Belonging. Star Wars story. Episode 10 X. Sequal to TROS.

3. Light

Rey almost ran back to the surface, the cough was unstoppable now and so, so tiring.

The pain in the lungs started somewhere around half of the way out. It felt as if thousands and thousands of needles would be pushed inside her. The pain was excruciating, Rey couldn't even believe that she would make it out of here alive. But she still moved. With great effort she put foot in front of foot and walked staggering.

"Nothing will stop me now. I will make it out of here or die. Do or do not, there is no try."

At the last of her steps she felt consciousness faltering, everything around became blurry. Rey couldn't seperate the darkness of the cave from the darkness of the mind anymore. And everything became black.

Outside the world moved on. Inside the cave spiders slowly crept around as nothing had happened.

R2-D2 wheeled next to collapsed body in front of the entrance to the cave and dragged the oxigen mask on the face. He wondered how the girl could be so silly to take her mask off in there.

***

Rey opened her eyes. At least she tought she did. Maybe she was dead. Maybe she was in afterlife. Or was it a dream? Maybe she was a force ghost?

Rey rised from the rocky surface and carefully looked around.

Does every force ghost sees blinding light all the time?

Was it all that was left for her? But it couldn't be, right? She was supposed to complete her mission, her trials. She was supposed to be the life itself. She had so many thoughts of her future. She wanted to know what will come true. She had a mission. She had a mission. Not even this light could stop her. No.

***

Slowly vission came back. There was the light. The real light.

It was daytime (if you can call a little bit of light here a daytime) already and Rey rised from the surface of Mustafar dazed. Her head ached and there was still pressure in her lungs, but cought seemed to have stopped.

R2-D2 rolled in her field of vision and Rey removed oxigen mask.

-"Hei, R2! I'm so glad to see you! Thank you, for saving my life!"
R2 chirped the answer.
-"No, I wouldn't call it fun and I think we should get out of here. Is the ship ready to fly?"
R2 answered, that everything is in perfect order (as perfect as it could be for so old models anyway).
-"Great! Let's go!"

The Luke's X wing that Rey had took as her own, was stationed on the other side of the hill in front of the cave. It was a welcoming sight after the strolls in the caves. It was especially welcoming now, when Rey felt her body could shut down again any minute. She desperately needed a bacta tank or at least some kind of local medicine.

The ship was old, but it got job done. The last time Rey was in the base, Millennium Falcon was needed in diplomatic mission, so she took the old Red 5 and R2-D2 with it. It was nice to have company, and droid was bored his circuits out in the base. Turns out the "company" had saved Reys life, so she was even more grateful for the old droid coming along. It had become a friend as BB unit did.

Firing up the engine, for the last time Rey looked around. The planet was unwelcoming, but the caves were damn right scary. But there was a settlement just a few kilometers to the north that could offer some kind of help.

Locals weren't straight friendly, but they were acceptable and peaceful. So there was hope for healing.

Hope. There were some words Rey remebered hearing in resistance... Hope is like a sun. If you only believe in it when you can see it, you'll never make it through the night. And the night on Mustafar was dark and full of terrors.

-"Maybe I'm really gone crazy in the darkness, R2. It slipped into my mind like a snake and cuddled herself in the deepest level of consciousness. But it's not like a dark side darkness. It's more like a.. abscence of light..
Nevertheless, I won't stop moving. I owe it..
I can't think about it now. We have a job to do."

Even without the force Rey had a feeling, a hunch that she won't make it through to end without a help.