The Last Jedi

Just as Finn had charged into the persuit of the First Order Major, he started to analyze the scene before him. There were corpses all around, but he was happy to see that the manager of the Grand Canton was still breathing. He checked the injuries and noticed they were serious. He would need quick attention.

- "Please... help..."

- "I'll do what I can but until then you will have to bear with it"- said Poe as he changed his weapon to paralize.

- "I'll... pay you... please..."- begged the Gran with desperate eyes.

- "Sorry, it's simply bussiness... you understand of course"- said Poe and he shot at the manager making him go limp. He took a picture and sent it to the manager of the Luxurious casino.

He started to drag the paralized manager throughout the secret passage not before throwing thermal granades in order to seal the tunnel and cut any possible persuers to come after them.

- "My people will go to pick my brother up"- the manager of the Luxurious sent back as he followed the passage dragging the Gran who had thought he had trapped him and Finn.

After some minutes, Poe finally got out to the parking lot and waited after accomodating the body of the manager and making sure he was still breathing. At the same, time he could see the explosions all over the city as the Luxurious Canton initiated their massive all out attack on their eternal rival. The chaos in the streets as both armies clashed with each other in order to avenge years of built up rage and hatred was simply barbaric. Poe, however, had no bussiness in that as he already had done what he had to do. For now, it was necessary to finish his mission and return to his job. He called Finn.

- "How's the situation, Finn?"- he asked with a calm tone.

- "I'm in persuit of..."- Finn replied, but he stopped almost immediately.

- "What's wrong?"- Poe asked.

- "I'm being chased... wait!"- replied Finn and Poe could hear the sound of blasters.

They had received news of a possible force user and it seemed Finn had found him. Poe waited patiently until he recieved the last message.

- "I've been chased, and can't continue with the persuit."- said Finn who seemed to be ready to fight.

- "Leave that to me, focus on your survival."- said Poe and cut the transmission.

After that, he took a bomb activator and charged it. It showed a message that said "charged and ready."

- "Has he arrived?"- he asked after calling somone.

- "The hover has just landed and he is being received by a platoon, Captain."

- "I wish I could see the scene"- he said as he clicked the handle and he could hear the sound of a big explosion through the intercom.

- "The target and all enemy units have been eliminated, Captain."

- "Clean up the area and prepare to abandon the zone."

- "Yes, Sir!"

Poe smiled at imagining the stupid expression the major may have put when he heard the beeping coming from the briefcase where supposedly the schematics were contained. He walked to the place where the bodyguard of the major has fallen and he sighed.

- "Until when are you going to keep acting, Rose?"- asked Poe talking to the "corpse" of the bodyguard.

- "I'm a professional"- said the supposed dead bodyguard who stood up with no visible signs of injury..

- "Did you make the swap?"- asked Poe giving to follow up to her comment.

- "It's right here."- said Rose showing a chipcard which had been hidden on her clothes.

- "Good job"- said Poe receiving the chip and placing it in a special box.

It was at that instant that multiple hover vehicles arrived and landed on the parking lot. In less than a few seconds a small batallion of armed forces got out and secured the zone. A high ranking officer walked to Poe and greeted him.

- "It's a pleasure to see you again, Captain Dameron"- he said with a wide grin- "we came to pick up the misled young master of the family."

- "It's all yours"- said Poe pointing at the paralized manager- "however, he is injured and should be treated immediately."

- "We'll take care of that."- said the officer as he took out a tablet- "as per the negotiations, this is the formal contract, please check it."

Poe read the contract and saw no problems on it. The republic would definitely benefit if the manager of a powerful organization who made deals with the First Order was taken down. The luxurious would also gain monopoly and would allow the Republic to check the secret cargo the Grand Canton has in their vaults and given priority on the purchase or negotiation of anything of interest. The rest would go to the Luxurious as a payment for the operation. The contract also gave the Republic stocks on the Luxurious and VIP treatment for future services.

- "We hope to keep doing bussiness with you, Captain"- said the officer after Poe signed and then they shook hands- "please allow us to take you to a safe place."

Poe and Rose were given a limousine and were greeted by the same hostess that had received them originally and that had "mistreated" them. He simply greeted her as he received the call of Finn indicating he had eliminated the Knight of Ren and was waiting to be picked up.

- "With these all the objectives of the mission are cleared."- said Poe relaxing at least- "The schematics are in our hands, a knight of Ren had been eliminated, and we have secured the alliance with the Luxurious."

The plan had been prepared with months of anticipation. Rose had infiltrated the First order and managed to be placed as a bodyguard of the major in charge of the operation. They had deliberately leaked the plans to the First Order and prepared the ambush. They had hired the best hacker in the galaxy to cooperate with them and being taken as a prisoner for debts. They had managed to escape and create the chaos necessary for Rose to take the schematics out of the briefcase during the confusion. When the attack had started, the major had no time to check the contents and just ran away. Rose had "died" and with Poe eliminating the major and all his platoon, they had erased the evidence and the First Order would think the schematics had been lost at least for a time. The chaos also allowed their allies to gain absolute control of the city.

