Chapter 13 - Revelations

Jakku

Anchorite Ridge

"So," Rey asked as she settled into her favorite, somewhat comfortable chair with a brew of cheap caffa held in her hands and taking a sip as she asked, "what's all this about, exactly?"

Finn had reached the opinion that if Rey was going to come with them, then she had a right to know. The feeling was mutually expressed by Poe, so here they were. Poe rose from his bunk and gestured to BB-8:

"Show her."

With that, the droid nodded, and with a few chirps ascended to a moderate altitude. A moment later, his holoprojector fired up and displayed the map recovered from the digsite. It sprawled across half of the room, the cluster of stars and suns and constellations dancing and twirling in limelight. A part of the map fell on Finn's face, so he moved out of the way; specifically over to stand next to Rey. That much earned a quick sly smile from Poe, which drew a look of annoyance from the former Stormtrooper.

Rey however was enthralled by the map displayed for her observation, her eyes narrowing and widening all at the same time.

"I… I don't recognize any of these constellations."

"That's because they're from the Unknown Regions," Poe replied, shifting positions to stand to the side of the map, "and even then, probably from an uncharted sector."

"He's right," Finn added, stepping closer to the map, "I don't recognize the systems displayed here, either. And the First Order has done an adequate enough job mapping out a great deal of it."

"Wouldn't that technically make it the Known Regions then?" Poe smirked.

"Sure," Finn replied dismissively, "I guess you could put it that way."

Rey finished her mug of caffa, setting it down on the table in front of her as she continued to watch the shifting masses, asking, "Well, why exactly would the First Order be looking for this? What are they looking for?"

"The man who gave me this told me they were looking for a weapon from the ancient times," Poe answered, "something the First Order would be very keen to get their hands on. He also told me that this map is incomplete. A piece of a larger puzzle."

"Some of which the First Order recovered from the ashes of the Empire," Finn continued, crossing his arms over as he did, "others they got from the Chiss and the Empire of the Hand, or so my superiors say."

"Really?" Poe asked in surprise, "Thrawn helped you?"

"Thrawn's a pragmatist," Finn replied, "neighboring our space, it was in his best interests to do so."

"So you threatened the Grand Admiral Thrawn?" Poe chuckled in disbelief, "Buddy, if half the stories I heard from Admiral Syndulla are true, I don't think that would go well at all!"

"Above my rank-grade," Finn deadpanned, "in either case, the First Order has been chasing this mystery since even before I was born. And considering the efforts we made to get this one particular piece… I would imagine it was the very last."

I wonder how the old man got ahead of them, Poe thought to himself, "I suppose that makes sense. Y'know, I heard the Empire had been sending teams out into the Unknown Regions even before the war. You think this was what they were looking for?"

"Undoubtedly," Finn nodded, "there was always speculation as to why Admiral Hux held the New Republic here on Jakku for so long rather than retreating."

"I don't understand."

"Jakku was one of the few mapped entry areas of the Regions, yes," Finn began, his hand stretching up to his chin, "and strategically, that would make it important, but not for the reasons we were all taught."

"Oh?"

"The Empire had countless outposts scattered throughout the Unknown Regions, known only to the surviving Admirals and Moffs. It is the reason why they were able to regroup and reorganize so quickly. However, if that be the case, then why didn't the Remnant merely jump to these coordinates, regardless of the danger? Yes, there would have been casualties… but surely not to the extent expended during the retreat with Hux holding the door."

"So what's your theory?"

"Simple. Hux and the rest of the command didn't want the New Republic chasing them. Didn't want them to find whatever it is they were looking for first."

"That makes sense," Poe nodded knowingly, "the Empire holds the New Republic at the practical gate to the Unknown Regions, bleeds us so badly that we rush to the negotiating table…"

"And what's left of the Empire can have enough of an advantage to dictate certain terms," Finn concluded, "including the creation of the Neutral Zone, which legally prevents any military intrusion on your part."

