20 || the lost skywalker

"HAN, WHO'S THE GIRL?"

MAZ KANATA'S CANTINA, TAKODANA-

The ship landed at the new location in no time.

During the small duration of the rest of the flight, Kyra had spent that time talking a little bit to Chewbacca, BB-8 helping her talk to the Wookie. He seemed like a nice person, and Kyra was able to tell him a little bit about her childhood before she was taken by the First Order.

She had no idea why Chewie would want to know so much about her living on a random farming planet in the middle of nowhere, but hey, to each their own.

They wasted no time getting ready to load off of the ship, Kyra watching as Rey immediately ran outside to bask in the air of another planet, BB-8 rolling right after her. The relationship that BB-8 and Rey had made Kyra smile. If she wasn't welcome with the Resistance once they got there, Kyra at least knew that Rey would stick with the little BB unit.

"Kyra." Han called her attention, the young woman turning to see him going through a small weapons cabinet. He tossed her a new blaster, the girl catching it rather quickly. "I know you're a good shot, and that garbage blaster won't get you anywhere. Take this one, and give me that one."

"Hey!" Kyra exclaimed, sort of offended that the man was asking for her old blaster back. She had earned this blaster, knocking out some wandering traveler in the middle of Jakku for it. However, when she felt the lean and light movement of the new blaster that Han had just thrown her, she immediately relinquished the almost rusting blaster she originally had.

"That's just in case of emergencies. Tuck it in the back of your jacket. I don't want you to cause a fuss in the middle of this cantina. I've heard the stories of how you got banned from a cantina on Naboo." Han warned Kyra, a chuckle coming to his face as he saw hers turn into slight embarrassment and shock.

"How do you even know about that?" She whispered, shoving the blaster into the built in holster that Poe had stitched into the back of the lining. Kyra had to admit that the idea to do that was pretty clever. She had to give it to the Resistance pilot on that one.

"Kid, I think everyone in the galaxy has heard about that story. That's how you became a known name in the underground world. People knew not to double cross you after that." Han chuckled, rummaging through the weapons cabinet again. "Now go out there. I'll meet you out there in a minute. I got to talk to Finn." He gestured his head over to where the young man was still sitting in the cockpit.

Kyra nodded, quickly heading out of the Falcon and into the planet down below. Walking down the ramp, she almost faltered when she stepped onto the planet's land. The atmosphere reminded her a lot of her home planet. The lush greens that seemed to twist into the landscape with the shimmering sapphire blues of the water seemed to compliment the bright sun and fresh air that Kyra was breathing in. There was a silence that Kyra could only remember that Sorgan could have, a joyous smile spreading across her face.

It didn't take long for Han to come out, Chewbacca trailing close behind him. Han walked over to Rey, pulling her aside for a conversation that Kyra didn't care to barge in on. Chewie came to stand by Kyra, BB-8 immediately rolling by her to help translate the conversation that he knew was going to be inevitable. The first soft roar from Chewie was one that seemed joyous for him as well, the towering Wookie looking down at the small Kyra with a smile on his face.

He asked if his planet reminds you of your home on Sorgan. BB-8 quietly translated for Kyra, his tone sweet and happy. This new planet seemed to lighten up everyone's moods, the fresh air and greenery giving a new life to everything in that moment.

"Yeah." Kyra closed her eyes, savoring every feeling that she could on this planet. The fresh air, the eerie but beautiful calm, the joy and peace that she felt blossoming in her heart in that exact moment. "Yeah, Chewie. It does."

There was another soft roar from Chewbacca, the big Wookie wrapping an arm around Kyra, enveloping her in a side hug with his good arm. He said that you should enjoy this moment while you can. They only come every once in a while. BB-8 calmly chirped, the words tugging on Kyra's heart a little bit in a bittersweet symphony of joy and sorrow.

The young woman wished that Poe was here to see this with her, yet she knew that he couldn't be. It was strange for her to feel such strong emotions towards the pilot in her mind. She hadn't known him like how the rest of the Resistance probably did, so why was she so emotional about this? Why did Kyra have these lingering feelings and the deep pit in her stomach that told her that there were some things left unspoken between her and the Resistance pilot?

