Rey spent most of the night sitting on her bed and pondering her thoughts. How could things turn so awful in just one day? She was a ray of sunshine that morning on her way back from Canto Bight with Chewbacca, and now she felt like the most feared individual in the entire galaxy. Was Leia seriously scared more of her than Kylo Ren? Then again, Luke was also very hesitant to train her.
He even said, "'I've seen this raw strength only once before. In Ben Solo. It didn't scare me then. It does now.'"
What the—? How powerful was Rey? She did not know the extent of her power, and after her argument with Leia, she did not want to know. If she was as powerful as Darth Sidious, maybe she should leave Supher. She could find her own little planet in the deepest reaches of the Outer Rim and cut herself off from the rest of the galaxy. But would that be too much like Luke Skywalker, who had a similar idea after failing Kylo Ren?
The overwhelming, negative thoughts continued to run through Rey's brain, even when she started to pack her bags. Leia told her to leave in the morning. However, that left another round of questions in her mind. If she left, who would take care of the academy? Who would train the next generation of Jedi? What would happen to Temiri, Shudu, Beatrice, Akon, Akinli, and all the other children, people, and aliens she searched the galaxy for? What if the academy fell, just like Luke's? Then Rey would fail him. Ugh! Why was all the pressure suddenly on her shoulders?
Yelling with frustration, the young woman smacked her bag off the counter, and it crashed into the floor. She found it extremely difficult not to smash her room to pieces. She was just so angry. She was furious at Leia but also angry with herself. Without even thinking, she ignited her lightsaber again. A knock came from her door before she could run it through her bed.
Finn's voice rang out from the other side. "Rey? Please let me in."
Hearing him, Rey calmed down and turned off her lightsaber. She reattached it to her belt and turned her back to the door. "I want to be alone."
Finn, though, went ahead and came in. Following close on his heels were BB-8 and R2-D2. He came within reach of Rey. "I need to talk to you."
"What is there to talk about? I'm leaving. General Leia doesn't want anything to do with me. I'm just as useless as I was back on Jakku."
"Whoa! Whoa! Hold the phone!" Finn held up his hands to stop Rey. Dropping them, he brought one hand to his chin and clutched his elbow with the other. "Am I seriously hearing this from Rey? Wow. You're in much worse shape than I thought."
"Thanks. That makes me feel so much better." Rey sighed. She fell onto her bed and placed her hands on her lap.
BB-8 and R2-D2 rubbed against her legs.
"You see, this is just it," Finn said. He plopped down beside her. "Rey, I know you. You're never so down on yourself. Don't let Leia's words scare you. You will not turn to the Dark side. You're not as vulnerable as Kylo Ren. You can embrace whatever negative emotion he throws at you. The only way you'll turn to the Dark side is if someone out there exceeds your power, and I highly doubt there is."
"How can you be so sure?"
"Because when I worked for the First Order, I never found anyone who scared me. This includes Kylo Ren and Snoke. I just reasoned with Leia, and she admits she overreacted a bit. Therefore, she is giving you another chance."
"Really?" Those words alone allowed all of Rey's worries to wash away. Maybe she didn't have to leave Supher after all! "Oh, thank you, Finn! Thank you!" A grin stretched across her weary face. She threw her arms around Finn's neck and hugged him tightly.
Finn returned it. It was nice to see Rey smiling again. "No problem," he said. "After all, friends never leave one another on the edge of a cliff."
When the two let go, they heard something outside. The roar of a spaceship passed dangerously close over the base's head.
Finn and Rey jumped from the bed and hurried to a window to see what was happening. An A-Wing appeared in Supher's warm atmosphere, with its engines smoking and on fire. It flew over the No'Ela Lagoon for a good couple hundred yards before it crashed into the ocean. Water spewed into the sky like an erupting volcano.
Rey gestured at Finn with her head. "Come on!" She, he, R2, and BB-8 rushed out of her room and headed outside.
