Note: I own nothing of Star Wars, except original ideas. Everything else, names and places are owned by Lucasfilm and Disney.

Star Wars Episode VII – The Force Awakens

THE GALAXY IS AT PEACE!

The GALACTIC EMPIRE is a shattered shell of its former glory and the NEW REPUBLIC Reigns supreme

A new JEDI ORDER is on the rise, promising peace and justice too all.

However, a new threat begins to raise its ugly head in the Unknown Regions.

Yet the REPUBLIC SENATE and MILITARY do not take it seriously

Despite the few voices of warning.

LEIA ORGANA-SOLO makes one final attempt to appeal to the SENATE to investigate this threat.

As she does this, her husband HAN SOLO travels the galaxy, and what he will discover may change the very course of the history of the galaxy…..

Prologue

A large Star Destroyer, larger than any of the old Empire slowed to a half-speed orbiting the harsh world below them. The world was a harsh orange hue, a swirling mass of heavy clouds obscuring the surface from view. On the night side, lightning storms lit entire portions of the otherwise ebony black.

Standing on the bridge of the Star Destroyer stood two men. One was fitted in a starch uniform, pressed so flatly to him that one would be forgiven to wonder how he even breathed. A scowl seemed seared to his stone-hard face. A face that had seen its shares of hardship and toil. His copper-hair was slicked back behind him, flat against his skull, making his forehead stand out even more than it already did in an already receding hairline.

The other man was just as still, clothed all in black. A black robe fell behind his sable clothes and the cowl of his robe was pulled up over his head, obscuring the black helmet from view of those who stood behind them. Had they seen the front of his helmet, they would be reminded of Darth Vader, one of the founders of the glorious New Order, better known as the Galactic Empire.

The Empire had surrendered decades ago to the New Republic. Within a year of Palpatine's death, his Grand Vizier, Mas Amedda had surrendered to the New Republic. This man, one of the architects of the greatest civilization the galaxy had ever known, had cowed and groveled before the filthy rebels. Now the Empire was a shell of it's former glory. It had once spanned two-thirds of the entire known galaxy. A million systems under it's rule. Now less than ten thousand acknowledged their rule.

Not these men who stood on the bridge of the Star Destroyer. Not any man onboard the Finalizer, a Resurgent-Class Star Destroyer. They did not acknowledge the pitiful government that had no longer had the right to call itself, the Galactic Empire. No, they served the true inheritors of Palpatine's New Order. The First Order. And it's Supreme Leader.

"Are you sure?" the red-headed officer asked, scowling doubtfully down at the planet below.

"Of course I'm sure, General," the dark robed one said, a vocalizer distorting and deepening the man's voice. "The Jedi Academy is here. I will go down, and kill Luke Skywalker."

"Are you even sure he is down there?" the General asked, turning to look at him. "He could be gone for all you know."

"If so then it will be far easier, and perhaps despair at the loss of his precious Academy and Order will drive him too commit suicide," the helmeted man said, turning. "General Hux, have Captain Phasma and her Division ready to depart as soon as I arrive at the hanger."

"I already gave the order, Ren," Hux spat the last word like venom. "Good hunting. I'd hate to have to get used to another dark sider. It's taken long enough getting used to you."

"I didn't know you cared," the one named Ren snorted, "Don't worry, I'll be back."

General Hux shook his head as he turned to the viewport and looked down at the planet below. He wasn't sure what he wanted more. Luke Skywalker to be killed, or Kylo Ren to meet his end. Either would be perfectly fine with him.

"The Force moves through all things," the Jedi Master said, standing in the middle of a circle of students. Thirty-six cadets were at the Academy, Padawans as his master had called them. "The Force is neither Light nor Dark. Yes, there is a Light Side and a Dark Side. But they are merely tools. It is how we use the tools that matters."

He looked at the young, eager faces. So young, only three of the twelve learning at his feet were over the age of twenty. Looking at them made him feel so very old. So very old indeed, despite his forty-four years of age.

"There is danger is the Dark Side, yes," the Master continued, "If we allow the fear and anger that it is fueled by to dominate our lives. But there is wisdom to be found in the dark. I have learned from both sides of the Force, Light and Dark. The Dark Side is indeed seductive, but if we hold fast to the Light, we can use the lessons the Dark Side teaches to strengthen our own understanding.

"In the Imperial Palace on Coruscant, we discovered a series of holographic books that the Emperor himself had written. In the third book, The Great Mystery, he says a wise leader must embrace a larger view of the Force, and not just a dogmatic narrow view of the Jedi."

"But, Master!" one of the younger Padawans, a grey-skinned Twi'lek named Suu Quid interjected, "Isn't the Jedi view the only view we should have? Master-"

"The Jedi view of the latter-days of the Jedi Order were not the same as the views they had when they first started, my young Padawan," he cut into the little girl's interjection. "They stopped looking at the Force as a gift all had, but tried to quantify it with blood screenings and slaved themselves to the Republic. The earliest Jedi followed the Force no matter what it required. Sometimes that did have them do things that we would say only a Sith would do. But a true Jedi always follows the will of the Force. If it is the will of the Force, how can it be evil?"

