The Little Things In Our Souls

Day, night, he didn’t know. There was only the red numbers that glared down at him from the clock on the wall, ticking and changing. How many minutes had passed since he was dragged into this room to wait for the masked man to return from the attack on Takodana, how many hours since the attack began? This BB-8 was sure worth a lot of chaos. He sat back in his chair and stared at the empty glass of water. His finger twitched, it tilted and fell over. And then there was a commotion. But he wasn’t allowed out. He was to remain here until summoned and only in an hour was he summoned to a room. He stood by the door, and although he did not see he could feel the power of the Force within. It radiated like heat, and it picked at everything in him. It tingled his fingers, it excited him. And it amused him because he felt the Force of Kylo, but he also felt another.

Kylo left the room looking horribly angry. The door hadn’t closed as Kylo stopped by Xander, muttering loud enough for the girl to hear, “Find out BB-8’s location from her. Do whatever you must. I want it.” And he left, cape flowing, hair bouncing over the collar. Xander watched him leave with a passive look, turned and walked into the room. He didn’t look at the girl strapped into the restraints. The door shut behind him and he circled the room, looking at all the things there, then spent some time to observe the metallic briefcase left behind by a guard. He clicked it open and peered inside. Tools of torture, tools of pain. Xander spent some time eying each tool, killing time and allowing the girl to observe him. Build the tension, let her calm from the use of the Force. It was her. He could sense it.

Finally, he turned and looked at her, “What’s your name?” Xander ran his gaze over her for the first time now, she was human, a little younger than him, must have come from a sun-filled land. He took off his gloves and placed them by the briefcase, taking a glass of water into his hand and lifting it towards her, just a few inches away from her dry lips. “Want a drink?”

This hadn't been how Rey had been planning for today to play out really. It was so far in right field that a month ago, if you had told her she would be facing Kylo Ren on his ship, she would have laughed in your face. A lone scavenger on Jakku was nothing special in the grande scheme of things, this was something Rey had come to terms with long ago. Until her father returned, Rey would continue as she did with every other day. Wake up, hopeful that she would come across enough to feed herself for the day. Rinse and repeat the following day. Until Daddy came home. She had every bit of hope that one day, they would be reunited. Hope, and the staff she kept as a weapon, were the only two things that got her through the harder days.

An odd sort of smile had settled on Rey's features as she faced Kylo. She wasn't going to give in to him, no matter how hard the man pressed. Rey had endured far too much growing up, and even more since she came into possession of that pesky orange and white droid. Rey could feel Kylo's anger, rushing off of him in waves. One right after another. "Sorry that I couldn't be of more help," Rey called after him, her voice hoarse. She couldn't remember the last time she had had a sip of water and God, she was ready to pass out. After the past few hours, Rey was ready to sleep. So exhausted that she was sure if she was left alone long enough, she could sleep standing up.

Rey's head had fallen, only for her to jerk back to attention as footsteps neared her. She gritted her teeth, biting back the words that wanted out. Couldn't she have just a minute to recoup? Her eyes were trained on the man as he moved about the room, wondering what he had in store. Rey had decided that he couldn't be any worse than Kylo by the time he had decided to speak. She had set her head back, flirting with the idea of sleep rather heavily. If she just closed her eyes and counted slowly...

"You don't know my name already?" Rey snapped, eyes narrowed as she studied him. An uneasy feeling settled in the pit of her stomach. She jerked her head away from the offered glass of water, despite her throat yearning for her to answer with a yes, please. "I want nothing from you," she answered, shaking her head. Rey didn't trust anyone aboard this ship, not with knowing where their alliances were held.

Xander felt her gaze on him all that time as he moved around. He basked in it partly, the other part was appreciative. She was almost like a chained animal, full of bark and bite, full of energy. And most importantly he felt the Force in her all the greater when he was closer. Her attitude was amusing and he would have greatly laughed if it weren’t directed at him, and if he weren’t made to sit in a room for hours on end to wait for a Ren to come back. But frankly, he didn’t have the time nor patience for it right now. He lowered the glass and looked into her narrowed eyes. Feisty.

