Let the Light In

Chapter 32: Descry

Chapter 32: Descry

Rey dreamt again, but this time she didn't awake shaking or gasping for air.

This time, she lay in the same position that she opened her eyes; curled up in the slightly-reclined pilot's seat, staring at the green marble that was D'Qar, with a lazy smile on her face.

Not even the beeping of the as of yet not-deactivated alarm could ruin the wonderfully warm feeling still hanging over her due to properly pleasant dreams. With stiff limbs, she heaved a sigh and moved to stop the shrill trilling of the arrival warning, and send through her ship clearance to the tower.

Rey had dreamt of Cato Neimoidia. She had dreamt of sunsets, and lazy days in the temple courtyard going through historical holocrons and watching a young boy with shaggy black hair levitate fruit to make her laugh. She dreamt of antagonising Luke, waiting for the young boy's return because she missed her friend, her Ben. She dreamt of pazaak in a small bar, and laughing along with the awkward but endearing man, such a contrast to the darker side of her Force terrors. She dreamt he had held her close like he did when they were younger, instead of letting her leave.

Rey dreamt she called him Ben, and the name wasn't strange on her lips.

It was all in all a rather out of place dream, and left her with an odd feeling hanging heavy in her heart, but she did not regret the dream.

How could she? It had spared her a Force terror. Sure, it left her slightly bewildered, but if it kept that horror at bay then it couldn't be bad.

Rey jumped slightly when exuberant whooping crackled over the comm system.

Chuckling, she opened the channel from her side, taking the Sparrow down.

"Yeah, yeah, I missed you guys too."

"You better get your scrawny butt down here fast, Sweets!" Poe called with Finn laughing in the background, "There's only about several hundred hugs waiting for you!"

Rey rolled her eyes as she entered the atmosphere, "What, did something tremendous happen? You and Finn hook a power coupling or something?"

She grinned widely to herself as both Poe and Finn spluttered over the comm, and there was a highly indelicate giggle-snort in the background. Now that sounded like Myri.

"Unfortunately not, Rey. But I'm working on it!"

Yes, that was Myri.

Both Poe and Finn were still muttering unintelligible indignities in the background when Rey finally set the Sparrow down.

Rey said a quick, "See you in a few," before shutting down the major systems and lowering the ramp.

Then she slumped back into the chair and breathed deeply, her eyes closed.

This was it, but how did she even broach the subject?

Suddenly, there was a surge of nervous twisting in her gut, but mercifully she was still calm and level-headed about it.

She would get her answers, it was just how to go about it...

Rey remembered how Luke had looked at her that first time on Ahch-To, his mix of emotions making so much more sense now that she knew the key was recognition. He had known her, and he was astonished at her survival. He felt sorrow, then pity. Then determination.

To what? To train her anew? To mould her?

Certainly, she was angry that he had trained her for, what, almost a month? And he said nothing. Absolutely nothing. One of his students had essentially come back from the dead and he said nothing.