The young Jedi sat there, pondering the words that the master had spoken. The Master smiled kindly as he looked around him. Twi'leks, humans, a wookie and even a Mon Calamari sat around him. Listening raptly to what he was telling them. Unlike the other two masters here, he had a greater understanding of the Dark Side. A far more personal relationship with it.

The doors flung open even as he stood there, admiring his young students. He looked up, to see a single robed figure entering the chambers. He did not know this man, but he felt the intense loathing that oozed from him. How had he not sensed his approach to the Temple?

"A wise question you put to your students, Master Bridger," the masked man said. For a second, the Jedi Master had a flash of terrible memories of Malachor and Lothal, of another masked man. "Is it so evil if the will of the Force is to turn to the Dark? Or is it evil if the will is to extinguish the Jedi yet again?"

"I don't know who you are," Jedi Master Ezra Bridger said, stepping between his students, many rising to their feet at the approach of the masked intruder. "But this is holy ground. You have no right to be here. If you do not leave now, you will be killed."

The masked man laughed and pulled a long cylindrical tube from the depth of his robe. With a flick of his finger, a long blue lightsaber blade extended. Ezra looked at the blade in surprise. He had never seen a dark sider without a red blade before.

"No, old man," the masked figure growled, saluting him with a flourish of his blade. "It is you who will die."

The dark man charged forward, roaring as he came. Ezra's own lightsaber, built back before the Rebellion had even truly been born, leapt to his extended hand and the green blade extended. He swung the blade up, and held it in an over-head defensive posture. Before he knew it, the masked man was on him, and their lightsabers clashed together with a crackle of energy and the two colors combined were yellow where the blades met.

Even as they met, six more robed figures burst into the room, three drawing lightsaber blades of crimson, while the others were swinging rifles into a firing position.

"Defend the younglings!" Ezra roared and he slashed at his opponent. Four blades hissed to life and he saw two human padawans, the wookie and the Mon Calmari run forward. The two blades met again and again, as they struggled back and forth. On the fourth swing, the two blades caught and Ezra bore down on the masked man, using all his strength and the Force to push backwards, driving the taller man back step by hard won step.

"Run!" Ezra shouted to the younglings, and pushing forward his hand, sent a massive Force push that hit the masked man. The figure bent double and slid a few feet back, but managed to keep his balance. "Run!"

Even as he shouted the words, blaster fire rang out from other parts of the Academy. The sounds of lightsaber battles could be heard.

The entire Temple is under attack!

Even as the words passed through his mind, he caught a flurry of motion, and one of his students fell apart, his opponent slicing off both legs with a single sweep then beheading him one a return stroke. Ezra had no time to avenge his student as his opponent thrust his own hand out. A blast of kinetic energy hit him full in the chest and he fell back. He hit the ground hard and was sent skidding across the floor.

Even as he skidded, the dark sider leapt high into the air, switching his grip to deliver a downward thrust to the stunned Jedi Master. Yet, he wasn't stunned. He stayed motionless, time seeming to slow down. He waited…..waited….waited….now! He rolled away just as dark siders feet touched the ground and his blue blade sliced down. It was close, Ezra could feel the heat of the blade as it sank into the stone behind him.

He spun into a kneeling position, and his swing was true. The dark sider let go just in-time to avoid having his hands sliced off at the wrist, but the green energy blade cut through the hilt. Even as the blade spun, his booted foot went up, and connected with the chin of the mask of his foe's helmet.

He was still spinning when he saw the two human padawans fall in rapid succession. Felled by both saber and blaster. The wookie was hard pressed and Ezra knew that if he didn't finish the dark sider he faced soon, he would be unable to help the Padawan. Although he couldn't help smile as the wookie grabbed one of the dark robed figures and with a roar of fury, ripped the man's arm out of his socket single-handedly, all while parrying the saber strokes of another man.

He swung down, slashing as fast as he could. Yet the dark sider was far faster then he was. With surprising ease he avoided ever slash and cut. The wookie bellowed in pain and fell to one knee as a bolt shattered a kneecap. Ezra ground his teeth and reached out, grabbed the opponent and force pulled him towards him. He sliced….again somehow missing the other man as he somehow dodged….all while being held in a Force Pull, and….too late he saw the black hilt of a secondary lightsaber in the man's hand. The thumb flicked and the blade, one of three jumped out.

Ezra gasped in agonizing pain as the blade pierced him through the gut, driving upwards and exiting just a tad-beneath the shoulder blades. Weakness enveloped him as his hand went limp and with a clatter, the lightsaber clattered to the ground. With a sag he dropped to his knees and turned ever so slightly, his fading eyesight watching the wookie's decapitation by a crimson blade.

