Chapter 1: Just Check on Her
It had been six weeks since Rey had left for Tatooine. And in that time, Finn hadn't heard a Makerdamned word from her.
He had tried everything to keep his mind off of her, what she was doing. How she was feeling. After all, there was plenty to do. No shortage of tasks to complete following war's end. Someone had once said that cleaning up after a war was even harder work than fighting it, and Finn was inclined to believe that was true. He sat in on and conducted meetings. He made supply runs in Poe's X-wing. He helped Jannah recondition freed Stormtroopers and go over their cases, helping them seek asylum - a job he found most rewarding. In the little bit of spare time he had left, he tried meditating and studying his connection with the Force. OK, that last one didn't really help him take his mind off Rey; it actually did the opposite. Having seen her do it once, he tried reaching out to her through the Force from where he sat on the jungle floor of Ajan Kloss, eyes closed.
Rey... where are you? He had yet to receive an answer.
On the forty-second standard day, at the twelfth hour, during the twentieth minute (yes, he had kept such minute time since the moment Rey had taken off in the Falcon), Finn gave up. He was just heading for the hanger bay to commission a ship, any ship - he had his eye on the latest class of B-Wing, sleek and fast - when Jannah came running up to him out of breath, rambling about a new batch of liberated Stormtroopers coming into atmo.
Finn fought hard to suppress a groan. More Stormtroopers meant more case files, which meant more billable hours... but those hours were long ones. Following Jannah out of the hangar bay and towards the cleared, all-natural landing strip where the transport would dock (and trying not to look like he was doing so reluctantly) the pair of ex-troopers ran into Co-General Poe Dameron. The dashing pilot fell into easy step besides his best friend, and Finn could feel his colleague's dark green eyes on him. There was no fooling Poe - he could tell the darker-skinned man was worried about something.
"I'm amazed you haven't loaded yourself into an ion cannon and shot yourself off into space. Or hijacked the first ship that could get off the ground."
"Rosie wouldn't like that; she works too hard fixing them all," Finn grumbled. A month and a half beyond obtaining freedom, and still not all the ships that had limped away from the Battle of Exogol had been repaired. Rose Tico, their best technician, only emerged for meals every few days, and only because someone probably dragged her out of the oil grease and told her to eat before she accidentally starved herself.
However, Poe didn't take the reflection. "So why don't you just go? You lay eyes on her, determine that she's alive, it will give you peace of mind. You've been off your game ever since we got back!"
Finn glanced to his friend, chastened, but found no malice and resentment in his friend's tone. Still, he felt guilty. "I can't. There's this new ship of troopers coming in who are going to need to be processed, reunited with their families... and we have to meet that delegation about drafting up the new Constitution..."
"For Force's sakes, Finn, it's called paid leave! Frankly, you've earned it, and if it means you come back well rested, that only helps me!"
"I told you: Jannah needs me here. I can't cut out on her. I can't go see Rey!" Then a thought fell into his head. "But maybe you can."
Poe blinked in surprise, then he winced. "Me? Um... have you been around for the last year? With how much Rey would snipe at me, I really shouldn't still be alive!"
"Neither should she, with how much you gave it right back to her," Finn countered. "And while we're on the subject, I really hope that she is still alive..."
"You would know if she wasn't," Poe pointed out. "You can feel her through the Force, can't you?"
"I can feel her presence, yes, but it would be nice if she said hello. Sent a Force mind postcard or something." Finn sighed. "I've been worried about her!"
"No! Really?"
He swatted Poe's arm. "There's been a lull on your work plate anyway, waiting for the systems to hold their elections and send representatives. And the Constitution delegation shouldn't be here for the next standard week. I handle that prep work, stay on the ball for Jannah, while you jet off to Tatooine and check on our little Jedi. I don't care if you spy on her - get a lay of the land and make sure she is OK. And if she doesn't take your head off with that laser sword when you land, ask her when she's coming back, will you?"
Poe huffed out a long breath through his nose. "Oh, all right. But I don't know what good it'll do." He clapped his best mate on the shoulder, then hugged him. "Your command until I get back."
"Thanks, buddy! I owe you one." Feeling lightened for the first time in weeks, Finn sent Poe off with a cheery wave as the pilot jogged back towards the hangar bay.
Doing the pre-flight check, Poe primed his X-wing, trying to fall into a rhythm communicating with the substitute astromech unit. That was another reason why he had taken on Finn's favor - his droid, BB8, was still with Rey after accompanying her to Tatooine.
"All right, R7 - take us to the Tatooine system!"