Rey’s Isolation

The air sizzled from the electric jolt as Rey flinched and recoiled her hand. The exposed vaporizer circuit board was still charged despite its shorted fuse. She cursed under her breath as she wrapped her hand in a piece of loose cloth from her robes.

“I can see why you wanted to get away from this place so much,” Rey said absently toward the horizon. She doubted her former master was somehow listening in on her drivel, but it was comforting to pretend like she wasn’t completely alone on this wasteland of a planet.

Rey eyed the tall thin carass of the vaporizer up and down, bit her lip, and focused her gaze on the small misplaced component on the vaporizer’s control panel. Closing her eyes, she felt the Force fill her mind and surround every intricate piece of the machinery in front of her.

sssszzzzshhhhhhh

With a buzzing whirl the vaporizer came to life again, the malfunction fixed for now.

Rey wiped a bead of sweat from her brow and sighed.

That’s probably an hour’s harvest worth. she mused, watching as the sweat evaporated off her hand in the intense heat of the twin suns.

Three months had passed since Rey came to Tatooine. She was no stranger to desert planets, but living on the outskirts here was much lonelier than the lively smuggler ports and junk trader dens of Jakku. It was much lonelier here.

The suns would be setting soon and Rey didn’t want to be caught out after dark. Despite her training, Tatooine at night was cold and dangerous. A Tusken Raider ambush could still catch her off guard, and if Master Luke’s stories were true, capture would be a fate worse than death. She would be a play thing for them. Meat to be used, and then probably eaten.

Rey returned to the humble abode of her newly adopted family name. It had been a long, hot day and she needed greatly to relax. She lifted an arm, her nosing scrunching as she smelled herself.