-Ahch-To- D-12 Quadrant - Unknown Region

"Again." Luke said in monotone through the pouring rain. With his eyes shut he sat in a cross-legged position, still as stone in spite of the water soaking him through. Above him dark storm clouds swirled, bellowing lightning and thunder over the island.

"I've b-b-been at this f-f-for hours," Rey shouted through chattering teeth as she got back to her feet. "Is there any r-r-reason we can't w-w-wait until the rain stops?"

Without opening his eyes or shifting his position he replied, "It can rain for days on end here and time isn't a luxury we have. Show me again."

"You're n-n-not even looking!" she exclaimed. "I thought the Jedi were supposed to use a l-l-lightsaber! I've been s-s-swinging at invisible opponents in this m-m-miserable weather for the better part of a day and have n-n-nothing to show for it!"

"You're not a Jedi," he said. "Do you feel you can best me in combat?" he asked. Eyes still shut.

Rey frowned. "No."

"What about six stormtroopers?"

She thought about it and then shook her head.

"Show me again what you've taught yourself."   

She took her stance again and paused. "Could you at least t-t-tell me why I'm doing this?"

Luke opened his eyes. "There are several reasons. Many of which you won't understand until a future moment, when you will need the power of discipline and self-mastery. Do not be so quick to dismiss this opportunity."

It wasn't the straightforward answer she wanted; but she lacked the mental energies to dispute his words.    

Luke shut his eyes again.

Rey grit her teeth against the wet and cold, muttering a string of curses under her breath at her predicament. Until Starkiller Base she'd never experienced the cold and snow and the most rain she'd seen before Ahch-To were the once a year storms on her desert home world. Now she stood in an endless downpour, hands and feet numb, her body shivering uncontrollably. Around her the tall rolling waves crashed against the cliff sides, drowning out all other sound save the thunder when it boomed overhead. The wind drove the rain sideways blinding her at times.  

In spite of her misery, she did feel more grounded on the slick, uneven ground she trained on. When they first went out that morning and mornings before-she continued to fall down because of her footing. When she finally adapted to using her quarterstaff on a slope, they moved to rocky terrain. After the rocky terrain she practiced moving in first ankle, then knee, then waist deep in water. Every day her teacher moved her from one condition to the next, in hopes of adapting her to the surroundings.

As she went through her routine of strikes, swings and lunges she wondered how the Jedi appeared to remain impervious to the wind and rain. A part of her wanted to be angry with him; it didn't seem fair only she should suffer the wretched conditions of the island.

Another part of her pushed those thoughts from her mind. If he wasn't truly interested he wouldn't be out here at all, would he?

Just when she started to grow confident with her footing, she slipped on the slick grass and onto her side. Her temper flared and she leapt back to her feet without hesitation. She twirled the staff around her back and up into a guarded stance in front of her before beginning again. Her movements became stronger but more rigid as she struck out towards a head, then hooked a leg, then bashed a face once with the middle, left and then right ends of the staff. When she turned sharply to ram the butt of the staff into the air, she slipped again going to a knee.

"Rey."

"What!?" she screamed.

    Luke opened his eyes. "Do you control your anger, or does it control you?"

    The anger boiling up inside her almost erupted. She bowed her head, feeling defeated. "I don't think I can do this. I d-d-don't have the strength."

    "Don't you?" he asked. "Look at me Rey."

    She was at that moment grateful for the rain so he wouldn't see the tears escaping her eyes. She turned her head to face him.

"You are relying on your own strength and knowledge guide your every move. You are strong Rey, but strength is not everything, especially your own." The Jedi master stood up. "The Force is your ally, a powerful one. Life creates it, makes it grow. Its energy surrounds us and binds us. Luminous beings are we," he pressed a hand to his chest. "This does not matter," he held a hand out and gestured toward the island. "You must feel the Force around you. Right here, between you...me...the grass...the rocks...everywhere. Know that it exists."

