Saga - ST Fleeting Glimpses (Rey, Han, Chewbacca, Leia, Poe, Luke) - Part I: The Smuggler's Request

Summary:
Three short vignettes set during The Force Awakens, each centring on an interaction between Rey and several original trilogy characters. (Rey, Han, Chewbacca, Leia, Poe, Luke. OT and ST.)

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Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars.​

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Fleeting Glimpses​

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The Smuggler's Request​

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The human child's adorable face beamed up at their father from the cockpit floor, "Co-pilot, co-pilot, co-pilot!" They demanded, hands opening and closing, eyes bright and wide. "I wanna play co-pilot!"

A furry alien, a Wookiee, let out a wuffing chuckle at the child's exuberance, as their human father swung the five-year-old child, clad in a simple, white jumpsuit, into his sure embrace.

"Okay, okay, co-pilot. I'm sure three can pilot the ship, wouldn't you say?" The father questioned the alien seated beside him.

Nodding, the Wookiee held out his arms and the child jumped onto his furry lap, snuggling back against the alien.

[I think, between the three of us, we can fly her.]

The child could already understand Shyriiwook, having their father's gift with languages, and they clapped their hands. "Yay! Co-pilot!"

The two other occupants of the cockpit laughed, the father pushing back the dark hair from the child's forehead, "Okay, but safety first." He reached behind the pilot seat and pulled out an X-wing pilot helmet, with a yellow, semi-transparent visor.

The child giggled as their father placed the helmet on their head, quiet oversized, as it was intended for adults, their voice echoed from within the confines of the helmet. "Daddy! If I can't see, I can't pilot!"

Lifting back up the helmet, the father grinned down at his child. "Ah, but you know what an old man said once to a boy a few years older than you? Your eyes can deceive you, don't trust them." He placed the helmet back on the child's head.

"I don't understand." The child pouted, and there was a low wuff from the Wookiee.

[Cub, I think Young Cub can wait to learn that lesson. Maybe it's better to see first, and then un-see later?]

There was a pause, and the father let out a small laugh.

"You're probably right. What do you say, kiddo?"

The child smiled up at their father, as he removed the helmet, "I can learn to un-see later." They repeated what the Wookiee had suggested. "I wanna hold the helmet, for later." The child demanded, holding out their hands.

The father passed over the helmet, and the child wrapped their arms tiny arms around the worn helmet, with the red Rebel Alliance symbol on either side, and then lent their head atop of it.

"I like this helmet. It feels safe, and special."

The Wookiee cuddled the child with a smile as they giggled. [It should. It once belonged to the best star pilot in the galaxy.] He revealed.

The child looked up at the Wookiee in surprise. "Really?" They looked back down at the helmet, running a tiny hand over the top. "What ever happened to them?"

"Last I heard," the child's father spoke up, both the Wookiee and the child looking over at the pilot, as he flicked a couple of switches on the dashboard. "He helped topple the mean Empire's hold on the galaxy, and set up a Jedi Training Academy."

The Wookiee chuckled and the child looked down at the helmet, with a wide-mouthed stare.

"I was right! It is special! It's a magic helmet!" The child clutched the battered white, silver flecked, decorated helmet closer to them. "Daddy, Daddy, can I keep it?!"

Smiling, the father turned to his child and rested his hand on their head. "Yes, you can. But remember, it's both a gift and a burden, just as it was for the young pilot." He explained softly.

The child looked down at the helmet. "I don't understand."

The father stepped out of the pilot chair and knelt beside the co-pilot chair, taking his child's hand.

"It's a legacy. Do you know that word?" He softly questioned, the child shook their dark-haired head.
The father smiled and leaned in to kiss the child's forehead.

"It's all right then. I'll explain later."

The father walked back over and eased back into the swivel chair. "Now, let's get started, co-pilots."

He began to point out areas on the dashboard. "This area is the control yoke location of the ship, these switches and buttons control the roll and the pitch of the ship..."
(…)

The young woman awoke with a gasp on the simple, metal bunk. She pushed back her loose, shoulder-length, dark brown hair from her face.
Who was that child? What was...

Looking around her sleeping location, she at first didn't recognise where she was. But then, glancing aside at the dark skinned young man, Finn, snoring on the opposing bunk in the small room, remembrance came flooding back to her.

