Star Wars: I Am a Slave ✓

Chapter 39 - Hyperspace

While Han was firing up the hyperdrive on the back panels, Rey hurried past him, jumping into the co-pilot's seat. Rey reached over to the fuel pump on the pilot's console and informed, "Unkar Plutt installed a fuel pump, too—if we don't prime that we're not going anywhere." She flicked switches, priming the fuel pump and bringing up the sublight engines.

Han, flipping some more switches, agreed, "I hate that guy."

As Han turned to her, Rey added with a smirk, "And you could use a co-pilot."

Han gestured to the medbay, "I got one, he's back there."

An injured Wookiee. He's no help to you back there, Solo, thought Rey silently. I just hope we can get off this ship and out of this system before anyone else can stop us.

Han sat in the pilot's seat and moved the thruster lever forward. He hit a few more controls while informing, "Watch the thrust, we're goin' out of here at lightspeed—"

Wait! Did he just say we're make the jump to hyperspace from inside the landing bay? We're going to get cooked! This guy is either a genius or crazy, and I'm afraid it's—

Rey's thoughts were interrupted as a Rathtar latched onto the cockpit screen, its mouth forming a seal on the glass. Both Han and Rey jumped, startled. Rey screamed, scared!

Han remarked, "This is not how I thought this day was gonna go—angle the shields!" Rey stood up and flicked the switches above her head. The ship bucked as blaster bolts hit the shielding. Come on, we've got to leave now! thought Rey, but she knew that it was the wrong time to air her thoughts. Han already knew that and did not need to be nagged. They had to wait for the navacomputer to finish its calculations.

Han turned the wheel to align the Falcon for launch. "Come on baby, don't let me down!" Han hit the hyperdrive activator switch, but the Falcon only made a whining noise. Han looked at the panels, confused. "What?!"

Rey pointed at his console and softly instructed, "Compressor." He must be barmy.

As Han hit the compressor switch, the hyperdrive fired into activation, blasting the hangar and the Falcon into lightspeed and ripping the rathtar off the cockpit screen. As the Falcon sped into lightspeed, Rey was mesmerized by the blue lights the stars made. It's like nothing I could have ever imagined, so beautiful, so peaceful, so right—

The cockpit instantly filled with smoke and sensors beeped incessantly as a fuse blew. Han announced while pointing at the panel above Rey's head, "Electrical overload!"

Rey stood, pulling the cover off the panel, and stated, "I can fix that!"

Han turned to his panel and read as the alarm continued beeping, "Coolant's leaking."

Rey turned back to him, thinking. She suggested, "Try transferring auxiliary power—"

The both finished in unison again, "—to secondary tank." Han stated, "I got it!" We're thinking together again, thought Rey. Who is this guy? And why do I feel I know him, yet I know I've never met him before?

Finn mentioned something from the back about Chewie, but Rey did not catch it. If I can just bypass that stupid compressor! I should have followed my instincts years ago—wait, years ago? Did I know I would steal this ship? I definitely remember that I had planned to remove that compressor . . . and the fuel pump . . . when I stole . . . my? ship? That doesn't make any sense at all. This was Unkar's ship, and now it's Han's. And it rightly belongs to him. Maybe if we make it through this, he'll let me work on this ship with him and Chewie.

Han broke into Rey's thoughts, "This hyperdrive blows, there are gonna be pieces of us in three different systems!"

Rey pulled something hard out of the panel, and the alarm subsided. The hyperdrive chimed as it normalized. Rey sat in the co-pilot's seat with the piece in her hand. Han looked up at her, amazed and unsure of what she did. Han asked, "What'd you do?"

Rey held up the piece, a square chip with wires trailing, and smiled joyfully as she explained, "I bypassed the compressor!" She knew she had just saved their lives, and a part of her wanted Han's approval.

Han's eyes questioned her decision, shocked. All he said was, "Huh."

Why that low-down, stuck-up, scruffy looking, nerf-herder! I just risked electrical burns and saved all of our lives—not to mention his precious ship—and he can't even say, "Thank you"? I should have known better than to think we had some sort of connection. Wrong again, Rey. Stick to yourself, and no one can hurt you.

Han exited the cockpit, ordering, "Move, Ball," to BB-8.

Rey stared out into the light of hyperspace, immersing herself in the energy field. She bit back the tears of rejection. You're a fool, Rey! You don't need the approval of anyone. Just get on with your life and get back to Jakku, she thought. But his reaction still stung. Something within her craved his approval. Why would it even matter to have a washed-up smuggler's approval? she wondered. And yet she could not deny this connection she felt to this man, even if he could not feel it.

In the empty cockpit she heard the voice again. It was the voice of a young man, but it was not Finn's. She could hear Finn in the back with Han and Chewie. "He's afraid," said the voice. "He's afraid of being hurt by the ones he loves. And he's afraid to hurt them, too."

"Who are you?" asked Rey, tired of these games. The voice refused to answer, though.

~C