AN: I began writing this after TFA, before TLJ and TROS, and am reposting it to finish the story. As such, takes place after an altered ending of TFA. Thanks for reading!

One hundred twenty-three.

Rey repeated the number in her mind as she stared at the dim flickering light on the ceiling. At least, she thought it was one hundred twenty-three days since the Battle of Starkiller. Since she saw Finn motionless in the snow. She could not remember if Finn still lived.

She fashioned herself a fighter. A survivor. Nearly fifteen years on Jakku fending off other scavengers and thieves earned her that title. Too many nights with a cramped, empty stomach had forced her to learn the harsh reality of life far too quickly. She'd made a life for herself while clinging to the hope of her family's return.

Stars, but her mind was so muddled. The only thing she was certain of was the red beam that stained her vision every time she closed her eyes.

She would give anything to be back on Jakku. The rough sand, the scathing heat, the isolation. Even at the mercy of Unkar Plutt, at least she had her freedom to choose what she scavenged and sold. She'd had her flight simulator, her hammock, and the little pilot doll. She could handle herself. She had proven that on the Starkiller Base by thwarting the infamous the monster at his own game not once but twice in a manner of hours.

But the crackling blade of Kylo Ren's lightsaber still haunted Rey's thoughts in the silence of night.

They'd been so close. The Resistance pilots attacked with all available firepower. The explosives were set. The Milennium Falcon was ready to fly, and all they needed to do was get Han and Chewbacca out of the sieged oscillator. They would leave the dying planet, the Resistance would be safe, and the First Order would take a crippling blow to its arsenal.

Rey would go to the Resistance with Finn – Finn, the only person who had ever come back for her. She had held out a new hope that Finn, Han, and Chewie could be the family she had waited for on Jakku.

The ache in her chest had not diminished even months after Han's death. He had killed the smuggler. The legend. The man who might have been a father figure to the little girl inside her that never knew one. The face framed by dark, waving hair – the face of an arrogant young man – plagued her mind's eye.

Rey had been too busy fighting that monster to witness the breakdown of the Resistance's barrage at the hands of the Knights of Ren. But she saw the icy planet produce the deadly beam that took millions of lives. Peaceful beings who had wanted no part in the brewing war. The members of the Resistance. All gone because of a dead sun and a streak of red.

The deadly beam that had given a beaten Kylo Ren the opportunity to take her out with the Force burned into her memory for forever.

Rey did not close her eyes much anymore. Closing her eyes meant seeing that red beam. Closing her eyes struck hopelessness in the soul that had always refused to relent.

But the First Order had won. And as the days turned into months inside the small room, Rey struggled to find the hope that had kept her going on Jakku.

Her stomach clenched painfully, but Rey knew it was from the lack of nutrition rather than nostalgia. The Knights of Ren had apparently been assigned guard duty over her, and each had chosen to take their annoyance at babysitting a dirty scavenger out on her in different ways. The one in charge of her now – a human man she hated more than she Unkar Plutt and Kylo Ren combined – had decided starvation was an appropriate method. Less contact that way, anyway.

Her connection to the Force – something she had thought to be a myth just six months ago – was the only thing that spared her life. She could still feel the shadow that Snoke left in her mind. She wondered if giving up on her was part of the twisted man's – if he even was a man – plan. It likely was, but the drugs were pumped into her system every day kept her mind from focusing on that particular problem long enough to figure out the ulterior motive. Still, the fact that she was thinking about it meant the drug was wearing off again.

The thick door behind the table that held her body captive hissed, and heavy boots hit the floor. Rey kept her eyes on the ceiling and chewed on the inside of her dry mouth. If her concept of time was still correct, he was later than usual. Her mind had not been so clear in weeks.

"As a follower of the Supreme Leader, you would get the all the food you desire," a low voice said. Rey did not detect the tell-tale sign of modulation; the man did not wear his typical helmet. "We want for nothing. Surely you must be starving."

Rey's tongue flicked out to lick her dry lips. She struggled for longer than she should have to croak, "You should've done your research." She swallowed what little saliva she could muster. "This is nothing new." She finally turned her head to face the man, examining his light brown hair and long forehead. "At least your fellow knights knew that."

A gloved hand grabbed her hair and pulled her head back. Rey shut her eyes as the man leaned close. The red beam flashed into her black vision again. "If I didn't have other pressing matters, I would make you regret ever leaving that filthy planet."

If Rey had been better hydrated, she would have spit in his face. "Too late."

The grip on her hair tightened for a moment before the blow hit her face. Dear stars, that hold, that blow was too familiar. She wanted nothing more than to be away from him, but to watch him burn would help. Hot fury exploded in her chest, and the man flew back into the wall.

