A/N: So clearly the scope of this story has gone far beyond my original plan for a Rey-and-Ben focused plot. As such, I've forgotten about a few characters, and I'm doing my best to make sure they all appear. There are so many dang characters, guys XD I've wanted to write this chapter for a while, and I'm not sure I'm totally satisfied with it, but enjoy :)

Poe brought the Falcon down for a gentle landing on the forest floor back on Ajan Kloss as one by one the ships assigned to the other missions returned. Ben lifted a still-sleeping Rey into his arms as Poe finished with the post-landing sequence and made his way back to them.

"Why don't you take her to the main pavilion? She can take my cot, she'll have plenty of privacy there to sleep this off."

Ben nodded and headed down the gangplank with her as it lowered. Poe powered the ship down and followed him out. The general mood was celebratory, with the returned pilots boasting left and right to those who had stayed behind of their success. Poe clapped a few shoulders and shouted words of encouragement along the way, but he didn't stop to celebrate with them. He held the pavilion flap open for Ben and then disappeared inside to wait for the mission leaders to show up for their debriefing. He was especially anxious to see Finn. They had exchanged words out there, and some things needed resolving.

Jannah was the first to arrive, followed by Koo Millham. The three of them circled around the holotable, where the four planets still hovered with red dots marking the First Order bases, standing at ease. Jannah avoided Poe's gaze, her eyes fixed on the slowly rotating hologram of Yavin, the planet she had been assigned to.

"Are we just waiting for General Finn?" Koo asked.

"Have either of you heard from him?" Poe asked.

Both women shook their heads, Jannah still not meeting his eyes. "Not since you gave the order," Koo replied.

Poe nodded, his brow furrowed, and the three of them fell silent. Just on the other side of the curtained wall, Ben laid Rey on Poe's cot as she sleepily murmured something about Chewy and a porg.

Then Finn burst into the pavilion, throwing the door flap open and striding in, chest heaving. Poe straightened as he came towards him, and the two men stared each other down across the holotable.

"Feel like explaining what happened out there?" Poe asked, breaking the tense silence. Ben's head snapped up as he tucked Rey into a wool blanket, and he listened with bated breath.

"Yeah, I do," Finn replied hotly. "I remembered what having a conscience is like. Something you clearly forgot."

Poe slammed his hands down on the edge of the holotable, making the images flicker. "No, you lost your nerve! When it came down to it, you couldn't do what had to be done!"

"What had to be done? You mean the slaughter of thousands of guys just like me?"

"They had a chance to leave the First Order, and they didn't," Poe shot back. "You left before it even fell, what stopped them from leaving after?"

"I got lucky! I had you! I had somewhere to go!" Finn roared. "They didn't. They don't know who their families were or if they're even still out there. They had nowhere to go."

"So what, that clears them of blame? That makes them innocent?"

"You have no idea what it's like!" Finn shouted, stepping into Poe's space. "The First Order brainwashed us, made us think they were right. You can't just walk away from that!"

"Yes, you can!" Poe shouted, coming around the table to stand toe-to-toe with Finn. "You did! Jannah did!" Jannah's gaze snapped up to Poe at that, her eyes dark.

"And you just murdered a thousand others who might have done the same if they'd had a chance!"

"They had their chance, and they didn't take it. We can't risk letting them live."

"Listen to yourself, Poe! These are people you're talking about, people just like you and me. They didn't choose the First Order, they're not like all those high-ranking officers. You can't punish them for something that isn't their fault!"

"Finn, we can't let the First Order survive, we have to kill it off, snuff it out wherever it is! That's the only way we get the galaxy back." Snoke's words echoed in Ben's ears: Let the past go. Kill it if you have to.

"That's exactly what the First Order said!" Finn roared, tears choking his voice. "They told us no mercy, no compassion. We killed every last person who stood in our way, no matter what. That is not what we stand for here." He stood there, his chest heaving with emotion, fighting back tears. Poe glared at him, his breath heaving in and out, expression flickering from confusion to fury to betrayal and back again, searching for something to say. On the other side of the curtain, Ben listened intently.

Jannah stepped to Finn's side, tears glittering in her eyes, but her face set. "Finn's right. We need a better solution." Poe's eyes flicked between the two of them, caught between his respect for his friends and his personal convictions.

"You didn't finish the mission either, did you?" he said to Jannah, his voice flat.

After a moment's hesitation, she shook her head slowly. "I ordered them not to drop the bombs. This war has led to enough deaths as it is."

