The smell of rain filled the air as the heavy mist gave way to downpour, the suns long since hidden from view by big, billowing black clouds. Mealtime was over and it was back to training.

Rey watched her daughter as she struggled, wishing she were better equipped to teach her the ways of the Force,"Focus on the stone, Hanna. Reach out and feel it. Feel the ground underneath it and the leaf it is going to rest on. Focus."

Hanna struggled to ignore the rhythmic pats of the rain hitting the leaves all around her. She was tired and cold, with little determination left in her. The only thing that was still driving her was the need to please her mother. She didn't want Leo to be the only one who succeeded today.

"I'm trying, Ma. I don't know what you mean," she huffed, frustrated that she couldn't do this seemingly simple task.

Rey bit her lip, searching her mind for a better way to explain how to do it, "Try closing your eyes. Don't look at the stone, or the ground, or the leaf. Don't listen to the rain or the roaring of the thunder. Don't think about anything, just open your mind. You will start to feel the world around you. You will sense the stone and the ground and the leaf. Once you can really feel them, you will be able to manipulate them. Go on, little love, try again."

Hanna sighed, still frustrated but felt a little hopeful, "Ok. I'll try."

She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly as if savoring it. Just as her mother had told her to, she emptied her mind, sending all thoughts and feelings away so that it was clear and calm. Soon after, she started to sense something…no, everything! She could feel everything, from the stone to the trees to the sky. Each piece of earth had its own unique echo, and she could feel them all. Her eyes shot open and a smile spread across her face, but as soon as she did she lost the connection.

Rey smiled, "Well?"

"I felt everything, Ma. Not just the stone, everything…even the sky!" she said, in awe.

"Good! That's very good, Hanna. Now, do you want to try again?"

"Yes, Ma. I can do it this time."

Hanna closed her eyes, finding her focus once again. She zeroed in on the rock, and with her teeth clenched she tried once again to push it forward. At first, the rock didn't budge, then slowly it moved, following an almost straight path all the way to the leaf. Rey beamed at her daughter, proud of her accomplishment and impressed by her resolve.

"That was wonderful!" She scooped Hanna into a hug and kissed the top of her head.

The child was smiling from ear to ear, happy that she had been able to move the rock but even happier that she had made her Ma happy. Ben gave a sort of victory yelp, bolstering the girl's confidence even more.

"Ok, little ones, I think we can stop for the day," Rey said, walking toward their hut, the rest of her family not far behind.

When Ben and Rey had first found Arbooine they knew immediately that it was their new home. The entire landscape was a mixture of forest and sea, untouched by war or death. The trees were untamed and overgrown, providing them with incomparable camouflage and protection, and the wildlife that lived there was scarce and relatively harmless. It had once been home to an avian race, the Sathari, but they had either hidden themselves away or abandoned their planet, either by choice or by death.

They had begun their time there living out of their ship, just in case they were discovered and needed to flee, but over time they grew comfortable enough to fully settle. What had started as a one room hut was now a much larger home, providing each child and their parents with their own bedrooms, a large living space, and a kitchen.

Rey watched her children as they dipped their hands in the wash basin, lightly splashing each other. The water cascaded over the edge of the bowl and onto the floor where it was slowly absorbed into the warm earth. The clay floor was tinged red by whatever minerals were held within it, so when the water met the floor in the seconds before it was absorbed, it seemed to be pooled with blood. This visual trick sent Rey back to a time that was not so happy…

TIE fighters swarmed around her, taking out her friends as easily as if they were insects under a boot. Screams echoed in all directions, and Rey was stunned by her shock and grief to the point where she could not move.

This battle had begun with an ambush. Once again the Resistance had been found by the First Order, led by Kylo Ren and Genreal Hux as they sought to extinguish all opposition to the new regime. Hux was a man that enjoyed the pain and the sorrow that he brought, one of the few generals to pilot his own ship to be in the middle of the slaughter.

This attack had come at the worst time, as the Resistance had lost so much after the battle on Crait. What was left of them had been forced to flee aboard the falcon, leaving most of their weapons and all of their ships at the mercy of the First Order. This was supposed to be their time to regroup, heal their wounds, and form a plan. Rey knew that there was no surviving this time…they were too tired, too scarce, and too unprepared.

She was pulled from her trance by a familiar scream…Finn! Rey ran in the direction of the sound, sending blaster bullets flying away from her as she swung her saber, relying heavily on the force for her strength and her speed. By the time she reached her friend he had been buried under others that had already succumbed to their wounds.

"Rey!" Finn cried, raw fear plastered on his face, his friends' blood mingling with his own in splatters all over his clothes.

Rey fell to her knees, pulling at the bodies that were trapping him. Tears flowed silently down her cheeks, blurring her vision but not slowing her in her efforts. Once he was freed, Rey was able to assess his injuries: they were definitely fatal, and it wouldn't be long before his blood loss ended his life. Hot tears continued to fall as she struggled to choke back a sob…Finn…she couldn't bare the thought of losing her dearest friend, yet she knew that she had.

Looking around her, she saw a crashed ship not too far from where they were. She gently picked him up and dragged him towards it, hoping it would shelter them from further attack, at least temporarily. As she moved him he let out small whimpers, not giving away how much pain he was truly in, brave until the end.

"It's going to be ok, Finn. We are going to be ok," Rey whispered, not believing her own words. She stroked his hair and held his head in her lap, smiling down at him so he could die in as much comfort as she could give him.

"I wish you were right…we put up a good fight, but I think this is our last one," his voice was weak and fading.

Finn's eyes fluttered, his breathing slowed, and his muscles that were so tensed from pain began to relax. Rey shook with small sobs that she couldn't contain, looking back and forth between her friend and the scene before her. It smelled like smoke and blood and dirt. All around her she saw her friends and comrades dying. She hoped that Leia had been able to hide, so that at least she could find a way to escape and try to rebuild. This couldn't be the end of the Resistance….could it?

The ship that had been sheltering them began taking on fire, and Rey hudled closer to Finn, hoping to protect his twisted body from even more harm. It was futile, she knew, because even she couldn't protect him from the death that was calling him. A bullet grazed her leg and she let out a cry, surprised by its ferocity.

Her focus fell on a TIE fighter that had seemingly locked on to her and Finn. It surged forward on a direct path towards them, guns aimed and ready to shoot. With a deep breath, she closed her eyes, hugged her friend tightly to her chest, and braced for the inevitable…but when the ship reached her, instead of firing on them it opened, revealing its pilot.

Get in. Now. Kylo Ren pushed his thoughts into her head.

Rey was unable to move, consumed all at once by her fear, her hatred, and her pain, Never. You will just have to kill me like you have everyone else.

Kylo jumped out of the fighter, lifting Finn's body like a rag doll and throwing him ungracefully into the ship. I said get in, Rey.

She was confused and angry, as she was sure this was a trick to take her hostage, but she couldn't let him take Finn's body. She stood, legs barely supporting her, and stepped towards him. As she did, her vision funneled and the world went black…she sank into unconsciousness just as Kylo's large arms lifted her into the ship.

"Ma! Maaaa!" Rey was ripped from her thoughts by the sound of Leo's pleading voice. "Ma, tell us a story."

Ben's face was full of concern and confusion as he tried to figure out where his wife's thoughts had taken her. Rey shot him a look that told him not to pry, and turned to their son, "Ok, youngling. What story shall I tell?"