#rhoswen

"What is going on?" Rhoswen asked stepping up onto a ledge to get a better look.

"The Acky Acky Festival of the Ancestors. This celebration occurs only once every 42 years." Threepio answered almost too happily. The droids inability to read the room was always an annoyance but they put up with it. Poe puts his hand over his face and sighed deeply.

"Well, that's lucky." Finn sighed.

"Lucky, indeed. This festival is known for both its colorful kites.... and its delectable sweets." They all turn to look at threepio as the music continues. Rhoswen shook her head and headed down into the valley. The kites flew overhead as they walked into the crowd. Making their way through without being noticed was impossible.

"I've never seen anything like this." Rey said with amazement. Rhoswen looked over at her, a pang in her chest. She sometimes forgot how little of the galaxy Rey had really experienced. It wasn't very obvious in the way she acted, she had so much skill and talent for someone who had seen so little.

"I've never seen so few wayfinders." Finn remarked interrupting Rhoswen's train of thought.

"There's always random First Order patrols in crowds like these. So, keep your heads down." Poe said before tossing something to Chewie. "Let's split up. See what the locals know."

Rhoswen followed Rey, watching the way she interacted with the children. One of them gave Rey a trinket and began to speak to her. Rhoswen watched from the side as Threepio translated the conversation for both parties. Rhoswen was tracking the movement around them, she couldn't help but feel like they were being watched.

"I don’t have one. I’m just Rey." Rey said softly. That's when the air shifts. Rhoswen darts to Rey's side. Putting her hand on her friends shoulder. Waiting to see what she would say. Was her brother near? What were they saying? Rey started to stand and the necklace that she had just recived from the child had vanished from her neck. Rhoswen gasped, she had never seen anything like that.

"Go? Go where? Rey -"

"We have to go." Rey said suddenly as she came back from wherever she was pulled.

"No time, we have to get the others." Rey instructed getting to her feet and starting to make her way through the festival goers. They quickly caught up to the other group.

"We have to go. Back to the Falcon. Now." Rey said urgently as she pulled their friends closer. They both looked confused.

"Why?" Finn asked

"It's Ren."

That made everyone relax a little. He was definitely a friend then.

They were on the run. They knew they didn't have time. Rhoswen looked behind them checking that they weren't being followed.

"Freeze! Hold it right there!" Rhoswen froze when she heard the voice turning back to look forward, she felt her heart in her throat. Not again, she couldn't possibly go through it all again. Her wide eyes met Poe's across the group in a moment of pure panic. However before she could act beyond that the storm trooper was shot with an arrow and fell to the ground to the ground.

"Follow me." Their rescuer spoke sternly so they knew not to argue. They followed the masked man to a sand crawler. "Hurry." He called over his shoulder as they all stepped inside. The man spoke in the native language through a slot in the crawler's interior, who agreed to whatever he said. "Leia sent me a transmission"

"Please. Its all we've got." Rhoswen said solemnly. He turned to look at her. His dark eyes looked her up and down his eyes linger on her jacket. Her dad's jacket.

"How'd you find us?" Finn asked. The man takes off his mask to reveal himself to be Lando Calrissian, much older than the last time Rhoswen saw him. Her heart ached, her fathers closest friend. She hadn't seen him since things were just starting up in the resistance. That was a few years ago now.

"Wookies standout in a crowd." Lando laughed. Chewie growls excitedly happy to see his old friend yet again. Rhoswen was overwhelmed with emotions. Happiness, seeing him again. Anger, that he hadn't shown up sooner. Where was he when they held the funeral for her father? Where had he been this whole time when they so desperately needed as much help as possible? She didn't even realized she had missed most of the conversation until Poe gently grabbed her shoulder bringing her back to reality.

"I know. I was with him. Luke and I were tailing an old Jedi hunter. Ochi of Bestoon. He was carrying a clue that could lead to a wayfinder. We followed his ship halfway across the galaxy here. When we got to his ship, it was abandoned.... No clue. No wayfinder." Lando explained in an even tone

"Is Ochi's ship still here?" Rey asked, the urgency in her voice was almost sharp in comparison. Rhoswen finally managed to meet his eyes. Something familiar glimmered in those wary brown eyes.

"It's out in the desert, where he left it."

"We need to get to that ship. Search for it." Rey pleaded. The crawler lurched and they could hear engines whirring in distance. They were running out of time.

"I got a bad feeling about this…" Lando sighed. That made the anger in Rhoswen's chest begin to burn again. He couldn't be serious right now. He couldn't be seriously considering leaving them in the dark like that.

"Ochi's ship is out past Lurch Canyon. Go." He replied. Poe said something in thanks as the crawler slowed to a stop. Rhoswen lingered behind for a moment, the others staring to head towards the canyon in the distance.

"You should give it to her yourself."

"You should go see mom. We need all the pilots we can possibly get our hands on right now." She knew it was worthless to ask. If he hadn't come when Han died, he wasn't going to come ever. That's just how it was going to be.

"My flying days are long gone. But do me a favor.... give Leia my love." Lando asked, his gaze looked guilty for even asking. Rhoswen sighed. She crossed the space and threw her arms around him, hugging him tight.

~

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