“Introducing yourself is polite,” he pointed out with a small shrug, his eyebrows expressing minute surprise for a brief second. He didn’t offer the glass of water again, instead took a sip of the water and set it down onto the table, tongue running over his lips before he sighed softly. Wanted nothing from him? Big mistake. He had a lot to offer and she did look thirsty. “Rey.” Her name had been tossed around the base so much it was impossible to not hear. But her replies determined the sort of session he’d be having and it wasn’t going to be easy.

He ran his finger along the edge of the toolbox, looking down at whatever was in there, not intending to use any of it, but still admiring the cruelty of mankind. “BB-8’s location.” Xander said firmly, his voice cutting through the silence that had settled over. He looked up at her again and stepped closer, his dark eyes looking into hers with the same intensity as if he were looking for something in the depths of a deep lake. A simple piece of information that she had, that the whole galaxy was after. Kylo wanted it, the New Resistance sought it. It would be valuable, very valuable. He could get a lot of coin in on it, and maybe a whole army. A whole star. Depending on who was desperate for the most of it.

"I don't recall your name... I must not have been listening when you introduced yourself," Rey answered back, brows raised as she challenged the man. She was in no real position to challenge anyone, she knew that. But then, Rey remembered the way her heart had swollen with that pesky thing called hope when they had prepare to look upon the small section of map that BB-8 had carried. She had stepped out of the room just before, she had had no idea why then but she had just received her answer. Kylo wanted to locate Luke before the Resistance. If Rey had seen the map, she wasn't so sure she would have been able to keep it from Kylo. Inexperienced as she was.

Rey smiled at the realization that the man did know her name. Her reputation had preceded her. That wasn't something that she would have ever thought would happen. Rey had settled on the fact that she would live out her days on Jakku, waiting for someone to come back to her. She had dreamed of the reunion so many times that if it wasn't just flat out the best moment in all of history, she would feel a tinge of disappointment at the very least.

"The droid's location doesn't matter. The Resistance has what they need," Rey answered, the same robotic reply that she had given Kylo each time he had asked. She leaned forward a bit, "I'll let you in on a secret though," she paused, waiting until he had turned to face her. "That droid is safer than Luke himself, the Order will never get their hands on either one. My apologies for the disappointment."

Xander had to admit she had a valid point, he would have said the same thing if he were in her position. But this was adrenaline talking in her, probably a tinge of fear. Was she trying to be tough? Intimidating? He wasn't sure.

She spoke and he listened, he listened very carefully. His eyes narrowed a little, her words forming ideas in his mind, forming thoughts and deducing what she meant. "So the Resistance has or had the droid." If they had what they need, surely that meant they had gotten a hold on the droid and they would have seen the map. Who? He ran through the names of people he knew in the Resistance, matching their possibility of being one of the few to see the map. Leia, surely, but she was too well protected. She was strong. He could take someone less important. It would be a dirty job. And it would take too long. Why go around when the answer was here, in front of you.

He had turned away in thought, running a finger over the rim of the glass, absorbed deep in his own plans. When she spoke, he looked up, briefly hopeful she would actually give him meaningful information but that useless trash of words that came out of her mouth gave him nothing. Ha. Ha. Xander turned away, taking a small breath to collect himself as he rolled up his sleeves, taking his time to make sure they were secure. And once they were, he checked with a little shake of his arms, he adjusted the metal rings on his fingers of his left hand. And then he whirled around, faster than the average human, swift and quick and backhanded her cheek, allowing some of the Force to escape his control to suppress whatever resistance she would offer. He made sure the thick heavy rings scratched her pretty face, he made sure her head didn't twist off too far, in fact he made sure her head stayed in place to take the full blow so her neck wouldn't be damaged. A dead captive was useless. And as a precaution, he protected her teeth from the blow - one time a captive choked to death on a dislodged tooth, and he didn't need that happening again.