"Who knew that a Wookie would be good at giving advice?" Kyra chuckled, earning what seemed like a playful laugh from Chewbacca, the Wookie giving her one quick squeeze before leaving the embrace with a small roar.

Chewie said that he has to get back to repairing the ship, but you should go back and meet up with Han, Finn, and Rey. Apparently they're ready to go. BB-8 translated, holding back the last words that Chewbacca had said, hopeful that the goodbye that the Wookie had roared out wouldn't come to be.

"Right. C'mon, BB-8." Kyra nodded, waving a small goodbye to Chewie before she walked over to where Han was standing, the man flashing her a small smile. The crew quickly headed out, leaving their docking bay and walking towards the huge castle a couple of docking bays away.

The walk didn't take very long, the four of them in front of the huge castle-like fortress in no time. Finn, always the confused one, asked the question that was on both his and Rey's mind in that moment. "Solo, why are we here?"

"To get your droid on a clean ship." Han stated the obvious, bounding up some of the steps that would lead to the inside of Maz's Castle. "Do you think that it was luck that Chewie and I found the Falcon? If we can find it on our scanners, the First Order's not too far behind. You want to get BB-8 to the Resistance? Maz Kanata is our best bet."

"We can trust her, right?" Finn questioned Han again, still slightly worried about everything that this plan would need to actually work. He didn't trust anyone at this point. Finn just wanted to escape the First Order, and he wasn't so sure that the First Order wasn't lurking around the corner at this new place that they were diving head first into.

"Relax, kid. She's run this water hole for a thousand years." Han reassured, bounding up the second set of steps that would lead to Maz's castle. He stopped in front of the entrance, turning around to face Kyra, Finn, and Rey. "Maz is a bit of an acquired taste, so let me do the talking. Oh! And whatever you do, don't stare."

"At what?" All three of the young stowaways Han had caught on his ship asked at the same time, the question almost making him laugh. Pushing the doors open, Han muttered his last warning to the group, light flooding into the fortress.

"Any of it."

The inside of the fortress was bustling, music pouring out from every corner. The place seemed to be filled with warmth, multiple conversations blending together to form one muddled sound, the clinking of drinks and laughter of people inside the only real sounds that Kyra could distinguish. Kyra was too busy taking in all of the sights and sounds to realize that there was a small woman in the back who had noted their entrance, her eyes narrowing in on the group.

"Han Solo!"

The room went silent. Now, all eyes were on the group. Kyra, somewhat afraid of the looks of recognition that she would get, tucked behind Rey and Finn, the two of them much taller than she was. Hiding behind them gave her a slight bit of breathing room.

"Oh boy." Han muttered to the group, placing his hands on his hips as he squatted down to find Maz in the middle of all of the chaos. His eyes narrowing in on her, he gave a short and terse wave of greeting. "Oh hey, Maz!" He exclaimed, a hasty laugh afterwards.

Suddenly, it seemed like all of the life in the room rushed back in all at once, the cacophony of sounds flooding back into the room like a massive ocean wave. The woman who had called Han out shoved her way to the front of the room, Kyra looking down to find an orange-tinted alien woman with huge goggle like spectacles. She was a foot or so shorter than Kyra, and inspected the gangly crowd with a judging glare. If she had any reservations about any of them, she didn't make them known.

"Where's my boyfriend?" The woman, who Kyra assumed was Maz, asked abruptly. Maz's attention seemed to be solely focused on Han, not really paying attention to Rey or Finn behind the smuggler, or BB-8 and Kyra, who were bringing up the rear of the party.

"Chewie's working on the Falcon." Han gave Maz a look that seemed to say "What can I do about it? Our ship was broken.", the mannerisms of the man telling more about what he was saying than the actual words that were coming out of his mouth.

"I like that Wookie." Maz quickly stated before she sighed and turned her back to Han, stepping back down into the hustle and bustle of the bar. "I assume that you need something. Desperately. Let's get to it." The woman walked away from the doors, Han gesturing for them to follow her to wherever she was going to locate them.

Maz weaved her way through the crowds in her bar, Kyra, Finn, and Rey attempting to not make eye contact with anyone inside- just like Han had said. However, doing that was easier said than done, all eyes trained upon the party until Maz stopped at a hand-carved wooden table, located towards the back of the bar-like place. It was secluded, a place where Maz could talk business without people overhearing her.