In through the back of the room, stormtroopers were marching his padawans back into the room. A chrome-armored stormtrooper seemed to be leading them. She stepped forward, the cowering young padawans looking in fear and astonishment at the older Jedi they had looked up to. All dead or dying as the Jedi Master was.

"Luke Skywalker is not here," the stormtrooper said. For some reason, Ezra could have sworn it was a woman's voice. "We searched everywhere sir."

The dark sider nodded once and turned towards Ezra, whose eyes were focused not on the man who had slain him. "You want to save them?" the dark sider asked, his voice mocking a touch of concern. "Tell me where Luke Skywalker is. Then the Supreme Leader perhaps will have use for them in the Knights of Ren."

"The Force is with me," Ezra smiled wanly, feeling his strength ooze out. "I am one with the Force."

"Pity," the dark sider sighed.

Ezra watched the flashes of light as blaster-fire filled the room. He slumped to the ground and as he hit the floor, watching Padawan after Padawan fall, his final thought was….

Sabine, keep my memory alive, my love.

Leia slumped back in the Senatorial Seat in the Senate House on Bothawui. She gripped her chest, a great pain ripping through it. Her side, a willowy woman bent to her side and gripped her shoulder. Concern oozed from her friend.

"Are you alright, Mi'lady?" she asked.

Leia's pain….it wasn't physical pain. The longer she sat there, the more she was certain of it. No, it was a shadow pain. A sympathetic pain. She had felt it once before. She had been standing on the Observation Deck of the fearsome Death Star. A battle station of immense power. She had felt at the time the pain she felt was simply because of her being Alderaanian. Luke had taught her more about it, how the Force could link people so they could feel such death.

But what could have caused it? It was not nearly as strong as it had been so long ago

"Leia?" the woman asked, cutting into her thoughts. "Do you need to see a medical Droid?"

Leia shook her head, the phantom pain already all but gone. "No," she breathed out. "I don't need a doctor. No…." she trailed off and looked at the bottom of the Senate Chambers. The Naboo Senator was delivering an address to the Senate, denouncing Cato Neimoidia for supposedly interfering with their trade routes. The Neimodian Senator kept interrupting, declaring how outrageous these accusations were. "What I do need is for the Senate to stop squabbling over such petty disputes. Especially ones that seem to be reenacting stuff I read about in history class."

"I agree with you there," the slender woman shook her head.

This was what the Republic had become. No longer did they deal with actual issues. In less than thirty years since its birth, it was bogged down in exactly what had brought down the Old Republic. Senators who cared nothing except making their purses fat with credits, both rightfully and unlawfully gained. Dealing in back room politics, very rarely truly trying to represent their constituents, instead focusing on their profit margins.

Over the past five years, she had begun to wonder if the Republic was rotten. How had it gotten this way? How had the Senate lost its way? There were many reasons that she could point to. Good intentions turned sour. Ten years ago, the majority of the Senate realized something was wrong. They ended the practice of moving the capitol world every year, instead lengthening it to five years. The Chancellor of the Republic, who honestly was nothing more than a public face for the Senate with no powers, due to Mon Mothma's ill-advised termination of the powers of the Chancellor, and they were replaced by a First Senator, who actually did have powers. His term lasted the same length as their stay at a capitol and it was decided that the capitol would be the home world of the First Senator.

But it had within two years soured again. It wasn't just that though. Her son had two years ago left the Jedi Order. Seduced by a man who was more whispers than proof. Supreme Leader Snoke. It had taken her years to even get a name. Every time she thought of Snoke, she shivered. His name was attached to a shadow remnant of the Empire that called itself The First Order. The thought of her son's downfall made her close her eyes, fighting back unbidden tears that burned her eyes.

Everything was wrong. She needed to convince them of the true threat. Not the Galactic Empire, which huddled like whipped curs in the boundaries defined by the Galactic Concordance.

"We will table the vote for the sanctions to be imposed on Cato Neimoidia until tomorrow," the First Senator, a man who looked more like lion than Bothan said. Borsk Fey'lya, a political machine that had long lost any semblance of true emotions. "If there is no further items of business…."

Leia shot to her feet. She stood so fast, the blood rushed to her head and she swayed slightly. She gripped the edge of the table to steady herself.

"I have an item of business I need to bring before the Senate," she called out, her voice demanding attention with force of practice and experience.

"The Chair recognizes the Senator from Alderaan."

Only there is no Alderaan, Leia thought sourly. However, she didn't let it deter her as she made her way down the long steps to the main Senate Floor. The Bothans were a very traditional people, never having upgraded their government buildings to the modern hovering Senatorial pods of the old Coruscant Senate House or the gliding hovering chairs of Chandrila. Even the last capitol of the Republic, Umbara, had moving walking ways installed in their government facilities to give their Senators some well-deserved rest.

