be destroyed if there were any further explosions. As an additional precaution against thieves taking her speeder, she reached under the front cowling and removed one of the engine parts to disable it.

Approaching on foot, Rey carried a staff with her, but unlike the one she'd used in training, this one was constructed of metal instead of wood. Rey crouched behind large boulders, using them for cover to mask her approach. When she leaned around one of them, she managed to only get a glimpse of the scene before a stray blaster bolt struck the rock, shattering off pieces of it and throwing out a cloud of fine dust that threatened to get in her eyes.

Two groups of scrap thieves were fighting over their latest haul, a lumpy pile of items in a cargo net. Of the six thieves who'd started the conflict, only three were still standing; the remaining criminals were on their backs and either dead or very close to it. Two scrap thieves closed in from opposite sides of their rival, but the smaller alien caught between them dived and rolled across the ground. One thief accidentally shot his own partner in his haste to fire. The alien rolling through the dust came back to his feet in time to shoot and take down the last remaining threat.

The small alien chuckled in satisfaction, walking between the fallen thieves and shooting them each to be sure they wouldn't attack him from behind if they were still alive. Convinced everyone else was dead, the alien turned toward the bundle in the cargo net, only to find Rey standing there.

The face of the alien had all the expressive power of a wilted mushroom, but it still managed to register surprise. It quickly covered it by demanding something in its native tongue.

"You've stolen from me enough times before, Teedo," Rey told the alien who was half her height. "I'll consider this salvage sufficient repayment for what you owe me."

Teedo chattered an unfriendly response, his grip tightening on his blaster. Rey didn't waver; she relaxed her breathing and waited for the confrontation. Teedo tried to bring up his blaster to fire, but Rey had been waiting for just such a move and swung her staff up and across to smack the weapon from his hand.

Lacking a blaster, Teedo's courage vanished, and he scrambled away as fast as his short legs would carry him. Rey didn't let down her guard, watching the scrap thief carefully to be certain he didn't either pick up a weapon from one of the fallen or come back at her from another direction.

Crouching next to the cargo net, she pulled a knife from her boot and began cutting away the tangle of knots holding it together. Before she finished, an orange and white object exploded out of the pile with a flurry of beeping noises.

BB-8 swiveled its dome head in all directions in an attempt to locate its former captors. When none were visible or alive, it focused its single electronic eye on Rey and beeped several times in different rates of speed, sounding somewhat like a computer in overload.

"I'm sorry; I've never owned a droid before, so I don't know what you're saying," Rey apologized.

BB-8 made a long tone with a pitch descending in a depressing manner.

"I know of someone who might be able to help," she offered. "He knows all about droids."

BB-8 beeped excitedly.

"Let me collect some of this salvage, and we'll be on our way," Rey told the droid.

BB-8 chirped in agreement.