"The Millennium Falcon." Rey whispered, swinging her legs over the side of the bunk and reaching for her black, low heeled ankle boots, slipping them on as she looked about the low-lit room.

The ship of legends, Rey, and you got to fly her! The young woman excitedly bounced to her feet. You're on a ship with Han Solo and Chewbacca...and they both knew Luke Skywalker! And Princess Leia and... her thoughts trailed off as she stared over a the exit door.

"Should I go talk to them?" Rey whispered to herself. Is that all right? Will they want to have a conversation with me? I'm only a scavenger...but, then again, they're only a pair of old smugglers...who helped save the galaxy...!

"Okay, calm down." The young woman whispered to herself, taking in a deep breath as she pressed the door panel and stepped outside into the lit up hallway after the door slid across, making her way across the durasteel floor.

"I was just on my way to the kitchenette to get a glass of water, when I happened to bump into the two of you in the cockpit." Rey smiled to herself, as she walked along. "Of course, the cockpit and the kitchenette are in two different areas of the Falcon, but, you know, I just got lost, first time aboard and all—"

Rey's muttering to herself was cut short, when she heard talking coming, not from the cockpit, but, rather, from the lounge area.

"...look at this! I still can't believe they didn't locate all of the hidden compartments."

There was a low growl in response. [I don't think they'd had the brains, nor the notion, to check under the lounge, Han. We got lucky.]

"Yeah. Pity that it's been left for so long, that our luck's kinda run out with the condition this stuff is mostly in."

Peering around the open entrance into the Falcon's lounge, Rey's hazel eyes stared over at the sight of the grey haired, grizzled, pilot smuggler, and his over seven-foot tall, furry Wookiee co-pilot. They were kneeling next to the circular lounge, rummaging through several large, silver containers, and pulling out various objects.

Chewbacca, the Wookiee, sniffed the air and turned directly towards Rey, standing and observing in the doorway. [Hello there. You've awakened.] He voiced in greeting.

Han Solo raised his faded gaze over to the young woman, he had to blink twice, For a moment there, with her hair down, she looked just like... he squinted, ...But then she also looks so much like... he shook his head and gave a lob sided smile.

"Hey, kid. Couldn't sleep?"

Rey stretched out her arms up above her head as she entered into the lounge, "I was sleeping. Something woke me up." She explained, strolling over to Han and Chewbacca.

Han lifted up an old hydro-spanner and began examining it with a critical eye, "It wasn't us making all this noise down here, was it?" He questioned, before throwing the hydro-spanner into what was obviously the trash pile, full of other broken pieces and faded objects no longer usable.

"No." Rey squatted down beside one of the boxes, picking up a dented magclamp and looking it over, "Just dreams...visions, maybe..." She studied her reflection in the reflective surface of the magclamp.

"I've had them all my life."

Han exchanged a knowing look with Chewbacca, before taking the dented magclamp out of Rey's grip. "I see. Wanna talk about it?" He gruffly inquired, looking over the magclamp, before tossing it into the salvageable pile.

Rey shrugged and shook her head, moving into a tailor style of sitting on the floor. "It's okay. Like I said, I've been having them for as long as I can remember. I've learned to deal with them, alone." She folded her tanned arms, wrapped in the same, rough-woven cream fabric as her under tunic.

"I don't think I've ever slept more than a few hours. Out in in the middle of the desert, scavenging, you can't afford to. Especially if your neighbourhood is an old battleground, and your prime residence a burnt out AT-AT."

Chewbacca and Han matched raised eyebrows as they looked at one another, before both looking over at Rey, who had returned to rummaging through the container in front of her.

"Well, can't say you haven't raised yourself strong, kid." Han mentioned, more than a little impressed with the young woman, as Chewbacca nodded in agreement. "That's one Hell of a way to grow up."

Rey smiled as she sifted through the container, "Well," she tried to act as casual as possible, without being embarrassed. "I was left on Jakku as a child. I had to learn to survive very quickly, or I was going to perish very quickly." She paused.

"I had to survive, so I could be reunited with..." The young woman trailed off as she saw something within the container, a glint of something red against white.

Pushing back the crinkled, silver wad of engine tape, Rey reached in with both hands and pulled out the pilot's helmet.

"It's an X-wing pilot's helmet." Rey whispered in awe, turning it slowly in her hands, looking over the faded paint, covering the dented, white and silver exterior. "I had one of these on Jakku. I was so excited when I found it. I used to wear it, sometimes."

