42. That was her number. Now with the resistance, 42 must cover her past life which proves difficult when she cannot tell her true name. And that Dameron guy . . . He needs to stop asking questions.
Follows The Rise of Skywalker
Rey activated her lightsaber and began marching through the tunnel.
I gritted my teeth in anger with myself. I had broken the Mandalorian code. But it was only one person, I tried to reason . . . I scolded myself mentally. I couldn't show my face to any living thing. That was the rule and I had broken it. It had been an accident, of course.
But what was I to do? Kill Dameron? I didn't think I could bring myself to do so, especially in front of his friends.
I sighed beneath my helmet, conflicted.
"You okay, 42?" Rey asked.
"Yeah," I lied. "I fell on my arm wrong, that's all."
Poe looked over to me.
I glared at him sharply from behind my visor.
His head snapped back to look forward quickly. He continued without a word.
So, maybe I could trust him . . .
"So what was it you wanted to tell me?" Rey began softly. She was talking to Finn ahead of Poe and I.
"When?" Finn asked.
"When you were sinking in the sand, you said, 'I never told you—' Rey trailed off.
My head must have been under the sand for that part.
"I'll tell you later," said Finn.
"You mean when Poe's not here?" Poe butt in.
"Yep, mhmm," Finn mumbled, annoyed.
Rey pushed past the men's bickering.
"So we're going to die in the sand burrows and we're all keeping secrets?" Poe grumbled. He moved on down the tunnel.
"I'll tell you when you tell us about all the shifty stuff you do!" Finn pushed.
Poe rolled his eyes and pressed on.
"I do not want to know what made these tunnels," Dameron said, shining his light onto a branching cave.
"Well," C3-PO began. "Judging by the circumference of the walls—"
"I said I do not want to know. Not," Poe repeated, irritated. "What's that?" he said suddenly. He moved his light over to something buried in the sand.
"A speeder?" Finn guessed.
"An old one," Rey confirmed.
"Perhaps we'll find the driver," I said. I brushed off the hood. Upon the front of the speeder was an emblem I recognized. "The hex charm," I announced, pointing to it.
"What is it?" Rey asked.
"A common emblem of the Sith loyalists," I explained.
This meant only one thing: we were screwed.
I did not deal with the Sith. They've always spelled bad news for the Madalorian. They think they can get us to work for them, bribe us into siding with them. And if you didn't comply, they removed your helmet to dishonor you before killing you.
"This was Ochi's?" asked Finn.
"Luke sensed it," Rey began. "Ochi never left this place."
"And he ended up down here?" I asked.
"He was headed for his ship," Poe began. "Same thing that happened to us happened to him."
"So how did Ochi get out?" asked Finn.
"He didn't," said Rey. Her eyes grew wide at the sight in the sand before her.
Ochi's remains. Untouched, now just bones. Covered in sand.
"Bones—I don't like bones," Poe gulped.
What a baby.
Rey stooped down and picked up something in the sand. It appeared to be an old dagger.
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"Horrible things . . . have happened with this," she breathed.
"I was riding on it," Poe said sarcastically. He crossed his arms and turned away from the pile.
"Perhaps I can translate?" said 3-PO. "Oh, the location of the Wayfinder has been inscribed on this dagger! It was the clue Master Luke was looking for."
"Okay, where's the Wayfinder?" I asked.
"I'm afraid I cannot tell you," said the droid.
"What? Twenty-three bazillion languages and you can't read that?" Poe countered.
"Oh I can read it, sir," 3-PO said. "I know exactly where the Wayfinder is. Unfortunately it is written in the runic language of the Sith."
"So what?" Rey argued.
"My programming forbids me from translating it."
I never have wanted to punch a droid more in my life.