Poe's eyes narrowed. "We just lost our best shot at finishing them off for good. Now they have a chance to strike back at us."

"Not if we give them the same chance you gave me," Finn replied, sensing that Poe was considering it. "I know those guys, I grew up with them, I trained with them. Most of them don't really care about the First Order, they just had nowhere else to go. If we give them somewhere to go, maybe help them find their families, the First Order would be finished just the same as if we killed them all off."

"Oh yeah? And where are we supposed to get the resources for that kind of crusade?" Poe demanded. "We have just enough for our people as it is. We can't support who knows how many ex-stormtroopers on top of that, and I doubt anyone would be lining up to donate to the cause."

"The First Order bases have plenty of supplies we can use," Finn said, his brain shifting into full planning mode. "The troopers that join us can bring what they need with them."

"And what about the ones that don't?"

"We put them on trial," Finn replied, his eyes alight with passion. "We lock them up until we have a working government in place, and then they stand trial for their crimes."

Poe frowned, still not totally won over, but Finn could tell he was thinking. "That could take years, Finn. And we would have to guard them and feed them in the meantime."

"The alternative is murder, Poe," Finn replied. "Pure and simple."

Poe shook his head. "I need some time to think about it," he said, rubbing his forehead. "Koo, Jannah, we'll finish the debriefing later. You're free to go." Jannah squeezed Finn's shoulder, offering him a supportive smile, before following Koo out of the pavilion. Ben moved away from the curtain to sit by Rey on the bed, feeling like he'd already listened for too long, though he couldn't help but hear the remainder of the conversation. Poe sunk onto a stool, dropping his head into his hands and rubbing his eyes. "Couldn't you have brought all this up before the mission?" he said through his hands.

Finn folded his arms. "I've followed you blindly ever since we met, Poe," he replied. "Even when I agreed to be your co-general, you were still the one in charge. I trusted you and your ability to lead the Resistance to victory." He sighed heavily. "But when I got there, to Ord Mantell, it occured to me for the first time that you might be wrong, that there might be a better way to handle things."

Poe's head rose from his hands, and he eyed Finn with a frown. "When I asked you to be my co-general, I wasn't asking for a blind follower," he said. "I wanted an equal."

"And that's what all this is," Finn replied, his voice intense. "Me stepping into my role as your equal."

Poe sighed. "I understand where you're coming from, Finn, but I just don't know how realistic it is. How would we even get in contact with the stormtroopers?"

"Some kind of broadcast," Finn replied. "I'm sure there are some First Order channels still in operation that we can hijack."

"And what are we supposed to say to them?" Poe asked.

"Tell them they have a place with us," Finn said. "That we can help them create a new life."

"That's a big promise to make," Poe said, his gaze heavy.

Finn knelt down in front of Poe to look him in the face, placing a hand on his shoulder. "We have to try, Poe."

Poe placed his hand over Finn's and squeezed it. "You're a good man, Finn, and I know you really want to help them." He sighed again, rubbing his temple. "We'll do the best we can. As long as you agree to head up this logistical nightmare of an operation," he said with a spark of humor.

Finn's face broke out into a grin, and he pulled Poe into an embrace. "Thank you, Poe."

Poe couldn't help but smile as he hugged him back. "Don't thank me yet."

On the other side of the curtain, Ben mulled over Finn's words. He had never been a part of stormtrooper recruitment or training, but from what he knew of the process, what Finn said was true. And it certainly didn't surprise him to hear that most of the troopers felt no particular loyalty to the Order; he had often sensed as much himself.

His head snapped up as Poe and Finn came through the flap.

"How is she?" Finn asked, his brow furrowed in concern. "Zorii told us what happened."

Ben glanced down at Rey's face, still peaceful, and said, "She'll be fine once she has a chance to sleep it off."

"Thank you for getting her out," Finn said. "She means a lot to all of us."

Uncomfortable with the gratitude, Ben just ducked his head in acknowledgement and changed the subject. "I heard you're planning to offer the stormtroopers an out."

Poe nodded, glancing over at Finn and putting an arm around his shoulders. "Thanks to this guy here."

"I was thinking," Finn said. "Our message might be most effective coming from you. Would you be willing to do the broadcast?"

Taken aback, Ben said, "I can if you're sure."

"I'm sure," Finn replied. "Jannah or I could do it, but I think it'll work best if you do."

Ben nodded gravely. "I would be honored to."