- "Captain, my master wishes to talk to you"

- "Please let the transmission in"

- "Captain Dameron, its a pleasure to make bussiness with you"- said a Gran who looked very similar to the manager of the Grand Canton. He showed a wide smile- "I had heard of your skills, but I must admit I doubted until now. I will never do so again."

- "The Republic hopes you do your part of the deal and do not commit the same mistake your brother did."- said Poe with a smile- "as long as we can benefit from each other, I'm sure we can establish a productive and thriving reletionship."

- "You can be assured we won't have any problem"- said the manager of the Luxurious- "I only care about bussiness and credits. As long as we can can have that, you will find no better bussiness partner.

Poe noticed that the explosions now had moved to the Grand Canton Casino. The forces that had landed on the parking lot were now breaching the casino.

- "You dont lose time, I see."

- "This is war, captain"- said the Gran manager and Poe could see a cold glint on his back eyes- "as you understand one should hit hard and use all the means to assure a victory. Now if you allow me I have a city to conquer."

Poe only heard his ominous laughter before he cut off the transmission. He wondered if they had made the right decision at leaving someone like him in charge of the planet, but he simply sighed and open his holotrasmiter once again.

- "General Organa, the mission has been a success!"

(...)

Somewhere in the Unknown Regions - Millennium Falcon

- "Leia, here"- answered General Leia who had retaken her title of general after stepping down as the supreme chancellor.

- "General Organa, the mission has been a success"- replied the holographic figure of Poe.

- "I'm glad to hear that, Poe"- said Leia shaking due to the violent movement inside the legendary frighter.

- "Is everything alright?"- asked Poe noticing the unusual situation.

- "Nothing to worry about, just some space turbulence"- replied Leia with a smile- "anything to report?"

- "We have accomplished all the objectives. We've got the schematics, we rooted out the First Order enclave and we have made sure our allied company is in charge of the planet. Finn also dispatched a knight of Ren that was hidden in the city."

- "Wonderful news, Poe"- said Leia extremly pleased- "please send my regards and keep me updated for the next part of the mission. We need to know what the First Order had in those vaults."

- "It will be done, General"- said Poe and then he ended the transmission.

- "Grrrrwaaahgh"- said Chewee who was now using all his expertise in order to fend off the attack of a group of bounty hunters who had ambushed them while traversing the Unknown Regions.

- "Sorry for that"- said Leia returning her hands to the control panel in front of her- "it was important..."

- "Geeeoorrrr gragggggeh"- said Chewee as he made a U-turn while evading the blasters of two starfighters behind them.

- "You heard him ladies"- said Leia as she adjusted the pressure and shields on the panel.

- "On it"- said the voice of Mara Jade who was manning one of the AG-2G Quad laser cannon- "just try to not move so much so I can lock on them better!"

- "If the furball could keep the ship steady for 4 seconds we would have make those hunters space dust already!"- said the annoyed voice of former First Order captain Phasma who was manning the other quad canon.

- "Grrrr graaaa Hyeee"- said Chewee with an indignant tone.

- "What's your status out there!"- asked Leia changing the comms.

- "Seven tangos eliminated"- said Luke Skywalker who was dancing around in his T-65B modified X-wing taking down bounty hunters very quickly.

- "Three enemies down"- said the voice of Rey who was working in combination with Luke in her own X-wing- "how can we be so unlucky to get caught by so many of them?"

- "They have been following us for a while"- said Luke taking down another starfighter- "I was wondering when they would get tired of waiting."

- "Wait, so this was your plan all along?"- said Rey surprised.

- "We needed to weed out our chasers before going to our destination."

- "So we were just going around in circles all this time?"

- "Pretty much"- said Luke and locked into one of the fastest startfighters and shot a proton torpedo which made the enemy ship blow up and caught another two in the explosion- "make sure not to let any of them escape."

- "This is a very important secret location that must not be revealed at any cost"- said Leia sounding extremely serious.

- "Roger!"- said Rey who felt a little annoyed for having to spend so much time on space in boredom, but at the same time understood the importance of keeping this place safe.

They had been almost a week in the Unknown regions, mostly stuck inside her fighter. She loved to fly, but after a while, anyone would get sick of just sitting down in your cockpit watching the infinite vastness of space. Even when they returned to the Falcon and let its tractor beams carry the two X-wings, there was not much to do inside the frighter. It had some games, especially Dejarik which was encouraged to be played by both Luke and Mara. She did not like it very much since she was by far the worst player, and Chewee showed an special interest in mopping the floor with her. Even Phasma who did not know how to play at first had already surpassed her.