"I can't—" she began.

"You've felt it before. You can feel it again."

Rey swallowed before standing up once more. Instead of focusing on her footing and how she would strike her non-existent opponents, she concentrated on lowering her inner walls which proved far more difficult.

All her life she'd relied on herself to survive, could she really undo instinctual habits in a few short weeks? She knew something guided her during her encounter with Kylo Ren…

Rey cleared her mind by erasing the thoughts of what she would do next.

After closing her eyes she began moving, imagining her mind and soul as a dam opening up to free a current of energy to flow through her. Calmness spread into her mind and throughout her shivering appendages instantly, her self-doubt and frustration were replaced with peace.

Somewhere far away the girl heard footsteps approach but remained focused on the energy provided by the Force. Rey was only vaguely aware of the jarring blows to her weapon when the quarterstaff was repeatedly struck over and over. Her feet moved in intricate designs, stepping lightly across the ground rather than sinking into the mud. When her foot slid she ignored her instincts to stop herself from sliding and instead crouched low, propelling herself along the ground.

When her momentum slowed she spun around and stood up bringing her quarterstaff over her head just before a strike hit her weapon that almost drove her to her knees.

She opened her eyes to see Luke standing in front of her, a practice sword of his own pressed against her staff.

"Much better." He lowered the wooden weapon. "However. Learn to keep those eyes open. While you may be in tune with the Force, it is better to have every advantage available to you when facing your enemy."

Though she started shaking again from the cold she smiled.

"You ready to head back?" Luke asked.

"Actually, I'd like to go again if that's alright," she said, stepping back into a close forward guard with her staff.

He smiled and stepped back into a guard of his own, holding the wooden sword to his shoulder parallel to his ear. "Ready when you are."

When it became too dark to train, they returned to the small spherical house of Luke. Once inside, Rey was torn between going straight to the food Chewbacca just removed from the fire or getting out of her wet clothes. She chose on the latter, knowing she probably wouldn't have the energy to change after she'd eaten. Minutes later she returned to the small room and started eating her food, swallowing large portions before they were fully chewed.

Seeing how hungry she was, the Wookiee placed extra servings in front of her before she had the opportunity to ask for more. He let out a quiet, rattling howl and started in on his own food.

Minutes later Luke entered the room, poured himself some tea and sat across from Rey. He looked to the Wookiee and said, "How you holding up big guy?"

Chewbacca growled deep in his chest while staring at his food. "Aarrragghuuhw huuguughgh arrragghuuhw huuguughghg aaaaahnr huurh huurh."

"Try not to think about what happened Chewie. It will devour you up from the inside." He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "You know how his father felt about him. I don't think making Ben pay is something Han would appreciate, especially from his best friend and co-pilot."

"RRRRAAAARRRRGGGHHH!" The Wookiee roared. Knocking his dishes onto the floor, Chewbacca stood up and left the house.

Rey looked up for a moment but said nothing, feeling it wasn't her place to join the conversation.

"I'll talk to him in a bit," Luke said quietly. He took a long pull from his mug and then turned to the droid. "Artoo, think you could repair my old T-65?"

The astromech groaned and whistled.

"Yes, the AA-589." he looked to Rey who was scraping the last bit of her food out of her bowl. "I think we're going to need it pretty soon…"

Rey yawned as she set the bowl she was eating from down on the low table. Her eyes drifted to the fireplace, then up to the shelf where the books and the metallic cube were. She didn't realize how entranced she was with the object until Luke appeared next to her laying three volumes down in front of her. "What are these?" she asked, poking at the thick texts.

Luke pointed to each one as he said, "Old Republic history and manuals over Forms four and five of lightsaber combat. In written form. Very rare."

She laid her hand on the topmost book with a delicate touch. "What about forms one through three?"

"You are proficient with what one has to offer. You can't exactly put a staff to use with form two, and form three...isn't exactly your style."

"Why is that?"

"It's almost purely defensive. You don't strike me as a defensive fighter."