As fast as the blow was over, he suppressed the suffocating presence of the Force again, and looked at her. He smiled softly, "Does the Resistance have the droid still?" He asked, stepping a little closer and looking down at her. She was quite small. What a petty thing. "If no, where is it?" He reached up and placed his hand on her forehead, lowering his voice, "You tell me, or I find out."

Sleep was beckoning to her. Rey lost interest in Xander with his back to her. She let her head rest against the metal board behind her, eyes closed. It would be so easy to just drift off... But she didn't know how well protected her mind would be. She had her doubts that there would have been any sort of barrier - it would be gone and just like that, Xander would have his answer. As much as she wanted to give into to the sleep that was right there. Just a few moments of peace and she would have been lost to the world.

It was easy enough to see that Rey had been unprepared for the blow, her eyes shooting open, mouth opening in a perfect 'o' as his hand made contact with her skin. Tears were unwillingly brought to her eyes as she struggled to refocus. Her cheek was stinging as she ground her teeth together, the undeniable taste of iron sharp enough to bring her back to reality. Rey spat out the red liquid, right onto the ground between the two. "Sorry if it splashed a little," she said, sarcasm dripping from her words. Rey could honestly say that she hadn't ever come across someone she had truly wanted to hurt until now. "Maybe I'll get to see yours one day," she remarked, a smirk dancing onto her features.

A thin layer of sweat had developed over Rey's body. Between the stress from her little session with Kylo, to the struggle to get over the throbbing in her cheek, Rey wasn't sure how long she could go on. But she had to. The Resistance couldn't afford for Xander, or Kylo, to get the information they sought after.

Rey cocked her head to the side as she looked to Xander, the edges of her lips tugging upward just barely. "Maybe. Maybe they do, maybe they don't," she spoke, tensing at the looming threat. "Oh? You mean you're just getting started?" She teased. Damnit, she really should have learned to keep her mouth shout but Xander had gotten under her skin. It wasn't only fair to return the gesture.

Seeing her tears brought a wave of emotions to him and he wasn't sure which ones they were. The thrill of pain and something linked to battle, or joy at seeing someone break a little more under him. Deep inside he buried the small pang of guilt that a little girl was crying because of him, even if it was surprise tears from pain. None of that. Xander wouldn't consider himself a bad guy. He just did his job, whatever the job was. He shed the blood when it was needed, but he didn't enjoy it as much to forever join the First Order and wreck havoc all over. So he wasn't emotionless and cold like that asshole of a General Hux who irked him to no end.

He shrugged with one shoulder, watching the blood land on the floor. A drop landed on his boot but he didn't move to wipe it off. A little bit of blood wouldn't damage his shoe. "Maybe. Though it's just as red as yours." He replied simply, not giving in to her remarks and smirks, putting his hands behind his back and looking up from the ground at her. He ran his gaze over her expression now, noticing the thin layer of sweat that glistened under the harsh light above. But she didn't shake, and he admired that to a degree. She tried to remain strong here.

And again, she didn't give him an answer. Xander didn't expect this to be a walk in the park, but he was getting annoyed. Annoyance was a weakness for him, it ruined his self-collection and often lead to bad things. His hand rested on her forehead, feeling its warmth and burn. "No, sweetie," he cooed back just as sarcastically. "I'm finishing." There would be no time wasting now. His eyes closed for a moment, a small furrow of his brows and the glass that stood on the table shattered. Whatever water had been left in it splashed onto the floor. The air in the room seemed to shake like a rolling wave from outer and in, from behind him and towards her. To put such a large amount into one point, it took effort. He opened his eyes to watch her face now, still aware of her and still aware of everything around.