"So, why have you brought me this band of gangly misfits, Han? Are they looking for jobs?" Maz peered at the three young people in front of her, her eyes lighting up with recognition when she looked at Kyra. Questions about her familiarity would come later- and not the familiarity of her as a First Order assassin.

"Their droid has a map to Luke Skywalker." Han leaned over the table to where Maz sat, figuring the conversation should be kept down to the barest details. He needed to cut to the chase, and that was the easiest way to do it.

"A map to Skywalker himself?" The woman seemed impressed, leaning back in her seat to stare at the droid. The BB unit didn't seem like much, just a customized little droid that seemed to stick very close to the two women of the party. "You're right back in the mess." Maz remarked to Han, giving a small laugh as she did so.

Han leaned in closer to Maz, not in the mood to be teased or to play games. "Maz, I need you to get this droid to Leia." He pleaded, something in his eyes begging for her to just help him on this one thing. However, Maz's unmoved expression seemed to tell Han the exact opposite.

"Hmm." Maz pretended to consider the offer for a moment before telling Han her answer. "No. You've been running away from this fight for too long. Han, nyakee nago wadda. Go home!" She exclaimed, seemingly tired of whatever fight that Han had been involved in.

"Leia doesn't want to see me." Han grumbled, picking up a piece of fruit from the bowl that Maz had placed in front of them, inspecting it carefully. He began to dig his nails into the skin of the apple-like fruit, making Maz roll her eyes at his stupidity and capability to ruin things so quickly.

"Please." Finn begged Maz, looking at her with a pleading look. "We came here for your help. We have to get this BB unit back to the Resistance, and we were told that the easiest way to do that would be to come here and find you."

"What fight?" Rey interrupted Finn's pleas, curious to know exactly what the alien woman was talking about. She had no idea what fight Maz was referring to with Han and Leia, but she did know that the woman was implying something greater when she had spoken that sentence to Han.

"The only fight: against the dark side. Throughout the ages, I've seen it take many different forms. The Sith. The Empire. Today, it is the First Order. Their shadow is spreading across the galaxy. We must face them. Fight them. All of us." Maz spoke, her words imbuing wisdom into the young scavenger. However, those same words also seemed to rile a young rebel stormtrooper past his breaking point.

"There is no fight against the First Order!" Finn retorted, earning him a look from both Rey and Kyra. The look from Rey was one of shock, and the one from Kyra was a look that was begging him to shut up. Nevertheless, Finn persisted, continuing to talk. "Not one that we can win. Look around. There's no chance that we haven't been recognized already."

"Finn-" Kyra started, trying to interrupt the young man before he made the situation worse. She gave a heavy sigh, pitying the position Finn was in while also hoping that he would shut up. Kyra had been in his same place before, but that mindset wasn't going to get them back to the Resistance base.

"No." Finn snapped back at Kyra, shaking his head with another large sigh. He stared at Maz, thinking that the woman was too ignorant to understand how big of a threat the First Order really was. "I bet you the First Order is already on their way right-"

Finn stopped halfway through his sentence, seeing Maz adjust her goggles. She was scrutinizing him in some way. Her eyes were peering at him, studying him like a small microorganism under a microscope. "What's this? What are you doing" He asked her, getting no response. Maz continued to study him, her eyes squinting at him for a moment as she continued to stare at him. "Solo, what is she doing?"

"I don't know, but it ain't good." Han chuckled, shaking his head. The kid had somehow managed to piss off Maz, the woman getting serious as she began to study the young man. The discussion that he had with Finn earlier was obviously coming to light- because as he said, women always found out.

"If you live long enough, you see the same eyes in different people." Maz explained, adjusting her goggles again, her eyes getting bigger as she continued to study Finn's eyes. "Right now, I'm looking into the eyes of a man who wants to run."

Finn challenged Maz, staring back into her eyes. Her words struck deep in his heart, making him emotional and offended. "You don't know a thing about me. Where I'm from. What I've seen. You don't know the First Order like I do. They'll slaughter us. We all need to run."

The woman wasn't surprised by anything he said. Finn's true nature, at least in Maz's eyes, had been revealed to the women he was accompanied by. If he wanted to run, Maz wasn't going to stop him. "You see those two? They'll trade work for transportation to the Outer Rim. There, you can disappear." She stated, pointing to two mercenaries in the corner, both of them looking over at the table when Maz pointed at them.

