Chapter Text
"Shit," Rey muttered under her breath as she found the body of an Imperial in white armour inside the escape pod she had decided to looted, mistaking it for space debris to plunder.
... the dunes of Jakku would take care of it, would not they? She could pretend she had not seen a thing. No one would care anyway.
"Goddamn it," she groaned, gently banging her head against the metal.
This man had definitely groaned in pain when she had tripped over his legs, had not he?
"Hey, how alive are you?"
A heavy, gasping breath was his only reply.
Rey took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. She could not just leave him like that, could she? She had to help him, whoever he was, because doing nothing would be the same as killing him.
It took her less than a minute to disarm the man, and she could see that his Imperial armour had been damaged on the left arm, judging by its odd angle. At least, she assumed it was a man; she did not know enough about armour to be entirely sure. Judging that he had no reason to be mortally wounded from where she could see, the young woman moved closer and slowly lifted the helmet.
She looked at him.
He looked at her.
He was not quite what she had imagined she would find. He was young too, around her age. There was something so human, alive and fragile in his expression...
He did not look like a Stormtrooper.
"You stole that armour, didn’t you?" She whispered.
"Er… no? It’s mine."
"Since when?"
"Since I’ve been wearing it?" The dark-skinned man replied. "I mean, some parts have been repaired or replaced, but it’s mine."
"So you’re an Imp."
Most people did not like the Empire’s soldiers, even in a place as remote as Jakku where they were not permanently stationed. Everyone knew their brutal methods. Kill before you speak, all that crap.
Rey had never seen one before, as the Empire had fallen along with the Emperor around the time of her birth, but she had never needed to meet one to disapprove of them.
"Not really anymore."
"Which mean?"
He looked at her as though she were either extremely stupid, or extremely naive, or both, and she realised the obvious. He had been an Imperial… but he was not anymore. Yet there he was, in his armour.
In an escape pod.
He had deserted.
"I see. Welcome to Jakku, then! You’ll see, it’s very boring here."
"I have to get off this planet, wherever this godforsaken place is," the soldier sighed.
"To go where?"
"Coruscant, of course! I absolutely must speak to someone from the Republic."
"You know… there isn’t really a Republic or an Empire here, it’s just good old Jakku. And you don’t just leave that easily. Do you have any money?"
He clearly did not.
"Right, here’s what we’ll do… your name?"
He looked at Rey as if she had suddenly grown three heads instead of one.
"Fine, keep your name to yourself if you want, but at least give me something to call you."
"Er... Finn?"
"How original. Anyway, Finn. I’m going to take you back to my place and you’re going to get some rest, all right?"
"You’re not going to kill me?"
Rey felt a lingering hand ruffle her hair, and a voice she did not recognise but found reassuring nonetheless whispered in her ear. Never take a life you can spare, and you’ll always shield your heart. She strove to live by this principle.
"It’s your lucky day," she murmured, bending down to help him sit up, groaning under the strain as he could barely lift himself.
He was already covered in sweat and trembling.
"Are you going to die, Finn?"
"I don’t know," the man replied before literally passing out in her arms.
"Why do these things only ever happen to me?" Rey sighed.
The last time someone had fallen through the floor into a wreck, it was her. The last time someone had encountered wild animals in a wreck, it was her. The last time someone was in a wreck that started sinking into extremely rare quicksand, it was her.
If strange things were happening, everyone knew by now that it was for Rey.
With a bit of effort, she managed to lift the soldier after removing his armour and hoist him onto her speeder. The young scavenger stuffed her saddlebags with what looked most interesting and headed back. She would return later.
No one even looked as she loaded her entire burden, even the human one, into a floating crate and carried it all up to her shabby flat. She managed to unload everything, lay Finn on the bed, and leave, leaving him some water and painkillers nearby. She was far from finished with her day: that escape pod was not going to take itself apart!
She returned at dusk to sell items whose value she already knew, and went home after picking up some bread and dried meat for her meal. The day had been more exhausting than expected because of the terrible heat in that tiny pod. She was used to huge, cool ships buried beneath the sand.
"Still alive?" She asked, looking towards the figure still sprawled on her mat and worn sheets.
"Still alive," The Trooper replied softly.
"You haven’t moved at all."
The advantage of sand and dust: you could see footprints on the ground. He had not got up. He had drunk the water, though.
"I ache all over."
Rey could not understand that: she rarely got hurt and had an excellent metabolism, so she always healed very quickly.
"Drink another glass and get something to eat."
"Why are you helping me?"
"You can help me when you’re feeling better and earn your keep."
"I... help you? Help you with what?"
"I dismantle wrecks and sell the spare parts. There aren’t really any other ways to make money here. I suppose you could turn to prostitution if you wanted to, but there isn’t really a big demand for it."
Just from the look on his face, Rey could tell Finn was not keen on the idea.
"What did you say-"
"I need some help lifting a few things. I don’t have access to any sophisticated equipment, so it’s a bit challenging. Since we’re both after the same thing, we could help each other out."
"How can you trust me?"
"You were telling the truth just now."
"How can you be sure?"
Rey shrugged. She did not know how, she just knew it. She usually had a good instinct about people.
"You seemed sincere. And even if you weren’t, who cares? You’re alone and without logistical support on Jakku of all places."
In other words, he would have to fend for himself, just like anyone else.
"Turn up the pressure," the second voice she was chasing in her own head ordered, unyieldingly. "You’ve tried the easy way, now it’s time for the hard one."
"If you don’t like it, you can try your luck with others. I’m sure they’ll love an Imperial. Maybe I should even sell you off; it’d save me a lot of trouble."
"And who’ll help you then?" Finn laughed softly. "Don’t get worked up. I’ll do it."
"Wise decision," Rey congratulated him, already calculating where to go to retrieve things she had never been able to reach. "Here."
"Help me sit up?"
She helped him sit up and pushed aside the screen that blocked her window but let air into the building, naturally ventilating the flat just like almost every other place in the neighbourhood.
"You seem to do pretty well here."
Rey did not know how to respond to that. Yeah? It was not much, but it was hers.
"It could be worse."
"Why do you want more, then?"
"I’m trying to get out of here, just like you. It’s expensive to persuade passing pilots."
"Why are you trying to, if I can ask?"
"I need to find my family."
"Where are they?"
Rey did not answer. She could not answer that question. She simply had no idea, and she did not want to see pity in someone’s eyes yet again if she admitted it.
The only thing that mattered was that she left this place and explored the world. Memories were bound to come back to her once she was out in the world. She would remember them, she had to.
Once that was done, she would find them.
They were out there, somewhere.
The rest was entirely up to her.