"Heh, clever for a bunch of Coruscanti credbags."

"Poe, we would have won at Endor were it not for the Emperor's blunders," Finn countered, "that much was taught to us."

"You kiddin'?" Poe smirked at him, "No one could stand to the might of the Ewoks," he joked. Surprisingly, Finn's face remained utterly stoic and dead serious.

"That's fair. The Empire made a grave mistake underestimating the resourcefulness and cunning of the inhabitants of a feral world," he smiled knowingly, "that much we were also taught. Trust me, I know what it's like fighting savages who want to cook you alive."

"Hey, they know not to do that anymore."

"You can't beat one's natural instincts out of him. If I had credits, I would wager they would revert back to their old roots when the fighting gets the fiercest."

"...that's true for any species though."

"Then my logic stands."

"Oh-kay…" Poe then looked over at Rey, who was now standing and observing the clusters closely with a keen eye, "hey, you haven't said a word."

She did not answer. Rather, her eyes continued to follow the trailing patterns of worlds and nebulas. Finn stepped closer to her, peering over her shoulder.

"What are you thinking?" he asked. Rey blinked once, and slowly began to smile, nodding as she did.

"I've seen this before."

"You have?" Poe asked in surprise, "When? How? Where?"

Rey sat back in her chair, a nostalgic smile playing on her face as her hand traced over her hair.

"Master Tekka's research. Oh, I used to bug him so much about it."

"Master… Tekka?" Poe's eyes widened, "You knew him?"

She nodded, "I did," her smile widened a stretch as her eyes looked out into space, seeing a world not here but long past and somewhere else, "he was… sort of my history teacher."

Poe stared at her. BB-8 stared at her. Finn leaned in, his eyes boring into hers. Finn said nothing at first, searching for something. He didn't know what. Rey merely stared back at him, almost expectantly. Finn shook his head and crossed his arms, finally asking the one obvious question that had been bugging him the moment he'd lain eyes on her:

"Who are you, really?"

Rey looked at him for a moment, then at Poe, and then at BB-8. She sighed, nodding once as a begrudging smile crept across her face.

Then her hand extended. Across the room, a brewing pot of caffa suddenly levitated from its perch on the miniature stove and flew across the room, Poe promptly ducking as the pot went past his head. It came to her hand perfectly, naturally and without a second thought. She poured herself a fresh cup, humming a soft tune as she did. Then she gestured her hands out again; a cupboard opening and two more mugs flew to her hands. Holding them firmly, the brewing pot floated in midair and poured each to a full brim.

Now full, the mugs floated forth steadily, the caffa calm and almost level, and into the hands of the staring men. With that, she lifted her own mug and took a sip, asking with a slight smile:

"Does that answer your question?"

Poe stared at her, then down at his mug; his mouth wide open. With a sudden haste, he turned the mug upward, checking the bottom. When he didn't find anything, he set it down; grabbing the brew pot and checking that too. When that didn't produce anything, he sprung towards the cupboard, shifting through that as well. Rey laughed a little.

"I'm good with machines… but I'm not that good."

Poe turned around slowly, almost robotically. He grabbed his mug, looking at his own reflection before he looked again at her. His was dumbfounded, stupefied. He knew what he just saw but like any rational man in the face of miracles, he questioned the validity of it.

"How'd you do that?"

She smiled at him, crossing a leg over as she continued to drink her caffa.

"Did you-?" he gestured his finger at the cupboard. She raised an eyebrow, sipped at her caffa and nodded very slowly, musing a Mmm-hmm.

"That means…" he then gestured his finger questioningly at her, "you're a…"

"Mmm-hmm," she repeated, her smile growing just a bit broader as she leaned forward in her seat. Poe's mouth dropped, and he collapsed onto his bunk. He stared at the floor, shaking his head slowly as BB-8 bobbed over to shake him slightly.

"So," Finn replied, his head tilting slightly left as he crossed his arms, his eyes narrowing slightly, "you're a Jedi."

