The Prettiest Star - Star Wars - Kylo Ren

I

Alone, she sat in the newly-repaired ship with a look of grim determination. Her knuckles were white as she clutched the controls. Around her, the vehicle hummed and beeped in flashing lights and buttons, erasing the possibility of silence.

She was in deep thought, going over different plans on what to do. Her hair now barely reached her shoulders and tickled her neck as it swayed with the movement of the ship. She had cut it using her lightsaber as soon as she had found the ship. It had been annoying and impractical at its earlier length.

Her lightsaber now sat in her deepest pocket, wrapped tightly in cloth. That had been her first decision: To never use her lightsaber. If no Jedi remained in the galaxy then she could not use the force or her weapon, it would raise questions she could not answer and possibly get her in trouble.

It had taken weeks for her to fix the ship and train her new body. She had buried the poor pilot in one of the beautiful fields on the planet, being careful to not be seen by the various tribes that inhabited it. Maybe, once she had finished what she planned to do, she could find his family and tell them where he is.

The ship had broken quite badly, and some parts were scattered about the forest. Her skill in mechanics and piloting meant that it now ran very smoothly, almost as if it had never crashed in the first place. However she could not keep it, it was stolen, and explaining where she had stolen it would end badly.

She was heading towards the Inner Rim, away from the unknown regions she had come from. When she landed, on what planet she didn't yet know, she would track down either the growing rebel resistance or the First Order, depending on which came first. From then on she had no clue on what to do. Primarily she would infiltrate and get closer to this Kylo Ren however that may be harder than anticipated.

After hours of deep thought she got clearance to land on a planet in the Inner Rim. The name of the planet she did not know, but it was densely populated with large run-down cities and ports. It must have been a trading planet that sat between two key regions as it far too busy for such a small planet.

The streets were dusty and extremely busy as she walked down them, away from her ship that she had sold to the nearest trader. Clearly, the place was not very wealthy due to the state of the buildings and stalls that lined the edges of the road. Hundreds of different species strolled past her in varying degrees of wealth and appearance. She had no idea where to start.

After a few minutes of walking, she noticed a building up ahead that seemed to be a bar of sorts. Many creatures of all walks of life were spilling out of its open doors. The building was made of a sandy coloured brick and appeared older than the rest, it seemed to sit in a shadow of lost regality. Its delicate architecture indicated that it was once grand, but it was now overgrown and dirty.

Pulling her thin, ripped cloak tighter around her, she pushed through the crowds and into the bar. Inside it was dark, loud, and claustrophobic. She could instantly tell it was not a place for the faint-hearted, a home for bootleggers, vultures, and thieves. Luckily for her, she was most certainly not faint-hearted.

She gradually made her way to the bar that she then leant against, observing the people around her. To her right, a creature with bright blue skin and red eyes gazed into his drink solemnly. Once a similar drink was in her grasp, she turned to him. "Bad day?" She asked.

He shrugged and said in a deep, scratchy voice. "You could say so."

"It's not very nice these days," She began, turning her body towards him more and taking a sip of the vile liquid. "That with all this First Order business and all."

His reaction to her words surprised her, he visibly tensed up and glanced around the room before glaring at her angrily. "They haven't bothered me."

She frowned. "Surely you've heard stories?"

"All exaggerated, half of them probably aren't real." He said more nervously.

"They are slaughtering thousands of people!" She exclaimed, standing upright. Anger rose inside of her. "Do you not think that something should be done?"

A dark green furry creature that was stood to his right loudly moved away from them, tutting at her words. "Those numbers are ridiculous. They wouldn't attack us here, they have no reason to." He said more quickly.

"Do you honestly think they are looking for a reason?" She hissed. "Murderous tyrants would not spare planets as defenceless as this."

He looked more nervous and panicked than ever. For a few seconds he stood there shaking his head, visibly looking for words. But he gave up and just walked away, taking his drink with him.

She stood there, mouth agape, stunned. How could someone not care? This was going to be harder than she thought. She needed to think of another plan.

Before she could make a move, someone tapped her shoulder. "Sorry, but I couldn't help but overhear you discussing the current situation." A male voice emerged from behind her.

She turned to see a young man stood next to her. He had dark hair that curled around his head in waves and tanned skin accompanying a handsome face. An old brown and red jacket sat on his shoulders covering the blaster at his hip. "So do you have an opinion on it then?" She asked, her voice had calmed.

"Of course, it's awful." He began. "They attacked my home town on a small planet in the Outer Rim a few months ago."

"I'm sorry to hear that. Is your family okay?" She asked with genuine concern.

"Not many of them are left anyway, but my uncle and his family didn't survive. The home I grew up in is all but gone, rubble."

"That's horrendous, I'm so sorry."

"Don't be. It's those beasts in the First Order that should be sorry." His fists clenched as he said the name, he gripped his drink even tighter.

"They should, they really should. You'd think more people would be on alert." She mused, looking around the bar.

"Oh its just this planet. There are rebel bases throughout the galaxy, led by none other that General Leia Organa herself."

"Do you know where any of them are?"

He nodded. "As soon as I get the money to buy my own ship, I'm joining them."

She was about to enquire further but was interrupted by the bartender, a massive slug-like creature with a look of anger on its face. "Excuse me, but you two are disrupting my customers." He growled. "You either stop your conversation or leave."

With a shrug she strolled towards the door, the man followed her. Many judgemental gazes followed them as they walked out. When they reached outside, the street was less busy than earlier but still held a constant flow. They walked alongside each other, the sun bearing down on both of them.

"Why are you asking about it? Are you interested in joining too?" He asked, his hands in his pockets.

Before replying she felt an unusual sensation, like a headache but in her entire body. She brushed it off, however it grew slowly as they talked. "Yes, actually. I was looking for a way to join."

"Really?" He asked, intrigued and excited. "I'm Poe by the way, Poe Dameron."

She smiled and shook his outstretched hand. "Aya, Aya Cerrulo. Do you know how I could get there?"

"Yes, in fact you could come with me if you like, as long as you help me find a ship."

"Could I? That would be brilliant, I'm not very used to navigating around these parts."

"Of course." He gave her a broad smile showing off his very white teeth. "The more the merrier."

Just as he had finished a large rumbling erupted from the sky. They halted instantly and looked towards the horizon. A fleet of black starships were approaching the city at a fast rate. Half of the people in the street froze.

Without thinking Aya screamed to everyone: "It's the First Order. Run!"