I Can Get It Back

I See Myself in That Other Half, I Feel That Pain Pull Me Underneath

The suns had already risen the next day before Rey did, which was unusual. She awoke in a cold sweat, breathing hard, the remnants of a dream scattering swiftly in the bright light. It left her feeling unsettled, but no more than the realization that she'd lost a great deal of precious time. This kind of behavior on Jakku would have meant not eating for at least a day.

With haste, she jumped out of bed and hurried to get started. One of the turbines had filled with sand again in the night, and she methodically cleaned it out once more. It had a hole in the shielding that needed to be patched. Impulsively, she placed her hand over it and concentrated. But nothing happened. She blinked at it and at her hand before shaking her head. She was being foolish, to expect a Force power to work better than her more reliable methods of repair.

A quick jog brought her back to the house and she grabbed the bag of tech she'd traded for the previous day, enjoying the physical exertion because it settled her nerves. She carefully sealed the hole by affixing a piece of scrap metal and sat back to judge her handiwork. Yes, it should keep out even a sandstorm. For a while, at least.

Things were up and running again, so she returned to the scrap pile to scavenge for what she could trade today. The nearest outpost would not suffice – she'd seen its offerings and it was unlikely anyone new would show up today. Niima outpost had often had rotating vendors and she'd never felt like she'd gotten everything she wanted from it. Here, she was tired of seeing the same faces every day. Not to mention her desire to avoid notice; unlikely after the previous day's events.

When the suns had finally left the apex of the sky, she packed up her trades and paused upon finding her blaster and lightsaber again having fallen on the floor. She picked them up and closed her eyes, feeling for something unfamiliar. Nothing. With a lingering feeling of unease, she made some final repairs on the rusted-out speeder she'd found and was soon racing just above the sand. Her speeder on Jakku had never been so fast. She grinned into the rushing wind, enjoying the thrill of seeing the landscape disappear behind her.

Unlike the sands of Jakku, Tattoine featured rocky outcroppings and hills, so she was eventually forced to slow down to navigate. And to slow further as the outpost came into view. She debated leaving the transport outside of the town but decided against it. Walking all the way home would be a nightmare, and it would be easy enough to steal without her nearby to guard it. Her previous speeder had remained hers only by her reputation and its relative worthlessness. This one was an antique but still too well-made to deter thieves.

It took several hours and perhaps a few unscrupulous uses of the power of suggestion via the Force, but she got what she needed. It was a satisfying feeling. When she had been living on Jakku, some of her bartering had gone remarkably well. Had that been the Force, even then? Long before she'd used it to escape the interrogation chamber and begun to realize her powers. In any case, the trick did not work all the time, but it was a useful tool, especially now. Perhaps not strictly something a hero would do, though – the thought troubled her so she pushed it away.

The trip back to the farm was much less eventful than the previous evening, though she arrived much later. There was barely time to clean up after the morning's work before it became too dark to continue. She settled herself with some rations in front of the family's holo projector, recently repaired, and stared at it for a long time.

Her food had gone cold before she turned it on, then began to scan methodically through the signals before finding the one she wanted. Pressing a few buttons swiftly, they were connected. Then she waited, setting her dinner down because her appetite had vanished.

"Rey?" a familiar voice broke through and the fuzzy holo solidified into Finn's face.

She smiled, pleased it had worked. "Finn!"