Rey sat back in her chair, nodding at him, "I am."

"I thought…" Poe began, her breath sounding like he'd just run a marathon, "I thought you all were killed off."

Rey eyed him for a moment, a flash of pain washing over her face as her voice hardened, "Not all of us."

Finn continued to look at her, his face stoic and unchanging. But inside… inside, his mind was a mess of confusing emotions. Emotions that gave way to questions. Questions that gave way to doubt.

"I didn't lie, Finn," she said suddenly, breaking his stewings as his attention was drawn to her again.

"About?"

She put away her mug, her hands falling over her knees.

"You're asking yourself why I saved you. Why I would save someone who I should rightly consider my enemy. An enemy I should have left to die in the desert. Yes?"

Finn nodded. "You read my mind?" he asked.

"No," she replied, "I was never good at telepathy. I just read your emotions."

Finn nodded again, "What's your answer, Jedi?"

"My answer, Trooper, is the same one I gave you days ago."

"I don't believe you," Finn countered, his tone more matter-of-factly than challenging. Rey rose to her feet, staring him hard in the eyes as she replied evenly:

"Finn, you were dying. Poe was dying. I couldn't stand back and let that happen."

"Why me?" Finn asked, drawing closer to her, "Poe I understand. He is an officer of the New Republic Navy, and by association, an ally. I am not."

"Are you going to say that if our positions had been reversed, you would have killed me when you had the chance?"

Finn nodded, "It's the logical thing to do. You don't treat your enemy. You kill them before they get the chance to do the same to you."

Rey looked at Poe, then at Finn, "Then you don't understand me, Finn, or what a Jedi is."

"Then tell me, Rey. Tell me, if I was armed and trying to kill you, would you kill me first?"

"Yes. To defend myself, I would take whatever measures necessary to stop you."

"And yet you would save me, nurse me back to health, feed me. Why?"

"You weren't armed," Rey countered calmly, "or trying to kill me, and this line of questioning is grating on my nerves. I do not deal in what ifs or what could have been. I deal in the here and now, and the here and now then was that I had two sick and exhausted men who would die within hours if I didn't save them first."

Finn glared at her, unsure of anything she'd just said. Rey met the intensity of his glare, shaking her head at him.

"I know the real reason why you're asking me this, Finn. You're not asking me why I saved you. You're asking me why I didn't just let you die out there in desert. Why you didn't get the death you wanted. Why I didn't grant you that death."

Finn stared at her for a moment and sighed, "You're right." he admitted. He looked at Poe, who in turn looked right back at him with approaching horror. Finn shook his head and sat down on his bunk, his hands cupped in front of him.

"When I found you out in the desert, you asked me why I was out there," he began, looking at Rey, "you asked me why I was alone."

"You told me you were thinking about yourself."

He looked at them all again, collecting his thoughts for a moment before he continued:

"I wanted to die. I've wanted to die ever since my men died here. I even tried to take my own life but I couldn't do it."

"What?" Poe asked him, adding with a sudden abject horror, "Were you looking to get yourself killed by saving me?"

"No," Finn shook his head, "my reasons for saving you were honest. You did something I didn't understand back in that village. I knew my superiors would kill you the moment you gave up whatever useful information you had. I knew I had to save you. I knew I couldn't let you die."

"So you saved him," Rey said, and to this, Finn nodded.

"My mission afterwards was to get Poe off planet. After that, I didn't care what happened to me."

"I would care what happened to you," Poe replied, his horror only continuing to mount, "Finn, I may have only known for a couple of days, but still-"

"Please don't say we're repeating the story of your parents," Finn deadpanned, "I am not your father, Poe. I didn't make any right choices. I didn't betray my own people out of love or anything like that. I just… I just did."

"That's a lie, and you know it," Poe growled, standing from his bunk to walk over to him, "I saw your face when you told me why you saved me. When you told me how you felt when those people died. You can hate yourself all you want but you can't lie to yourself or to me."

