Chapter 18: Sweetheart

The breeze was exhilarating as it whipped Rey's robes about her as she clung to the speeder. The old goggles she raided from the back of Unkar's shop were a bit grimy in the corners, but she didn't care. Flying over the sand between the dunes in the sun brought warm feelings of old happiness, and if the sand didn't get in her mouth she would have opened up a wide smile and perhaps even have laughed.

This world was her old home; the speeder had given her the feeling she wasn't stuck, but in control of her destiny. It gave her access to the star destroyer graveyard and increased chances of plundering something useful. It was a way for freedom, and food.

The second speeder was still in her peripheral vision, driven by the general, robed in black and donning a second set of worn goggles.

"See here," he had said in the shop, pointing to the very edge of the map on Plutt's navigation device "past the destroyers, another ninety-five kilometers, is where it lies."

"That's extremely far out" her brows knit in concern, "we may only have enough fuel to get there. Which is why no one goes out that far."

"Yes, but the wreckage should have an abundance of supplies, including some fuel sources. The information regarding your parents is in the database aboard."

"And what about this...Jedi test?" Rey plied, with crossed arms.

Hux chuckled humourlessly. "Your aspirations are quite driven. It is part of our visit to the ruins."

When she hesitated, he carefully laid a gloved hand on her shoulder. "Rey, you have powerful potential as a Jedi; we will finish what the Skywalker family began. You've already executed justice on part of your past and your future looks promising."

His words were an empty meal to Rey; her ears feasted on the encouragement that came so rare, yet leaving her heart feeling unsatisfied. Was it Plutt's death that still clung to her shame?

Rey stared at him on his speeder as they passed through a clear stretch of sand and she couldn't help but wonder if Hux always had this much knowledge of the Jedi.

*

"Get the landing gear prepared" Tyrus ordered Vurdan as he re-entered the pilot's area. Reaching forward, he flipped open the comm to the First Order. "Lilith, this is Tyrus. Transmit the map coordinates for the target when you are ready."

A moment passed before Lilith's icy voice came through. "It's been transmitted."

The navigation system pinged twice before he acknowledged reception. He looked over his left shoulder into the common room. "We've arrived" he called out.

Ren rose from his seat and approached the porthole, looking down at the sandy, barren planet of Jakku. "Nima Outpost is where we are landing first despite her information" he said before he even saw the data from Lilith.

Vurdan swiveled his large head towards him from the other chair. "You've been here before?"

"Just once," Ren answered distantly "with my father."

The ship descended through the clear atmosphere, circling the outpost for one pass before touching down in the rough landing zone.

Alwick released the outside door and lowered the ramp, and he moved to put his helmet on before Ren laid a hand on his forearm. "Stay here with the ship" he warned as he looked back at the rest of the knights. "Freen, I'll need your assistance."

Freen simply nodded before donning his helmet, the vertical slit clearly visible as he drew his hood up and moved to follow Ren down the ramp.

Ren felt naked in a public place without his helmet and cloak, knowing his facial features were nowhere near as intimidating. Standing with a Knight of Ren would be beneficial.

"Keep your eyes open" he said under his breath to Freen.

They moved through the market, met with both hostile and fearful gazes from patrons and vendors. The blowing wind was the loudest noise as all voices hushed outside, with only a few whispering and muttering to each other as they passed through.

They approached one of the few solid buildings in the town, and Ren felt a tickle of familiarity as he studied the shopfront. He halted suddenly, and as he turned around, an old memory came to him.

"Come back!" a small girl's voice cried out. A young Ben Solo stood at the edge of the market watching the 4-year-old girl with three buns in her hair reaching up to the sky with an arm extended as her other was yanked by a hulking Crolute.

Ben looked up to the sky to see a ship flying into the sky, it's thrusters were flickering in the sunlight as if it was beginning to have some engine trouble. The ship did not enter the outer atmosphere as he watched, but continued to fly out across the planet sky.

His attention went back to the girl being hustled along by the large, lumbering being. Pitiful sobs moved his heart as he watched her begin to follow instead of fight her new owner.

Looking back to the market, Han Solo was in conversation with a few beings discussing the price of weapon salvage he'd picked up. Hands on hips with a poker face, Han haggled audibly with the stubborn pair of vendors, and Ben knew instantly that he'd be waiting awhile for his father.

Slipping away unnoticed, he casually made his way toward the shop as the girl and Plutt disappeared inside.

"Stay here, I'll be back with a transmitter to put in your arm to track your whereabouts" he heard the alien say.

Ben stepped to the side just as Unkar Plutt exited the shop, watching the broad posterior view of him as the Crolute trudged quickly toward the market.

A small sob escaped through the doorway once the shop owner was out of ear shot.

Ben peered inside, and in the dimness against the wall was the girl. She hugged her knees tightly with her face covered by her arms, her back shaking with her sobs.

"Hey," he said softly, not wanting to startle her "are you ok?"

An eye peeked out between wavy pieces of brown hair that stuck wetly to her face. Slowly her head lifted, face wet with tears as she curiously looked at him, and nodded.

"They left me...my parents" she squeaked as tears welled up furiously again.

Compassion rose up in young Ben at that moment. Suddenly his parents, who were constantly fighting, didn't seem so awful. They'd never completely abandon him in the hands of someone else, he believed.

"Maybe I can get you out of here," he whispered as he glanced at the door. "My dad and I have our own ship."

