It was dark and stormy, and the weather was almost even more confusing than the seemingly endless crowd. Rey had never seen so many people before! Nima had been a fairly busy outpost by Jakku’s standards, but that was nothing when compared to the hustle and bustle of whatever planet this was, and this was just the docking bay! It was a little scary if she was being honest with herself, but it would make it easier to hide from Lord Ren.
For now, at least. Rey knew that in order to truly get away from Lord Ren’s wrath, she needed to get away from this planet. So, she stomped through the puddles flooding the docking bay’s floor while charging through the crowd. In the distance, she could see the white helmets of a couple of other ‘troopers, and abruptly changed directions to head in the opposite way. This however, caused the ‘trooper that she was still attached to—she really had to ask the ‘trooper to unbind her—to stumble into a merchant’s cart and spill their goods everywhere.
Angered, the merchant began yelling at the two of them in a booming voice, and despite Rey and the ‘trooper’s best attempts at placating the merchant, their voice kept on getting louder and louder. Eventually the commotion started gaining the attention of the crowd, and by extension, the ‘troopers, and Rey could see the ‘trooper’s helmets moving through the crowd towards them. Furtively glancing around, Rey could see a cramped alleyway, brimming with food stalls. Even if they couldn’t lose the ‘troopers now hunting them, Rey and her ‘trooper could at least stall them in the bottleneck formed by the crowd.
She must have looked quite a sight, barrelling down the tight alleyway, the rain washing out the dust from her desert clothes and leaving muddy streaks, dragging a stormtrooper attached to her wrist behind her while being chased by more stormtroopers. As she was passing by a stall, she couldn’t help but pick up a sweet-smelling bun, leaving her stolen blaster as payment.
Though she couldn’t read the foreign writing emblazoned in neon lights, she could recognise the universal symbol for watering hole above a door that seemed to lead into a literal hole in the wall. Looking behind her she couldn’t see the white helmets of her pursuers, and she figured that she had enough of a lead on them to be able to pop into the cantina without the ‘troopers realising. They would either continue down the alley trying to chase her, losing her trail, or they would have to waste time checking every food stall and other watering hole, buying Rey time of her own.
Tugging the ‘trooper, she nodded with her head in the direction of the sign, and getting the message, the ‘trooper nodded in return. As they approached, Rey saw that there was a bouncer by the front door that she hadn’t noticed before. He was quite large and menacing, and though one eye had been put out, he still had five others that stared at her appraisingly.
“Turn back around, little girl, this is no place for you,” the bouncer said in a surprisingly high-pitched voice, considering his size.
“Yeah, you’re right. Come on, we can find somewhere else,” the ‘trooper mumbled to her.
Simply squaring her shoulders, she handed the bouncer her pilfered sweet bun, swung open the door, and stalked into the cantina. Rey had expected that the moment the two of them entered that the band would stop playing and the general din of conversation would mute, but nobody even bothered them a second glance, despite the fact that she looked like a kriffing swamp rat in her wet and muddy clothes.
In the far corner of the room, she saw someone emblazoned in the orange jumpsuit of one of the Resistance pilots like she sometimes saw on Jakku, arguing passionately with another man. Blatantly pointing, she nudged her ‘trooper in the side with her elbow.
“Look, over there. A Resistance pilot! We can probably exchange work for transport.”
“I don’t know if that’s a very good idea,” the ‘trooper demurred. “I mean, I’m—well, I was a First Order stormtrooper. I don’t think they’ll be too willing to provide me with safe passage.”
Rey’s blatant pointing was noticed, however, and before she could rebut, both she and the ‘trooper had been picked up from behind by a pair of large, furry hands. She tried flailing and kicking to wriggle out of the grasp as she was carried over to the table in the corner where the Resistance pilot and the other man were still arguing.
“Look, Solo—”
“What did I tell you about my name?”
“Look, Han, all I’m saying is that—”
“You don’t need to be saying anything, you’ve got a rotten pazaak face, kid.”
“Yeah, but—”
“No buts, kid. I’ve got this gig with the Guavian Death Gang—”
“Hey wait, I thought it was with Kanjiklub?”
“Yeah, whatever. Point is, kid, I got places I need to be,” suddenly the other man’s face softened. “Point is, kid, you’ll be okay.”
Then the wookiee let out a growl and attention turned to Rey and the ‘trooper.
“What’s this we’ve got here?” asked the pilot, giving both of them a once-over.
The wookiee let out another growl.
“You’re right, kid. Why would we give you safe passage? Why, I oughta—”
“Wait, please,” Rey interjected. “We need your help.”
“Let’s hear them out,” said the pilot, a pensive look on his face.
“Your soft-heart’s gonna get you in trouble one day, kid,” Solo scoffed. “You have thirty seconds.”
“We escaped from the First Order.”
“No-one escapes from the First Order,” said the pilot, obviously skeptical.
“It’s true. Lord Ren picked up the prisoner… er…” the ‘trooper trailed off, realising that they didn’t know Rey’s name.
“Rey.”
The trooper nodded thankfully. Well, Rey supposed it was thankfully. She couldn’t see their expression because of the mask.
“Lord Ren picked up Rey on Jakku.”
“What about you, ‘trooper? You have a name?” asked the pilot.
“FN-2187.”
“FN-huh? I think I’m gonna call you Finn.”
“Fascinating stuff, kids, but that still doesn’t explain why we should help you.”
“Look, all we’re asking for is passage to another planet in return for work. I’m good with machines, and… Finn… is good at—uh… Finn’s good at taking orders.”
Solo arched a dubious eyebrow.
“Whatever, you sort it out with Poe here, I’ve got a deal with Kanjiklub to sort out.”