***
The ship crashed just off Emarin Beach, which had lounge chairs, palm trees hanging over the lagoon, and another selection of water speeders. Across the lagoon, on the other side of the beach, was a line of volcanoes that flourished with green life. The crashed A-Wing rested in the shallow waters just off the beach. Standing beside it in the knee-deep water was a man.
Strangely, he looked familiar. An older man with dark skin, a small brown afro, and a mustache just above his top lip—he wore a blue cape with a gold interior, a blue shirt, black pants, and shiny black shoes.
Finn and Rey merely stared as he lifted his foot and kicked the side of the A-Wing.
"Damn!" the man spoke in an annoyed voice. "Not even two days in, and the engine blows. When I return to Phonolukamy, I'm going to ask for a refund." He waved smoke away from the extinguished flames. He still had not noticed the two youths staring at him. "At this point, my paycheck is completely useless!"
"Sir!" Finn finally called over the ocean breeze. "Are you all right?"
The man heard him. He pulled his attention away from the A-Wing to his cape. "Uhh..." He grabbed it and looked it up and down. "No worries! There's not a scratch or tear on it."
"That wasn't what I meant!" Finn said in an annoyed voice. "You literally just crash-landed in the No'Ela Lagoon. We want to make sure you're all right."
The man ignored him. He continued to inspect his cape. "This cape means everything to me. It used to be the Millennium Falcon, but then that Han Solo stole her from me."
"Han Solo?" Finn asked. He gasped, for something just crossed his mind. "Wait a minute! Are you Lando Calrissian?"
"Seriously?" Lando asked. "Thirty-one years later, and you've still never heard of me? That is truly sad." He wrapped his cape around his body and went through the lagoon to reach Rey and Finn.
While Rey and BB-8 had no idea who he was, Finn and R2 did.
Finn squealed a fanboy scream and reached for his lips while R2 chirped excited beeps.
At the sight of him, Lando cracked a grin. "Buddy!" The second he stepped onto the beach, he punched the top of R2's head. "It's been a long time! How did you wind up here?"
"Oh my gosh!" Finn squealed. "It is you! You're the Lando Calrissian!"
Rey had no idea what was going on. Why did she know Han Solo from the stories but not Lando Calrissian?
She even asked Finn, "Am I supposed to know who he is?"
"Of course!" Lando argued. He flipped one side of his cape off his shoulder. "How could the new generation forget my fine locks?"
Rey couldn't help but give him a funny look. She had no idea if she liked this character or not.
Finn decided to help her out. "Lando Calrissian was a smuggler."
"Is!" Lando corrected.
"Is." Finn rolled his eyes. "Anyway, he is Han Solo's rival. They fought over the Millennium Falcon and made the Kessel Run in twelve parsecs."
"It was more we had a bet," Lando argued. "Oh, that Han Solo! I still remember his disgusting, smug look when he won. To this day, it still gives me chills." Right when he said that, he shivered. His eyes then landed on Rey, and he blushed. "Oh, my goodness. Who are you, young lady?"
"I'm Rey," she answered. "This is Bee-Bee-Ate."
"And I'm your biggest fan!" Finn shouted. Instantly, he sprinted to Lando. "I'm Finn! It's well beyond amazing to meet you, sir!"
Lando paid him no attention. He pushed the young man off to the side and came within reach of Rey. "You look rather distressed, milady. How can I be of service to you?" With that, he picked up Rey's hand and kissed it.
With a disgusted look, she ripped it away and said, "Um, I-I'm twenty."
"A lovely twenty-year-old, that is," Lando admitted. He again kissed her hand. "The last time I saw a beautiful lady much like you... I can still remember it to this day. Cloud City."
"Oh, how sweet of you, Lando," a sudden voice spoke from behind Lando, the youths, and the droids. General Leia just appeared on the beach, right in time for the party.
"Leia!" was all Lando said when he saw her. He let Rey's hand go and approached her next. "When was the last time I saw you–the Battle of Endor?"
Leia nodded. "Indeed. But what are you doing here?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Lando wanted to know. "I'm searching the galaxy for beautiful women, and I have to say that Rey over there is a mighty fine specimen."
