The next day, the sandstorm still howled—it was the sandstorm of the millennium. Usually these sand walls only lasted a few minutes—not hours, and definitely not days. The sand piled up inside Plutt's dwelling, dust permeating every part of the residence.
Rey's leg wound hurt more, but she tried to brave her way through it, using the Force to manage the pain. When Ani showed up the next morning, her bandage was soaked through with blood and pus, and the wound was hot to the touch.
Ani gasped and sighed when he checked it. "Rey, this is bad. It's infected."
"What does '-fected' mean?"
"Some dirt got in. It's not good." He stood up and yelled, "When I get my hands on that Blobfish . . ." and then he threw a shipping crate across the room, splitting it in multiple pieces as it hit the wall.
"Granddad! Please! Stop!" Rey's eyes widened, and she shrunk back in fear. "I'm sorry. Don't be mad. Do whatever you have to do. I won't cry. I promise. Even if you have to cut it off."
Ani stopped, stung by her words. How could I have lost my temper? I am part of the light now, right?
As Ani battled through his own personal conflict, Rey said, "I promise, Granddad. I'll be a good girl."
Ani knelt down to her level. "I'm not mad at you, Darling. I'm angry at the Blobfish and the Rodian who brought you here. I'm angry at everything I cannot change. You don't deserve this, Rey. This was supposed to be my punishment, not yours."
"Granddad, don't be angry about what you can't change. Just change what you can."
Ani gasped and then smiled. "Now you sound like my Padmé, Young One."
"Padmé?"
"My wife—the most amazing woman who ever lived. You remind me of her in so many little ways, and sometimes the things you say sound just like her." Ani looked up toward the ceiling, thinking. "So, things I can change, hunh? Let's focus on that, and if the Blobfish gets in the way . . ."
Ani disappeared and moved to the upper floors of the dwelling. He ransacked every cabinet, every drawer, every space that might hold antibiotics or Bacta gel.
The residents were in the main hall eating their evening meal as Ani's search progressed. They heard the racket and wisely stayed together in a group.
When Ani could not find what he needed, he apparated in the main hall. Floating above Unkar's seat he wrote in the plaster wall, excizing plaster with the Force. "Bacta?"
One of the Weequay who was facing Unkar pointed, backing up in fear as the letters appeared on the wall. "Master."
"What?" Unkar asked as he ate another bite of luggabeast haunch.
"Look!"
Unkar jumped back as he saw the unseen hand write. "Antibiotics? Pain meds?"
"Who are you?" Unkar stood. "I refuse to keep up this charade. I demand to know who you are!"
"Answer me first," the unseen hands scrawled.
"We have none. Jakku has no medical facilities," Unkar said. "Now, who are you?"
Ani wrote in very large letters, "Vader."
Unkar jumped. "Why are you here?"
"The girl! How dare you?" Ani angrily wrote in the wall, plaster chips flying across the room.
Unkar visibly paled as he started to asphyxiate. "Please, Lord Vader, plea—"
Ani released his grip, and Unkar gasped and coughed. Then he wrote quickly in smaller letters, "No chains! Don't harm her! Understood?"
Unkar nodded, unable to speak. Ani disappeared from the room.
Ani traveled out to the graveyard of ships. The medkit he had used on Rey the day before was Imperial issue, which meant it probably had come from the graveyard. The sandstorm was moving lots of the sand around. Ships that had been covered for more than a decade were now peeking out of the sand dunes.
Ani chose the Super Star Destroyer Ravager as his first target. He appeared on what remained of the bridge. A snub fighter had crashed through the view ports. Instruments were charred, but the decks seemed to be in order. Skeletons were everywhere, and some bodies had not yet decomposed, even though the battle had taken place over fifteen years ago.
To him, though, it was like he had stepped back in time and was aboard his flagship, the Executor. He was home.
He apparated down to the medbay. Two medical droids were there, frozen in place, trying to help their long-dead patients. The sand had frozen their joints and gears. Ani halfway considered bringing one with him, but then he realized neither would be able to function without the medbay equipment.
He moved quickly to the cabinets, opening their doors with the Force. He grabbed the largest medkit and started dumping as many supplies as he could find. The antibiotics were all past date, as were the pain meds, so he left them. However, he did find not only tubes of Bacta gel, but also the Bacta solution base for a true Bacta bath. There was no expiration date on these, so he grabbed them, shoving them into the medkit.
Unlike his trip to the graveyard, Ani had to actually levitate himself many kilometers back to Unkar's place, as he could not apparate with the medkit in his hand.
When he reached Unkar's place, he discovered that the sand had piled half-way up the doorway.
He banged loudly on the door with the Force as the sand continued to blow thickly around the residence. Ani heard the gears grinding as the blastdoors slowly opened.
He shoved the medkit in and apparated the rest of himself through. He moved quickly and opened up the cellar door, before the guards realized they could close the front door again.
Ani jumped down the hole and moved to Rey, who was feverish and sleeping fitfully.
Ani woke her up. "Rey, I'm back. Wake up, sweetie."
"Granddad."
"Shh. Don't call me that anymore, at least not where anyone else can hear you." Now that Unkar Plutt knew he was Vader, there was no telling what he would do if he found out Rey was Vader's granddaughter. "Just call me Ani."
"Why?"
"There is no why. Just do it." He prepped the Bacta solution in the crate he had broken apart earlier. When it was ready, he said, "Put your foot in here. Cover your wound. It may sting a bit."
Rey trustingly put in her leg. She bit her tongue when the initial shock of the Bacta hit her wound. Then it stopped hurting and almost felt pleasing, like a million fingers were massaging her leg and foot.
"Like that, huh?" Ani smiled as he remembered what Bacta treatment felt like when he was a Jedi, before the life-support suit.
"Yeah." Rey returned his smile with a giggle. "Unkar's going to be mad when he finds out you stole it."
"I didn't take it from him."
"Where did you get it? From a trader?"
"No. From the graveyard." He smoothed her hair from her face. "Now, you just keep your leg in that, and it will be as good as new in a week! I wish I could have found enough for an entire Bacta bath, but this will have to do."
Ani moved his position behind Rey, allowing her to rest against his chest in a seated position.
And if those upstairs could hear the Force, they would have sworn someone was singing a lullaby to the girl.