“I thought it was with the Guavian Death Club?”
Solo waved Poe’s words off like they were an insect, and not one that would have survived the encounter, either.
Re: The Final Front Ear Job: 4/??
For now, at least. Rey knew that in order to truly get away from Lord Ren’s wrath, she needed to get away from this planet. So, she stomped through the puddles flooding the docking bay’s floor while charging through the crowd. In the distance, she could see the white helmets of a couple of other ‘troopers, and abruptly changed directions to head in the opposite way. This however, caused the ‘trooper that she was still attached to—she really had to ask the ‘trooper to unbind her—to stumble into a merchant’s cart and spill their goods everywhere.
Angered, the merchant began yelling at the two of them in a booming voice, and despite Rey and the ‘trooper’s best attempts at placating the merchant, their voice kept on getting louder and louder. Eventually the commotion started gaining the attention of the crowd, and by extension, the ‘troopers, and Rey could see the ‘trooper’s helmets moving through the crowd towards them. Furtively glancing around, Rey could see a cramped alleyway, brimming with food stalls. Even if they couldn’t lose the ‘troopers now hunting them, Rey and her ‘trooper could at least stall them in the bottleneck formed by the crowd.
She must have looked quite a sight, barrelling down the tight alleyway, the rain washing out the dust from her desert clothes and leaving muddy streaks, dragging a stormtrooper attached to her wrist behind her while being chased by more stormtroopers. As she was passing by a stall, she couldn’t help but pick up a sweet-smelling bun, leaving her stolen blaster as payment.
Though she couldn’t read the foreign writing emblazoned in neon lights, she could recognise the universal symbol for watering hole above a door that seemed to lead into a literal hole in the wall. Looking behind her she couldn’t see the white helmets of her pursuers, and she figured that she had enough of a lead on them to be able to pop into the cantina without the ‘troopers realising. They would either continue down the alley trying to chase her, losing her trail, or they would have to waste time checking every food stall and other watering hole, buying Rey time of her own.
Tugging the ‘trooper, she nodded with her head in the direction of the sign, and getting the message, the ‘trooper nodded in return. As they approached, Rey saw that there was a bouncer by the front door that she hadn’t noticed before. He was quite large and menacing, and though one eye had been put out, he still had five others that stared at her appraisingly.
“Turn back around, little girl, this is no place for you,” the bouncer said in a surprisingly high-pitched voice, considering his size.
“Yeah, you’re right. Come on, we can find somewhere else,” the ‘trooper mumbled to her.
Simply squaring her shoulders, she handed the bouncer her pilfered sweet bun, swung open the door, and stalked into the cantina. Rey had expected that the moment the two of them entered that the band would stop playing and the general din of conversation would mute, but nobody even bothered them a second glance, despite the fact that she looked like a kriffing swamp rat in her wet and muddy clothes.
In the far corner of the room, she saw someone emblazoned in the orange jumpsuit of one of the Resistance pilots like she sometimes saw on Jakku, arguing passionately with another man. Blatantly pointing, she nudged her ‘trooper in the side with her elbow.
“Look, over there. A Resistance pilot! We can probably exchange work for transport.”
“I don’t know if that’s a very good idea,” the ‘trooper demurred. “I mean, I’m—well, I was a First Order stormtrooper. I don’t think they’ll be too willing to provide me with safe passage.”
Rey’s blatant pointing was noticed, however, and before she could rebut, both she and the ‘trooper had been picked up from behind by a pair of large, furry hands. She tried flailing and kicking to wriggle out of the grasp as she was carried over to the table in the corner where the Resistance pilot and the other man were still arguing.
“Look, Solo—”
“What did I tell you about my name?”
“Look, Han, all I’m saying is that—”
“You don’t need to be saying anything, you’ve got a rotten pazaak face, kid.”
“Yeah, but—”
“No buts, kid. I’ve got this gig with the Guavian Death Gang—”
“Hey wait, I thought it was with Kanjiklub?”
“Yeah, whatever. Point is, kid, I got places I need to be,” suddenly the other man’s face softened. “Point is, kid, you’ll be okay.”
Then the wookiee let out a growl and attention turned to Rey and the ‘trooper.
“What’s this we’ve got here?” asked the pilot, giving both of them a once-over.
The wookiee let out another growl.
“You’re right, kid. Why would we give you safe passage? Why, I oughta—”
“Wait, please,” Rey interjected. “We need your help.”
“Let’s hear them out,” said the pilot, a pensive look on his face.
“Your soft-heart’s gonna get you in trouble one day, kid,” Solo scoffed. “You have thirty seconds.”
“We escaped from the First Order.”
“No-one escapes from the First Order,” said the pilot, obviously skeptical.
“It’s true. Lord Ren picked up the prisoner… er…” the ‘trooper trailed off, realising that they didn’t know Rey’s name.
“Rey.”
The trooper nodded thankfully. Well, Rey supposed it was thankfully. She couldn’t see their expression because of the mask.
“Lord Ren picked up Rey on Jakku.”
“What about you, ‘trooper? You have a name?” asked the pilot.
“FN-2187.”
“FN-huh? I think I’m gonna call you Finn.”
“Fascinating stuff, kids, but that still doesn’t explain why we should help you.”
“Look, all we’re asking for is passage to another planet in return for work. I’m good with machines, and… Finn… is good at—uh… Finn’s good at taking orders.”
Solo arched a dubious eyebrow.
“Whatever, you sort it out with Poe here, I’ve got a deal with Kanjiklub to sort out.”
“I thought it was with the Guavian Death Club?”
Solo waved Poe’s words off like they were an insect, and not one that would have survived the encounter, either.
“C’mon Chewie, let’s go smuggle some Rancors.”