Awakening

Leia and I walk out of The Falcon and we're met by Poe who walk over to me fast and hugs me tightly.

"I thought you were dead. I hope you're not going to make a habit of scaring me like that" he says sounding a little angry

The general smiles softly and keeps walking, heading towards the command centre.

"I'm sorry, I lost power to my engines" I explain pulling away slightly and looking at him.

"I know, your ship was on fire at the back and you were going down fast. I-" I kiss him softly to stop his worried babbling.

"I'm okay" I say pulling away and putting on a smile.

He hugs me again tightly and I hug back not wanting to let him go. I'm not okay, not even slightly.

An officer comes to find us to inform us we're needed in the command centre.

Outside people celebrate the victory, but to me, and no doubt others, it doesn't feel like much of one but I'm not one to rain on a parade. Leia, Poe and selected officers and personnel are gathered discussing the map. I sit in a chair in the far side of the command centre feeling drained of all energy and emotion.

"Kylo Ren said that the map held by BB8 is the last piece of the puzzle" Poe says to all present. "If it's only a piece, where is the rest of it?" He asks looking around.

"The First Order has it" Rey says "when I was being interrogated he explained what he wanted, I think he expected me to simply tell him if he was polite enough"

"How did they manage to find it?" one of the officers ask.

When no one seems to know or have any guesses I stand up.

"They must have recovered it from the Imperial archives" I say walking towards the group. "Must also be where they got the plans for the Death Star before modifying it into Starkiller Base" I add.

"The Empire?" Poe asks almost disbelieving.

"It makes sense, They would have been looking for the Jedi, they would have no doubt gathered a great deal of information from the temples and sanctuaries they destroyed" Admiral Statura says nodding in agreement.

"We need Luke, we need that map. Now more than ever" I say knowing what must be done, it's been on my mind since the fight with Ben, if I am attuned to the force I do need a teacher. The only one who can do that can only be found through this map. I look over at Poe who looks concerned. I've never really believed that searching for a ghost is a good idea. So he must know something has changed my mind, whether he knows what it is, is a different matter.

"We're still at war with The First Order, it won't end until either us or them are destroyed. Without Luke, we do not stand a chance." Leia agrees.

Again silence fills the room which is broken by a dusty old blue and white droid rolling into the middle of the room. A droid I have seen before, in the nightmare at Maz' castle when I touched the Lightsaber. Which is also where I first saw Ben, but as I now know him as: Kylo Ren. This can't be coincidental.

The astromech lets out a long whistle before projecting a large star map with a section missing.

BB8 beeps wildly and Poe crouches to him to listen.

"Yeah, all right, buddy, hold on" Poe says before moving to a console and ejecting something. He moves back to BB8 inserting whatever it is into a port on the spherical body of the droid who beeps a little before projecting it and resizing it to fit it into the other droid's map. This is also something I have seen before. The complete star map with the path to Luke. Also from the nightmare. I remember the young girl on the ship looking up at this map, this exact map.

"It's a match" I say in surprise. Where a moment ago I was drained, now I feel hopeful.

"Luke" Leia says with heartfelt emotion. I turn and hug her as cheers and spontaneous embraces filled the room with so much joy that no one paid any attention to who was hugging what representative of whichever species and even ignoring rank.

I step back and look at her

"I have to go to him" I say simply. But she seems to understand and acknowledges with a nod.

"But first, you rest, you can leave in the morning" she says softly.

After being dismissed from the conference room I go to see Finn in an Intensive Care Unit in a medically educed coma with his life still in the balance I find Rey sitting by his bedside leaning on the side on her arms.

"Hey, how is he?" I ask softly placing my hand on her shoulder

"The doctors say he's going to be okay" she replies, But nothing can be certain until he fully recovers, we all know that.

"How are you?" I ask sitting next to her. She looks quite tired and sits up in the chair.

"As you can probably imagine" she says still looking at Finn "Worried... Mostly. But other than that... I'm not sure" she says sounding a little confused.

"Oh?" I say giving her an option to explain if she wishes.

"When I was taken to Starkiller Base... Kylo Ren... tried to get inside my head, it was painful" she looks at me "at first, but just as I felt him inside my mind, I also felt another presence, it was kind where he was so full of hate, but I also felt conflict in him and the pain stopped I was no longer in my own head. I was there, but I wasn't, it was as if I was watching through my own eyes as someone else was in my body, I couldn't move or speak even though I was speaking and then the next thing I know I was free" she explains.

I look at her confused but also remembering when I was in the command centre and my mind went to Rey and it felt as though I was elsewhere too, and then I felt pain and I was looking through her eyes and speaking with her voice, did I transfer my mind into hers and take the pain? I thought that was a dream. Nothing is making sense anymore.

"That was you, wasn't it?" She asks noticing my confused expression. I stay silent, uncertain. She nods as if knowing more than I do.

"I was inside your mind" she says softly "You took the pain, stopped him from getting into my head, I know that you did, I could feel the pressure and I know I should have been in agony, but I felt... You. Your unwavering compassion and loyalty. Your bravery and fearlessness of dying while protecting your friends" she says sounding almost in awe.

"You make me sound like someone out of a legend, I'm only doing what I feel is right" I say feeling humbled "there are people far braver than I, I wouldn't even consider myself brave. Foolish maybe" I add causing both of us to smile.

"You fought Kylo Ren" she says

"Like I said, foolish" I jest

"You saved our lives" she adds.

I don't know what to say. I look at Finn. I was too slow to stop him from getting hurt. I can't let that happen again. I need to be ready, I know I'll meet Ren again and next time he will be more powerful, but I chose not to kill him even though I knew it would be easier if I did. But when I looked at him... All I saw the young boy who I used to know.

"That wasn't your fault" she says seeming to know what I was thinking.

I nod, but I don't believe it, I feel responsible.

"You should get some rest" I say softly.

She shakes her head.

"I want to stay with him a while longer" she says looking back to Finn. I nod as I stand up.

"Okay, but you need to rest, he'll be just fine" I say reassuringly.

She looks at me and smiles "thank you" she says "for saving our lives"

I smile and nod "that's what you do for friends"

She smiles full of emotion and her eyes fill.

"Come here" I say softly moving to hug her. She stands up and hugs me.

"Take care of yourself" she says knowing I have to leave.

I nod and step back.

"I'll come back" I promise.

I've become fond of these two misfits, after all we've been through together how could we not be close?

The scavenger, the Stormtrooper and the Pilot. We're a right motley crew.