THE GIRL AND THE DROID WALKED THROUGH THE DESERT TIREDLY UNTIL THE GOLDEN RAYS OF DAWN BEGAN TO BRAKE THROUGH THE NAVY SKY. Arabella was showered in the stench of her own sweat, blisters forming on her feet beneath her worn leather boots at the hundreds of kilometres she had walked. Her throat was dry, making it hard to breathe, and whilst there were many things to be worried about, the memory of seeing Kylo for the first time in years was incapable of leaving her mind.
Her mind was spinning and her knees buckled, causing her to fall onto the soft sand. "We should rest here, BeeBee-Ate...just for a moment..." the girl said through ragged breaths, though she quickly discovered that the droid was not listening to her because they were too preoccupied by fighting off the monster on the robotic horse.
"Hey!" The girl shouted, running over to the droid that was squealing in high-pitched bleeps. "Let him go, he's mine."
The creature ignored the girl and the desperation seeding in her voice, for he knew nothing of what she said-
"Tal'ama parqual!"
Arabella stopped, so did the creature, and they both looked over to the girl who had suddenly appeared before her. A part of Arabella felt as though she had fallen into a dream, and that this girl—this angel—was simply a mirage.
She took in the stranger, who's chocolate brown hair was tucked into three messy buns, trailing down her head. Her skin was fair, but spotted with freckles and sweat. The clothes she wore were baggy, and to Arabella, it looked as if the girl had just loosely wrapped some bandages around her knee-length shorts and tight-fitting t-shirt. In her right hand, she held a staff like it could be a weapon of mass destruction.
Whatever the girl had said, it must have intimidated the creature enough for him to drop the bag in which he had BB-8 before continuing on his way. When he was gone, Arabella retrieved the switchblade she kept in her left boot and carefully sliced BB-8 from the net trap.
"How did you do that?" Arabella asked the girl when she noticed she had not walked away.
"It was nothing," she shrugged. "Just Teedo. He wanted your friend for parts, probably to sell to Unkar Plutt. He has no respect for anyone."
"Unkar Plutt?" Arabella met the stranger with a confused gaze.
"You're not from around here, aren't you?" The stranger replied, a small smile tempting her flushed face. When Arabella gave the girl a quick nod, she explained, "He's the local trade dealer. A lot of scavengers will bring him parts in exchange for other things...food, tools, whatever you need."
"We need a ship," the girl smiled hopefully.
"You have a better chance of getting your hand on the sun," she said bluntly.
"Who are you?" Arabella found herself asking suddenly, catching the stranger by surprise.
The stranger took an unintentional step back. "I'm no one."
"Are you an angel or something?" The girl teased.
The stranger stared at her for a moment before letting out an exasperated sigh. "I'm Rey," she eventually confessed, as if she had told the girl all her dark secrets.
"Nice to meet you," replied the brunette. "I'm Arabella, and this is BeeBee-Ate."
Another moment of awkward silence passed before Arabella took initiative. "I don't suppose you have somewhere we could rest for an hour or so. We have been walking all night," she requested with a friendly smile. It was the smile that assured Rey this girl was a friend. She wasn't like others—she could trust her.
"Alright," Rey reluctantly decided, a stranger to company. "But at noon you go."
"That's alright. Thank you," said Arabella, BB-8 beeping in agreement as they followed the girl into the wrecked AT-AT walker that was her home.
Before entering the walker, Rey looked up at the sky to see a ship flying off into the blue abyss. A sad smile fell onto her face as she felt her dreams of escaping this desert wash away. But then she looked back to the tanned brunette who was currently slipping off her boots, letting out some deep breaths, and she wondered where they came from—who they were. Would they betray her, like the others had? Or, could they possibly get her away from this place?
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Poe Dameron lifted his heavy eyelids, his head spinning as he took in the grey walls surrounding him. He tried to lean forward, but was bound to the dentist-like chair, which from his perspective, looked more like a torture device than anything else. He tried to move his hands, or break his legs free, but was glued to the metal pressing in against his back.
When his eyes finally adjusted, an uncontrollable shudder ran down his spine. Before him, at the other end of the room, stood the man dressed in black. His mask concealed his face and he kept his back straight, looming above the pilot and taking heavy steps towards him.
"I was unaware we had one of the best Resistance pilots in our presence," Kylo Ren began, his voice deep and distorted from the mask covering his face. "It's impressive. No one has managed to get any information out of you."
The pilot shrugged as if he was too humbled to say anything, but found himself growing nervous as the man was suddenly right next to him, his tall frame made Poe feel like a small ant next to a skyscraper.
"Now tell me. Where is the map to Luke Skywalker?" Kylo demanded.
"You will never beat the Resistance," Poe stated in return, however, found his breath fall short when Kylo placed his hand up to his forehead, forcing the information from the pilot's brain.
Kylo Ren ignored the pained yells from Poe Dameron as he filed through his mind, looking for the needed information. He needed to find the map. He needed to defeat Luke Skywalker. It was the only way he would pass his training.
He continued to flick, but snapped back when the flashes of the familiar brunette appeared before him. He stopped, taking deep breaths as Poe fell back onto the chair, falling unconscious to not see Kylo's panic.
She was standing right before him. Her long brown hair blowing in the breeze; a smile overtaking her face as she and Poe had arrived on Jakku. He listened to her voice invade his mind, she spoke to Poe in an affectionate tone, as she asked whether San Tekka could be trusted. He saw the moments flash before his eyes, only pausing when her face appeared once again. But this time she was not lively. There was fear in her chocolate eyes and she was shaking as the man handed her the disk. Through Poe's eyes, he watched her run helplessly, the orange and white droid trailing behind her.
He froze in his spot on the floor, feeling as though he had just been stabbed in the chest. The man found himself in utter disbelief. Ever since he thought he had seen her on Jakku the previous night, the memory of his childhood had been haunting him. Only now, the memories came back in ever harsher cries. She had been there. He had seen her. His mind hadn't been deceiving him last night. She really was alive, but much to his displeasure, she was on the other side.
After the man finally composed himself, he stepped out into the hall where his partner, General Armitage Hux, was waiting for him.
"Did you get any information?" His red-headed companion asked in a pointed tone.
"Yes. The map is in an orange and white BB unit. It's still on Jakku," Ren explained.
"Good. With any luck, we'll catch it before it can flee," smiled Hux. "Anything else?"
Kylo paused, debating whether to tell the truth. He remembered he had to. He couldn't feel for her—not anymore. "The droid is accompanied by a girl. A Resistance fighter, I can only assume. Dark hair, tanned skin. No taller than five-foot-five."
"There were two?" Hux asked, earning a small nod in reply. "Do we have a name."
"No. I have never seen her before," he found himself lying. Why he had done that, he was not so sure.
"Well, let's set out a search for the pair. We have to get that map," Hux insisted, a strong sliver of determination in his voice. Kylo nodded but said nothing more.
And that was that.
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going to try and upload two chapters at a time because they're pretty short. also, i lowkey ship rey and arabella because they're adorable, anyone else?