The paint job is different, obviously. The same Rebel Alliance symbol, though.

Rey smiled shyly over at Han, "I used to pretend, when I was very little, that I was an X-wing pilot. I always loved them the best. I even made a doll with an orange uniform just like—" Rey stopped mid speech, a vision suddenly forming in front of her eyes.

A sandy haired young man, with quite possibly the bluest eyes Rey had ever seen on a human, was standing next to an X-wing fighter. He climbed mid-way up the ladder into the fighter's cockpit, then turned and looked directly in Rey's direction.

"Hey! Toss me my helmet, Han, would ya? It's just beside you on the transport."

"Sure, Luke. I swear, you'd leave your head behind, if it wasn't so tightly attached, Commander Head-in-the-clouds..."

Rey reeled back into reality, and stared wide-eyed between Han and Chewbacca.

"You okay, kid?" Han voiced cautiously, holding back the urge to reach forward and grab Rey's shoulders comfortingly. No...he always resented you doing that, didn't he? Maybe she wouldn't, but...

Still open mouthed, the young woman pointed at the painted helmet, "This is...this is Luke Skywalker's helmet, isn't it?" Rey excitedly lifted the helmet to her intent, hazel coloured eye-level.

Chewbacca let out a small growl, the equivalent of a surprised exclaim in Shyriiwook.

Blinking his eyes, Han nodded."Yeah," he lent forward and took a closer look, sighing heavily as he recognised the insignia. "Yeah, it is." The aging smuggler cocked his head to the side.

"How did you know that?"

Rey flicked down the semi-transparent, yellow visor of the helmet, "I saw a blond haired man in a vision, he was really young. He asked you for this helmet, because he'd left it behind. You called him by name, Luke, and also," she looked back up at Han. "Commander Head-in-the-clouds."

Han just stared at Rey, Well, it looks like Chewie and I were right. "Well. That ability of yours," he rubbed the back of his neck. "It's pretty impressive. Wow, Commander Head-in-the-clouds, I'd almost forgotten about that..."

Rey put the helmet on her head with a grin. "Not bad for a person left alone on a desert planet to survive, still waiting for her family to come and get her, huh?"

Looking sadly at the young woman, Han moved over to sit beside the girl, "I understand, kid. I was left to fend for myself in my childhood too," he explained. "Living on the streets of Corellia, waiting for my family." Han hesitated. "They never came for me, though."

Rey pushed up the visor of the helmet and looked over at Han, "I didn't know that. None of the stories ever talked about your past very much, just your smuggling days before you joined the Rebels." She mentioned.

Han hesitantly put his hand on the girl's shoulder, "It's okay, kid. Look," he took in a deep breath.

"You're really special, okay? Not having your folks around doesn't change that. And if any of your family, or people who cared about you, are alive, I bet they're missing you, and are trying like Hell to get you back."

Rey smiled as she removed the helmet, "Thank you. No-one has ever told me that before," she looked aside, to see Han's gaze not on her, but looking outwards, deep in thought. "Are you missing someone, Han?" She inquired perceptively.

There was a thin smile in response, and Han looked down at the young woman, those eyes so wide, honest and full of determination. He'd seen that look before. "Lots of people, kid." He admitted.

"When you get to my age, you'll understand what I mean."

Looking down at the X-wing pilot's helmet on her lap, Rey frowned. "The dream I was having," she suddenly mentioned. "I saw this helmet in that dream...I'm sure it was this X-wing pilot's helmet, the markings are the same." The young woman ran her hand over the Rebel Alliance decal.

"There was a child...they loved this helmet. They called it magic..."

Chewbacca looked sharply over at Rey. [What? What was that?] He growled softly.

Rey looked over at the surprised Wookiee, "The child, in my dream, they called the helmet magic." She repeated slowly, as Chewbacca held his paws up to his mouth, staring back at her with his blue gaze.

Han took in a deep breath. "Well, if you're that attached to the old thing, you're free to keep it, kid. I know Luke wouldn't mind, wherever he is," he smiled. "He'd really like you, I know."

Hazel eyes glinted as Rey stared disbelieving at Han. "Are you sure? I mean, shouldn't this be in a museum or something?" She questioned.

Snorting, Han waved dismissively, "Museum, bah. It's yours, kid. And if you're that concerned, ask Luke when we find him." He added with a shrug.

