Star Wars: I Am a Slave ✓

Chapter 24 - Show Her the Light

It took five weeks for the salvage crew to disassemble the decking of the Ravager. The crews lifted off from Jakku, hopefully never to be seen again. Each day, Rey was fending off attack from at least one person who had not learned the lesson yet. They either tried to steal her speeder, steal her salvage, or steal something she was not ready to give. They were never successful.

Each time the assaulters met with the short end of her staff and the Force around their necks. Rey never killed, but a few had coughed up blood as she had broken their tracheas. At first it bothered her, but depending on her mood, she sometimes enjoyed seeing them squirm on the sand.

Today Rey exited the ship with a few pieces and headed back to Niima Outpost. Unkar would only be there one more hour, and Rey was out of food again. She had a few good pieces that she had repaired over the last few days plus five new pieces that were good for melting only.

After stopping at the washing table for a quick scrub on the new pieces, Rey stood in line for Unkar's. When it finally became her turn, Unkar was in a bad mood. He growled, "What garbage have you brought today?"

Rey pulled out the five scrap pieces. Unkar valued them. "One quarter portion."

Rey said, "Two portions."

"One half portion, and that is all. Scrap only."

Rey took it. Then she brought out the two good pieces that were in working order.

Unkar examined each one in turn. "Five portions for this piece, and three for this one."

"They are worth ten portions each. Both work like new."

While Unkar and Rey argued it out, Unkar motioned for two of his sentries to approach Rey from behind. "Very well, ten portions for both," Unkar agreed as his sentries attacked Rey.

The one to her right tried to put a sack over her head. Rey quickly brought her staff around and took him and his partner out. When they both were on the ground, she stretched out her hands to each of them, clutching with the Force around their necks. "You were saying?" Rey asked as the sentries clutched at their necks.

"Ten portions for both," Unkar said as he glared at the girl.

Rey clutched a little harder. The sentries both coughed up blood, some dribbling from one's nose. "Again?"

"Ten portions. You don't have the nerve to kill, little girl."

Rey closed her eyes, taking in a sharp breath, letting the anger fuel her. She clenched harder, shutting the sounds out of her ears as she prepared to kill the men for her portions.

"Rey, stop! This is not the way." Ani said. "Rey, stop! These men don't deserve to die. Please don't choose this path."

"Why not? You did?" Rey said seemingly to no one as she released her grip.

"The dark path seems right at the time, but it is all lies," Ani coaxed. "Please, let go of your anger."

"Go away. Just go away. I'm going to make my own choices from now on."

Unkar looked at her dumb-founded. He handed her ten portions. "Take your portions and go, Scavenger. And take your ghost with you."

"He's not my ghost." Rey shoved the portions into her bag, upset that she only had ten-and-a-half portions left. It would get her through three weeks if she stretched it, but that was all.

Rey headed back to her walker, wanting more than anything to take the X-wing up in a flight to clear her head. Hunger won over pleasure as she pulled up to her home. She felt very weary as she climbed into her hammock, so weary she almost could not remember her own name. All she could knew was that she was a scavenger.

When Rey drifted off to sleep, Ani apparated into the walker. He held his hand over her head and sent her into a deep Jedi trance. "Rey, forgive me. Forgive me for ever teaching you about the Force. Forgive me for what I'm about to do. I love you, Granddaughter, and I will not let you go down the dark path—never. How will you ever save your brother if you do? How will you ever balance the Force?"

Rey stirred a bit at his words, hearing and yet not hearing. Ani sent the Force deep into her mind, activating a Jedi mind-wipe. He very carefully sought the memories he wanted to erase—anything about the Force. He implanted the thought that the Force was a myth. He blocked all knowledge on how to use it. He blocked all knowledge of himself and ghosts and Vader.

Lastly, although it hurt him so badly to do it, he removed every thought about her family except the memory of her mother leaving her on Jakku. She would not remember the vids, her father, her uncle, the droids, or even anything more of her mother.

That hurt Ani the most, as the memory of his mother was the one thing that kept him stable while he was a Padawan. Ani just hoped that her earliest memories of her mother would be enough. If he did this correctly, she would remember enough to survive on Jakku.

Ani was certain that proper stimuli would also bring some of this knowledge back. He knew she would meet her Uncle Luke one day. He also knew that someone had wiped Rey's mind of her earliest life on . . . on Naboo?

So Leia had taken her to Naboo. Living in a cottage when by right she should have lived in the Palace of Theed. My poor Rey. My poor Leia. My poor Padmé. And now, I have none of you.

Ani sent off across the galaxy to his son, Luke, she's all yours now. Show her the light.