The Last Jedi: The Spark of Rebellion

Saving the Millennium Falcon: Part Three

REY

"What's wrong with R2?" Finn runs into the room, glancing at me like I have the answers. Rose follows in after him and I slip the golden dice into my pocket, so I won't lose it. I'll have to ask Rose if she has a leather string I could use.

"He just started repeating this," I say. We stop and listen.

"What's he saying?" Rose asks.

"Did R2 have a software upgrade?" Finn kneels down and looks him over.

"Yes." 

General Leia steps into the room. "What's all the commotion about?"

"R2 is transmitting some sort of Ruling Order signal," Finn says.

"What about BB-8?" I say, suddenly thinking of Poe.

We all look to the General.

"You're right, he could also be experiencing these technical issues," she says to me. "We have to contact Poe."

"He's out of comm range." Finn unlocks a tiny door on R2D2 and switches him off. His transmission beeps fade away. The sound makes my stomach tighten. Do you know why my best friend is a robot? Poe had said. Because robots don't die.

"What if he doesn't return with Maz?" I say, my heart beating faster in my chest. If Maz doesn't come to deactivate the bomb on the Millennium Falcon...

"I don't think we should count on Poe's return as our only hope," General Leia says. "We need to be prepared for anything."

There is a moment of silence as everyone seems to be thinking.

"Should we return to Canto Bight?" Finn asks.

"No!" I glare at him. "We should at least wait until Poe is within comm range. He could be heading back here. We can't just abandon him."

"He's safe," Finn says. "We're the ones with a bomb attached to us. And we're running out of time."

"He'll come," I say.

"What about the Code Breaker?" Rose says. "You know, the Plom Bloom guy? Would he still be in Canto Bight?"

"We'd be putting the entire planet at risk, by returning there," Leia says.

"Then we'll have to land on a nearby planet here somewhere and try and diffuse this thing ourselves."

"Rose is right," General Leia says. "Go find the nearest planet with an uninhabited area to land on and prepare us to go there, in case we need to."

Rose and Finn both leave. I'm at a loss as to what I can do to help.

The General walks over and holds out her hand. "Take a seat, Rey," she says.

I sit on a bench and she joins me. She sets her hand onto mine.

"Did Luke show you how to reach out, with the Force?" she asks, her eyes searching mine.

I nod.

"Good." She pats my hand. "I think this would be one of those times when we need to reach out beyond ourselves for a solution. Let's try together." She closes her eyes and I do the same.

As soon as my eyes are closed I'm immediately aware of the ship around us. Leia's own Force sensitivity strengthens mine. I'd forgotten that she also has this Force ability. She saved herself after being blasted out into space when the Resistance cruiser was destroyed. Yet she never uses her Force powers, not that I've seen. I want to ask her more questions, but we're already moving past the ship and reaching out into space, farther and farther.