Maz's castle was full of criminals, but I doubted that any were as sought after than us, and Maz had probably guessed that as she provided us with a table at the back of the castle. It was the furthest away from all the other guests where we wouldn't attract too much attention, far enough for it to give us the necessary privacy but still in a loud enough area of the cantina for no one to easily overhear us.

I was on edge ever so slightly, not used to being around this many people after so long of isolating myself, not to mention the nature of our business. It wouldn't have surprised me if we'd already been recognised, and out of sheer nerves for what I thought was the inevitable, my hand rested at my belt, on my blaster. Even with my nerves though, I knew better than to let it show. If I acted suspicious I would draw more attention to us, so I sat taking a few deep breaths, staring down at the table. Either side of me was Finn and Rey, and I wondered how they were feeling. I'd grown up visiting places like this, and given their backgrounds I wouldn't have been surprised if this was both of their first times in a cantina. I thought by sitting in between them I would reassure them, put them at ease at least. 

Except sitting between the two, I was thrown back to a time before all the chaos, a time when I would sit in between Izzy and Erika during lessons. It hurt to think of my two lost friends, especially when I realised I'd never felt so contented with two people like I did with Finn and Rey, not since losing the twins. Poe was different, of course, but the way I felt around Finn and Rey was something I'd not felt for a long time, appreciative of their company, and protective not to lose them the way I'd lost everyone else.

 Thankfully I was saved from my existential thoughts as platters of food were brought over, placed down in the centre of the table. My eyes widened, my stomach rumbling, and I thought about how little I had actually eaten in the years since I left the resistance. After I crashed on Jakku I scrapped my broken down X-Wing and traded the parts in for portions of food from Niima Outpost. I rationed them, and went hungry for a while after I ran out until I plucked up the courage to sneak out of the Falcon late at night to go and steal more. I felt bad for stealing, my conscience telling me that it wasn't the jedi way, but I had no other choice for survival. Now though, I felt ravenous, immediately diving in, though I noticed Rey shared my enthusiasm, heling herself eagerly, looking as though she'd never seen so much food. 

Better than portions," I remarked to her, swallowing my mouthful, and she nodded quickly at me, almost excitedly.  

I began to eat my fill, the flavours making me feel alive after so long of just eating plain, bland food. I used to love food, and I loved cooking too, and as I ate I remembered all the nights at home whilst my dad would be away working and my mother would be travelling back from republic senate meetings when I would have to cook dinner for Ben and I, or the nights I was travelling with Erika and Izzy and we would cook on a camp fire and eat under the stars. I'd never realised just how much I loved food until it was no longer easily accessible, just a thing for survival. 

"Hey kid, you fancy eating any slower?" Dad asked, looking at me with a raised eyebrow, snapping me back to the present. I swallowed, pushing my empty plate away.

"It's not my fault someone left me on a broken down planet with hardly anything to eat for two years," I hit back, flashing him a sarcastic smirk.

"You ever gonna let that go?"  He rolled his eyes, trying to hide that he felt guilty about the whole situation.

"Did you ever let Uncle Lando betraying you to the empire go?" I shot, cocking my head to the side. He glanced at me, as if saying 'touché', making me grin.  

I'd finished eating, but Rey hadn't. Finn was watching her, obviously wondering how someone could eat so much in such a short space of time, but by then Maz had come and joined us, sitting next to my father.

"So, you have a map to Skywalker?" Maz opened up the conversation, and I watched as a grin crossed her face as she hit his arm. "You're right back in the mess!"

"Maz," he sighed, and I knew what he was going to say, immediately glaring at him. "I need you to get this droid to Leia,"

"Hmm," she thought, glancing over to me, noting how I was glaring furiously at my dad. "No,"  I sighed in relief, knowing that if Maz refused, then Dad would have to come with us.

"No?" Rey exclaimed, horrified, whilst I let out a sigh of relief, flashing a triumphant smirk at my father.

"Take the droid yourself, go home, Han!" Maz continued, ignoring Rey as she gestured over to me. 

"Leia won't want to see me," Dad muttered, looking down at the table, only looking up when he heard me let out a laugh of frustration. 

"We've been through this, this whole thing is so much bigger than you and Mum!" I snapped, noticing the way Maz nodded in agreement. "I get you're stubborn but bantha-shit Dad! You can't just ignore what's right anymore!"

"Luci's right, you've been running away from this fight for too long," Maz pointed out to him and I nodded, spotting Rey's frown of confusion at Maz's words.

"What fight?" she asked, except this time it was me who was frowning, wondering just how she didn't know about the conflict across the galaxy. 

