Nobody spoke as the Millennium Falcon traveled through hyperspace. Rey's death wore heavy on their hearts, but Finn also carried guilt. He knew deep down he shouldn't feel that way, yet his last conversation with Rey prior to landing an Aquilaris had been less than pleasant. What's more, he felt guilty that Rey, who'd been a symbol of hope for the Resistance, was the only one in that tunnel who'd not made it out alive.
Finn sat at the Dejarik table in the main hold with BB-8, staring at the empty game board. It was hard not to compare the vacant table with how he felt.
A shimmer in the middle of the floor drew his attention away from the gaming board. In a matter of seconds, the shimmer changed from transparent ripples to an outline of two bodies, both which filled in to reveal two people laying on the floor.
BB-8 beeped in surprise while Finn reached for the blaster attached at his hip. "Who are you?" he asked as he drew his weapon. The larger figure wore dark clothing, while the other wore something similar to the armor Rey wore into battle.
Sitting up from her position, Finn did a double take when he realized the shorter person looked just like Rey. Was this a clone or something? More importantly, how did these two get into the Falcon?
"Stay down!" Finn warned as he tried to keep his hands from shaking.
"Finn, it's me," the female newcomer said, "It's Rey,"
"Rey's dead," Finn replied, trying not to look into those all-to-familiar eyes. "I watched her die,"
"The Jedi brought me back," Without taking her eyes off Finn or the blaster, Rey indicated to the other person who was now pushing himself up into a sitting position. "Ben as well,"
Letting out a squawk of horror, BB-8 extended one of his metal arms and sent a jolt of electricity into one of Ben's legs.
"No BB-8, he's with me," Rey said.
Finn knew he could never pull the trigger, even if this was an imposter. It would be liking watching Rey die all over again, but this time at his own hands.
And yet, despite everything that had transpired that day, could this really be one of his closest friends? Had she somehow found her way back to them? Was this another one of the workings of the Force he didn't understand?
"How do I know you're her?" Finn asked.
Rey held Finn's gaze. "When we were sinking on Pasaana you wanted to tell me something," she said. "I've been wanting to tell you something as well: that I'm sorry. I'm sorry I didn't confide in you after Ahch-To or Exogol. And if there is one thing I want you to know, it's how much I appreciate you always being there for me, even to the end,"
Unable to hold back any longer, Finn holstered his blaster and wrapped Rey in a hug. "I thought I'd lost you,"
"No one's ever really gone," Rey said. "But the Jedi who had passed away, including Luke and Leia…they brought us back,"
Remembering that Rey wasn't the only one who had come back, Finn looked over at Ben, who was just getting to his feet. "I, um…" Frankly, Finn didn't know what to say about Ben. He was so used to the mentality of Kylo Ren that he was having a hard time wrapping his head around the fact that this was the same person who had saved Rey on Exogol.
"You're taller than I expected," was all Finn could get out.
Ben shrugged. "I've been called worse things,"
"Did he just make a joke?" Finn thought. "First people come back to life, then the former Supreme Leader makes a joke? What is this galaxy coming to?"
"What in the-" Now Poe, Chewbacca, and R2 were standing at the entrance to the main hold as well. "I thought you said Rey died?" Poe exclaimed. "And why is Kylo Ren here?"
"If you give us a minute, we can explain," Rey said before any other blasters could be drawn. "Or at least, I can explain the best way I know how,"

Rey and Ben recounted everything that had happened since taking the submersible to the caverns, right up until the Jedi sent the two back to the galaxy of the living. The others listened intently, not quite understanding everything but believing it nonetheless.
"Now that you know what happened," Rey said, "What do you say to our proposed next steps?"
Poe looked intently at everyone in the room, weighing every possible option he could think of. "I say we go with Leia's plan,"
Rey noticed the way it pained Poe to say Leia's name. She couldn't imagined what it felt like for him knowing his beloved General was out there but unable to provide direct guidance. "If finding these Force-sensitive people was the last request we were given from her, then we should honor it. Besides, the others are going to have a hard time accepting that Ben has taken the place of Kylo Ren. This will give us some time to figure out how to tell the Resistance.
"As for the First Order," Poe continued, "It's hard to say what will happen with them since they're once again lacking a cohesive leadership. Hopefully this means the galaxy will finally get a bit of a reprieve,"
"I think we could all use some peace and contemplation after everything we've been through," Ben said.
Rey nodded. "The galaxy needs time to rebuild. Perhaps the best way we can do that is by starting with ourselves,"