"Poe… what would have happened to me anyway? What, your New Republic would've taken me in? An enemy combatant who's already broken the rules of civil order? Who's killed children? And say they had, what then? Would I be spending the rest of my life in a cell, waiting to reveal information that would undoubtedly kill more of my brothers and sisters?"

"You've already betrayed them!" Poe shouted,

"I WON'T KILL THEM!" Finn shouted back, his eyes mad with fury, "Do you understand me? I will never kill them."

"Finn," Rey soothed, her hand caressing his muscular shoulder, "you may not have betrayed your brothers and sisters… but you must realize that the cause you, and every other Trooper out here follow is wrong," her hand tightened around his bicep, "I know you know this."

"More emotional reading?" Finn asked with a sigh.

"Empathy, Finn," she sighed, closing her eyes, "I was good at many things but empathy…" she opened her eyes again, staring at him almost accusingly, "what were you going to do if you hadn't stopped to help me?"

"I don't know," Finn shrugged, "I was probably going to walk until I couldn't walk any further."

"Oh you gotta be kiddin' me!" Poe exclaimed, turning away with his hands twisting into his hair before settling on his hips. Rey however pulled her chair over with a flick of her hand and sat next to him, her hand resting on his knee.

"Why did you stop?"

"Because you needed help."

"Finn," her grip on his knee tightened, her voice lighting to a whisper, "tell me the truth."

Finn's shoulders slackened, hanging his head in shame. Rey fingers caressed his face, bringing him to her again, her hazel eyes staring into his brown.

"Please."

Finn's eyes lightened.

"I don't know. I just saw you there and I just…" he didn't finish the thought, rather he started a new one, "I don't know what I am anymore. I don't know who I am. I don't even know why I'm still breathing, why the galaxy hasn't just snuffed me out yet. I… I just don't know."

"Yeah? Well, you know what I think?" Poe said as he marched across the room and knelt beside him, "You're my friend. You saved my life and I owe you. Now I don't know what the future's got in store for you, or us, but you got me and a Jedi to vouch for you. If it comes to it, I'll find a life for you when we get back."

"You… would do that?" Finn asked in disbelief. Rey smiled.

"Yes he would."

Poe smirked at her, "Don't you go poking around my feelings, missy."

"Oh please," Rey smirked right back him, "I don't need the Force to tell what you're thinking," she added with a sly grin. Poe shrugged his shoulders.

"You got me. I'm a simple man with simple needs."

"That's just swell," Finn replied with a hint of sarcasm, "either way… thank you."

"Hey, don't you mention it," Poe smiled down at him, "got a hellovaways to go before I chip away at that big looming debt hanging over my head… eh, BB-8, what are you doing?"

They all turned around and there was the droid, floating behind them. He beeped something they all didn't catch and his arm reached inside him. What he pulled out made their eyes go wide. He handed it to Rey, who took it with shaking fingers. She stared down at its metalwork, the black grip running down the middle and the grooved pommel at the end. It was a utilitarian in design, and she knew it well. And in this, her eyes filled up with tears.

"This is Master Tekka's lightsaber," she turned to BB-8, asking the question she dreaded the answer to, "Where did you get this?"

BB-8's head drooped downward, staring at the ground. Poe gulped, guilt racking him suddenly as Rey eyed him.

"What happened to Master Tekka, Poe?"

"He's… gone."

"I know," her voice was grave, hollow and distant, "what happened?" she asked again.

"He was killed by a man with a red lightsaber," Poe began, but Finn finished:

"Kylo Ren."

"Kylo… Ren," she repeated the name, her fingers tightening around the slain master's saber, her voice growing into a hiss, "Sith."

"He's a Lord of the Knights of Ren, Master of the Fleet, but he is stationed on the Ravager right now," Finn explained, "probably searching for us as we speak."

He was about to add something, something he knew but second-guessed the wisdom of saying it.

"Say it," Rey growled softly.

"It is rumored that he has killed many Jedi Knights. That he… had a hand in their destruction."