Rey nodded in acknowledgement. "Fair enough." she yawned again. "Well, I'll dive into these first thing tomorrow." As soon as she started to rise, the Jedi placed his cybernetic hand on her shoulder and gently pushed her back down.

"Finish as much as you can, tonight." he headed to the door. "I'll return shortly."

Rey stared at the old volumes and sighed. Slowly she looked over to the shelf…

    "Don't." Luke said from outside.

Returning her attention to the manuals, she opened the top one up to the first page and began to read. A quarter of the way into the first volume covering the Mandalorian Wars, Rey slipped into unconsciousness.

When she opened her eyes again, she stood on the bridge of a starship or at least she assumed it's where she was. She'd never been aboard a First Order vessel but had been inside a downed

Imperial Star Destroyer on Jakku and spotted several similarities. She imagined a working ship would have more light than what was provided by the various computers; one could barely make out the walkway running through the center of the room. Men and women worked silently, keeping their heads down at all times and intent on their work.

Her eyes continued to scan the bridge, until they settled on what she saw just outside the massive windows looking into space.

Not a single star was visible from where she stood.

As her eyes adjusted she noticed the outline of a single figure standing at the front of the bridge, wearing a black hooded cloak. The darkness surrounding it shifted and swirled like an angry flame wrapped around dry wood.

Though she hadn't moved or so much as drawn a breath since she spotted the individual, she knew it sensed her. It turned and looked in her direction but she couldn't see its face.

Rey's muscles tensed up when she heard a voice hiss across the bridge causing her and the crew to cringe against the sound.            

    Where are you….? it demanded. Who…are you…?

    The temperature of the room dropped. Inside, Rey felt like her organs were being torn apart and ripped out by millions of microscopic hooks. Her back arched as she shrieked in pain and horror before falling over to curl up into a fetal position. She tried to stretch out to crawl away but the pain paralyzed her. Again she screamed as darkness enveloped her…

    She sat upright covered in perspiration. Sunlight and a cool breeze entered in through the open door of Luke's home, aiding in suppressing the fear threatening to overtake her. Standing up on shaky legs, she went outside.

At the top of a rise overlooking the island, Luke sat with Chewie facing the ocean. The old Jedi spoke quietly to the Wookiee, his hand on the shoulder of his friend. Upon hearing her approach Luke stood up and met her halfway up the hill.

"What's wrong Rey?" he asked.

"I had a nightmare similar to the one I had before, on Takodana." she said, shivering. "I don't know why I'm having them now or then, I don't know what they mean," she swallowed, trying to control the emotions rising up inside her. "Something from the Dark Side directs the First Order,"

Luke sounded confused. "Snoke is a Dark Side wielder,"

"No," she said quietly. "There's something else. I don't know how anyone could stand against it. It was beyond evil and incredibly powerful…" she stared at the vast, dark ocean. "I want to help the Resistance, but even if I'm trained, what can I do against something like that? or the First Order?" she shook her head in frustration. "They need our help, but I know I'm not ready. I want to go to them, but I'm… "

"Afraid." Luke finished.

She nodded as she looked down.

The Jedi Master moved towards her and waited until she looked up again.

When she did, his figure was outlined in sunlight, completely opposite of the individual she recently witnessed in her vision. "Please tell me what I must do,"

"That isn't for me to decide. I will give you the tools needed to understand when the Force is guiding you and how to control your powers; but as I said to you when we first met, the choice is yours." he tilted his head to the side and asked, "What is it you dreamed about? If you don't mind my asking?"

"I was on a ship," she began. "It was very dark, hard to see anything. I saw a man standing in front of a giant window looking out into a space completely void of stars."

Luke's face paled. He walked past her with his arms folded behind his back, his brows drawn down into a V. "Chewie!" he called out over his shoulder.

The Wookiee turned around. "Aarrragghuuhw?"

"Are there any training droids left on the Falcon?"