Kyra sat back in her chair, pinching the bridge of her nose with frustration. The kid was going to run away now, after everything that they had been through? Throw this all away with a flick of his finger? There was a bit of shame that rose up inside of her as she watched him walk away from the table, Rey trying to rise up to follow him. "No-" She stopped the young scavenger, placing a hand on her arm. "Rey, if he wants to go, we can't stop him."

"We can't just let him go. We've made it this far." Rey ripped her arm out of Kyra's grasp, walking over to Finn, who was discussing trade with the mercenaries. Kyra watched as the two started an intense discussion, and Kyra knew that it wasn't going to end very well for Rey or Finn.

"Excuse me." Kyra pushed herself away from the table, walking away from the situation. She wasn't sure what she was doing, but she knew that Rey was right- the three of them had come this far, and they weren't going to give up on each other.

There was a moment of silence as Han, Maz, and BB-8 watched the two girls walk away, Rey and Finn suddenly in an intense argument of their own. Kyra, on the other hand, was scanning the cantina for something- none of them knew what, but the wary look on her face remained. Making sure that the two women were far enough away, Maz began to speak to Han.

"Who's the girl?" Maz questioned him, her eyes studying Han as she asked the question, getting a confused look on his face. She leaned across the table, her goggle-like glasses enlarging her eyes, making her stare all the more intimidating.

"Which one?"

"You know exactly which one I'm talking about." Maz rolled her eyes, gesturing at where Kyra stood, talking to the mercenaries that Finn had been with, attempting to find out more information about what was going to happen and where they were leaving.

To wreck their ship before they could leave, of course.

"Her name's Kyra." Han paused, the obvious groan coming from Maz implying him to explain more about the girl than just her first name. There was a hesitation from Han before he leaned in closer to Maz, not wanting the name to escape very far. You never knew what kind of enemies were listening in, after all. "Kyra Ceydea."

There was a moment of silence after Han spoke that last name, the look of shock that was plastered on Maz's face one that he had experienced earlier that very day. "I know." Han muttered, leaning back out of the close quarters they were in to sit back in his chair. "I had that same look on my face when she said that too."

"You mean to tell me that after all of these years, their family is still alive?" The woman whispered, sitting back in her chair with shock. "It would explain as to why there was the rumor of the Jedi killer going around that was working for the First Order for a while. There could be no one that would be that powerful except for her."

"I know. I didn't ask the girl too many questions, but Chewie said he got a little bit of her backstory. Her mother raised her on Sorgan. There was only one daughter alive by the end of that revolution- so all roads point to Alora being Kyra's mother." Han explained, Maz nodding as all of the pieces started to slowly come together. All of the little tidbits of information that Maz had gained over the years about the Ceydeas, all the rumors, secrets, and whispers combining to create the story that she saw in front of her. "My son found her on her home planet, and basically forced her to be an instrument of war for the First Order. It's how they conquered so many planets over the past nine years. They've had a little help."

"I imagine that the girl didn't stand for it for long. The light side in her wouldn't let it." Maz muttered, finding something at the table that they were sitting at, playing with it for a moment before gathering her thoughts again. "After all, if she is Alora's daughter, it's only assumed that he's her father."

"I know. From what he told me, she was the only person that he ever truly loved, and it was the same for her. After he kissed one princess, he just had to go and fall in love with another." Han scoffed, leaning back in his seat and placing his feet on the table, crossing his legs in a comfortable manner.

I don't understand. What are you all talking about Kyra and her family so vaguely for? BB-8 beeped up at the two people in the middle of an intense conversation. She told me that she was raised on the planet of Sorgan in the middle of nowhere by her mother, and by no one else. There's no way that she could be someone that's as important as you say. Kyra would know about it.

"The Outer Rim, eh?" There was a bit of shock laced in her voice as the droid revealed more information on the girl that her eyes were zeroed in on. Han has mentioned it earlier, but Maz's thoughts were focused on her mother's name in that earlier conversation, not the planet she was on. "That would explain a little bit of how Alora escaped the destruction of her planet. How none of us knew? That's a bigger story that I'm sure we'll have to discover." Maz muttered to herself, tapping her chin to try and untwist all of the information inside of her head. "And no mentions to her father?"