Not here and the Exiles of Alderaan, as the survivors of the Destruction of Alderaan were called, had their seat in one of the rear rows. So, she had to make a far longer journey to reach the floor. Very few of the Senators seemed to even notice as she walked by, too absorbed in their own problems to be concerned with her.

At what seemed long last, she reached the floor and looked up at the First Senator. Long snout and fur inclined its head towards her. She nodded and took a deep breath.

"Thank you, First Senator," she began, and then turned to face the gathered assembly, that looked at her with bored expressions. "Honorable representatives of the New Republic. For twenty-four years we have been at peace. A peace hard-won. The Galactic Empire, which once ruled over the majority of known space, now wallows in the squalor of the Core and Deep Core, never to rise again, as long as we are vigilant. The Hutts and other gangster organizations such as Black Sun dare not try to rise again for fear of our power. We have good friends with the Hapes Consortium. Yet, we have become decadent.

"In less than three decades, we no longer care about the common wealth of our people. No, we are more concerned with lining our pockets. Every year I have spoken out against the corruption that is seeping in our ranks. The Populists refuse to allow the government a greater role in preserving the peace. The Centralists refuse to trust the will of the people, thinking they know better. We squabble over such petty things like trade disputes and taxation, the very thing that allowed Supreme Chancellor Vallorum to be ripped from office and to allow a man from Naboo to take control of a Republic that he then manipulated into becoming his personal Empire.

"All while we do this, a great threat is growing in the Unknown Regions. I have spoken of this before, every year since we arrived at Bothawui and I became aware of its existence. They are the First Order, led by a shadowy figure called Supreme Leader Snoke."

Oh yes, they knew. The Senators groaned as she brought up, yet again, the First Order. She could only hope that this time they would take her seriously. They had to.

"Not this again!" the Senator from Hosnian Prime shouted, rising to his feet and shaking his hand. "You have no proof of its existence. Just rumors and hearsay!"

"The Chair does not recognize the Gentleman from Hosnian Prime at this time," Borsk Fey'lya cut him off, holding up a had covered with fur on its back.

Leia turned and nodded her head once to the First Senator. She then returned to stare down the Hosnian Prime ambassador, who sat with a harrumph.

"The First Order has already claimed responsibility for several terrorist acts in the Outer Rim and along our border!" Leia addressed the accusation. "I have even found that there had been funds, weapons and materials funneled to the Unknown Regions. Where is all this going? How has the First Order, who wasn't even known five years ago, suddenly beginning to be more and more bold? There is indeed a First Order, they've even claimed responsibility. We need to send out a heavy reconnaissance force and find them. Hit them before they come out and hit us."

A throat cleared quiet loudly, and she turned to see the Ithorian ambassador arise to his feet. A large box hung from his large neck, covering his vocal cords, allowing his rumblings to translate into Basic.

"Why are we worried about a shadowy group that at the most has committed terrorists acts along the border?" he asked her. "We have reports from the Galactic Empire. They have commissioned three new Star Destroyers of a new variant. There are even actionable reports of a new version of their Executor-Class Star Destroyer being created in the Fondor shipyards. These are clear violations of the Peace Treaty of 5 ABY and we need to focus on it, not phantoms."

"Isn't it clear?" the Hosnian Prime Senator snorted. "We all know why! The Senator's father is Darth Vader! She doesn't want us to focus on the Empire, something that is technically her birth-right!"

Leia curled her fist. She would not, would not, be baited. She ground her teeth, imagining that the Honorable Senator of Hosnian Prime were in between her teeth. Luckily for her, she didn't have to retort.

"I will have no slander and aspirations thrown at Leia Organa-Solo!" Borsk Fey'lya slammed an electronic gavel onto his desk, the note resounding like rocks slamming into each other throughout the assembly hall. "She has sacrificed more for the name of liberty and justice than anyone in this room! As I recall, dear Senator Villecham, your people refused to fight the Empire until the Treaty had already been signed!"

That set the entire Senate chamber into a roar of shouts, threats and hurled insults. The tumult of noise made the room shake around her. As she listened to the noise, she zoned it out, waiting for the noise to die down. As she did so, she allowed her mind to wander for a bit. All the facts she had collected about the First Order were scant, but they painted a picture that was hard to deny.

Yet these people refused to believe her! Her son had abandoned the New Jedi Order, running off with several other students of her brothers to find this mysterious Snoke. She had felt a dark presence that had seemed to follow her son for years. Even in the womb it had been there, watching him with a cold malicious hunger.

And then there was that dull pain she had felt. Reminiscent of the Destruction of Alderaan so many years ago. And these Senators did nothing but debate. This body….she suddenly realized was incapable of action. Even with the changes that had been made in recent years, they were mired by ambition and greed. There was no love or charity and no willingness to do what was needed or right.

Then it moved through her. That tingling she always associated with the Force. It nudged her thoughts, helping her reach the correct decision. As she listened to it and saw where it led to, she suddenly felt clarity. A sense of purpose and correctness.

