Rebel

Chapter 4

We stop at a crashed star destroyer and get off the speeder. I look up at the huge sand dune we would have to climb to get to what used to be the engines. I look back at Rey. She looks at me and smiles, "Start climbing!" She says brightly.
"Yay." I said sarcastically, but I start to climb up the dune. A few minutes later we reach the top, Rey not even breaking a sweat "You do this everyday?" I ask. Rey nods. Then we hear a shrill beeping, we look over the edge of the dune where BB-8 is kicking up sand attempting to make it up the dune. "BB, just wait there! We'll be back in a bit!" I call down, BB-8 gives an angry beep but goes back to the shade of the speeder.
"Come on." Rey says, turning we walk into the shadows of the star destroyer.
——
"Over there, two steps left!" I call up to Rey who had climbed up the inside of the destroyer, "There should be a panel, open it!" She steps left and the ledge gives way. "REY!" I shout, luckily she still had a hand hold on the metal sticking out above her. I watch worriedly as she moves nimbly over to where I had directed, she didn't seem phased at all. "Does this happen often?" I ask.
"Yeah. Thanks for worrying." Rey calls down to me, sticking her tongue out at me.
"Well I'm sorry I wanted you to stay alive." I tease, Rey gives a shout of triumph as the panel she was working on came away.
"Watch your head!" She calls down as the panel falls, too close for comfort.
"Thanks for the warning!" I say sarcastically.
"Anytime!" She laughs, "I'm sure glad I saved you! These parts are worth at least a quarter portion each!"
"I know my way around!" I said, happy that I could be of some help. Rey puts the parts in her bag and jumps, I give a shriek, but then see she has grabbed an old cord hanging from the ceiling. She lands on the ground, the sound echoing around the empty ship.
"Did I scare you?" Rey said, smirking as she takes off her mask. I hit her playfully.
"Of course not. I'm sure you jump from high places all the time." She jabs my side, "Watch the side!" I say, giving a little gasp.
"Sorry." She says sheepishly. We walk out of the star destroyer, Rey grabs a metal canister that stored the water, she offers me some.
"Thank you." I say taking the canister, I take a small sip, she was the one doing all the work, and there wasn't much. I hand it back and she drinks the rest of it, hitting the side to get the last drops, the noise echoing off the sand dunes around us. "How are we getting down?" I ask, curiously Rey takes a round piece of metal she had brought up, setting it on the sand and sitting down, motioning for me to get on.
"This is the fun part." She says, I look at the makeshift sled, then back at her.
"Your kidding."
"Nope!" She says, "Come on!" I sit down behind her, she grabs my hands putting them around her waist. I blush furiously, "You might want to hold on." She says, pushing off, we race down the hill.
I give an excited whoop of joy, we slow to a stop at the bottom of the dune, "That was amazing!" I said, smiling.
"I knew you would like it!" Rey says, helping me up. We take the parts off the sled and stick them in the net on the side of the speeder. BB-8 comes rolling up behind me and shocks me with a blue spark.
"Hey!" I say turning, he gives an angry beep, going on about how we had left him. "If you don't be quiet we'll leave you here too." That did the trick because BB-8 was silent the whole way to Nima Outpost.
——
"Don't give up hope." Rey tells BB-8, setting him down from his spot on the speeder, "He still might show up. Whoever it is you're waiting for." She pauses for a minute, "Classified." She adds, smiling. I help Rey grab the scavenged parts as she talks to BB-8, "I know all about waiting." BB-8 chirps curiously, he didn't know about Rey's parents. "For my family." She explains, "They'll be back. One day. Come on." She leads the way through the outpost, we stop to clean the parts, if they look better they'll get a higher price. They we continue to a stand where a very large Crolute, Rey puts the parts we found on the stand. The Crolute takes them and inspects them.
"These five pieces are worth, Let me see here... hmm... one half portion."  He says.
"Last week they were a half portion each." Rey says annoyed.
"What about the droid?" He says, interrupting Rey. I step forward, still silent, but ready to fight if the Crolute tries anything.
"What about him?" Rey says, pushing me back ever so slightly with her hand. I got the message, not now.
"I'll pay for him." The Crolute says, reaching and grabbing little packages, slamming them down on the counter, behind us other scavengers murmur in surprise, "Sixty portions." Rey steps forward, reaching out at all the food, probably more than she's ever had, I think. She looks at BB-8.
"Actually..." she says looking back at the Crolute, "The droid's not for sale." She takes the half portion, "Come on." She says to us, and we walk away. We walk in silence for a minute.
"Thank you. I know how hard that must have been." I say to Rey, I had grown fond of the little droid and I'm sure Rey had too, selling him to the Crolute would have probably resulted in the droid getting dismantled for parts. Rey gives me a nod and crouches down to talk to BB-8.
"Monaki anna droid, Unklar Plutt." A man comes up to Rey and I, Rey stands up, as the other man puts a bag over BB-8.