She never talked about one. Said that it was just her mother and her for as long as she could remember. Kyra said that her mother told her about how her father was someone who was a fierce warrior who fought for what he believed in though. The droid stated matter-of-factly to the woman who was peering at him with her large glasses.

"That sounds about right." There was a chuckle from Maz as she smacked Han's feet off of the table, earning her a questioning look from Han. Her glowering look shut him right up as she almost drifted away into a thought of a happier time- before the First Order and everything they had brought to the galaxy. "Luke was always like that. Sticking to his morals no matter what the cost. Shame that those same morals are what drove him away."

There was a grunt of agreement from Han as the man chuckled himself, reminiscing of all of the memories he had made with his friend that had left behind the galaxy in shame and fear. "Definitely sounds like the kid. I could never convince him to stray from his morals for anything. He was as stubborn as a bull."

Wait. Luke. Luke Skywalker? BB-8 whirred with excitement and shock, this revelation not being one that he had expected from Maz. To be honest, the droid hadn't expected much out of the visit, but now that this had come to light, he had realized there was more to this situation and rescue than there ever had been before.

"Yes, droid. Keep up." Maz sighed, waving away BB-8 as if he was too ignorant. There was a lot that the young droid didn't understand, some of it contributing to his master, who wasn't the brightest to catch onto things either. "Regardless, this brings up a whole other issue on our hands besides the map to Luke Skywalker. We now have to deal with the fact that we are transporting a part of the Skywalker bloodline to the Resistance."

An audible sigh escaped Han's lips, the man slowly realizing that maybe he would have to face Leia. Not only because Maz was making him, but because her niece was onboard his ship. "I didn't expect to be carrying my best friend's daughter on my ship, and I don't think anyone ever expected for Luke to have a child." Han scoffed, tracing his finger along the etchings inside of the carved table they were sitting at. "Weren't the Jedi supposed to not have any attachments?"

"Jedi have broken the code before. I'm not surprised Luke did it himself." Maz sighed, her tone monotonous as she spoke about the Jedi code. Were all the people in this new era uneducated about the way that the things used to be in this galaxy? "Must run in his family."

There was a frustrated sigh from behind the both of them, Han turning to see the two mercenaries that Finn had been talking to with their guns pointed towards Kyra. Apparently she had set them off about something, and they weren't too particularly happy about it. It was two against one, and even Han knew that in a place so crowded like this, the odds weren't too good. He quickly reached for his blaster in his holster, getting ready to rise from his seat.

Maz pulled him straight back down, grabbing ahold of his blaster as a way of telling him to stay out of the way. "The kid can handle this. If she is Solani as everyone says she is, this shouldn't be hard for her." She whispered, warning Han to think things through before he made impulsive decisions like that.

In almost a blink of an eye, Kyra had slammed the head of one of the mercenaries into the table, rendering him unconscious. It startled his companion, who aimed a blaster shot for Kyra. However, she reacted quicker, grabbing his arm, the blaster shot going through the ceiling of the castle-like cantina. Taking the gun from his hand that was aimed at the ceiling, Kyra whacked the butt of the blaster against the final mercenary's head, making him fall unconscious next to his partner.

In the midst of the cantina, it seemed to just be a normal bar fight that people were used to seeing. However, to Han, this whole development was a bit new. He had expected the kid to be a good fighter, sure, but he didn't expect her to take out two armed mercenaries within seconds.

Kyra turned around to see Han still staring at her, a shocked look on his face. "Don't look so surprised. When I tell you that I was trained within the First Order for nine years, I definitely learned how to defend myself." She rolled her eyes, tucking the blaster she had stolen from the mercenary on the other side of the jacket, the girl now having two blasters on her. "Now I have to go find Finn before he ruins everything for everyone." Kyra muttered, turning away from the two and running towards the exit of the cantina.

A surprised laugh escaped Han's lips as he watched the young girl leave, Maz shaking her head with a smile upon her face. "She's Luke's alright." Maz scoffed, a look of amusement plastered all over her face. "The question on the table now is: Does she know?" She asked Han, turning her head to get a shrug from the smuggler, who wasn't really sure.