She cleared her voice, and digging into the Force, used it to project her voice. It was one of the few Force abilities she truly had worked on. Force Vocal Projection, Luke had called it. Her voice boomed throughout the Senate chamber, drowning out the voices of the Senators.

"It is clear that this body is incapable of action!" she shouted. It wasn't in anger, but it swept through the room, and the force of her words brought the arguing to a halt. The Senators, all of them standing on their feet as they had been engaged in verbal fencing, turned towards her. "I have warned you for years that something is wrong. We are focused on the obvious and if my husband taught me anything, its that when someone is doing something obvious, look elsewhere, because it's a distraction. The Galactic Empire is a distraction. This Senate has become a distraction from what is important."

She let her words hang for just a second. The Senate seemed to be holding its collective breath, unwilling to break the silence and tension. She sighed and shook her head.

"As this body is unwilling to listen to my warnings and do what is needed to preserve the liberty of the galaxy," she said, dreading the next few words, "I feel it is my duty to resign from my post as Senator of the New Republic and enter military service, to do the single thing that you all refuse to do. Stop the First Order."

The young girl sat with arms curled around her legs. Her stomach grumbled, almost as loud as the engine on the wheeled land vehicle that speed down the dirt streets. It drove past her, and dirt and sand flew at her, covering her entire body with the karabast gunk! She closed her eyes and reaching up, brushing off the crap from her head.

"Sith spit!" she cursed, standing to her feet and dusting herself off. The more she battered at the sand and dust, the more of a cloud surrounded her. It took a few long minutes, but at last, she was somewhat presentable.

Well, presentable wasn't really the case. It was extremely hard to be anything nice in Niima Outpost. She hated Jakku, and everything on it. She hated the sand, the run-down town that the dirt-poor people called 'home'. She most especially hated Unkar Plutt.

She had never seen a more lumpy creature in her entire life. He was humanoid in shape, actually, if it wasn't for his rather rotund everything, large bulbous nose and head shaped like a thumb, he'd almost look like a human. He was the main Junk Boss in the north-western hemisphere of Jakku, and he controlled all the barter and food in this region of the world.

One more day, and she'd be thirteen. She didn't look forward to it though. Unkar Plutt's race was known for it's compatibility with all humanoids….whatever that meant. She did know though that supposedly roughly a third of the entire settlement was his children. She had no idea how that was possible, since they all were diverse species.

He was kind enough to give her food, but at age 13, she'd have to get a job. The job of females in Niima Outpost were to entertain Unkar. She wasn't sure how, but she was going to have to do it. It was the way of things. Older women and men were scavengers, collecting salvage from the ancient battle of Jakku, nearly thirty years ago.

The young girl remembered a time though beforehand. A time of love and compassion. There had been a ship, and two parents. She couldn't remember their faces anymore, but she could remember how she had felt. And then they had left her here….

She gripped the staff, a full foot taller in length than she was. She wasn't very good with it, but she could at least hit people with it! And that was what mattered. She gripped it as tightly as she could. She wouldn't allow feelings of lose be the death of her here.

"Mom and Dad will be back!" she said aloud, confident in her voice. "One day."

She stepped away from the wall of the hut and turned. Taking a deep breath, trying to hide her disgust, she walked down the sandy road. Although it was well-traveled, at least once a day a sandstorm blew through the outpost, coating what would otherwise be a hard dirt lane into a sandy mess. Even with the wheeled vehicle's passage, the sand still came up to her ankles, and try as she might, her skinny frame seemed unable to keep exclusively in the track.

A few minutes passed as she walked, not looking at the poor souls that made up the sorry inhabitants of the outpost. Men in lumpy clothing wandered the street in groups of three, carrying clubs in their hands. Women of multiple races chatted to each other or went about daily errands. The children of Unkar Plutt ran through the outpost, filthy little beasts. Just like everything else.

At long last, she came to the shanty that was Unkar Plutt's stall. There he kept all the stores of food for the entire outpost. She fell into line, behind a very old woman who carried a piece of equipment in her arms. There was a tall Melitto, an alien that had chitin plates that covered their faces. He also was carrying something, a long pipe looking object. She stood behind a long-necked Nu-Cosian, bent over double with tons of scavenged parts.

Looking at the bundle, she noticed that one looked like a droid motivator. The girl knew what those were, since her father had owned a droid. Even though it had been years, she could still spot one.

She had no friends, and no one spoke to her. No, the only talking came from the front of the line, where Unkar Plutt was conducting business. So, she fell into her own thoughts. Nothing was really there, except a desire to leave the planet forever. Yes, her parents would return, but surely, she could have an adventure while waiting for them?

It seemed forever for the line to finally end, and at long last, legs and feet tired from waiting, she stepped up to the stall window. The Nu-Cosian was walking away, no longer bent so far down, and she watched him go before glancing back at Unkar.