Rey was silent. Her face shifting from rage, to pain, to remorse and to something in between. She held the saber in her hands, her body shaking and her breathing unsteady. Her eyes blazed like a forge, hot to the touch.

"Rey," Poe touched her gently on the arm, and it got an angered look from her, seeing not him there but… something else, "what happened to the Jedi?"

Her face softened as she looked away, staring at the scrap hole she had called home for so many years.

"The Jedi Order was not destroyed," Rey replied after a while, sighing, "It is a long and complicated story."

Finn's hand touched hers, the feeling of it making her flinch. However, the unspoken look in his eyes was all she needed. So she began. And where else to begin, but the beginning?

"After the Old Jedi Order was destroyed at the end of the Clone Wars, the few remaining Masters and Knights and Padawans still alive went into hiding. Some of them were hunted down. Some even left the Order, left their principles. Some even went down darker paths. All the while the Empire and their Sith Masters continued to rule with an iron fist."

This was known history to the two men, but neither of them dared interrupt her. She continued:

"Then rose a single man. A new hope that brought the Sith and their evil empire crashing down."

"Luke Skywalker," Poe said, and she nodded.

"Luke Skywalker. The Jedi reborn. And so, after Endor, he began to create a new Order. Small at first. A few students, some of them already awakened to the Force, one of them being my father. They served in the last stages of the war, my father even saying they fought here on Jakku a few times."

Finn nodded. It had been long stated that Admiral Hux had survived an assassination attempt by them, and he'd seen the man's prosthetic arm to know the truth of the matter.

"After the war, the Order continued to grow. New students, and old. He found other Jedi Orders, some formed by Jedi of the Old who survived the Purge," she smiled at the memory of her many teachers and fellows, "Master K'Kruhk, Master Ti, Master Tano, Master Jarrus… and my own master, Hett," her smile faded slightly, "they didn't all get along of course. Even tried to kill each other once or twice. It ultimately took a war with a resurgent Sith terrorist organization to eventually bring them all together. Funny," she chuckled, "Master Skywalker actually met his wife that way."

She pulled over her caffa, and took a sip, laying the lightsaber down on the table.

"And so, they came together. Made a new Order, one that brushed away the mistakes of the Old and built something stronger. Something better," her smile returned, "and so, I was among some of the newest students. My dad of course wanted me in the moment he sensed I inherited his sensitivity. My mom… eh, not so much, but he convinced her eventually."

Poe nodded, conclusions forming in his mind, "When you said you grew up on Yavin, you meant the Old Massassi Temple… before it got bombed, of course."

She nodded. It had happened when she was still a little girl. Fanatics and corrupt bureaucrats who wanted to sweep away the Jedi and generally any Force user still left in the galaxy. And they'd come close, too, and left her father alone to care for her.

"The Chimera Crisis forced us into hiding… of a sorts. Once we established a new temple on a secret world Master Tekka found in long hidden holocrons, and after the corruption within the government was cleared away by the Antarian Rangers, well… we went back to work," her eyes shined brightly at what came next, "those were some of the happiest years of my life. I spent most my training with Hett and my sister student Kali on Tatooine, living with the Tuskens for a time," she pulled at her mask. Finn nodded.

"Served you well here on this planet."

"Yes," she continued, "once me and Kali completed our trials and were Knighted, well…" her smile broadened, "you could say we walked the galaxy, met people, fought others, got in adventures."

Poe's eyes brightened with dawning realization. Warm memories of a fierce but beautiful red Twi'lek woman coming to mind, and he asked with a smile:

"We? Surely not just you and Kali?"

Rey growing smile answered that one, "No, not just me and Kali. There were my father's students, Jaden and Rosh. Oh those two were real terrors. Always finding themselves waist deep in trouble with a lot of bruises… especially when it came to a cult trying to resurrect an ancient Sith Lord. Oh, that was fun. Okay, sure, we almost got killed a couple dozen times, but hey. What can I say? At least it wasn't boring."

