Star Wars The Force Awakens: Rey Headcanon by Jacqueline T., 810

My shaking hands slid over the control panel. Several figures clad in the colors of the First Order were approaching the A-Wing. I screamed in pain and anger as I shot recklessly at them.

Only a few went down, however. They were relentless in their march towards me and were now trying to shoot me down to prevent me from escaping.Not that I could. I still had to find my master and any other survivors so that we could get to someplace safer. As I was thinking this, a voice invaded my thoughts.

‘You have to go, Rey. ‘

I gaped as the figure of my master appeared from the side of the air field. He was covered in blood and looked tired, but he waved his lightsaber in intimidation. Then he looked right at me. Luke opened his mouth, and although I couldn’t hear him, I knew what he was saying.

“Go.”

The lights in the starfighter suddenly stopped their wild blinking and before I knew it, I was throwing the A-wing into hyperspace. I was leaving everything I had ever known.

–

Rey wanted to scream from the exhilaration of being somewhere other than the Jedi Temple where she had lived what was probably her whole life. Space was even more amazing than she thought. As the A-wing leaped out of hyperspace, Rey was blown away by the sheer size of the blanket of stars around her. A dusty-looking planet loomed in the distance.

In her awe, Rey didn’t realize that something had apparently followed her here. Suddenly, red lights started flashing on the ship. She teared herself away from the view and looked at the primary alert systems screen. Rey scrunched her forehead in confusion. Before she had time to really comprehend what was happening, wisps of smoke were gathering at her feet. Rey’s eyes widened. A strip of red shot past the ship, barely missing the starfighter’s right wing. Another few shots and the side blaster was gone. Great, now she couldn’t stand a chance against whoever was trying to kill her.

‘We can’t win this. We’ve got to crash.‘ Rey thought frantically.

She glanced back and saw a TIE fighter tailing her. She stiffened, having not known that there had been more of the First Order at the temple.

‘I guess I shouldn’t wonder why we lost so many so quickly,‘ Rey thought angrily.

Rey tugged roughly at the throttle until the A-wing faced the TIE fighter. She checked the weapons indicator. Only a few rounds were available. Hopefully it was enough to get to safety. The other ship was approaching quickly, too quickly. Suddenly, Rey’s hand was flicking the weapons master switch and as a green light flickered to life, she pushed a button on the throttle and several blasts fired from her left. She squinted, watching the TIE fighter pilot getting ready to retaliate.

Rey veered her jet away from her opponent and pushed it to the limit. Her altitude monitors were screaming. She gritted her teeth. There was no way she was giving that pilot the satisfaction of killing a Jedi. A scent invaded her. The smoke was filling up the cockpit. Rey fired the last of her rounds at the other fighter before pulling the A-wing into a sharp dive. She looked at the airspeed indicator. The numbers were higher than she liked. The amber fail light had ceased flashing altogether. Rey scanned the control panel for the seat ejection controls, but she was too panicked. She mumbled urgently instead and tightened her seatbelt before adjusting her helmet so it was more secure on her head.

She closed her eyes, preparing for the worst.

An instant before the starfighter crashed, everything seemed to cease to exist.

–

Rey’s eyes fluttered open. Smoke was everywhere, and the sound of a raging fire could be heard very close by. Soot covered her face. She groaned.

“What? Where-?” Rey asked in her confused and disoriented state.

Her eyes widened in realization and she started frantically struggling to get out of the burning ship. Rey hissed. Pain shot through her leg and the light scent of copper mingled with the smoke. She dared to look down at the damage. Rey choked back her horror. Her leg was jammed between her seat and the upturned throttles that were resting at her feet moments before. Blood slowly poured out of Rey’s awkwardly twisted knee. She went limp with frustration. There was no way she was strong enough to-

“Oh,” Rey whispered, a possible scenario dawning on her.

Rey’s eyes moved slowly to the lightsaber that was yet again, still miraculously attached to her robe. She wormed her arm to the lightsaber’s hilt. There was little space. It was possible none of this would work. For all she knew, the plasma of her weapon would react badly with the already hot atmosphere. Rey gulped. No time for second thoughts. She seared open a large enough hole in the side of the diminished A-wing. Sheathing her saber, Rey closed her eyes, summoning all the strength she could garner at the moment. Slowly, but surely, Rey felt the heavy weight on her leg let off. She gasped with the relief and suddenly found it in her to easily toss the useless pilot’s seat out of the hole she had just made.

“The Force sure comes in handy some times.” Rey murmured to herself.

She slowly dragged herself out onto the sand and grunted. It felt as if the individual grains were piercing her leg wound. Stupid sand. Huffing, Rey flopped onto the desert terrain. The sun beamed down on her. After a few moments, Rey got lifted her head.

‘Thirsty,’ she thought.

Rey rolled her eyes. Of course she was.

‘We’re in a $#@!&* desert!‘ Rey wanted to yell.

Ugh. The heat was getting to her. She pulled the rest of her body up, but the sand barely gave her any purchase. It would be tiring getting to a nearby village, but Rey didn’t think she could survive the night without freezing, or getting dehydrated, or starving. She took a deep breath. No point in worrying herself to death first.

Rey wobbled, her right foot resting uneasily on the sand. She raised a hand to protect her eyes as she scanned for any signs of life. None. She turned around and still couldn’t find anything. Rey was about to just quit entirely, when a glint in the distance caught her eye. Squinting, Rey thought she saw the gleam of metal. Beside it was a tiny figure. She started toward it, but stopped.

‘It might be a mirage,‘ she warned herself, but her thirst for water was overwhelming.

She licked her lips.

Rey sighed and started making a slow shuffle towards whatever she had seen. Mirage or not, there was still some hope here.