The prod into her mind was sharp and full of strength. It broke the small barriers, he collected his surroundings in her memories. Now he'd just need to go find it. "Your tricks with Kylo won't work on me," he muttered, brushing aside whatever resistance she had. It was like wading in water just above the knee. Resistance strong enough to feel, but not something that would slow him down if he knew how to step right. "I'm sure there are things in here you don't want me to see," he said, stressing on 'things', meaning the map he was well aware of existing in her mind, but not having seen it here. "And all I need is BB-8's location. So, tell me."

Rey's brows knit together in confusion when Xander's eyes closed. She had no idea why. With half a mind to say something to him about it, her attention shot to the glass of water as it shattered. Her eyes widened as the first wave of energy hit, beginning to panic. Think, think. You have to think! She swallowed the lump in her throat, suddenly realizing just how dry her mouth was. She was regretting not taking the offered water now and yet, that was the very last thing on her mind. She could feel Xander moving about her mind and she needed him out. No question about it. She nor the Resistance could afford for Xander or Kylo to get their hands on BB-8's location. That pesky little droid had become something akin to a friend to her and she wanted nothing to happen to it, even if it was nothing more than a robot.

"Rodia. It's on the way to Rodia," Rey found herself spitting out the name of the first planet that came to mind. Not all that versed in the various planets of the world, she could only hope that her lie was convincing enough. Not that she had ever been the best at lies but now, she needed to be. There was no option otherwise. She let out a breathe that she hadn't realized she had been holding when she began to feel Xander pulling away from her mind. Whether he believe her or not, Rey didn't know but certainly, that had to be a good sign. Her hope began to grow. The moment that Xander was out of the room, Rey needed to find a way to escape. Return to the Resistance before they discovered she had lied. She was under no illusion of what would happen to her if they put two and two together before she was long gone.

"They thought it would be safest there. I don't know exactly where," Rey continued, eyes trained on Xander. "I don't have anything else that I can give you... the decisions were never left up to me. I was never there when they made the decision, I was just told in passing."

(still mad about it getting deleted. I'm sorry it's awful )

Xander paused in sifting through her memories and raised an eyebrow. "Rodia." He looked at her, deciding whether or not he should believe it. He pushed forward, until she continued and he listened. But he wasn't satisfied. Why the fuck was it headed to Rodia? His brows furrowed, calculating her answer and its validity but still keeping himself in her mind. Well, whatever I guess. Xander faked satisfaction.

He was about to pull out from her mind but thought of something else. A small smirk graced his features and he sharply rushed through her memories once more, pushing them aside. He saw a brief glimpse of the map and he memorized its appearance but didn't linger on it. He pushed through and gathered that in fact no, the droid wasn't headed for Rodia. He gathered this information from various sources to piece them together without stopping at any one particular memory for too long. It was as if he flipped through a fat book from start to end without looking at the pages individually but catching a general idea; picking out the small fragments he needed. All this was done in under three seconds. The amount of information he saw was overwhelming even for him but he kept his control. Xander pulled out from her mind, and let out a small sharp sigh. The lights around flickered and the suffocating presence receded.

"Of course they wouldn't tell you," He said a little louder than he had spoken before. There was someone behind the door now, he could sense them, "You're just a girl from Jakku. Pathetic thing." His voice dripped venom, as if her origin was so lowly it was an insult to her own self. He rolled down his sleeves and put his gloves back on, casting one disappointed glance at the shattered glass. He headed for the door and paused at it, not looking back and his hand hovering over the button to open the door. "Anything else you wish to add?"

Rodia. The apparent planet the droid was headed for. But she knew where the droid was, and now he knew too, and he knew the map's appearance. This information wasn't for Kylo and the Order. It was for himself. His own benefit, his own curiosity. He was told to get what information he could out of her, and he would give the Order it; and they could decide what to do with that information - believe it or not. His job here was done.

[It's okay!! ]

Rey's lips parted when she felt Xander linger in her mind. She was not entirely sure what he had done but she was sure that he had done something. She could not waste any time on figuring it out. Now that Xander seemed satisfied with the information he had, he was readying to leave. And when he left, Rey needed to make her break for it. That was something that she didn't need to debate - she needed off of this ship. She needed to get back to the Resistance and alert them to BB-8's vulnerability. Because ultimately, if the map fell into Kylo's hands, Luke was vulnerable. Whether he was still alive or not, none of them could even hope to guess, but without the hope that he was, the Resistance would dwindle. Without that little sliver of hope.