"Ugh!" Rey almost gagged. "You're sick!"
"Beautiful women, huh?" asked Leia, with a smug look on her wrinkled face. "Then tell me, if you're searching for beautiful women, how come the spaceship you crashed is from Phonolukamy?"
"Ah, now that is a funny story," Lando said sarcastically. Before he could tell it, Rey interrupted him.
"Is it the First Order? Have they struck again?"
"Let's just say that Phonolukamy's resources have started disappearing one by one."
Rey's eyebrows furrowed further. "Has the First Order set up a blockade near the wormhole?"
"Now, beautiful lady," Lando said with a wave of his hand, "let me tell you the story from the beginning."
"I don't need to hear the full story!" Rey snapped. "I swear, if you call me 'beautiful lady' one more time, I am going to smash that pretty boy face of yours!"
"Ooh, a fighting spirit. I like it." Lando nodded and turned to Leia. "Is she with you?"
"Unfortunately, yes," Leia joked.
"Unfortunately?" Rey clenched her fists and glared at her. "What happened to always sticking up for me in situations like this, Leia?"
"Rey, you need to learn to take a joke. If you're going to get through to Mr. Calrissian here, you have to fall right into his shoes."
"We don't need troublemakers like him on Supher," Rey snapped. "Supher is peaceful. We don't need alliances of the First Order ruining it."
"Oh, now she thinks I'm with the First Order?" Lando asked Leia. "A very flighty girl indeed. I wonder what gave her a crazy idea like that?"
Rey glared so hard that you could barely see her pupils. "No one calls me crazy."
Beside her, Finn tried to calm her down. "Rey, I think you should sit down for a few minutes." He pushed on her chest.
Rey knocked him away. "No one calls me crazy," she repeated. "I don't care what your backstory is, Mr. Calrissian. Get out of here."
"I would, young lady, but there's a slight problem." Lando shrugged and peered over his shoulder at the crashed A-Wing. "My A-Wing is in the No'Ela Lagoon."
"Then I'll get it out for you. It'll be like lifting a giant rock."
"Rey, stop," Leia whispered to the young Jedi. "You're giving in to the Dark side again. The Beacerika will sense your anger. You need to calm down."
"I'm sick of the human race," Rey admitted. "I'm sick of everyone treating the First Order like they're nothing. Kylo Ren is only growing stronger, and we don't have the Last Jedi here to help us!"
"Luke was not the Last Jedi," said Leia. "I thought that became clear to you during the Battle of Crait."
Beside her, Lando gave her a nudge. "Is she Force-sensitive?" he asked.
"Very," was Leia's response.
"Oh, no wonder she's so flighty and beautiful."
"All right! That's it!" Rey's hand shot out. She used the Force to pick Lando up off the sand.
Freaking out, Finn tried to grab it, but it was too late.
Rey chucked Lando like a rag doll, and he splashed into the lagoon.
Both Leia and Finn's jaws dropped.
On the other hand, BB-8 and R2-D2 let out rounds of surprised beeps.
"If you're not going to tell us the true details behind the blockade, then I'm going to figure it out myself!" Rey shouted at the egocentric old man.
"Rey, no!" Finn cried when he understood what she was saying. "Your arm!" He tried to stop her, but Leia held her arm up to him.
"Leave her be. She needs to do this. I was right. She's become way too dangerous."
"I don't care. She's my friend. And friends do not leave each other in the shadows." Finn pushed Leia off him and started after Rey, who sprinted down Emarin Beach.
"You're wrong." Leia swiped her cane under Finn's legs, which knocked him to the ground on his butt. "True friends watch out for each other and figure out what is best for the other friend. For Rey, the best thing she can do is confront Kylo Ren again, and if that means hacking the Phonolukamy Blockade, then so be it."
"Uh, excuse me!" From where he sat in the lagoon, Lando Calrissian lifted his hands and waved at the elder and youth. "A little help here!" He was surprised nobody paid him attention, even though he tried to look cool by wrapping himself in his cape again. They were too busy watching Rey Nobody run away.
ns 15.158.61.20da2
