The Last Jedi: The Spark of Rebellion

The New Ruling Order

REY (Canto Bight)

"Are you sure we should go down there?" I ask Poe, wiping the sweat off my brow. The roof of the flat building we're on is covered in tiny grey rocks that give off heat from being under the sun. There is heat from below and heat from above. My clothes feel itchy but I'm not about to complain, when Poe is wearing a leather flight jacket and heavier boots than me.

He struggles with the round handle of a heavy lid covering an opening in the roof. I glance down over the edge of the building, at the escape ladder we climbed up on. Walking through the industrial area proved impossible, with all the barricades and fences. The only way to the other side now is through the buildings. 

I look up, shielding my eyes from the sun with my hand. If we get caught trespassing we'll never make it to the Quarren seafood restaurant on time to meet the Rebels. If only there was a way to get a message to them and let them know we are here. I look out across the glistening city in the distance and the sight fills me with hope.

Maybe what you're looking for is already with you. General Organa's words come back to me and I smile. Somehow it feels like what I've been searching for is here, not inside of me, the way I imagine the General meant, but here, on Canto Bight. The closer we get to the city, the more I sense it. Something or someone is here and I'm so close. Could it be my parents? I push the thought away. I don't want to hope too much. I'm too familiar with the disappointment that follows such hope.

With a loud grunt Poe gets the lid off and it falls onto the tiny rocks. A cloud of steam rises out of the round opening and I cover my face. Poe looks down and I move in closer to have a look. The air coming up isn't steam but cool air. I can't see to the bottom, but I do see a ladder leading down. Poe and I look at each other.

"Should we see where it leads?" Poe asks.

"We don't really have any other options," I say.

Poe rests his arm on the rim of the opening, still breathing hard from the exertion of removing the heavy lid. He squints towards the horizon. "How long do you think it will take us to get to the Quarren restaurant?"

"I think once we're past the industrial area, it will be an easier trek."

I jump into the opening and start to climb down the ladder, before Poe can offer to go first.

"Careful," he says. I nod and hold back my reply. I'm the Force sensitive one, after all.

The cool air wafting up is refreshing and I shiver with the sudden change of temperature. The cylinder passageway goes down for a while. I climb slowly, not sure what to expect when I reach the bottom. Poe's boots clatter on the rungs above me.

A light starts to fill the passageway from below as I get lower. The passage opens up to the rafters above a warehouse-like area. I drop down onto the metal rafters with a bang, rattling the entire structure. My pulse races as I look down from the height I'm at. It's hard to tell how sturdy the rafters are or how much weight they can support.

I look up to see Poe. He takes a jump down before I can tell him to wait, and the rafters rattle again, shaking me off balance.

"Whoa." Poe steadies himself. "Are these safe to walk on?"

"Let's hope so," I say.

Suddenly the dim lighting of the large warehouse building turns bright, as all the overhead lights come on. Poe puts his forefinger to his lips to indicate that we should be quiet. I nod and we both lower down slowly to crouching position.

"These are the personal sized weapons," a voice echoes into the building. Now that the lights are on I can see that the tables below are covered with various sized guns, from massive ones that look too large to even lift, to tiny hand held guns small enough to put in your pocket.