"Yeah," She finally spoke in reply to the question. "If you could let the sorry bastard on the other side of the door know to bring me a glass of water, that would be much appreciated." Rey flashed a smile to Xander's back. "Please, sir."

Rey hadn't been alone for very long, she was sure of it. Having slipped under the a thin veil of sleep, Rey was pulled back to reality as water splashed onto the top of her head. Her eyes narrowed as she looked up to the stormtrooper standing in front of her. For a brief moment, Rey was thankful for the water for an entirely different reason than she had originally expected. She narrowed her eyes, focused solely on the trooper. "Release these restraints, drop your weapon. Open the door," her words were focused, pointed as she stared into the eyes of the helmet.

Rey had little knowledge of the force, or how it worked, so to say she was surprised when the stormtrooper began to undo her restraints was an understatement. She breathed a sigh of relief, rubbing her wrists. Kneeling down, Rey hesitated as she watched the trooper move toward the door. "Stop. Take off your armor and wait." Rey wasted no time in pulling the chunky armour on her own body before returning her attention to the trooper for a final time. "Open the door."

Racing through the hallways, Rey was relieved when she found the ship hanger. Swallowing the fear that had settled at the back of her throat, Rey slowed her movements. There was no need to cause suspicion. Not when she was so close to freedom that she could taste it. Climbing aboard a tie fighter was the easy part. Starting up the ship, Rey wasted no time in maneuvering the fighter off of the ship. She plugged in the coordinates for D'Qar, heart pounding as she took off.

Xander felt a chuckle rise in his throat and he somehow managed to suppress it. But the amused tone didn't stay out of his voice, "Of course." He replied with an equal smirk to before. The door opened and he looked at the poor stormtrooper that was teetering outside. "You heard her, bastard," he mimicked her voice, "Get her some water."

Cause apparently his offered one wasn't enough. Amused and shaking his head with a soft quiet laugh, he walked away from the room to find Kylo Ren or whoever in charge and relayed them the information she gave him.

"The droid is with the Resistance. Apparently headed for Rodia." He enunciated on 'apparently', not telling the commander what he thought, but leaving it for them to decide. With that, his job was finished and he didn't waste time around. He received his second half of the payment and made haste to get the hell out of there. Not because he felt he had done a poor job or had guilt, but he had places to be and things to do, better things than to interrogate little girls because Kylo Ren couldn't do it himself.

But as his ship docked away he spotted a smaller ship dart off the side, headed away from the base in a direction that was surely not issued. Xander watched the ship disappear with a small squint. He found it odd, but he thought nothing else. Maybe it was just a strange order. Who cared? He certainly didn't. His base awaited him, far away from all the provinces and places, hidden behind wormholes and barriers, and sandwiched dangerously near a black hole and a planet looming to its doom, making access impossible from all angles except two least they be stuck in the gravitational force and expend unnecessary energy. It had one severe disadvantage, escape was near impossible should it be attacked from both sides. But the constant rotation of the planet, and the ship base's proximity to it made it's location every so changing and unstable. One had to have contact with people inside to know its current whereabouts.

---

Leia was busy with planning her next move when she heard that Rey had returned. She perked up, and Han Solo was by her at that very next moment, followed by a stumbling Finn. The three, with BB-8 in tow, rushed to greet the approaching ship, waiting on the bridge for Rey to come out to them. Finn had the most concern of the three, and he rushed to Rey when she appeared. "You're safe! Are are you alright? Is everything okay? What happened? What did they do to you?" His questions poured out as his hands hovered near her shoulders, wanting to hug her because he had been so worried and now she was back here and safe.