"Like I told you, I don't know too much about the kid. I know the basics, that she was one of the First Order's upper elite, and that she was trained under my son. She told me that she started reporting information to the Resistance when she was on missions four years ago to spy for them, and that was how she ended up at the point that she is today." Han stated simply, trying to give as much information as he could about the girl, figuring he shouldn't waste Maz's time. "I would assume that if she knew, the First Order would know. And considering they're tracking down the droid more than her, I'd say no."

"Well, if she doesn't know by now, she will by the time the Resistance finds her." Maz remarked, giving a slight chuckle as she looked over at Han. "Leia will be able to put the pieces together much more easily than you and I did. Luke is her brother, after all." That earned a shrug from Han, the man realizing that she was right. "It's only a matter of time."

"Yeah." Han muttered, watching as Kyra looked back at him for a moment, the two of them maintaining eye contact for a moment. He watched as she broke away from his stare, turning to run out into the planet's nature out in the open. "I guess it is."

Kyra had left the room with a mission, and one mission only- get Finn back.

Kyra took in a gulp of fresh air for a moment, the freedom and silence liberating after the hustle and bustle of the bar. However nice it was to be outside, she had another mission in front of her. She had to find Finn. She had to tell him to come back, to convince him that the First Order could be taken down.

Running down the steps, Kyra saw the glimpse of his head on the last steps, the girl hurriedly scrambling down the stairs to stand beside him. "Finn." She called out to him, the man turning around to her with an angered look on his face.

"Look, if you're going to lecture me on leaving, spare me the lecture. I just heard an earful from Rey, and the dissapointemnt from her that I wasn't an actual Resistance member was torture enough." Finn scoffed, kicking the ground underneath him.

"Do you think Poe would want you to go?" Kyra questioned, taking in a deep and shaky breath as she spoke the man's name. Her question evidently caught Finn for a loop, the man turning around, confusion obvious in his face. "You heard me. Do you think Poe would want you to go? After he sacrificed his life for us- the both of us-"

"I don't need you to guilt trip me into staying here!" Finn snapped, turning away from Kyra to stare at the sky in front of him. He would rather look up at the clouds that were doting the sky than look at the woman, her words upsetting him. "The First Order is going to crush all of us underneath their iron fist, and what are we going to do about it, huh?" He whirled back around to face Kyra, who was now staring up at the sky that he had been looking at a couple of seconds ago. "They're going to find the both of us and take us away-"

"Finn."

"No! They're going to kill the both of us and then crush the Resistance within seconds. With the map to Skywalker or without, the Resistance doesn't stand a chance against the huge empire that is the First Order. And I'm not going to stand idly by and be a part of-"

"Finn!" Kyra slapped him across the face, wrenching his face to look up at the sky, red streaks blazing across it. To some, it would seem like some sort of ship passing by or some strange planetary occurrence. But to the two rebel First Order members, they knew what those red streaks in the sky meant. It meant that the new weapon had been used- and the First Order had targeted the New Republic.

"Dear god." Kyra whispered, watching as a cascading fire of red seemed to remain in the sky, the young woman recognizing that what she was witnessing was the destruction of the planet. They had been too late to save that system, too late to get the information inside of BB-8 to the Resistance.

And it was all her fault.

<~•~>

me, currently sipping on the tea that I just spilled:

ahaha

so this is like the bombshell drop I've been waiting for, but if y'all have seen my profile you probably have seen the luke skywalker fic that's there, so cmon peeps we been knew

I AM SETTING UP SO MUCH STUFF FOR THE SEQUEL TO THIS BOOK Y'ALL DO NOT EVEN KNOW!!

there's gonna be one person that actually hates me after this chapter, and I would like to send out my formal apology to maddie aka mercuryindustries , I deceived you and baited you so fucking hard I kinda feel bad about it but I wanted your FULL reaction 😳✌🏼

okay so this is the end of act two, and maybe someone will be reuniting with kyra very very very soon 👀

alright that's about everything I think, thank you guys for sticking out that kind of long four day wait, I wanted to make this chapter worth it and I spent a long time revising it! it's like 5500 words long and one of my pride and joys in terms of my writing! let me know if you enjoyed it or not, I loved hearing all of your feedback last chapter!

okay okay that's officially everything, I hope you guys enjoyed!