"The only fight there's ever been, the fight against the dark side," Maz clarified. "Over the ages, I've seen evil take many forms. The sith, the Empire, and now, it's the First Order,"

"It didn't used to be like that though," I continued with a small sigh. "The Jedi Order used to maintain the peace, but the Emperor brought an end to that with the Order Sixty-Six massacre. The Empire fell, Luke tried to bring back the Jedi Order, but Empire sympathisers gathered together and formed the First Order. They rose to power, and so did the dark side warriors the Knights of Ren. History repeats itself, and if we don't stand up and stop it, everything that was fought for during the rebellion will be for nothing, a waste," 

As I said the last part I looked directly at my father, setting my jaw in determination, trying to make him see how important it all was. I saw a conflicted look of guilt cross his face, as well as a strange expression of realisation as he suddenly understood that everything he had fought for with my mother and the rebellion, I was having to fight for all over again. Everything my parents thought they'd achieved when the empire was defeated, like a peaceful galaxy for their children to live and thrive in, was still so far out of reach. It wasn't just his look of regret that I noticed, but the sympathetic way Maz was looking at me. I hated feeling like people felt sorry for me, but I knew Maz understood. She knew everything that had happened, especially what had happened to me because of the rise of the First Order. If anyone knew how crucial the fight against the first order was, it was Maz.

"Their shadow is spreading across the galaxy," she finished, and I nodded determinedly, feeling like I was a teenager yet again, then the only thing other than jedi training that mattered to me was the resistance. "We must face them, we must fight them. All of us,"  

The last bit was directed at my father, but he did not react. Instead, it was Finn who responded, letting out a short incredulous laugh. He obviously didn't agree with what Maz was saying, and I didn't blame him really. Whilst I'd been raised in the fight, he'd been raised actually within the First Order. With his history, I could see why he would feel  like Maz's statement was absurd, but even so, I shot him a wary glance, telling him to be careful.

"There is no fight against the First Order!" He declared lowly, and I couldn't help but think of all the things he must have seen as a storm trooper. "No one can win against them. Look around, there's no chance we haven't been recognised already, and the First Order will be after us, I bet you that they're on their way to-"

He cut himself off, noticing Maz as she began to adjust her goggles, her eyes going huge. I knew what this meant and so I sat back in my seat, holding back a smirk at Finn's startled expression.  He looked over to my father, almost screaming help with just his eyes.

"Solo, what's she doing?" he asked worriedly, as Maz began to walk across the table.

"I dunno, kid, but it ain't good," he muttered casually, rolling his eyes and resting his chin on his fist.

"If you live long enough you see the same eyes in different people," Maz explained, still looking at Finn closely. "I'm looking in the eyes of a man who wants to run,"

That seemed to hit Finn, as he drew back from Maz, and I could see him thinking everything he's been though over in his mind. He seemed to come to a conclusion in his mind that she was right, but he hid it on his face well, leaning back close to Maz as she readjusted her goggles.

"You don't know anything about me, where I'm from, what I've seen," I knew how he felt as he said those words, laced with a dark history, so I put my hand on his shoulder, trying to be reassuring. "You don't know the First Order like I do, they'll slaughter us. We all need to run,"

Rey looked stunned, her eyes wide in shock, whilst I looked at him with sympathy, understanding his desire to run from the First Order, as I had felt it too when I was younger. The First Order had been his life, but now he didn't want that life, which meant that he wanted to hide. No one should have to hide for wanting a different lifestyle, but yet Finn felt like he had to, or he'd be killed. I liked this guy, but he didn't want to live in the shadow of  the First Order, so I knew that if he could find a way out of running, I may never see him again. 

"Those two over there, they exchange work for transportation to the outer rim," Maz gestured to two figures sat by a table in the opposite corner. "Go,"

Finn stood, a look of escape in his eyes, and before I could stop myself, I got up with him, pulling him into a tight hug. I felt him stiffen, and knew it was because he had never been hugged, a realisation which made me grow sad on the inside. After a moment, he hugged me back, and I rested my chin on his shoulder, sighing.

"Good luck, buddy, I'll miss ya'," I sighed, pulling away from him, hitting his arm. He made to take his jacket off, and I knew he wanted to give it to me, knowing how much I missed Poe. I shook my head. "Keep it, Poe would be proud of you and what you've done. I'm proud of you, now you better go before those freaks leave without you," 

Finn hugged me one last time, before turning and leaving, and I noticed he couldn't bare to look Rey in the eye, instead turning and leaving, a gesture which left Rey in even more shock.

"Finn!" she exclaimed, calling after him, standing up. I caught her arm before she could go after him.

"Whatever he tells you, don't be too hard on him," I explained. She looked at me with confusion as I let go of her arm and she went after Finn.

I sat back down next to Dad as Beebee-Ate rolled closer to me. I rested my hand on his spherical head, looking over to my father to see he was watching me, obviously trying to figure out what the hell just happened.

"What was that about?" he eventually asked. I shook my head, taking the glass in front of him and taking a sip.

"Never mind that," Maz dismissed his question. "Who's the girl?"

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Word Count: 1606
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