"Well, well," he said, his voice kindly but his smile leering. "If we don't have the big little lady. Tomorrow is your birthday! You'll be a big girl and get the job! You'll like it, I'm sure."

She didn't know what exactly it was. But the very words made her shiver as if something slimy was being poured all over her. For some reason, the very word 'job' made her cringe.

"I suppose," she said.

"Don't be that way!" he held out his hands defensively. "We all got to eat. At thirteen, you are no longer a charity case. No siree! Got to pull your own weight. Which reminds me, time for your portion."

He grabbed a plastic, air-sealed packet and plopped it on the counter. She reached up, her slender fingers wrapping around the plastic of the packet. Small white powder in one corner, blue powder on the other corner. It would last one meal, and that was it.

She turned to go. She just wanted to get home and eat her food. She didn't want to think of what disgusting things he had in mind for her.

"I'll be seeing you!" Unkar called out.

The young girl tried not to let the tears show in her eyes as she entered the little run-down shack that was her home. It wasn't anything more than a board that was leaned up against the wall of a hut of a family that while they wouldn't let her live with them, were understanding about her having her 'house' leaning on theirs.

Rags were draped on either end to make something close to doors. She tied the ends to the frame when she got in, and went about making herself the food. A little bit of water mixed into the powder, and she had instant bread and something that may have been vegetables. She wasn't sure of it.

The board that she had leaned against the wall had long narrow holes cut into it. While they offered some privacy, it didn't stop anyone from looking in and her looking out. She stared out across the desert dunes that rose from the west side of Niima Outpost, and tears streamed down her cheeks.

All she wanted to do was leave, and never come back. Maybe to find if her parents had returned for her. But still…that was never going to happen. No one ever arrived at Jakku. Not a spaceship.

Although, she mused sadly, wiping at the tears, she'd love it if her hero, Luke Skywalker or his friend Han Solo, the Smuggler arrived and whisked her away. But those were dreams, and dreams didn't come true.

There was darkness over the landscape and she was laying down to sleep. Most of Niima Outpost was ushered away for the night, preparing for bed. The glow of the light the was cast from her small lantern flickered out, and she was soon cast in darkness. She stared up at the slanted roof, fearful of the next day. What it would bring.

As she lay there, a low humming filled the night sky. She stared at the slanted roof, trying not to pay attention to it. Yet with every passing moment the humming grew louder. Light, white and immensely bright filled her small home and she scrambled to her knees. The lights dimmed as the engines….that was what they were….dimmed, dropping to a standby mode.

She could scarcely believe it! It was a ship! The Jakku moon-light helped outline the ship, and she couldn't believe it, no ships ever came to Jakku, they only left! A hissing sound escaped the back of the ship, and light began to crack as a ramp lowered, descending. Soft lights shone from it.

Excitedly, she scurried out, not even waiting to untie the raggedy blankets that were her doors. She gripped the handle of her staff and dragged it with her. Luckily, she was scrawny enough that she slid under the cloth and rising to a crouch, ran towards a low-lying wall that ringed the outpost. Two Republic-era engines jutted from the ground, breaking the wall in the middle, leading to the outskirts.

Running crouched, the staff dragged on the sand, but it didn't take her too long to reach the wall and kneel behind it, looking between long, narrow gaps in the durasteel of the wall. Excitedly, she looked towards the ship.

Down the ramp came two figures. The first figure was a man, she could tell even from the silhouette. She could tell the jacket that he wore that hung limply around him, and the mop of unkempt hair. A blaster, a real blaster! hung from his hip. As he stepped out onto the sand, something massive stepped off as well. It was massive, towering over the man.

She heard it growling and bark to the man. Was that an ewok? Her mother had told her stories about the great warriors who had assisted Han Solo the Smuggler and Luke Skywalker take down the Imperial army. She had never seen an ewok before, but the massive creature, the light filtering through fur, she could only assume that such a mighty creature could be an ewok. No wonder the Empire had fallen before them!

"Okay, okay," the man said, his voice cutting into the darkness. "We talk to Unkar and then we're out of here. We got to get back to the Endor Moon so we can met up with Lando."

The ewok let out a series of grunts. The young girl found listening to the ewok fascinating! So intimidating and fierce! How could the man understand it?

"Me too buddy," the man said, "I hope he hasn't given us the ring around."

With that, the two figures moved away from the landing ramp, and headed towards town. She watched them go, two shadows moving in the darkness. As she knelt there, listening to the two chat even as they walked, the best of friends, she felt a twinge of sorrow. Especially as she saw them enter the village and pass her by, not noticed the desert rat that kept close to the wall.

I wish I had friends, she thought sadly and turned away. She had better go back to…..

She heard a sound. Like a music, whistling to her. She turned back to the ship and it grew louder for her. Shaking her head, she turned away, but the music grew louder. Again, she turned to the ship. Confusion caused her to frown.

It was as if the music was calling to her. She felt a small wind fluttering around her hair, but a quick glance around showed her there was no rippling of wind on the sand. Even at night one could see it, if they had lived in a desert as long as she had.

