Finn walked out of the resistance command center, into the burning sun. He'd been in a strategy meeting all day and thought he might die if he didn't get out of there. Feeling the searing heat, he wondered again why they had decided to set up the new base on Jakku. Sure it was remote, but there had to be isolated planets with more pleasant weather. He didn't see how Rey had managed to survive out here for so long. But Rey was always so strong, tough in ways he could never be. She had been so kind too, with the most beautiful smile. "Don't think of Rey," Finn reminded himself. Thinking of Rey always made him sad. How long had it been now? It had to be close to 18 years since he'd seen her. 18 years since Rey had vanished.
Finn entered the base cantina and looked around for Poe. He was sitting at a table near the back. Finn was glad to find him alone, Poe always seemed to be surrounded by a crowd of well-meaning but rowdy friends. "Hey, General!" yelled the pilot. "Over here." Finn walked over to his boyfriend, sitting down across from him.
"God, I told you not to call me that." Finn grabbed the drink Poe held out to him. "It's been a month now and the title still doesn't feel right."
"Well we couldn't expect General Organa to keep doing it forever," insisted Poe. "Especially with all she's been through. I mean not only does her son go crazy and kill her husband but then he goes and disappears, never to be seen again." Poe reached over the table and squeezed Finn's hand. "But they couldn't have picked a better replacement. You've been doing great." Poe tilted his head and regarded his partner. "Are you ok? You seem down tonight."
"I was thinking of Rey again today." The General looked down at the table. "Wondering if she's alright, trying to figure out what could have happened." He looked up and met Poe's eyes. "Wondering if there was anything I could have done."
"You weren't there Finn," Poe reminded him. "She was off with Luke Skywalker on Ahch-To, there one moment and gone the next."
"I know, I know," said Finn. "But if I hadn't been in that coma, maybe she wouldn't have gone to the island in the first place."
"You know she would have." The pilot placed a gentle hand on his boyfriend's shoulder. "She wanted to go there to train, you would have never been able to talk her out of it." Poe gave a small smile. "She was stubborn like that." Finn knew he could talk to Poe about anything, but he normally avoided the topic of Rey. Not because it made Poe angry but because it made Finn feel guilty. Poe knew that Finn had been in love with her. "You don't have to feel guilty, I know how you feel about me. I know how we feel about each other. The way you felt about Rey doesn't change anything." Finn couldn't help but grin.
"It's like you can read my mind," he said as he leaned in to give his boyfriend a kiss. "I'm sorry I've been so distant lately. This general thing has me so stressed and I haven't been sleeping well."
"Yeah, I've noticed you have been thrashing around a lot at night." Poe's warm brown eyes were wide with concern. "Have you been having nightmares again?"
"I started having them again a few weeks ago." In the year after Rey's disappearance, Finn's sleep had been plagued by nightmares. Night after night, he heard Rey screaming. Saw her covered in blood, begging for help. His worst fears come to life. Now they were back and more terrifying than ever. "Maybe it's because we are on Jakku, it reminds me of her."
"You can wake me up anytime you need to," Poe reminded him. "You don't have to deal with this alone." Finn was touched by his partner's selflessness. It was one of the things he loved most about him.
"God, I lov…" Finn was interrupted by one of his admirals, Amal, who came running over to the table.
"General! We have an emergency. We've detected a large number of First Order craft rapidly approaching. They must have discovered our location."
"Begin an evacuation." Finn sprang to his feet.
"We don't have time, Sir. They will be arriving in just a few minutes."
"Then we will stand and fight. Try to get as many civilian personnel to safety as possible. Poe, we'll need air support. Get all your pilots together right away." Poe gave Finn a quick kiss on the forehead before running off to gather his men. "Gather our troops and tell them to get into defensive position."
"Yes, General." The admiral raced off.
Finn left the cantina and entered the chaos. Word of the impending attack had spread and everyone was in a panic. "Please!" yelled Finn. "Try to stay calm." For all the response he got, he may as well have been talking to a wall. Then it was too late. First Order ships were landing, doors opened and storm troopers marched out. Blasters began to fire. Finn felt himself hit the ground before feeling the sharp pain that told him he'd been shot. He found himself unable to rise. People ran all around him, screaming in terror. Buildings were being set on fire and the smoke rose up into the darkening sky. X-wings flew overhead, firing at the enemies on the ground.
Groggy with pain, Finn saw a new ship land. It was larger than the others and black while the others were grey. A fresh legion of Stormtroopers exited, running off to join in the attack. They were followed by a dark figure. It was a young woman, a girl really. She was dressed in a heavy black tunic over black leather pants, with a black cloak thrown over her shoulders. Her wild hair, also black, whipped around her face in the desert wind. She took in the scene around her, looking pleased by the carnage. Her gaze fell on Finn, their eyes meeting for just a moment. Suddenly, Finn gasped. How could it be? If Rey were still alive, she would be 37 by now. But the face that stared back at him was the face of the 19-year-old scavenger girl he had known all those years ago. The girl was Rey.