The Last Jedi: The Spark of Rebellion

Lost, and Found (New Chapter)

REY

A humming sound pulls me from sleep. It's the first thing I hear. Then voices. One, a male voice and the other a female, over a speaker. Light shines through my closed eye-lids from above. It reminds me of the Jakku sun. Only it's cold here, and noisy with the sound of an engine. I try to move my fingers and toes, feeling stiff.

"Is it a mirage?" 

It's Rose. When did she get back? Then I remember. Finn tranquilized me! Betrayal washes over me, then anger. I lie still and listen, not quite ready to jump up and start a fight.

"What's a mirage?" Finn asks. The sound of his voice intensifies my hurt feelings of betrayal. Why would he do this to me? I'll be nauseous for hours after being tranquilized.

"Just pull in closer," Rose says. "So we can see."

I feel the ship sway to the right.

"It doesn't read on the monitoring equipment. Technically, it's not even there."

"But we can see it."

"What if it's an illusion of some sort? Like a trap?"

I open my eyes and squint up at a service light above me. I look around. I'm in an escape pod, laying across the two seats in the back. My head feels heavy as I turn it to look towards the front. There is a planet displayed on the view screen, mostly blue.

"There are no signs of the Ruling Order anywhere near here at least," Finn says. "Should we land on the planet?"

"What about the army base we were headed for? We can't just land on an uninhabited planet."

"How do you know it's uninhabited?"

"There are no buildings or signs of intelligent life."

"I'm picking up lots of animal bio-signs. How do you know they're not intelligent?"

"The army base  might have already been taken over by the Ruling Order. I can't get into contact with them anymore. This planet looks like a safer place to hide."

"The atmosphere looks agreeable," Rose says, pushing a few buttons on the console in front of her. "But we have no idea what's down there."

I sit up and suddenly my stomach heaves. I grab the nearest thing I can find to throw up in.

"Hey! My jacket!" Finn yells.

Serves you right, I think.

"Rey!" Rose turns in her seat. "Are you alright?"

"No," I snap. "You drugged me and took me against my will!"

"It was Finn who drugged you," Rose mumbles.

"Did he also carry me all the way to a shuttle pod by himself?"

Rose looks down and I feel bad for yelling. She was likely doing what she thought was best.

"Just take me back," I say in a softer voice. "I should have the choice whether or not I want to fight for those who can't." I suddenly think of Temiri and General Leia. Will they think I abandoned them? "What about the others?" I add. "What about Temiri? Were you going to leave them all behind to die?"

My words hang in the air between us. Rose remains silent, sitting rigid in her seat and looking out at the planet ahead.

Finally Finn says, "I don't know. I was only thinking of you."

Suddenly Rose grabs the navigator handle from Finn and turns the escape pod in a different direction.

"Hey!" Finn says, but Rose pushes him aside.