Slowly, she stepped forward, and uncertainly she walked around the wall and exited the village. The music was summoning her, she could feel it in her soul. Slowly she walked towards the open ramp, her heart pounding as she made the short journey to the ship's ramp. She stopped at the ramp, suddenly frightened. She tightened her grip on the staff and suddenly unsure, she back-stepped.

Yet a voice seemed to speak to her. Go.

Swallowing, her limbs shaking, she walked up the ramp, and entered the hull of the ship. And the singing stopped.

She was in a round hallway, the curved to either side of the access point of the boarding ramp. She took a right, and walked through it, her eyes wide. She took in everything as she stepped towards an open area on the ship.

A small black and white checkered board stood up from the floor, a circular section couch. A large panel lay across the floor, slightly open. A box was off to the side of it, bandages and other medical supplies in there. A bed was stuck into an alcove in the wall, a blanket rumpled on the end of it.

Glancing around at all the panels that lined the walls, she noticed something that made her mouth drop open. She nearly dropped her staff in surprise and glee.

"A water dispenser!" she all but squealed. She ran to it, grabbing the cup that lay next to it. Some long brown hairs were stuck to it, but there was water in it. She lifted the cup and guzzled the water down. She felt the sweet water flowing past her lips and down her parched throat. She didn't even mind the hairs that tickled her small oval face.

She reached out to turn on the water to fill up the cup when she heard voices. Fear jumped into her chest and looking around panicked, she dropped the cup back on the table. No, that wasn't where it was! She moved her hand to scoot it over to where she thought it was, but the voices were getting closer.

She looked wildly to find a hiding spot. The panel in the floor! The one that was open! She ran to it, and pushed it far enough that she could stick her staff in. Satisfied that it fit, at an angle, she slid in herself. The words of the voices were nearly audible as she grunted, sliding the panel closed. She might be scrawny, but living on Jakku meant she had turned that scrawniness into muscle.

The lid slid into place just in-time. She curled into a ball as foot-steps sounded throughout the ship. The man and ewok were back! Well, she'd wait for them to go to sleep, then she would slip off. That was what was responsible.

"You said it, Chewie," the man groused. "Unkar Plutt is a dunce. Trying to sell us information that's at least a year old. We went clear out of our way for this? Won't Lando be pleased, not!"

The massive Ewok made a sniffing sound. She could hear it clearly. Sith spit, Ewoks have noisy smellers! The creature barked to the man who laughed derisively.

"You and your nose!" he laughed. "The ship is supposed to smell odd! It's not like this exactly a new ship! Get the engines out of standby and I'll close the ramp."

Wait! Wait! I need to get off! The young girl needed to get back to her small hut! What if her parents came back. She needed to be here!

They aren't coming back, a voice said to her. She felt like someone touched her shoulder. She gasped and looked around, but saw no one there. This is your chance to have a real family. To be wanted. You are taking your first steps into a larger world.

She was bewildered. Had someone talked to her? She was still looking around, trying to find it, when the ship jostled. She yipped once, louder than she expected as the ship vibrated. She glanced up, and between the grates in the panel, she saw the man stop in mid-step. She covered her mouth with her hand, trying to remain quiet. The man looked around, then shrugged and resumed walking.

"Come on, Chewie!" the man called out, "Let's get out of here. Leave this dirt-ball behind."

She felt the ship begin to rise, and her center of gravity shifted. Back and forth she was jostled, her arms flailing as she tried to grab onto one of the many pipes and wires that ran all around her body. The staff also bounced around, and it whacked her a few times.

Then the ship tilted, and she was thrown forward. She grunted as she slammed into the back of the compartment. The g-forces held her in place, until suddenly the pull of gravity released her, and she slumped back. Dazed and battered.

There she sat until she drifted off to sleep.

A massive clanging awoke her, and she blearily looked up. She didn't know where she was, nor did she have time to figure it out. Two massive furry hands grabbed her by the arms and lifted her high, straight out of the compartment. Still drowsy, she was suddenly staring into a face that had fur, teeth, twin beady eyes and a round nose. The creature growled, and she screamed.

"Settle down!" a voice called to her. She kept screaming though and the Ewok shook her hard, back and forth until she was so loosened that she stopped screaming. "Settle down, kid. Chewie, put her down."

The Ewok grunted as he lowered her to the ground. The young girl, now on her feet, scurried back to the bed, jumping up onto it and putting her arms around her legs that she pulled up to her chin. She glanced back and forth between the man and the Ewok.

"What are you doing on my ship?" the man demanded. She didn't answer right away though, so he stepped up to her. His hands were curled into fists and placed on his hips. A scowl crossed his face. "Look, you don't want to talk, I'll have the wookie toss you out of the nearest airlock."

"Wh-wh-what?" she asked, blinking at him.

"That's right!" his eyebrows furrowed. "I'll have Chewie here toss you out of an airlock."