"What?" She says, turning and seeing the bag over BB-8, "Oí, get off him!" She says kicking the man trying to capture BB-8, I rush forward as the first thug grabs Rey, she gives a yelp, kicking out, she bites his arm and he gives a cry of pain. I grab the second thug who had gotten up, getting a hit to the face, I turn back around and kick the thug.
"Rey!" I call, she tosses me her staff and I hit the thug in the legs, knocking him down, I toss the staff back to Rey as the first thug comes up behind her, the thug grabs the staff pinning her until she twists and wacks him with it, she hits him again and he fall down, unconscious. "Nice." I say, I turn back around and make sure the second thug is really down.  BB-8 chirps inquisitively and Rey quickly kneels and takes off the canvas covering BB-8.
"They work for Unklar." Rey says, "That guy that wanted you. He must have really wanted you."
"Re-" BB-8 interrupts me with a sharp squeal, then starts to chip rapidly to Rey, something about his masters jacket.
"Who?" Rey says, BB-8 turns and looks at a man with dark skin with a brown leather jacket.
"Him?" I ask, BB-8 beeps a confirmation. Rey and I look at him, he looks around as if to see if there is anyone else around. We both start to run at the man, he stumbles back, and then takes off running, turning around the corner, "Corner him!" I say to Rey she nods and tosses me her staff before running after the man, my side throbs painfully, not happy with my activities. I catch the man with the tip of Rey's staff as he comes around the corner. He grunts and falls on his back, Rey coming to a skidding halt.
"Nice." She says to me, I hand her back her staff which she points at his chest.
"What's your hurry, their?" She asks angrily.
"What? Their?" He exclaims, BB-8 comes rolling up beside the man, zapping him, "Ow! Hey, what?"
"The jacket." Rey says.
"This droid says you stole it." I explained.
"I've had a pretty messed up day, all right?" The man says, "So I'd appreciate it if you stop accusing me of-" he is cut off as BB-8 zaps him again, "Ow! Stop it!" The man yells at BB-8.
"Where'd you get it?" Rey asks, getting impatient, "It belongs to his master." A look of sadness crosses the man's face, he looks up at the ceiling of the tent they were under.
"It belonged to Poe Dameron." The man says,  "That was his name, right?" He asked, looking at BB-8, BB-8 looks at Rey and I confirming the fact, looking back at us, "He was captured by the First Order, I helped him escape, but our ship crashed." He says  he looks back at BB-8, "Poe didn't make it." BB-8 looks at the ground, giving a sad beep. "I tried to help him. I'm sorry." The man says. BB-8 rolls away, I follow him, letting Rey deal with the man, as I walk away I hear Rey ask.
"So you're with the Resistance?" I crouch down in front of BB-8.
"Come on buddy," I say, pushing his head up so his camera looks at me, "it will be okay. You have us now, I'll try to find a home of my own and help Rey, we'll look after you." I look up and see stormtroopers asking a trader questions, "Go warn Rey!" I whisper, BB-8 rolls off, and I crouch behind some crates, the man and Rey come up behind me, we watch as the thugs speak to the stormtroopers, they turn towards us, raising their blasters. The man grabs Rey's hand.
"What are you doing?" She asked annoyed.
"Come on." He says, pulling Rey after him, "Come on BB-8 and other crazy lady!" BB-8 rolls and I run after them, the blaster wound sends sharp waves of pain though my body, it will be worse if we get captured or killed. I tell myself and keep running, we run through the stands.
"Let go of me!" Rey exclaims.
"Come on, we gotta move!" The man said.
"I know how to run without you holding my hand!" Rey jerks her hand out of the man's grasp, "BB-8, Alex, stay close!" Rey says, taking the lead, "This way!" She says rounding a corner.
"Come on! The man says, Rey runs into a tent, BB-8 and I close on her heels.
"They're shooting at all of us." Rey said,
"Yeah. They saw you with me. You're marked." The man said rifling through the stuff in the tent,
"Well, thanks for that." I say to the man, annoyed.
"Hey!" The man said, turning shaking a finger at us, "I'm not the one who chased you down with a stick."
"Your fault." I shoot back as BB-8 chirps Rey and I go over to talk with him.
"Does anyone have blasters around here?" The man shouts.
"Are you okay?" Rey asks looking at BB-8 then me, "Both of you?"
"Fine." I pant, BB-8 chirps something.
"Bleeding? What?" Rey looks at BB-8 who was looking at me, Rey and I followed his gaze, my side was soaked with blood.
"I'll be fine." I said, pressing my hand to my side wincing. BB-8 starts to beep again.
"Shh!" The man shushes BB-8, we hear the signature TIE fighter sound. The man grabs Rey's hand.
"Stop taking my hand!" She exclaims as the man pulls her out of the tent, I follow with BB-8 pushing at my legs. We run out of the tent as the TIEs fire, sending us flying in a burst of sand, I fall on my back and then nothing.