Star Wars: The True Emperor (REYLO)

[3] Sanctuary of the Greats

   Rey and BB8 fly aboard the Millennium Falcon, following closely behind Luke's ship. They enter the rebel base; home of the rebels since their victory in the previous battle against the First Order. As Rey scans the land she finds that it is just as lively as she remembers –if not greener, and more beautiful.

Rey

The first thing I notice as I step off the Falcon is the mass of children surrounding Poe as he steps out to be greeted by a swarm of rebels. Children?

"Rey," a voice calls to me, I turn to find Rose –already running towards me and startling me in a tight embrace. I squeeze her in my arms.

"It's good to see you, Rose."

"Glad to have you back," she says.

"Who are all these children?" I ask.

"Oh," she says, "they're from the place I grew up. We went back and picked up a bunch of 'em. Thought they might do better in an environment where they can thrive. They're better off here, anyway."

"Where's Finn?"

She grins and pulls me away by the hand. "Come on."

The moment Finn notices me he runs out of the tent. He stands, guarded for a moment as we come face to face. "It's... been a while."

I scoff and almost tear up with him, "Well don't just stand there," I say, "bring it in."

Hugging Finn is like clutching a warm blanket on the cold nights I couldn't sleep on Tatooine. He radiates warmth the way no one else can. I've missed him.

"You and I," he says, pulling away, "we need to talk."

***

We stroll along the stone walk way leading into the forest – away from the buildings and into nature itself. The stones are all irregular shaped, and somehow I think they must feel icy under bare feet.

"Those kids," I say, "are they the ones Poe told me about?"

"What exactly did Poe tell you?" Finn asks. "I don't trust him enough." I know he's joking when he says it.

"He told me that there were hundreds of force-sensitive rebels here now. He said they could use the force without being trained. Is it true?" I stop walking and turn to him.

He stops. "Those kids –and some ex storm troopers among them- are able to, yes."

"And you?"

"I wasn't sure how to say it," he says, smiling. "I'm not as good as some of them who can do all these crazy things with the force at all... but I am sensitive to it."

We walk on.

"Where are we going?" I ask. I look ahead and in the distance I find a cave leading into a steep hill.

"That's the sanctuary."

***

It doesn't look like much from the outside, but as we enter, we are offered a dark tunnel. Finn lights a fire that, once ignited, extends along the path of the tunnel wall, leading to the centre of the sanctuary. He is calculated with each step, and I follow carefully.

As we gain on the centre, I spot them all around the huge space; statues of the heroes of the past.

"Wow," I utter, amazed. "Who did all of this?"

"Lando had the help of some talented rebels who wanted to pay respect. With all the new force-sensitive people around, he figured this might be a way to peak their interest. He's got a lot of good stories to tell."

"That, he does."

I turn, slowly, admiring the statues. I find among the statues of the Jedi of the past, the unexpected; Han Solo, and beside him, Leia. Though they stood in stone, they looked as magnificent as ever; as alive, determined, heroic and proud.

Beside them, I find another statue.

Mine.

"Is that-"

"Yes." That's all Finn says.

I step towards it. Whoever created this truly had the talent. The details were beautiful. Staring up at a statue of myself, I felt shy, somehow. The girl standing in so much power above me seemed like someone entirely different. I feel like an ant at her feet.

"You're as good as the rest of them," Finn says, resting a hand on the foot of my statue and looking up at her face. "Which is why I want you to train me."

"What?" I blink.

"You become a master when you train someone to be a Jedi," Finn says. "Don't you?"

"I- I mean... I'm sure you refine the craft or whatever but Finn, I'm no great teacher. I'm just someone who-"

"-who tries your best. Rey," he says, approaching me and resting a hand on my shoulder to reassure me. "There's no one more worthy of being a master."

I stare at him, unsure of what to say. My head drops. I stare at my feet and the ground below me, feeling uneasy. "I'm sure my time on Tatooine counted for something... and I've done all I can. Poe was probably right when he said that teaching someone what you know helps you to be better at what you know. I just... I don't know."

Finn drops his hand from my shoulder. "Something's bothering you." It's like he just knew. I don't respond. "What is it?" He asks.

I shake my head. "I don't know if you can feel it too or if you've ever felt it," I tell him, "But something's off." He listens intently. "Something is odd... or off... or wrong... or there's something missing. Something I don't know. Something I should be doing. There's a piece of some puzzle inside me that's missing and it's causing a disruption. It's distracting me. It's the only thing inside me that's causing everything to be feel off-balanced."

"I'm sure there's a lot you haven't told anyone," he says. He doesn't press for me to delve into anything. He just nods. "I'm here if you want to talk about it."

I nod and smile gently. I stare up at the statue again.

He should be up there. The one who saved me.

Leia's words come back to me. Trust time.

I bite my lip and inhale deeply. I study Finn as he focuses on the details carved out of the stone towering above him -the stone that's meant to be a reflection of me. In this moment I can see it; I can see who Finn has been -who he has become –who he can be.

"I'll do it."

He turns to me, internalizing my words. He releases a slight chuckle. "Whenever you're ready," he smirks, "Master Rey."