"He's….he's not an Ewok?" the girl asked.

The man frowned, but this time it was from confusion. "What are you talking about?"

The young girl lifted a trembling hand and pointed to the one called 'Chewie'. "Isn't….isn't he an Ewok?"

"An Ewok?" the man asked in disbelief. Chewie barked in something that sounded like laughter. "No! Ewoks are little furry things….don't you know what a Wookie is?"

She shook her head. "I only know one wookie," she said, "His name is Chewbacca. He, he, he's friend with Han Solo the Smuggler."

"Oh really?" the man tisked. "I'm no Smuggler, little lady. And Chewbacca prefers to be called Chewie."

She frowned. What was he talking about? No….it couldn't be! She had seen a picture her dad had kept, but no….this old guy couldn't be him! The man who made the Kessel Run in 14 parsecs!

"Is….is it really you?" she asked, pulling her arms away from her legs and allowing herself to relax. She scooted towards the edge of the bed. "Are you really Han Solo? The one who knew Luke Skywalker the Jedi?"

"Maybe," he retorted. "But you still haven't explained who you are and what you are doing on my ship!"

"I saw you land outside Niima Outpost and I watched you both leave the Aluminum Falcon…."

"Millennium Falcon," Han Solo corrected her. "So, you saw us leave my ship and decided you were going to stow away, huh? Is that right?"

"No!" she shook her head, "I heard singing and it led me here. There was this voice that said 'Go'."

"Music and voices," Solo said, glancing sideways at Chewbacca. The wookie, not ewok, shook his head, his fur flailing around him. "Look kid, I'm returning you to Jakku. Your parents must be worried sick about you."

"No!" she screamed running up and grabbing him. "I can't go back!"

"Why not?" Han demanded, towering over her. She barely came up to his rib-cage.

"I just can't!" she shook her head. Fear was gripping her, she couldn't go back. That wasn't what heroes like Han Solo did! They didn't leave little girls with bad people.

"Not good enough!" Han said, pulling away from her. He turned away and began to head to a corridor to presumably led to the cockpit. "Your parents must be worried sick…."

"I don't have any parents!" she screamed, cutting him off. Chewbacca glanced back and forth between the two. The young girl didn't see the wookie do so, but she felt his gaze. Han Solo didn't turn around but he stopped moving, as stiff as a board.

Those words were like a great wall of denial having been torn down. All the emotions she had denied herself began to flood into her. Tears stung her eyes blurring her vision. Yet now that she had said the words, she couldn't stop herself.

"They left me alone when I was only seven," she sobbed, each word hurting her as much as anything that had ever happened. "They didn't say anything. I watched them leave me. I begged for them to come back, but they wouldn't. I cried myself to sleep, praying to every god I heard of they would come back, but they never did. I had to fend for myself, and I turn thirteen today! Unkar Plutt wanted me to entertain him for food, whatever that was. I can't go back, I don't have a family or home!

"I barely get to eat, barely drink! I live in a shed that had rags for walls. I sleep cold every night. I can't survive it any longer.

"I've even dreamed that Han Solo the Smuggler, Luke Skywalker the Jedi or his sister Princess Leia would save me. But they never did. Please, don't make me go back there!"

With those words out of her, she dropped to her knees, holding her hands to her cover her face as she sobbed. All the sorrows in her life crashed around her. She had no friends, no family, and her hero, Han Solo, was going to return her back to Jakku, a place she hated with all her heart.

She was still sobbing when two hands touched her on either shoulder.

"Come on kid!" Han Solo said, rubbing her upper arms. "Don't cry. I hate it when girls cry! If you don't want to go back, you don't have to. Trust me kid, I know what it's like to have family abandon you."

"You…you do?" she asked, dropping her hands ever-so-slightly.

Han gave her a lopsided smile as he put a hand to her cheek and wiped away the tears with a rough finger. A finger that she felt was as soft as a pillow.

"I do," he assured her. "You can stay here with Chewie and me. But you will have to work hard! No freeloaders on the Falcon. And I am a mean old man."

"Are you as mean as Unkar Plutt?" she asked, almost too afraid of the answer.

Han Solo made a face. "No one's that mean!" he said with mock seriousness.

New tears poured down her face as she flung her arms around Han Solo the Smugglers neck. These were tears of joy. Not of sorrow. Which felt so good! It was so good too feel the warmth and strength of someone else. She had gone so long without human contact; besides the times she had been sick and the only healer had made her better.

"Tell me," Han Solo said in her ear, allowing her to hug him as long as she wanted. "What's your name?"

"Kira," she said, closing her eyes. "Kira Rey."

"Well, Kira Rey," Han said with a smile in his voice. "Welcome to the Falcon."

Chewbacca let out a roar and Rey felt happier than she had ever been. She as still holding Han Solo when she fell asleep, her dreams filled with roaming the galaxy with Han Solo the Smuggler.