Saving the Monster

Chapter 11

"Wakey wakey sleepyhead, this is our stop".

Rey's eyes flickered open, Poes smiling face coming into focus after a couple of seconds. She rubbed her eyes, "Where are we?"

Poe straightened up and looked towards the cockpit, "Abafar, this is our fuel stop"

Abafar was breathtaking, not in the regular sense of the word, but breathtaking all the same. It was desert, not a sight that Rey wasn't used to, but it was the colour of the sand that took her breath away, pure white, stretching for as far as the eye could see.

Rey stood on the Falcons ramp with her hands on her hips and took in her surroundings, it smelt like Jakku and the sun shone with the same red hot intensity but it was different, silent.

"Come on, this way" Poe said, slinging a water bottle across his chest and stepping out, the white sand like snow around his feet.

They walked until they reached large drum shaped tanks. There were four of them, each one easily twenty feet high and every single one was guarded by a fuel droid, red indicator lights flashing on the top of them. Other than that the desert was empty.

"Ok we need to fill the canisters and fuel up the Falcon, Rey, Finn you do the canisters, Chewie and me will deal with the Falcon.

The canisters were heavy and banged against Rey's leg, making it sore but she didn't complain, it felt good to be busy.  They filled six before lugging them back to their ship. 

"Where now?  We need a place to stay for the night, somewhere where we won't be found, where we can keep a low profile" Finn said when they were all back on board. 

Poe leant back in his seat and closed his eyes.  Chewie grunted at Poe and he looked at the Wookie sternly, "No. No way, I am not going there!"

Finn who was still learning Wookie, creased his brow and Rey interprtated, "Chewie suggested Kijimi".

Chewie made a deep rumbling noise and Rey nodded, "Yes I want to know that too, why do I know that name, Kijimi?"

Poe dropped his eyes and Finns finger shot out to point at his friend, "His long lost love, a girl, in a snowy city called Kijimi!" Finn finished triumphantly, clapping his hands together.

"Did you part on bad terms? Could we seek shelter with her for the night?" Rey asked curiously, knowing the answer before Poe spoke by the way his eyes dropped to the floor.

When he didn't answer Rey prompted him, "Poe?"

Slowly he raised his eyes, "No, ok we didn't part on good terms, I doubt she would be glad to see me"

Rey sighed, "What happened?"

"She saw through me" Poe said glumly.

Chewbacca roared noisily and Rey nodded, "Chewies right, we need somewhere to stay, away from the Falcon in case it's spotted from the air. We need to go to Kijimi, you have to apologise to this girl.....to this.........."

"Zorri, her name is Zorri, and I don't do apologies well" Poe said sulkily.

Finn leant in close, "Show of hands for Kijimi"

Rey, Finn and Chewie raised their hands and Poe threw his up in the air as he rolled his eyes, "Looks like we're going to Kijimi then after all!" He huffed, punching in coordinates.

Finn patted his back, "Better get working on that apology"