Star Wars 'What If?': The Force Awakens

Chapter IX

Han, Chewie, and Finn walked quickly to the base. Finn couldn't shake away the thought of Rey being captured by the First Order. Who knows what they'll do to her. At the base, Resistance fighters were scattered all over the place. They could hear ships landing and orders being given from commanders and generals.

When they arrived at command center, they could see the horror in Leia's face. She knew what had happened. The look on Finn, Chewie, and Han's face have already told her, it was true. But she still had to make sure. "She got captured, didn't she?", Leia asked with a concerned and worried tone in her voice.

When Finn was about to open his mouth, Athena and Rose appeared from the back of a hallway leading to the repair center. "Who got captured?", Athena asked as she saw BB-8 is standing in front of her giving her sad slow beeps. "Why's BeebeeAte here? And where's Rey? What happened to the mission?", she asked again knowing that the most likely thing to happen is that the one captured by the First Order is her daughter. "Wait, what mission? She was assigned for a solitary mission?", Rose asked since she wasn't in the command center when the others are building a plan.

"Yes. To bring BeebeeAte to the nearest Resistance Outpost. But something must've gone wrong", Finn told her. "I'm guessing that's why BeebeeAte is still here?", she said, confirming the situation. "Correct", replied Han, shortly. "Rey was taken by Kylo Ren and I'm sure she sensed him and sent BeebeeAte there on his own. But then he returned alone after the First Order retreated", he explained. After hearing Han's confirmation, Athena sighs lightly. Realizing that Rey has what the First Order wants. 

"He must've sense the map in her mind..", she stated. "That's why he didn't need BeebeeAte anymore", Athena said as an conclusion. "Why didn't she just push him out? Conceal her mind from him. She's technically still a Jedi, right?", Rose wondered. "I was thinking the same thing", Finn added. "Well, once a Jedi is always a Jedi...but she left the order. She may still acknowledge the force but she hasn't train for awhile", Leia told them.

Athena was afraid they'll come to this. She only wanted to protect Rey and now she's in the hands of the First Order because of her weak connection with the force. "This is why I didn't want her to leave the order", Athena said with frustration upon her voice. She can't lose her too. She won't lose her. "Because I know one day she'll have to face the dark side at some point in her life and she's the only one who could truly protect herself", her voice raised slightly than before.

Athena's father was the most feared man in the whole galaxy during the time of the Empire. He was the symbol of darkness. That's why she wanted Rey to be ready when the time comes for her to fight the darkness inside her.

But Athena didn't tell Rey a bit about the truth of her heritage, afraid that she'll try to peek inside what the dark side could offer her. So Athena kept the truth hidden by making up stories about what happened to her family and that only Master Obi-Wan Kenobi and Duchess Satine Kryze were Rey's grandparents. She'd also tell Rey that she couldn't really remember who her parents were.

Everyone look at Athena and understand her desperation. They all knew who Rey's grandfather was and the sad part is, they couldn't tell her since Athena made them oath not to tell her. "The reason we let her leave the order and erase her memory of Ben was because we're afraid he would find her and turn her", came the echoing of Han's voice. "We couldn't take the risk and what's the difference with now?", he added.

"She has to be prepared for what will come her way, Han", Athena simply answered. "And she's strong with force, I'm sure she will not let the darkness consume her".

Leia could hear how sure Athena was and she, herself, knew too how strong Rey is in the force. "She's older now, maturity will lead her to the right path", Leia said as soon as she admitted it, and an idea came through her mind. "Wait.. what if the force had brought them together?", she said. "How exactly?", Rose asked.