She heard the air leave his lungs. She sucked in several breaths and focused on the heavy restraints around her limbs. The man was already getting to his knees, and Rey gritted her teeth, imagining the restraints opening.

The durasteel popped open, and Rey had to hold onto the table to keep herself from falling.

"You little bitch," the man growled in a gravelly voice. She heard his heavy footsteps tell her he had gotten to his feet.

Exhaustion weighed down her limbs, but her eyes darted to the closed door. It was likely locked, but a staff rested next to the door. She pushed off the restraining table and took staff.

A surprised look crossed the man's face, and she didn't waste time swinging it at his head. He ducked and grabbed at the end of the staff, but Rey brought the other end down into his stomach. He grunted and doubled over, allowing Rey to smash the staff's middle against his head. He collapsed to the floor, and Rey hit him again for good measure. Another hit brought blood that matted his hair. Her arms trembled from the exertion as she connected the end of the staff with his side. She raised it again but hesitated. As much as she hated her captor, she needed the energy to leave the planet. If Jakku had taught her anything, it was survival first, revenge second.

She put a hand on the wall to stabilize herself as she walked to the door, willing it to open. It did not move. She hit her hand against a pad next to it and shook her head as it remained firmly shut. Annoyance rose in her chest. She hadn't beaten a man and pulled herself out of a kriffing drug-induced haze of four months to get stopped by a closed door. Her fury had helped her before, so she took another glance at the motionless man behind her and willed the door open. It slid open with a distinctly unsatisfying hiss.

She took off quickly down the hall, or as quickly as one could while using a staff to stabilize her trembling muscles. She peered around every corner before entering a hall, keeping herself as alert as possible in case she saw anyone in the halls or signs that she was near a spaceport or ship hanger.

Some sort of trooper supply center like the one she'd seen on the Starkiller would be nice, but she wasn't even sure whatever building she was in had Stormtroopers. She had only ever seen three different Knights of Ren. But she needed water. It would do her no good to die of dehydration the moment she got off whatever forsaken planet she was on.

The staff made a satisfying crack every time she hit visible holocams. She was about to take out the tenth cam when she felt a prickle of unease. She had only felt that presence once since Starkiller. It felt like another shadow, different from the one Snoke exuded, but too familiar. Before she realized it, she had turned down several corridors toward it, as if her being craved the presence of someone she knew. She stopped herself and hit another holocam with the staff.

Fifteen years on Jakku, she told herself. She couldn't get nostalgic or careless now.

She thanked any lucky stars that might still be rooting for her that she hadn't encountered someone during the fog she seemed to have slipped into. Looking around another corner, she stifled a gasp and immediately pressed herself against the wall.

The slight figure of a woman walked next to a tall, broad man. Both were cloaked in black with hoods over their heads. Rey had only seen their backs, but she pressed her hand over her mouth to stifled her heavy breathing. Slowly, she stepped in the direction she had come, hoping to find an empty room to hide in.

"I knew Nesan would slip up." The voice made Rey jump. It wasn't cold, but there was a razor edge to it that gave her a chill.

She turned and brought her staff up into a swing. The slight woman she'd seen caught the end of the staff and held it captive in her hand. A hood hid her face, but Rey could see too-white skin with grey markings that traveled up the woman's neck and jaw.

Rey grabbed the staff with both hands and brought the other end up to connect it with the woman's head. She turned with impossible speed before it made contact, ducked, and snatched the staff. Her hood dropped from her head, revealing short, silver hair and the white face of a species Rey did not know. The woman used the staff to push Rey against the wall and held it across her throat. "Nice try, but scavengers don't hold a chance against a Knight of Ren."

"Already kicked one's ass," Rey panted against the staff. "Two, actually." The pressure across her throat increased until spots danced in her vision. It could end here now. Her back throbbed from past abuse, her throat screamed for water, and the shadow wouldn't go away from the back of her mind. She could die at the hand of the Knight and find Han in whatever afterlife there might be.

Her lungs screamed for air, and a flash of Finn crossed her mind.

No. He would be back for her. The only person that had ever come back for her would find her. If he had survived. He had already defied the odds once, even if it hadn't ended well for her. Her fingers curled slowly, and she lifted a heavy leg to connect her foot with the woman's crotch

She grunted in shock and staggered backwards. The staff clattered to the floor. Rey sucked in air greedily and picked up the weapon, smashing it against the woman's back. She dropped to the floor, and Rey staggered down the hall.

Her vision slowly cleared as she pulled in more oxygen, but she confused a dark figure with the black spots still dancing in her eyes. Gloved hands wrapped around her wrists. The low voice that spoke was familiar, from a time before that red beam. "Now, is this any way to treat our guest?"