Only a few years after the fall of the Empire, Han Solo vanished. He was not seen or heard from for many years.
Finally, Han Solo has returned, only to find the galaxy torn by war once again. In his absence the First Order has risen, lead by Snoke...
Maz led the small group to a table that was large enough for all seven of them and herself. They each took a seat in one of the chairs. BB-8 and R2-D2 sat at their feet. She ordered food to be brought to the table for them to eat. Within moments, a group of waiters came with several different dishes of food.
Once the food had been served, they began to eat. They sat quietly, enjoying the delicious food.
Rey loved trying all of the new and different foods.
"What can I do for you Han?" Maz asked at last.
"We are looking for a map to find Luke Skywalker." Han explained in a whisper. Despite the confidence he expressed to Finn, he didn't want some of the unsavory characters nearby to know their purpose.
"I think I can help you," she said. Then she looked at Ben's eyes. She could see a little of his father and mother there. But also something else... "Your eyes." She leaned across the table to get a better look. "...you have your grandfather's eyes," she said.
Ben had heard legends of his grandfather Anakin Skywalker, told to him by his uncle. He had always loved those stories.
"You also have his spirit," Maz continued.
Han and Leia exchanged worried glances. They knew little of Anakin Skywalker. They only knew him as Darth Vader.
"Like him, you are strong in the Force. But you must beware of the Dark Side."
Ben nodded.
Maz nodded, confident that he understood what hung in the balance. Then she looked at the small group. "You must be ready for this fight."
"What fight?" Finn asked.
"The only fight. The fight against evil, against the First Order. I have lived long enough to have seen evil take many forms. The Sith, the Empire, and now the First Order," said Maz. "The Search for Skywalker will be a dangerous mission. All of you must be prepared to face anything: the First Order, Hux, Phasma...even Snoke himself."
"Woah, woah, woah," said Finn. "I didn't sign up for any of that."
"None of us did." Rey answered. "But we can't choose our destinies, they choose us. The Force guides us to them."
They all turned to look at her, surprised.
"You're right," said Leia.
Ben was still staring at her wondering how she could have come up with something like that. He had been trained for years in the ways of the Force. But he had never really realized that the Force was actually guiding him to his destiny. Maybe all of the terrible things that had happened to him when he was young had happened for a reason. Maybe the Force had been preparing him for his destiny all along.
"Well, I can choose my destiny," said Finn, interrupting his thoughts. "And it's not facing the First Order, or searching for someone we may never find." He stood up. "I'm leaving."
Poe stood up. "Finn, you can't just leave like this."
"You can't run away from your destiny," Rey added. "If you do, it will catch you eventually."
"Not if I keep running," Finn replied.
Maz leaned across the table and adjusted her spectacles to look at his eyes.
"Solo, what is she doing?" he asked.
"I don't know, but it ain't good," Han replied.
"If you live long enough you see the same eyes in different people. When I look into your eyes, I see the eyes of someone who wants to run," said Maz. "You can't run forever."
"Running is all I know. Running away is my destiny," he answered.
Maz knew that there was no point in trying to stop him. She pointed over to a table. "They will give you transportation in exchange for work."
Finn nodded and made his way over to the table.
Ben, Rey and Poe exchanged glances, they didn't want their friend to leave. The three of them stood and went over to Finn.
"Finn, we need you buddy," said Poe.
"No, you don't," Finn replied.
"Yes we do. We are severely outnumbered, everyone counts," said Ben.
"I'm sorry I have to leave," said Finn.
Rey looked at him with tears in her eyes. "I thought you were my friend," she said. "But you're just going to leave me and never come back, just like everyone else has always done."
Rey felt tears filling her eyes. She had thought that her new friends wouldn't leave her like her parents had. Her parents were the only ones she had ever known that she actually cared about until now, and they had left her. She had always been afraid to make friends or become attached to anyone because she was afraid that they would leave her too. But she had always longed for a sense of belonging, for people her cared about her.
What if Finn was just the first? What if the others left her too? Han and Leia were like the parents she had always wanted but had never had, but what if they abandoned her just like her real parents had? Ben promised that he would never leave her, that she would never be alone, but what if he decided to leave her too?
As tears streaked down Rey's face, she turned away so that the others wouldn't notice. Rey hurried away so that no one would see her crying, but Ben had seen her tears, and because they shared a connection through the Force he could also feel her pain. He could feel her fear. She was afraid that everyone would leave her and she would be left alone again.
Ben turned to glare at Finn for upsetting her. "How could you do this to her, Finn?" he asked. "Her parents abandoned her and she is afraid that all of us will abandon her too. Now she feels that you are abandoning her. She is afraid that the rest of us will do the same." He shook his head, then turned to look for Rey.
Poe came over and placed his hand on Ben's shoulder. "Ben, wait. What if she wants to be alone?"
"I promised her that she would never be alone. Right now she needs me to prove it. That's what she's afraid of... being alone," Ben answered.
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