Nearer

Chapter 1: Search

* Rey's pov

"Please," I cried, "Please, Leia, let me go find him."

She sadly reaches forwards to wipe one of the many tears off my face, but I recoil away, disgusted that she won't let me go.

"Dear," she tried to explain "I promise that we'll send out a search-party, but you need to stay here. Safe."

I groaned in frustration and buried my head in my hands. "Why, Leia? Why? Why? Why?"

Leia gave me a sad, sympathetic look. 

"I'm sorry, honey," she said "I really am."

And she left the room, leaving me in my regular spot, camped out in front of the computer.

*Ben's pov

For the second time, my eyes opened to the barren landscape. The droid beside me beeped away, nudging a drawer in the side of the wall.

"You want me to open that?" I asked, surprised at my own voice, which definitely didn't sound like it hadn't been used in three weeks.

Wait! My eyes slam closed and I rack my brain for any information linked to the revelation I'd just received. Nothing, but at least I now knew two things: I had a special bond with the girl with the buns, and I'd for, some reason or another, been unconscious for three weeks. How was I still alive? The droid.

I looked at the red and white ball.

"What's your name?" He began beeping away before I stopped him. "I don't speak that." 

It thought for a moment before roiling forward and projecting a hologram of the symbols "BB-23."

"Is that your name?" I lamely asked it, and the machine nodded in conformation. "How am I still alive, BB-23?"

It, once again, began beeping but almost immediately after starting, stopped, and projecting the words.

"You are alive after three weeks, because I was able to inject nutrience into your bloodstream." it formally read.

"Well," I took a deep breath "okay then."

It hurriedly scooted away as I stood up in the small space.

"What are you doing?" BB-23 projected the question.

"Bee, I'm gonna call ya that, we're going to go find civilization. You must know where we are, right?"

"Yes," Bee typed. "Tatooine."

My hands flew through the small drawers in the side of the pod, picking out any gear that might help us. First aid kit, small food bag, water, and other little trinkets. Once assembling a small pile of supplies, I fashioned a bag out of the leather seat cover to put them into. 

"Ok, Bee," I said, climbing out of the craft, the droid following. "which direction is the closest civilization in?"

I shielded my eyes from the setting suns and looked my companion, who beeped and nodded to my left. It only took a moment to steal myself for the journey before we were headed off.

"You know what I think, Bee?" I asked without looking down.

Bee beeped.

"That you need to teach me how to understand your little beep-talk."