Poe's smile grew just a tad longer, "Go on, who else?"

Rey shot a smile his way, and continued, "Then there was Tahiri, of course. Strange one, she was. Grew up on Tatooine, and always used to walk around barefoot everywhere she went. Said she liked the coolness of it. Poor girl went through a lot, had lots of strange habits, and yet she always managed to keep a bright smile on her face and," she chuckled softly, "that insufferably optimism of hers. Ah, I loved her greatly. She and Ben were dead set for each other the moment they laid eyes on each other."

"Ben…" Poe mused with knowing grin, "not Ben Skywalker, son of Luke, apprentice of Ahsoka Tano?"

Rey nodded, asking the rest with an obvious smile, "and I suppose you know her other student, Ben's worser half?"

"Cale Solo," he answered, "ah yes, I know the cocky son of a blaster. Mr. Smug Daredevil, steal your girl while looking good doing it, and then later saving my sorry hide one too many times with his cousin. 'Course, Ben was always there to pull him out of trouble. Ah, his dad would've been proud of him."

"That he was," her eyes flashed with the warm memory.

"...wait a minute… You're that Rey, the one he would not shut up about."

"Mmm-hmm," she nodded, "I heard about you too, Poe."

"Oh really? What'd he say?"

"That you were the… oh, how'd he put it? The 'cockiest son of a blaster I've ever met! Mr. Smug Daredevil, steal your girlfriend while looking good doing it, and saving me and Ben's hides more times than we care to remember!'"

"...no. He did not say that… did he?"

"Yes he did."

"Ah, well… um. Yeah. All accurate, I suppose."

Finn sat there for a moment, "Wait, I am confused. I thought you said that you loved Tahiri."

"I meant as a sister," she deadpanned.

"Oh, sorry. So… this was the War for Antiga?"

Rey nodded, her eyes darkening with sadness, "Yes. I suppose you know how this tale goes, Poe?"

He nodded gravely, "Yeah… ah, Antiga. The unofficial border nation between us and the First Order. Made up of a bunch of hardass ex-Imperials who didn't want to submit to one side or the other, just sitting there in the middle. Waiting to implode. And when it did…"

"I know of this," Finn said, "back when I was still a cadet. The Galactic Concordance that ended the Galactic Civil War also stated that no Imperial or New Republic military force may step into the Neutral Zone, including Antiga."

"Yup," Poe nodded, "if we did, then all bets were off. Problem was, the whole damn system was a big Tibana keg. Forces loyal to either side were tearing each other apart. Millions, probably billions being left homeless. More were… collateral damage."

"So you were there, as a Rancor?"

"Yup again. The 75th Volunteer Wing."

"'Flying Rancors bite with a Vengeance,'" Rey recited the wing's motto.

"And proud," Poe grinned, "Captain was one Nien Numb, retired officially. Most of us had forged papers saying we were one place when we were somewhere else. So, along with a few other proud 'mercs', we entered the fray. Flew sorties, shot down a lot of bad guys, gave our pals on the ground much needed air support. Course, only could do so much. Well, 'till the Jedi showed up."

Finn nodded again, "As a non-political body, they could disregard the Concordance if offered as an humanitarian mission?"

"Yes," Rey replied, "after the Chimera almost wiped out the Jedi, Luke formally removed our official status in the New Republic government. The added bonus was we could loophole a solution to quite a few problems."

"Clever, I admit," Finn said and Poe continued:

"And so it went. I believe you all were there, along with Master Tano."

Rey nodded.

"I'm not that good of a pilot. I did most of my work on the ground."

Poe chuckled, "Yes… Cale told us stories of all those times you kept crashing your…"

"I am sure," Rey cut him off, and Poe took the hint, and continued his tale:

"Well, things were good. We generally had the bad guys on the run," he looked over at Finn, "no offense."

"None taken."

"Well… till the end."

"The end?"

"Those pro-Imperials? Well, they started getting desperate. Fixed battle turned to guerilla warfare, and it kept getting nastier as the months passed."