The girl shook her head frantically. "They might come back" she whispered in return.

"You don't know that. This thing you're with now...who knows what he'll make you do."

"BEN!" A voice boomed at the doorway.

Ben and the girl looked up to see Han Solo, blaster on his thigh, and hands on hips with a frown on his face.

"It's too dangerous to wander" his voice firm and threatening. "Your mom will kill me if she finds out we were even here."

"Dad, can we take her with us? Her parents left her with this giant...giant thing-"

Han clapped a hand over his own mouth as he shook his head. "Son, we can't take her with us. Unkar is in touch with bounty hunters, and if we steal a slave we will be on the list...guaranteed."

The girl stared at him with a crushed expression.

"Dad, please" Ben begged.

"Ben, she's not our problem" Han raised his voice. "We're leaving. Now."

Ben looked back at the girl, taking her hand. "If they don't come back...stay here, I'll come back for you. I'll come back, sweetheart. I promise."

Han grabbed a handful of his jacket on the back of the shoulder and tugged him toward the door. The tears had begun to fall again as she watched him go.

Han and Ben walked back to the Falcon, passing Unkar in the market; Ben overhead him talking about their ship as they passed by.

Ben sulked as he watched out the cockpit window on take-off. They flew a ways out before starting to enter the atmosphere, and Ben noticed something far out in the desert.

"Look" he pointed out to Han through the window. A long trail of orange and grey smoke was rising from the planets' surface in the direction the damaged ship had flown.

"I watched their take-off, and it was dicey at best. They must have thought they were getting a good deal on that ride" Han answered, surveying the smoke while he angled the Falcon upwards.

Ben felt anger and sadness for the girl. How could her parents be so foolish?

"Junk traders" Han shook his head in disbelief, "I wouldn't want a pauper's grave in the desert, that's for sure. Hold on, we're about to make the jump to hyperspace."

And then they were gone.

Ren blinked in disbelief as he turned back to the shop, emotion creeping into his chest from reliving the past when his father was alive. Freen stood silent, watching him without question.

"I recognize this place" he motioned toward the shop, beginning to walk in that direction.

Freen glanced behind them to see the residents of the outpost had gathered closer towards them. "I don't think we should stay here long" his synthesized tone projected concern. Ren didn't seem to hear him as his long legs took him ahead.

As soon as they ducked into the entrance, they were met with the unsightly remains of Unkar Plutt, lying face up and a wide, gaping gash across his midsection. Freen stood over the body and bent down closer at the damage.

"Lightsaber wound" he murmured to himself as he removed a glove, laying a hand on the Crolute's flesh. "Body's still a bit warm, this wasn't that long ago."

Ren made note of the height of the body while standing at the feet. "The cut stands about Rey's height, not Palpatine's current form." He used the toe of his boot to move the arms and hands of the body around. "Hmm".

Rey generally killed to protect others or defend herself, as a Jedi would, but this event perplexed him. Hadn't he only seen her yesterday?

"No weapon. Killed...in cold blood? Doesn't seem like her" Freen commented.

"Revenge" Ren clarified after some thought, "he was her slave owner long ago on this planet."

"Rey was only in possession of an ancient cross guard hilt void of a stone when I picked her up on Tatooine" Freen divulged as he stood up from the body, "she had no working lightsaber, unless Palpatine has given her a Sith one."

"If he did, then the grooming process has begun."

Footsteps slowly approached the entrance behind them. They both turned in unison to see a junk trader dressed in dusty mustard-colored robes peering in, and immediately panicked upon seeing them and Unkar's body. The trader started yelling in an alien language towards others nearby.

Ren reacted instantly, grabbing the man's windpipe with invisible fingers and squeezing until he could no longer form words. "We need to leave" he turned to say to Freen, but he wasn't standing there anymore.

"I already said that" came Freen's sarcastic tone from deep in the shop, "there's dust wiped away on a section of the area map. Looks like they are headed directly to the coordinates Lilith sent us."

The trader fell to his knees clutching at his throat desperately as Ren counted the seconds to unconsciousness. Freen appeared next to him again.

"What direction are they going?" Ren's fingers continued to close the gap between them as urgent voices were quickly approaching.

"That way" Freen answered, pointing past the market out to the sands. "Not that it matters, we'll have to fly the distance."

Ren's heart sank as he connected the memory to where they were going. The junk trader lost consciousness and slumped over onto his face in the sand.

He's taking her to the last known whereabouts of her parents.

A group of planet dwellers swarmed the shop in that moment, surrounding the entrance where they stood, holding blasters and yelling orders.

Freen ignited his lightsaber, sweeping it in a slow horizontal arc with both hands. "First Order business" his synthetic voice warned "step out of our way."

One trader burst out of the crowd, a crude axe in one hand as he lunged at them desperately. Freen struck him down easily, the body crumbling as it made contact with the lightsaber. The remaining members took a step back, their eyes wide with fear.

"Anyone else?" he challenged. "Then disperse at once!"

There was initial hesitation at first, but one by one they trickled off to other parts of the outpost. Two came forward to retrieve the body, glaring at Ren as they dragged the body of their colleague away.

"Let's get back to the ship" Ren started forward, "we need to catch up to Rey and Palpatine before..." he trailed off.

Freen turned to him. "Before what?"

Ren stared out at the sands. "I don't know, but I've got a bad feeling about it."