- "As long as you have an strategic background, you can play the game decently"- she said after winning against Rey for the third time.

Maybe it was because she had accostumed to have a very active schedule which include a lt of physical training with both lightsabers and baton. However, since the Falcon had not much space for combat training, her training was more focused in Force control and meditation. Another positive aspect of this, though, was the opportunity to be able to receive Diplomacy lessons by Leia. Rey really enjoyed her approach in different topics and was amazed of how she seemed to be able to remember infinite topics and keep with the last news. She also wondered how could she practically be able to talk about any topic and adapt to the person she talked to and even manipulate them without them even noticing.

- "The Force not only is used to make physical feats"- explained Leia- "it can also help you with your mind and understand other people in ways they even they do not understand.. It can reveal many aspects of those people to you."

- "Can all the Jedi do that?"

- "To certain extent"- said Leia- "but some are more proficient than others"

- "Some are better at fighting"- said Mara- "while others are better at negotiating and diplomacy"

- "That's why in the past, Jedi were separated in classes which were the Guardian, Consular and the Sentinel"

- "What were the differences?"- asked Rey

- "I would be considered a Guardian"- said Mara- "my main focused is in combat in both the lightsaber and Force."

- "Many would say you could be a consular since you have just a deep connection with the Force."

- "That's why I said I would be considered..."

- "I would be considered a Consular, though I never took the trials to be considered a Jedi"- said Leia- "However, my studies of the Force are applied to use Diplomacy in order to achieve peace. My lightsaber skills are, to be very honest, lacking.

Rey looked at Luke with eagerness

- "Luke's case is special"- explained Mara- "he's so strong in both lightsaber and control of the Force that he could fit in any class, but I would put him in a Sentinel since he specializes in both aspects of the Force."

Rey stopped reminiscing when she was attacked in a pincer formation by two enemies. She evaded their attacks and immediately got rid of one assailant in front of her to then make a vault movement which allowed her to lock on the other enemy and dispatch it instantly.

- "All targets have been neutralized"- announced Luke- "Rey and me will secure the area. Chewee, use the sensors at max to make sure there are not rats around."

- "Grrreeee"

- "Sending the coordinates of the areas to check, Rey"- said Leia.

- "Understood"- said Rey and started to focus on her scouting the area.

Meanwhile, Leia changed the intercom to talk to Luke, and Mara in private.

- "What do you think?"- asked Leia- "do you think she's ready?"

- "She's doing much better"- said Luke knowing what his sister was talking about- "her time sparring with Phasma was really helpful. You really hit a jackpot, Mara."

- "You say it as if it were an unusual thing for me to be right..."- said Mara with a taunting voice.

- "Well..."- said Luke returning the taunting.

- "Could you lovebirds stop flirting and give me your opinions."

- "She's a natural and powerful Force user and her baton style of fighting will definitely adapt perfectly to a double-bladed lightsaber"- said Mara remembering the duels she witnessed against Phasma- "It is a shame we don't have access to a dualsabers.

- "It's one of the reasons we are taking her there with us"- said Luke with a tone of complete reassurance- "I'm sure she wil be able to construct one herself. She is more centered now and she will have the best environment and materials."

- "What about her connection to the dark side?"- asked Leia.

- "She has managed it much better since her lessons with Phasma"- said Mara- "Even though sometimes she still needs to work on it, she learning how to channel the dark thoughts in her mind and purge them as fuel in her attacks."

- "Isn't that dangerous?"- asked Leia who started to think in her own son who surely used the dark side to boost his power.

- "It is, but it is also the only way she will be able to learn how to control it."- said Luke with a serious tone- "she already tried to ignore it and also deny it, but it seems it's just too powerful to pretend it's not there."

- "The only path is for her to face it head on and put the darkness under her will"- complemented Mara- "Even though we did not allow her to study Vaapad along with Finn, she still read the principles and has really helped her to find a balance. Phasma's style is also based on emotions. Her clan puts everything on their techniques which complemented surprisingly well with the principles of Vaapad and the style Rey already knew from her baton master."

- "So she's on the correct path"- said Leia.

- "Only time can tell"- said Luke- "but she needs a change on environment to find herself."

- "That's why we are also taking her with us this time."- said Mara- "I'm sure she will deal with her problem better in that place."

- "Let's hope for the best then"- said Leia who observed the X-wing of Rey flying around- "even me who can't sense the Force as much as you can easily see the great potential she has."

- "If she manages to control her emotions and focus her dark side connection in the correct direction, she will be a force to be reckoned with."- said Luke.

- "Let's go then"

- "The area is secured"- said Rey and Luke, Mara and Leia smiled. She looked at Chewee and nodded.

