Across The Stars // Star Wars (Sequels)

✰Chapter 8✰

"H-He turned?" Mom asks, her voice a mere whisper. Tears trickle down her face as my father tightly holds her hand in his.

"I'm so sorry, Mom," I say quietly, fumbling with the edge of my robe. The silence in the room is killing me and I can't look at them, knowing I'll start crying myself.

"And what about you? Did you finish your training?" Dad asks softly.

I nod. "Yeah."

"I'm proud of you, kid," he says, getting up to wrap me in a tight hug.

Outside, I hear an all too familiar sound and seconds later, the door is slammed open. Chewbacca enters and roars excitedly.

I giggle as he throws his arms around me and lifts me from the floor. "It's good to see you too, Chewie," I laugh. He puts me down and ruffles my hair. I used to hate it when he did that, but right now, it's exactly the amount of nostalgia I need.

"Mom, Luke told me something when I left." I turn back to my mother. She quickly wipes away her tears and gives me her full attention. "He said that he and I are the last of the Jedi and that we need to be extra careful, especially with the First Order out there. I think it's smart not to tell anyone I'm a Jedi until the time is right," I say.

She nods solemnly. "I agree," she says. "But your brother knows, so he'll try to find you."

I shrug softly. "Let him try." I let out a breath. "Do you maybe have some normal clothes lying around that I could wear?" I ask, motioning to my Jedi outfit. If I'm lucky, the only people seeing me in my robes were the two men at the landing platform.

"Yes, of course. Here," she says, standing up to take me to her bedroom. She takes a pair of wide, black pants, a plain yellow shirt and a grey jacket from her closet that she lets me put on. I'm about the same height as her so it fits great. I put my Jedi robes and my Lightsaber in a box and dump them under my bed.

"Why don't you explore for a little bit while I talk to your father?" Mom asks me when I return, running her hands down my arms. I smile solemnly, knowing she's going to break as soon as I step out the door. She doesn't want me to see how much she's hurting, but I know exactly how she feels.

I nod. "I'll see you later." I offer her a smile before walking out of the house. The sun has started shining and it feels warm on my skin. I look around and realise I haven't been around this many people in a long time. Everywhere I look, I find people walking, talking and working. This is not just any settlement, this is the Resistance.

I exhale slowly before heading down the street, my hands in my pockets. I end up near the hangars where a bunch of pilots are working on their X-Wings.

"Raven? Raven Solo?" a voice behind me says and I turn around, seeing a dark-haired man walking toward me. I have trouble recognising him but when he stands in front of me, my jaw drops.

"Poe Dameron? Is that really you?" I gape.

"What are you doing here? I thought you left for good?" he asks, a wide smile brightening his face.

I shrug. "I came back," I say with a smile. "It's so good to see you. How have you been?"

"I've been great, actually. I'm a pilot now," he says, chuckling. "How about you? Where have you been all these years?"

I hesitate for a moment, not knowing whether or not to trust him. "I've been all over the galaxy. I think I've seen most of the planets," I say with a chuckle.

Poe shakes his head, laughing softly. "Always the adventurer," he says. "Where's your brother?"

I shortly clench my jaw. "He's not here. He's still out there. Somewhere," I mutter, looking up at the sky for a second.

I feel something bounce against my leg and I glance down, finding a white and orange droid looking up at me. "Oh, hello," I say, kneeling down to greet him. "Who's this little guy?" I ask Poe.

"That's BB-8, he's my buddy," he says, kneeling down next to me. "Isn't that right, pal?" He holds out a fist and BB-8 bumps the top of his head against it. I laugh softly. BB-8 beeps a few times.

"What did he say?" I ask.

"He says that it's nice to meet you and that you look very pretty," Poe tells me.

I raise a brow at him. "Were those BB-8's words or did his master add his classic Dameron flair?" I ask with a smirk. Even before I left with Luke, Poe had been popular with the girls in the settlement.

An actual blush creeps up his neck as he laughs, rubbing the back of his neck. "100 per cent BB-8," he says.

"Okay," I giggle, playfully pushing his arm. I tuck a strand of black hair behind my ear. "So, would you mind giving an old friend a tour of the place?"

"Absolutely. This way!" The two of us rise up and he shows me around, introducing me to a bunch of important people that look vaguely familiar. I only truly recognise Admiral Ackbar, until we arrive at the main building where dozens of people are keeping tabs on everything in the galaxy.

"Mistress Solo!" an excited robotic voice says and I turn around, finding the golden robot that Ben and I used to love to tease when we were younger.

"C-3PO!" I smile broadly. "It's so good to see you."

"Likewise. I remember the day you and your brother left as if it were yesterday," he says. "Speaking of your brother, did Master Solo come with you?"

"No, he's not here," I say, forcing a smile.

"Will he be joining us soon?"

"Okay, 3PO, that's enough," Poe says. He must've noticed the haunted look in my eyes.

"Ah, I apologise," the droid says. "I must be going on my way now. It was lovely catching up with you, Mistress Solo."

"3PO, how many times have I told you to call me Raven?" I ask him with a playful roll of my eyes.

"I can't help it. It's my protocol," he says.

I chuckle. "See you around."

Poe and I exit the building and we stroll down the path back home. Suddenly, a sharp pain shoots through my brain and I let out a groan, clenching my eyes shut.

"Rave? Raven, are you okay?" I vaguely hear Poe's voice in the background.

It takes a few minutes, but the pain disappears as quickly as it appeared.

"What was that?" Poe asks.

I shake my head to get rid of the black spots dancing in front of my eyes. "Nothing, I'm fine," I say.

"The hell you are. What just happened?" he presses.

"I don't know. I just got a headache," I say, rubbing my forehead to get rid of the ache. "I'll be fine."

"Okay, but maybe you should have that checked out," he says.

I nod. "I will," I assure him. "Actually, I need to take care of something. Can I catch you later?"

"Yeah, of course," he says. "I'll see you around."

I offer him a smile before rushing back home. I find a note of the table saying that Mom and Dad went back to the base. I travel upstairs and end up in my old room. It still looks the way I left it all those years ago. I sit down on my bed and cross my legs. I shut my eyes and drain out all of the sounds around me. "Be with me and I'll be with you," I say to myself and when I open my eyes, Anakin Skywalker is casually leaning against the wall.

"You called?" he asks with a smirk.

"Don't flatter yourself. I need your help," I say. "I think Ben is trying to reach out to me. I felt him earlier."

"And you don't want to talk to him?" Anakin asks, crossing his arms.

"No, not at all. And more importantly, he can't figure out where I am," I say. "How do I shut him out?"

He frowns. "Why are you asking me?" he asks, tilting his head to the side.

"You have experience with the Dark Side. There must be something you know," I urge, leaning forward on the bed.

He exhales through his nose. "Okay, I might have an idea."