Rey was beyond relieved when she realized that she wasn't being pursued by a slew of other tie fighters. It was then that she allowed the muscles in her shoulders to relax. She tossed the helmet from her head behind her and piece by piece, began to take off the armor that had kept her hidden in plain sight. Sitting back once she was free of it, Rey let out a quiet sigh. She was positive that the moment she reached D'Qar, she would go in search of two things. A glass of water and some sort of surface that she could sleep on. The floor, a corner, an actual bed. Whatever it was, Rey was excited to be able to just sleep.

---

As soon as she began to approach D'Qar, Rey radioed in. To come so far and be shot down under suspicion of being a stormtroooper? That certainly wasn't her ideal way of the day ending. Certainly not. Landing, Rey took a moment to herself. She let out a yawn, eyes slipping shut. It would have been so easy... nope. Not quite yet. Rey shook her head as she stood, clearing her thoughts. Climbing out of the ship, Rey turned around, intent on finding Leia. BB-8 was vulnerable. They, themselves were vulnerable.

Rey couldn't help the smile that broke out on her face as Finn came rushing at her. She had started to grow fond of him, he seemed just as caring about others as she was. He just had been misguided early on in his life and that wasn't something that anyone who could blame him. "Come here," she muttered, pulling him into a tight embrace. Rey was silent for a moment, just thankful for a friendly touch again.

Shaking her head at the questions, Rey stepped back so that she could address Leia and Han. Her face fell, eyes shooting to the robot beside them. "They think BB-8 is on his way to Rodia. The man who interrogated me though, I think he may know more than I think," she admitted, grimacing as she finished speaking. With the hours it had taken her to get here, Rey had run over every second of her capture. While she couldn't be entirely sure, Rey had a feeling curled in the pit of her stomach that Xander had gotten more information out of her mind than she suspected originally.

Rey glanced to Finn, offering a small smile. She turned her head so that he could get a better look at her cheek that she was sure was bruised by now. "This is the worst of it. Don't worry too much, I'll be fine."

Finn gladly took the embrace, calming himself that she was here and she was safe. He held her until they parted to get on with the more important stuff. And he caught sight of her cheek and peered at it with concern some more while she spoke. She had been hit, and he was very angry inside now. He'd make sure that other person would pay, however way he managed to do that.

Leia looked concerned as Rey spoke. "We have to prepare ourselves to defence," she quickly worked out a set of things to do before focusing on Rey again. She wanted to order things around right now but this poor girl in front of her had just escaped from the Order, she needed comfort sleep and attention. She reached out her hand took Rey's gently. "I know you are tired," she said leading Rey away from the men after giving Han a knowing look, "But I have one small favour to ask you. Then you may eat and sleep." At these words she gestured for a nearby helper to go about getting food and sleep ready for Rey.

"We have a possible ally, but we need to convince him to join us. You... Han told me, have relationship to the force. I believe if you go with the small group to show that we have... Hope, he would be more persuaded." She hoped Rey would catch the idea. A possible Jedi, a possible advantage against Kylo Ren and the Order. One more reason alongside Luke to fight on. Leia paused by a window and clasped her hands together, giving Rey a moment before proceeding, "We don't know much about him except that his small army has a lot of firepower that we could use and his knowledge and skill is highly valued but accessible to few. However his alliance, no matter how temporary, will be highly valuable. Something we also don't want to fall into the hands of the Order. As far as we are aware they have been as unsuccessful in convincing him to join them as we have. He has already agreed to meet us. Will you join the group? You will get to eat and sleep now, but the departure is at dawn tomorrow."

She would explain the details further only if Rey was willing, otherwise there was no point. Leia heavily hoped Rey would accept. She was a big player now, whether she knew it or not, liked it or not.

"Of course," Rey answered back almost immediately, giving a short nod of her head. BB-8 seemed to be the most sought after object in the galaxy, she wondered what it felt like for a brief moment. A ball of metal and electronics. Her mind was brought back to here and now when Leia took her hand. She smiled a bit at the words to confirm it was the truth. Rey wondered if it was that evident on her face. Catching the look shared between the older two, Rey's interest was sparked. "Whatever it is, I'll do it," Rey answered without hesitation, without knowing what the favor entailed.