- "Well done, Rey. Prepare to enter hyperspace"- said Leia sending the coordinates to Rey's system- "we'll go at my count."

The three spaceships entered hyperspace at the same time and Rey once again felt hypnotized by the shining tunnel she was able to witness in front of her.

- "Look at you, Rey"- she said to herself with a smile- "you are really a different person now."

Rey had definitely gone very far from her beginnings in Jakku where she was a lonely scraper with no future. Now she had become a force user, Republic Navy officer, and disciple of two of the best Jedi masters in the History of the galaxy with great prospects in her life. She had friends and allies who got her back and a purpose to guide her.

- "You can't stop here, Rey!"- said as she blasted another starfighter in fornt of her.

Even though she had felt stuck in her development in the Force lately, her training sessions with Mara and Luke had once again shown results. This was due to two factors that she could recognised. One was her sparring sessions with Phasma which had broken the wall that had stopped her progressed, and second was the encouragement of both Jedi masters to study Vaapad. They warned her not to go too deep but to study the principles in how the style used the dark side of the Force and negative emotions and think about how to incorporate it in her own style.

- "Everyone has to face their darkness"- had said Luke- "in your case it is more intense, but I'm sure you will be able to control it in the end."

And to her own surprise, it really helped, Vaapad had given her a lot of insights on how to control and put her darkness under control and even how to get rid of it. The sparring sessions with Phasma had shown her a path to get rid of her negative emotions through combat. Also, even though Phasma had never taught her techniques or even the principles behind her style, Rey had been able to recognize them through fighting. It was all falling into place and she sensed she was approaching a landmark. Which was why it was even more infuriating for her to not be able to have those sparring sessions anymore.

- "I really need a dualsaber!"- Rey said- "I'm sure I'll be able to get more breakthroughs with one."

Her research on dualblades had also gotten good results and she was ready to try again. She may fail once again, but this time she had the feeling that she would do much better. Her mind was clearer also and even though she knew she would not be able to get a powerful weapon such the one of Bastila Shan or Darth Maul's quadruple crystal baton, she knew that even a simple dual crystal one would help her reach the next stage in her training. Luke had said they had a furnace in the place they were going, so she could create her synthetic kyber crystals. She still wondered where they were going but she was looking forward to see it.

- "Rey, wake up..."- she opened her eyes and stratch a little. She had not noticed she had fallen asleep.

- "I'm here..."- she said with a sleepy voice- "have we arrived?"

- "Yes, we did!"- said Luke's voice- "we'll leave hyperspace in some minutes, so start the procedures."

- "Alright!"

Once they got out of hyperspace, she immediately felt amazed by the visage in front of her eyes. They had arrived to a very colorful and chaotic dimension which seemed to be made of plasma and nebulas in constant movement all around her. She was fascinated by this when her senses automatically pulled her attention to something in the middle of all this place. It was a single blue planet which demanded her unflinching attention. It was not because of its beauty or uniqueness since it looked like any other blue planet, but the thing that made Rey pay attention to it was the incredibly powerful presence of the Force on it. It was like a magnet that radiated pure and untamed clarity and purity. Even surrounded by all the chaos in the universe, the planet stood tall as a proud beacon of the Light side of the Force.

- "What's that?"- was the only thing she could say

- "Let's land first"- said Luke with a small giggle- "we'll answer all your questions later."

- "Here Millennium Falcon"- said Leia introducing the secret codes for permissions.

- "Identities verified and permissions granted"- said the voice of a woman on the other side- "please land on hangar 00768-GH. Welcome to Ahch-To."

- "Thank you"- said Leia and the three spaceships started their descend. Only then, Rey noticed they had been surrounded by some Interceptors ETA-5 and some strange X-wing models which were a little smaller of the normal versions and for some reason were not possible to detect by her own starfighter. However, it was also strange because Rey just noticed that they were piloted by people who had a strong connection with the Force.

- "Those fighters..."

- "Later, Rey"- said Luke once again- "all will be revealed in time."

Once they landed in the base, Rey descended from her cockpit and felt extremely satisfied at being able to put her feet in solid ground. The escort starfighters also landed and Rey could see the pilots which were very young and had robes similar to what Luke wore.

- "They are..."- Rey was about to tell her opinion when she felt another presence which was almost as powerful as Luke and Mara approaching them.

- "It's been a while"- said the newcomer with a radiant smile- "I'm so glad to see you all again."

It was female Togruta of orange skin. Her demeanor was once of elegance and authority. Her beautiful blue eyes radiated goodwill but also an unshakable will. Rey could feel her powerful connection with the Force and she knew she could not even move a finger if she tried to fight her. However, her aura was approachable and welcoming and Rey felt safe around her. She opened her arms and looked at the group.

- My name is Asohka Tano! Welcome to Ahch-To! Last bastion of the Light side in the galaxy and home of the last Jedi!