Star Wars: Edge of Hope

Chapter Twenty Five: I Hold Onto You...I Hold Onto Hope.

Rey walked somberly back to the Falcon, Chewie and Poe were going over the ship double checking her condition. But with every adjustment or shift to the console wiring, BB-8 would chime in with a concerned series of beeps. Chewie and Poe could barely move without him rolling under foot, or bumping against them in frustration. Poe was completely confounded by his behavior silently muttering under his breath that this was what he gets for leaving BB-8 with Rey. BB-8 was keeping a close watch on every move they made, whenever Chewie went to inspect and repair the Fabritech Sensor Array, BB-8 rolled up behind him and ejected his little arm sending a jolt of electricity into the bend of Chewie's leg.

"Don't you hurt my girl!"

Needless to say, Chewie was about to lose his patience with the hyped up gyro ball, and no matter how he tried to explain to BB-8 the necessity of what they were doing, it didn't seem to matter. BB-8 continued to stalk their movements through the Falcon, the only reprieve they had was when the repairs moved outside. But while BB-8 couldn't physically display his frustrations he could still vocialize them. So as they continued to check the relays, the systems vital to operation, and last repairs they'd made on Naboo...they could hear the echoes bouncing off the interior of the Falcon.

"Hey..Hey..Hey! Don't go getting fresh there, sir!"

Poe: Would you calm down? I'm not going to hurt a rivet or screw on her, Buddy. I promise...we need this bucket of bolts to get us off this island and back on track. Leia's going to kill us if we don't make up some time...

Chewie: uuughguughhhghghghhhgh aarrragghuuhw raaaaaahhgh aaahnruh huuguughghg uggguh huuguughghg aaaaahnr uughguughhhghghghhhgh aaaaahnr raaaaaahhgh raaaaaahhgh huurh raaaaaahhgh huurh raaaaaahhgh

Poe and Chewie saw Rey come into view, her face streaked with tears and her arms slack dangling loosely next to her body. She brushed her white hood back releasing loose strands of her hair which caught the sea breeze sending them dancing around her face. She didn't speak, she just stood there on the rise staring down right at Poe. Chewie could feel the wind change, the eletricity building up to a dangerous height in the clouds overhead, and when he looked at Rey he didn't see her, but a ghost from his past standing there.

Poe: Rey...I'm...I didn't know..I mean, I knew it was...I didn't know it was Kylo Ren. I didn't know it was Leia's son. You know me...you know I would never do anything to hurt Leia. If I'd known...

Her face changed she screwed up her mouth into an ear shattering shriek. The island quaked beneath her feet, in the Falcon BB-8 went tumbling, in the temple Ben fell backwards only to be caught by Anakin's hands before he could hit the stone floor again. They both exchanged a look of disbelief, as Ben straightened himself, Anakin flexed and looked down at his hands. The blue grey cloud surrounding him was gone, his skin felt hot and burned red, as it cooled under the breezy currents of air.

Anakin: What's happening? What...I...Shi..

Anakin falls the ground felt rough and firm under his body. Ben rushed over kneeling next to his grandfather. Anakin could feel the pull of the Force making his head spin, and the world became louder than he remembered. Anakin lets Ben pull him up onto his feet, then looks down at his own hands bewildered.

Anakin: Something's wrong...I..shouldn't have been able to do that...

Ben: You felt almost...

Anakin: Alive?

Poe flew into the air above the Falcon. Poe's hands went to his neck, his fingers clawing at the invisible hand choking off his air, his eyes go wide as Chewie turned to look in amazement, but all he could see was Rey. Her hand stretched out into the air in front of her, her eyes narrowed and all her focus on Poe. She watched him struggle under her hold, she began to smile and in her eyes there began to bleed a deep crimson red into her earthy brown.
The shudder goes through the island again a small crackling of lightning explodes overhead. Ben and Anakin, look towards the ghostly apparition of Darth Vader almost questioningly.