Darkness Within

Honesty

A/N: Hey everyone, I'm back! Thank you so much for your patience! 

Rey has been wandering around the destroyer for a couple of hours at this point with one trooper trailing behind her by a few steps and taking his assigned job of watching the family of four a little too seriously. It was to the point that Rey feared if she used a bathroom other than the one in their own private quarters, this trooper, in particular, might just go so far as to follow her in there.

Despite the late time, the destroyer is still busy with activity and Rey stands in front of a window watching troopers and engineers moving around below her from the private observation room. Life here never calms or stops moving, there's always something to do, something to fix, and a plan to be made. Quiet simple moments like the ones she cherished in Argent don't exist anymore and she feels a sense of homesickness, wishing they could return back to that quiet life. Thankfully she conned her overzealous guard dog into waiting outside to give her a little privacy and time to think alone.

With heavy footsteps the Trooper she instructed Gabels to retrieve enters the room and approaches her, stopping a few paces behind her, and waiting patiently for her to acknowledge him. "FR-7781," Rey says simply while still turned towards the window, her eyes trained on two workers carrying a large black case across the hangar.

"You wished to speak to me, ma'am?" He asks and Rey turns, keeping her arms crossed in front of her.

"I owe you thanks for taking care of my daughter, keeping her safe," Rey begins, attempting to distract him while she tries to push into his mind which she is able to get into, but can't get very far, as if something is blocking her.

"Just doing my job," he replies modestly, and Rey chuckles and shakes her head, a light air of disbelief present.

"I already got an explanation from my daughter, I would appreciate one from you now too."

"What would you like to know?"

"What happened? How did she end up asleep like that?"

"She became distressed and panicked," he explains coolly. "I was trying to calm her down but she kept spiraling until she fainted from overexertion. Thankfully I was there to catch her so she didn't get hurt."

"Overexertion huh?" Rey mumbles with a hint of amusement. Her eyes move back up to the dark holes of the white helmet as she continues to push into his mind, noticing how what she is seeing seems perfectly curated, as if he's controlling what she sees and nothing more. "Take your helmet off," she demands suddenly and the trooper doesn't move.

"It's disrespectful for me to remove my helmet, especially in front of you ma'am," he says simply.

"It's disrespectful to ignore direct orders from your superior," Rey counters and stands her ground.

The trooper doesn't move immediately, heightening her curiosity until he reaches up with black and white-clad hands and removes his helmet. He's young, not even 25 yet, his skin dented from the helmet where it rests on his forehead. His dark hair is tousled and matted down around his head and he blinks his brown eyes at her, waiting for her to speak.

"How old are you?" Rey asks.

"Early twenties ma'am. I don't know my exact age though."

"How do you not know your exact age?"

"I don't remember anything about my beginnings," he explains. "I don't know how old I am, where I was born, or even if I had a different name before coming here."

"You didn't, I can tell you that much," Rey lies. "You were an orphan, rescued by the First Order, and given a better life. Your past isn't important."