Rey listened intently as they walked, her stomach flipping. She had already agreed, she had no interest in taking that back. Not if it meant possibly defeating Kylo, after coming face to face with him. Such a close encounter had been all she needed to cement the fact that Kylo needed to be stopped. "I'll go, of course. But I have to tell you that I know nothing about the Force. I don't know how to control it, I don't know how I kept Kylo out of my mind. Could that even help?" Rey was ready to go but she was unsure of herself, she wanted to know what Leia thought.

As they approached the mess hall, Rey's stomach growled. She couldn't help but laugh. She hadn't realized just how hungry she was until now, with food just around the corner. After grabbing a sandwich and drink, Rey settled down at a table in the corner. It was secluded for the most part so that they could have the privacy they would need. The mission that Rey was going on in the morning could easily be spoiled.

"I'll make sure that I rest up after we finish here so I can be ready for tomorrow..." Rey trailed off, a small frown forming on her face. "How long will it take to get there, do you know? Will you be accompanying us?"

Leia looked at Rey thoughtfully, was it wise to put this girl into danger? Leia felt overly motherly now, but she couldn't play favourites. She definitely couldn't keep potential from reaching its full. "It is right for now that you don't know anything about the Force. You can learn to control it. The important thing is that you have it. The rest can be acquired."

She let Rey take the food and as they sat down she rested her hands in front of her, letting Rey eat some before continuing. She nodded, "Definitely rest. I don't know how long it will take in all honesty. It will take some hours to get to the meeting point. There you will transfer into their ship with the team. They are secretive about their location so they did not wish to meet at their location, base or planet or whatever. They send out a ship to meet us with leader on board." She in clasped her hands and shrugged. "We unfortunately can't do anything about it. They refuse to meet on our ship for safety reasons."

It was dangerous to step into a non-ally ship but if trust was to be had... She would have done the same. "Me? No. Unfortunately. I have other things to take care of, but a representative will be sent, my second in command." She rubbed her arms, feeling a little cold. Was age getting to her already?

Rey felt a wave of relief when Leia confirmed that it was alright she didn't quite know how to control the Force. She had just discovered that she had it and at first, it had terrified her. She had no real concept of what it meant in the beginning but after her interrogation, Rey realized it had the potential to be a great asset. If she only opened herself up and allowed it to be.

She let out a sarcastic laugh at the mention of where they were meeting. "It is too dangerous for them to meet us but it's perfectly acceptable for us to walk onto their ship?" Her brows raised as she studied Leia's expression. Rey sighed as she shook her head, glancing back down to the food in front of her. The idea unnerved her but she had faith that it wouldn't end any worse than her day today had. Leia wouldn't send her if there was no hope to be had at all. Rey was sure of it.

"Sorry. I didn't mean that as horribly as it came out," Rey found herself apologizing. She gave a slight smile, "we have hope though. That's what I've lived on for my entire life. No reason to stop now, right?"

"It's a difference in the size army." Leia simply put it. She would have been hesitant to step into a fully armed base herself too. "It's also etiquette, the one inviting is the one that comes to the invitee." But she didnt blame the girl for thinking so, since Rey had grown up in a harsher environment, and nobody really ever bothered to teach her politics. That could also come later.

Leia stood, nodding. "No reason." She offered her a smile and added, "Alright. I'll send someone to wake you up tomorrow, and take you to the ship. Get some rest." She walked away, needing to tend other things now and since Rey had agreed and Leia had done her speech, the job fell to her subordinates. Everything was ready for her to depart tomorrow.

