Who: Poe and Rey What: Star Wars Portal When: Sunday morning Where: Near the river Rating: no warnings
To say that Rey was excited about the portal would have been a very big understatement. She didn't care that it was in the past where she was not born yet. In fact, the idea that maybe she could see Luke and Leia and Han again pulled her towards it quicker. "I don't know if you can come, BB-8… yes, I know you miss home. ... yes, I imagine R2 will be there and probably C3PO too." Rey looked at her friend and then crouched, running a hand over BB-8's head. "When Poe gets here, we'll ask his opinion." She knew the Droid had followed her out of the house because she was probably seen as the 'weaker link' since she didn't have as much experience, but she would fall to Poe's experience first and foremost.
When she spotted the man in question she stood up and waved. Rey was dressed like she would back home. She had her staff, but also her pistol and her lightsaber on her hip. "BB-8 is adamant that he comes along." The Droid whirled and beeped and rolled toward Poe.
--
Discovering a portal that would take people to Naboo was completely unexpected and also something that thrilled Poe. He’d insisted on being the first to go through and get the lay of the land since their world was almost constantly at war. When he learned that the Galactic Civil War was in progress and it was only a day before The Battle of Endor, he was stunned. His parents were alive here and his immediate instinct was to seek them out, though he realized that was not likely to be a good idea.
Still, he talked to a few people and decided that it would be safe enough if people from Madison Valley wanted to visit a galaxy far, far away. And he knew that some folks might even be interested in going to lend their hand for the impending battle, so he arranged for transportation for that.
He grinned when he saw Rey and BB-8 waiting for him. “Yes, he can go,” Poe said. He wouldn’t deny the droid anything. “I arranged transportation if people want to go to Endor and take part in the battle. I assume you will be joining me there.”
***
“I am unsure if anything could truly stop me at this point.” Rey was excited. She hadn’t been actually excited about something in quite some time and her expression probably gave it all away. She didn’t even care. She missed home incredibly. “Do you think Leia and Luke will truly be there? And the others?” Poe probably couldn’t answer that completely, but she would take whatever educated guess he’d give her. “I know I have missed the feeling of just being home. The Force isn’t very strong here.” More like echos. It was a lonely feeling sometimes, though she was thankful for Anakin.
Rey gestured for him to lead the way - she’d follow while they spoke.
--
“From everything I know about the battle, yes, they will both be there,” Poe said. “Along with Han and Chewie and… a lot of other people who were big in the Rebellion.” Like his mom. He shook off that thought. “We can’t really tell them who we are. But we can help them.”
He double checked for his blaster on his hip as he led Rey and BB-8 to the spot where the portal was open. Despite Naboo being fairly peaceful, it was always a good idea to make sure he was armed. And since he had the opportunity, he was probably going to pick up a few more blasters while the portal was open.
***
“I am not exactly itching to tell any of them who I am.” That would be complicated on a lot of levels and if they only had a limited time back in their home world, she’d rather try to feel at home. “Though I am worried that my presence will be felt.” Both by Luke, but also by Darth Vadar, though it felt weird to think of him as such and also the man who she had been training with since the beginning of the month. She paused. “....not to mention Palpatine.” Maybe her presence would throw him off and confuse him.
Rey stopped just outside where the portal was and looked at Poe. “Maybe I shouldn’t go.” And yet she was itching to.
--
As soon as they stopped, BB-8 ran into both of their legs, encouraging them to keep going. Poe leaned down and patted the droid on the head. “Relax, we’ll go,” he promised, considering Rey’s dilemma.
“Your presence might be felt,” he agreed. “But it’s unlikely that anyone will pay attention, given everything else that’s happening.” Either way, it was worth the risk and he knew how much it meant to her to be back in their galaxy, even briefly.
***
It was weird to hope for chaos to hide her, but that was her first instinct as she nodded to him and even managed to look a little relieved. “You’re right. Alright, let’s go.” She wanted to go before she lost her nerve and changed her mind.
The moment they were on Naboo, Rey closed her eyes and took a deep breath. It was like all the tension left her, even for just a moment, before she was back to her normal self. When she looked over at Poe, she was grinning from ear-to-ear. “I can’t believe this is where the portal takes us.” It almost felt like an apology from the Dome and Rey was ready to forgive it with this gesture.
--
Poe smiled at the satisfied expression on her face. Home did feel different, even to him not being connected to the Force like she was, and it was good to be here. BB-8 was also clearly excited, spinning around in circles and chirping non stop.
“It’s definitely one of the best places it could drop us,” he agreed. At least in this time period, from what he knew. If the portal dropped them on Hoth or something, it would be a far less pleasant experience. “I think it’ll work out just fine for the folks from Madison Valley to visit here.” Naboo saw frequent visitors from all over the galaxy, so strangers wouldn’t stick out, even the folks who didn’t look like humans.
***
“Hopefully no one gets hurt too badly.” She wondered if they could. Rey had never tested it herself, but there had to be incidences from time to time, right? Rey had no urge to test it out first hand and decided to focus on their surroundings. “Do you have a plan?” She asked it with the tone, for once, that was merely curious without being judgemental. “The battle on Endor happens tomorrow. Should we go there now or go into the city.” She looked around them and paused. “I have to admit I miss hearing all the different languages.” Not to mention seeing the different races. While Madison Valley had some diversity, it was mostly just humans for some reason. Rey glanced down to the excited droid. “I feel like maybe we should… socialize BB-8 somehow.” This was the first time she ever thought to purposefully seek out other droids for a ‘play date’.
--
“I don’t think anyone will get hurt,” Poe said. The people in Madison Valley who would seek out such a fight were more than well equipped to handle themselves. “I was thinking about sticking close here today and heading over there early tomorrow.” The less opportunity they had to encounter the people they knew, the better, in his opinion. “I don’t know how long the portal will stay open, and I don’t want anyone to travel anywhere else.” There was too much risk in letting anyone explore the galaxy at will. He knew what they could expect on Endor and that Naboo was safe. “How about you?”
***
“If I’m honest, I want to go find Luke and Leia.. and Han.” And Chewie and C3PO and a few others, but she knew that was a slippery slope. “But since they don’t know me, I think you’re right. Spend some time here and then help with the battle.” Did they need help? Probably not, but sitting around and letting it happen didn’t feel right either. Maybe they could save a few extra people… or maybe it was all futile. Even if it was, she was still going to fight. “Have you ever been here before?” Rey hadn’t, or at least she had no memory of it.
***
It was definitely tempting to go and find them, especially Leia, and Poe knew his mom wouldn’t be far from her. He would love to see both of them, though he knew it was risky. “Uh, yeah, when I was a kid,” he said. “It’s been a while though.” He avoided places like this when he was running Spice and then when he joined up with the Resistance, he didn’t really have the time for leisurely visits to nice planets.
***
She regarded the city in front of her and then back to Poe and she was smiling again. She’d deal with the dilemma about Luke and Leia later. Right now she decided she should enjoy herself. She cocked her head to the side. “Come on. I’m hoping they have Meiloorun juice down there.” And there was only one way to find out.
***
Poe laughed. “Let’s go find out,” he said. There were quite a few things he was looking forward to eating and drinking that he hadn’t been able to find in Madison Valley. He also wanted to stock up on some supplies while they had a chance.