FIFTY

                                    

                                          
"Ky, I'm fine. Honestly. I just let out some frustration after fighting with my sister," Ver said with a scowl. Kylo runs a hand through his hair on the small hologram before her. 
"Doll, what honestly happened? We've been at this for an hour and you still won't tell me what led to such a ripple in the force. What is going on? If you don't tell me I swear I will be on the first ship to your destroyer," Kylo practically snarls. The frustration he holds is so clearly written on his face. 
"If you don't trust me just say so, Ky. This back and forth is obviously going nowhere." 
Kylo sighs and his tone softens.
"I love you and I'm worried. That wasn't a small reaction to a fight. I felt it, 3 systems away!"
'Ky, I'm not fighting about this any longer. Believe me or don't. It doesn't affect me either way."
With those final words, Ver hung up the holocall. A few tears fell down her face and she quickly wiped them away. She marched out of the throne room and her cold mask returned to her. She found herself snapping at a passing trooper to have any lab analysis results sent to Emperor Ren before she got on her ship, The Queen, and took it to where her story began- Jakku. 
~~~
Kylo paced in the throne room of his destroyer. Something was wrong with Ver. Before Kylo could do anything though, an officer entered the room with a lab report data tablet in hand. 
"Emperor," he said with a bow, "the Empress has requested this report be given to you. It was sent through the system just minutes ago." 
Kylo took tablet and looked through the report. It told him the origin of some random fruit. He groaned as he tried to call Ver but his empress didn't answer. 
"Did she say why?" Kylo asks, annoyed. 
"I believe she conveyed that this was where her mission should take her. It was reported that she flew her ship away immediately after giving the orders." Kylo ran a hand through his hair as he started examining the file on the tablet.
"That will be all," he ordered. The officer scurried out of the room not needing to be told twice. 
The file detailed the origins of a fruit that Ver had sent for analysis. It named a planet that with 99.99% certainty this fruit came from. 
Ver had been communicating with Rey before she flew off. Perhaps she went here? But why would she have the results sent to him. Couldn't she have just told him where to go? Something wasn't adding up but clearly Ver wanted him to go to this planet. 
So that's what he would do.
~~~
Ver landed The Queen on the outskirts of the outpost she had grown up at on Jakku. Sand swirls around its base. Ver grabs her cloak and pulls the hood on. She steps off of her ship and flinches slightly as the heat of her home planet attacks. A thin layer of sweat forms on her brow and bits of sand stick to her like glue. 
No one pays her any attention as she approaches the outpost. Ver looks around at the planet she once lived on. Not a thing had changed in the three years since she had been gone. A few tears slip down Ver's face as she remembers the life she left behind, the person she once was. 
Rhy had been weak and she had thought by choosing power she would be strong.
Her power had made her powerful but Ver did not feel strong. 
She felt alone in the burdens of the galaxy. She knew she had Kylo and that he loved her but he couldn't understand her any longer. No one could understand her. She just wanted everything to stop. 
Ver's feet had a mind of their own as they took to to the window of Unkar's shop. There was no line since all the scavengers were still out scavenging or cleaning what they found. Ver walked right up to the window and Unkar looked down onto her. 
"You look too clean to be one of my new scavengers," his rough voice stated. The crolute frowned as he took in Ver's face under her hood. "Rey? Is that you?"
Ver flinched. Then Unkar's face broke out into a grin.
"No, no. You're the good one. Welcome home, Rhy. Its good to see you're alive. After the First Order took you, we all figured you dead. I got a new girl in back organizing but you could always scavenge like that sister of yours."
"This place hasn't changed," Ver mutters as she pulls her hood down. Her normally tight, low bun was messy. Strands fell showing the imperfection Ver now felt she was.
"What's there to change when your top dog?" Unkar asks with a laugh. Ver looked around at the impoverished traders and scavengers. Anger coursed through her as she remembered her years on the planet, her childhood.
"Change is good. It helps to bring balance to the scales of right and wrong.  I lost sight of that scale..." Unkar frowns.
"You want the job or not?" The aged crolute snaps. Ver's hand slips around the lightsaber hidden at her hip. 
"How much for this?" She asks, as she slams the saber in front of Unkar. His eyes go wide in recognition and he dumps all his portions next to the saber. 
"Is that real?" He asks in disbelief.
"Yes."
"How did you get it?" His oversized hand runs across the top of it in awe.
"It's mine." Unkar backs up slowly. But his size and the small size of his trailer doesn't allow him to go far.
"I didn't die to the First Order because I joined them, Unkar. Turns out I like power just as much as you. The difference between us is what I do with that power," Ver says coldly. 
With a small twist of her hand, the saber turns towards Unkar. With a tilt of her head, the saber turns on and shoots at him. With a single blink, the red saber shoots towards Ver's now outstretched hand. She turns toward the gaping beings scattered throughout the market.
"You are free. Do with that what you will." Ver starts walking to her ships when a voice calls out.
"Who are you?" a brave young scavenger asks. Ver smiled sadly.
"My name is Rhy. I lived here once. I thought I belonged here. Trust me, boy, no one belongs on this hellhole."