Awaking One Another

Chapter One: Escape From Jakku

"We were not able to secure the droid on Jakku, my L-lord," the Imperial Lieutenant confessed, "The BB unit escaped in a Corellian YT-1300 light freighter that was in the settlement."

"The droid alone took command of a freighter?" Kylo Ren questioned, annoyed that the lieutenant had obviously not revealed everything to be known about the droid's escape to him immediately.

"Forgive me, my lord! We have eyewitness confirmation that the traitor FN-2187 was seen with the droid entering the freighter, sir."

FN-2187, again! Kylo's anger and hatred swelled to the surface, and he quickly drew his lightsaber and began to strike at the control panels and displays that surrounded him, destroying them in the process. I saw his weakness! He thought wildly, while letting out a shout of rage that caused the frightened lieutenant to jump. While berating himself internally and striking the walls, Kylo Ren could think only of how he should have had that traitorous turncoat brought before him immediately upon returning from the village to see him killed for weakness. Now, in addition to having freed a highly valuable Resistance captive, the former Stormtrooper was keeping the highly sought-after BB unit safe, and quickly taking it out of the First Order's reach.

In the midst of the Sith Lord's tantrum, the lieutenant shifted uncomfortably, seeming to be in the midst of making a difficult decision.

"My lord," the lieutenant finally conceded, "Another was seen accompanying the droid and FN-2187, a girl of—"

Whatever the lieutenant had to say next about the girl was suddenly cut short, as he found himself a foot off the ground, and with the grip of the Sith's dark power around his neck, cutting off his air supply, and flying him towards the seething man.

"What. Girl." Kylo demanded to know, his voice full of malice and contempt. What little girl from Jakku could possibly resist the ground and air assault on the outpost near the crash site of the stolen TIE fighter? Who could have the knowledge to pilot such a ship? Who would dare to defy the might and cruelty of the First Order?

"Our inf-, augh, informants say that it was a local, a scavenger that helped them escape!" the lieutenant struggled to answer while trying to get air past the choking grip on his throat, "She piloted the freighter, destroying the fighters we had pursuing them!"

"FIND THEM!" Kylo yelled ferociously at the lieutenant while releasing him from the force choke and throwing him backwards. The lieutenant quickly got up and ran out, spewing panicked promises and reassurances of success while making his exit.

Kylo Ren stalked out of the room he was in, frightening everyone out of the main walkway as he made his way to his private quarters. After his door slid shut behind him, he hastily took off his mask and outer robe before wielding his lightsaber. He let its power thrum through him for a few moments, before gripping it with both hands and hitting the already scar-ridden wall with it, over and over, covering it with fresh marks. As he assaulted the wall, his anger slowly calmed, and his thoughts became more coherent. He found himself wondering about this girl, this pilot, who survived the assault, commandeered a freighter, out-piloted her pursuers, who had escaped, and who, wittingly or not, had his prize in her possession. Having exerted enough of his anger and hatred on the wall, Kylo made to begin meditations. But as he tried to internalize his fear and hatred, to shut out all other thoughts, his mind kept going back to the lieutenants words. A local. A scavenger. A girl. What girl? Who could be more competent than his highly trained Stormtroopers programmed from birth? Who is she?

At that time, not so far away, Rey was staring slack jawed in the direction of THE Han Solo, smuggler extraordinaire. The smuggler in question had just pulled them into hyperspace, just narrowly avoiding death. After getting the Corellian light freighter off-planet, the ship had been locked onto and pulled into a large freighter's ship hold, where shortly after meeting the smuggler, they had been set upon by three forces. Two gangs who had been swindled by Han, and by the beasts he had been acquiring for them. They had only barely escaped, due to Han's insane plan which involved jumping to hyperspace within a ship. She turned to look behind her at Finn, the Resistance fighter she had met on Jakku, and who had effectively made her a target of the First Order. He was nursing a couple of scratches from Chewbacca, the giant Wookie first mate of the infamous smuggler.

Rey made her way over to the Resistance fighter to take a look at his and the Wookie's condition. "Can you believe it, it's Han Solo the smuggler! He made the Kessel Run in just 14 parsecs! In this ship! The Millennium Falcon!" She exclaimed loudly, unable to keep a silly grin from taking over her face, completely forgetting that she had, not more than a few hours ago, disregarded this ship as being 'garbage'.

"12 parsecs!" She heard Han's voice yell out, seemingly insulted, from the entrance to the cockpit. The smuggler stared at them intensely for a few moments, before letting out an exasperated sigh. "So, you two are fugitives?"

Rey, having forgotten how exactly she had come to currently be in front of Han Solo in all the excitement of actually meeting him, located BB-8, and went over to the droid. "Yes," she confirmed, suddenly solemn. "Finn says that this droid has the map to where Luke Skywalker is. We need to get it back to his Resistance Base, on D'Qar in the Ileenium system."

The smuggler stared cryptically at her for several moments. "Luke, huh. Hmph, all right. I'll get you two to the Resistance. We need to make a stop though, the Falcon's not exactly subtle," Han conceded before moving back into the cockpit to readjust their heading. "We're going to Takodana to see Moz Kanata. She'll get you three a ship that'll get you to the Ileenium system," He called out from the cockpit.

Accepting that solution, Rey sat herself in the copilot seat next to the smuggler, hoping that this would all be over relatively quickly. She had already been gone from Jakku for too long, and she didn't want to miss her family coming back for her. They would come back for, she knew they would.

A/N: That's all for now folks. We'll see more Rey-development as she interacts with Kylo Ren in future chapters, as my story moves away from what happened in the movies.