-

Xander's most trusted commander, Nikolai, stood in the control room of the ship sent out to wait for the Resistance's group. They stayed concealed, invisible in the space around them, floating and changing position ever so often but keeping near the coordinates for the meeting. Everyone was slightly tense. The group would arrive any moment, and only if the group arrived would they reveal themselves. They would wait no more than 21 minutes after the designated meeting time. Nikolai did not understand why 21 minutes, but Xander seemed to persistent on the number, and he couldn't argue something petty. Nikolai was near pushing 50 years of age, his experience surpassing most. His experience and Xander's creativity and cunning skill often worked well but frequently both got into heated arguments over tactical approaches and other military strategies.

"Incoming ship detected," one of the people in front of him said, and Nikolai ordered him to make contact. Once they confirmed that it was the Resistance group in the approaching ship, he gave the order to take down the barrier and reveal their ship into the visual sight of man. And just like that, out of nowhere in space, their ship appeared. Nikolai watched with satisfaction as the smaller ship jerked to the right, away from them in surprise, though there had been a lot of space and a crash was not a possibility.

"Join us up," he ordered and went down to greet the group.

"Thank you, Leia," Rey called as the older woman began to walk away. She flashed a small smile before returning to the food in front of her. More interested in it now, Rey instinctively curled herself around it, as if she needed to protect her tray. Too often growing up, Rey had food, among other things, stolen from her. It had made her incredibly protective over her possessions, no matter how long they would be in her life.

Finishing off her food, Rey wasted no time in retiring to the room that had been dubbed hers.

---

Rey was used to waking with the sun's rays so it was easy to say she was a morning person. She woke early and often went to bed shortly after dusk. With being in a windowless room, Rey was thrown off by the knock early in the mornings to wake her. She shot up in bed, still half asleep when she called out to ask who it was. The answer had made her cringe - of course it was her wake up call.

Shortly after, Rey approached the ship that would carry them to the meeting point. A grin broke out on her features as she waved to Finn, thankful he would be joining her. While she wasn't afraid of anyone that would be with her, she considered Finn a friend and that was enough for her. A friendly face among associates. Rey's face lit up even more when she heard the telltale beeping from behind Finn. "I'm happy you'll be with us," Rey answered back, giving the small, round robot a nod of her head.

Hours later, Rey and Finn had exchanged various stories to pass the time. At the announcement that they were within distance to the other ship, Rey's heart started beating faster. This is it. Rey stood from her seat, slipping the lightsaber into the folds of her clothing. She had caught herself thinking of it as hers more than she would have liked to admit. It was nothing but a list item that needed returning to Luke once the opportunity arose. Not hers. His. Grabbing her staff, Rey followed behind various others as they began to get off.

As she set foot on the other ship, Rey felt a shiver run down her spine. She couldn't quite put a finger on it but something was off. She frowned as she glanced around, eyebrows knit together. "Nothing," Rey answered when Finn noticed her reaction. She couldn't help but think there was an underlying trap and so she stood behind the leaders of her little group, muscles tense as they waited for the welcoming party.

Nikolai walked down the stairs towards the approaching group of Resistance, and he smiled politely but without joy to to them as he neared. Merely a polite proper and formal smile. "Greetings," he said with an incline of his head. "Please follow me."

He lead them up the stairs and through a few halls, where occasionally a curious worker would peep out at them. It didn't take long to get to a room within the ship, its windows opened up to an almost panorama like view, and a high-backed chair sitting on the other side of a semicircular table.
Nikolai stopped halfway and cleared his throat, "Sir." The chair moved and Xander stood up, turning around to greet his guests, all smiles even though a small furrow of his brow was still there, keeping to the seriousness of the event.

"Hello," he said, walking down from the raised platform upon which the table and chairs stood and nearing the group. He gave the leaders a handshake before his eyes slipped past them and landed onto a very familiar face. One eyebrow rose but he didn't say anything. He was surprised to see her here, and he was pretty sure it flashed across his eyes too. She had certainly gotten out quick. He was curious as to how, but it didn't concern him what had happened to her after he was done. That was the guard's fault. Briefly, he remembered the mysterious craft speeding away. He wondered if that had been her.