Rey didn't say anything. She didn't need to. Her face told the story well enough.

"I mean…" his voice contorted into an animalistic growl, "they started taking kids as hostages. They even rigged 'em up and used them as bio-bombs and they…"

"You can stop," Finn said. Poe looked up at him, who was in turn looking at Rey. Her head slumped over, her hair hiding her eyes… but not her tears. They fell like raindrops, splashing against her gown. BB-8 floated up to her, his hand resting on her shoulder, the other brushing her hair. She raised her head, her eyes clouded in tears, and even as they continued to fall, she spoke:

"We did what we could to stop these atrocities, but we couldn't save them all," Rey sniffed as she choked back a sob, "and… not all of us made it out."

Poe's voice broke, "I'm… I'm sorry."

She shook her head, "She died the way she lived: saving those who couldn't fend for themselves. I am proud to have known her as long as I did."

"Still…" Poe shook his head, "she was… one hellova woman."

A small smile crossed her somber face, "She would've liked that," she wiped away her tears and continued, "there were others, of course. Others who fell. But… but many more went missing... Kali. Cale."

"I remember. We searched for months trying to find them."

"But we didn't. So we… collected ourselves, and we went home. Home," she repeated, "was not the same. It was… no one was happy anymore. We were all broken by the war. Broken… shattered. And it didn't end. There was more violence. Fires that started across the galaxy, and we had to put them out. Then there were the damn bounties. Now every bounty hunter looking for cred was out to get us. We… we got pushed back until we couldn't even leave our temples save in secret."

Finn's heart sank as the tale went. He knew some of it. He knew who had been the architect of all this… pain.

"I don't blame you, Finn," she said, looking up at him honestly, "you weren't a part of it."

"I know, but… I know who did. Lord Damask," Finn sighed, nodding solemnly, "Lord General of the First Order, Master of the Knights of Ren. Our… supreme commander."

She nodded, "We knew of him. My dad thought he was a Sith, Tekka thought he was just some old business supporter of Palpatine back when he was Chancellor. Nobody knew for sure, but," she sighed, brushing away her tears as she steeled herself for what came next, "the end came for us not long after the First Order sent delegates for the first time in thirty years to open negotiations with the New Republic. While the galaxy was distracted, they… struck," her voice spat venom, "men in masks. Men with lightsabers. A whole fleet descended on the Temple. Hundreds… maybe thousands."

"Kylo Ren's fleet?" Poe asked Finn, but he shook his head.

"At the time it would have been before its formation. No, this might have been Primaris' forces. I heard he was killed sometime after. Rumor was by a blind Jedi, though it was also said he died along with him."

Rey smiled at the description, "At least he took this 'Primaris' with him."

The words however rang hollow. Regardless, she continued.

"I don't know how many of us died. I don't know how many of us are still alive. The only ones I know for sure were K'Kruhk and Ti. They managed to fight their way out with most of the youngest Padawans and escape the battle. After that… I don't know. I lost contact with them years ago. So… for all I know," Rey's voice ran heavy in somber tones, "I might be one of the last Jedi. I…" her voice cracked again as she broke into a sob, "I don't even know if my own father is even alive!"

She buried her face in her hands, weeping. Her body shook with the effort, a release of emotions she'd held back for so long that she couldn't even remember. What Finn did next was not of his own conscious thought. It was… something beyond him. But he could not deny that the actions were his own, or that they were right. He took Rey in his powerful arms, clutching her closely to him. Her face found his shoulder, her arms wrapping around him, and so she cried for long stretching minutes.

It was in this that something changed in Finn. A feeling he struggled to describe until it came to him. Conviction. His face met Poe's who sat across from them, and in it his face hardened. When Rey had shed her tears, he took her face in his hands. What he said next was said in purpose, in certitude.

"I'm going to get you home," he looked at Rey and he looked at Poe, "both of you. That much, I promise."

And he would keep it… regardless of the consequences.