Rey suddenly flung her arms around the old smuggler, and Han hesitantly put his arms around her. "Thank you, thank you!" She pulled back and smiled up at him.

Han's eyes crinkled in the corners as he chuckled at the girl's excitement, What I wouldn't haven given to have had Ben hug me this way...the sad though made the smile fall from Solo's lined features, and he cleared his throat as he dropped his arms from their embrace.

"You're welcome." Han looked around. "Since you're up, Rey, how would you like to go check our directory in the cockpit, make sure we're still on course." He thumbed behind him.

"Much as I hate to say it, the old girl might not be as stable as she once was."

Rey got to her booted feet and nodded, tucking the helmet under her right arm, she smiled. "That's no problem, I'm used to handling the old ships. There's a saying on my planet: 'No new ships on Jakku, unless they've crashed, junked, or just passing through'." She began to walk away.

"Trust me, the Falcon flies pretty good for her age, even if she still looks like a piece of junk."

Han waited until the young woman had left, and stretched as he got to his feet, "Now, where have I heard that one before?" He pondered, looking over at where his co-pilot was staring after Rey, his blue eyes still intent.

"She's great, isn't she?"

Chewbacca nodded, [I really like her, yes,] he replied, before clearing his throat. [Han, I need to—] he began, but his human companion continued to talk, Han picking up the dented magclamp and a rag, buffing away at its shiny surface as he flopped down beside Chewbacca.

"It might be good to have a kid around to help out. She's pretty good in a fight, not to mention her knowledge of piloting and ships. It's not fair to leave Rey out there on a dust-ball planet, picking up scraps for survival, even if she is waiting for her family. I'm sure she could leave a message and—"

Turning to look down at Solo, Chewbacca took in a patient breath, [Han, I—] he repeated.

"—besides, if she does have the Force, we can continue looking for Luke and then he could train her—"

[Han!] Chewbacca roared out firmly, his co-pilot finally looking over at him.

"What, Chewie?" Han questioned.

The over two-hundred-year-old Wookiee sighed heavily, [You don't know who Rey really is, do you?]

Han blinked, "No. I mean, her looks, yeah, that shook me at first. The things she says, yeah, that too. But, hundreds of kids out in the galaxy could look similar, and be around the same age...but, wait...no?" He invoked with surprise, looking aside, before turning back to his co-pilot. "She can't be?"

Chewbacca nodded solemnly, resting his paw on Han's arm. [Yes. She is.]

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Approaching the cockpit, Han stopped mid-way, leaning against the door-frame, staring inside at the lone occupant, who was leaning over the navigation system and taking calculations.

Rey's face was half-hidden by her loose hair, the light from the system screen casting light shadows across her tanned, pretty features. The young woman's intense, wise-beyond-her-years gaze was focused downwards, her mouth partially open as she scanned the screen.

Han lent his head against the door-frame, How didn't I see it before? Well, I did. I just didn't want to believe it, he shook his head, as he gazed at the serene young woman overseeing the trajectory.

Poor kid. All this time, out in the middle of no-where, struggling to survive. I know she was safe, but I wish I'd had known this sooner. I would have tried...oh, Force, Leia...you wouldn't believe who've I've found...well, more like she found Chewie and I...

Rey's head suddenly lifted, as she felt herself being watched, and looked over into the cockpit entrance, where Han was observing her. "Hey." She pointed down at the screen. "There's no problem. Our course trajectory is on target. She's clever old girl, this one." Rey patted the dashboard of the ship.

Han smiled, "Yeah. We've still got a few more hours to go till we reach Takodana, why don't you go try to get a little more sleep?" He suggested softly.

Stretching out her arms, Rey nodded as she got to her booted feet and walked the short distance to move past Han, who rested a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, kid." The smuggler pointed over at the pilot's chair. "You forgot your helmet."

Rey smiled and darted back, picking up Luke Skywalker's old X-wing helmet and moving quickly past the solemn, former general again. "Good-night, Han." She farewelled.

"Good-night, Rey." Han responded, watching as the desert garb clad girl departed down the hallway. "May the Force be with you, kid." He added in a low whisper, folding his arms over his chest.

"Always."

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Part 2: The General's Keep, will be up soon. Thank you for reading.

 

Exquisite conversations and flashback/visions And great characterizations. These feel like missing moments, perfect! for TFA Interesting that Chewie caught on before Han did about the "family" connection.