Rey watched as the new command ships and bombers materialized through the overcast sky from her view inside the Echo Base. Each ship was a patchwork of mismatching panels and parts that looked fairly unassuming. If Rey didn't feel absolutely freezing she could have entertained the idea that she stood once again at the Niima Outpost watching smugglers hand built ships sputtering in to trade.
Hoth was absolutely abysmal. From the moment the Falcon broke into the planets' atmosphere, the chill was undeniable. Thankfully, there were plenty of snowsuits and extra layers left in the base to go around from the days of the Alliance. Even with her suit on, it was a cold Rey had never felt before. The winter on Starkiller base paled in comparison. The wind tore at her skin, leaving burns far more painful than any scorching from the desert sun.
Luckily for her, she did not have to venture outside much. She had strict orders to remain deep inside the base to avoid detection during the ship deliveries. Apparently the bounty to locate her had nearly quadrupled from the initial impressive price. And recently, both Finn and Poe had gained bounties as well. R2 displayed the transmission for the whole Resistance to see.
She wasn't the figurehead that had fizzled in front of her in blue light. That Rey seemed to mock her with her three loose buns and desert rags. She held Luke's lightsaber with pride and defiance. The rebels around her cheered in unison at the images of her, Poe, and Finn broadcasted for capture. The more the galaxy knew of the last Jedi, even if it was through the means of a bounty, hope would inherently grow. But hope for what? Rey grimaced.
Luke's words lived at the forefront of her mind. His criticisms of the Jedi that he had held on Ahch-to hadn't entirely made sense at the time, but now that the pressure to uphold the Jedi religion was thrust upon her, Rey found herself beginning to understand. It wasn't possible for her to fully embrace the light, the expectation felt too unrealistic. The Jedi and the Sith must have numbed themselves to the opposing lightness or darkness that lingered inside of them. She found herself drawing on both to complete her tasks, and no longer feeling guilty about doing so.
Did that make her a Jedi then? The apparition in front of her was surely a Jedi. A puritan in every sense. The Rey in front of her could live up the expectation. This Rey could return light to the galaxy… only for darkness to eventually overshadow it once more.
How would the back and forth ever end with the mentality of one over the other? Luke had mentioned both the Jedi an the Sith harnessed the force to fit their agendas. But the Force did not belong to either party. The Force had its own agenda. Kylo brushed across her vision, his low and earnest voice returning to her.
Neither winning nor losing will save the galaxy. Light cannot exist without darkness. And dark cannot exist without light.
Rey groaned. Clearly the force had a specific plan for them no matter how much she tried to deny it. The skin on her stomach seemed to prickle where his fingers had grazed her, a wave of heat coursed through her at the memory— the memory she had been unable to will away. She recalled his fingers hesitant and curious, slowly trailing up to her ribcage, merely inches away from—"
"Oh come on Rey. Staying inside the warm base can't be too excruciating."
Rey jolted to see Finn leaning beside her by the window.
She immediately looked back out into the wintery abyss, hoping Finn wouldn't hear her pounding heart.
"No," she choked out, internally cursing at the sound of her high pitched voice. She cleared her throat, hoping it would steady her tone. "No, it isn't. I just wish I could help in some way instead of hiding in here."
Finn nodded, "Yeah me too." He chuckled softly, "You should see Poe in the other room, he's practically bouncing off the walls. Now he has yet another reason to hate The First Order, the boredom is driving him absolutely mad."
Rey attempted to smile, hoping it would suffice for Finn. It didn't.
"Rey. What happened? Ever since you returned from Jakku—" Finn took in a large breath and let it out. "Well, even before you left, you seem really tense." He leaned in and draped an arm over her shoulder, "You know you can talk to me about anything."
Finn's arm around her sat with a dull weight that was neither comforting or off putting. Rey forced herself to look into Finn's eyes.
"Finn, before I left, I saw something between you and Rose that I shouldn't have."
Finn seemed genuinely confused, so Rey begrudgingly continued, "I saw you two together on the Falcon, the night before I left for Jakku."
She watched the realization dawn on Finn's face and he removed his arm from her shoulder to wring his hands together awkwardly. His cheeks had deepened in color.
"I'm really sorry," She babbled out quickly, "I decided to take a walk because I couldn't sleep and I heard some strange noises and then I saw the both of you and I didn't know what to do. I've just felt a little embarrassed after the fact that's all."
Finn shifted uncomfortably and let out a deep sigh. "Well, I guess it's no longer a secret. Most people know now, or at least they can guess." Finn looked away from her to stare out the window; Chewie was talking animatedly to a few shivering Mon Calamari who had just brought a small collection of X-Wing fighters.
"I didn't want to start something with her right now. Not in the middle of a war. After she crashed into me and nearly died, I couldn't bear the thought of that happening again while I was more attached."
Finn looked back at her, a small but warm grin painting his features. "But you can't help what the heart wants. I'm drawn to her Rey, in ways I don't really understand. It's like she overrules every rational thought I can come up with. I didn't think it was possible to feel this way."
Rey tried to swallow the lump forming in her throat at the solidarity she felt hearing his words. It felt all too familiar.
"I'm so afraid of something happening to her, and I know she feels the same. But even if she dies in this war, I won't regret deciding to be with her." Finn's eyes glistened, a fierce determination sinking into them. "I will always remember how I felt with her, The First Order can never take that away from me."
Rey could only stare back at him in awe, unable to say anything. Luckily she didn't have to.
Poe ran into the room, beaming wildly. "The new X-Wings are here! We gotta go see them, I can't just wait around here like this any longer!" He ceremoniously threw snow suits at Rey and Finn. Poe was already dressed in a snowsuit and clearly ready to go.
"Poe, Leia gave us strict orders to wait here inside the base until all the ship deliveries are completed. If we go out now we might get spotted."
Poe waved a dismissing hand at Finn before donning a head wrap, goggles, and a shawl. With all of the gear on, he was completely unrecognizable.
Finn shook his head. "No Poe, I'm not going. And neither is—wait Rey!"
Rey was already putting on the suit and head wrap. She couldn't just sit with what Finn had just expressed. He cared about Rose, really cared about her. He wanted a relationship with her. And everything he described feeling, Rey understood it a little too well.
"What is it Hux?"
Kylo exited his quarters to fall in step with Hux, who had been calling for him repeatedly over the last hour. Hux looked particularly smug, and jovially took his time explaining.
"One of our spies has a lead on where the Resistance might be hiding, he was stationed on Mon Cala and found a small group of X-Wing fighters leaving the planet to an undisclosed location. He trailed them to the ice planet Hoth, home to the rebel echo base from the days of the Alliance. It seems to add up perfectly."
Hux smirked and swallowed slowly, as if enjoying the last few scraps of an excellent meal. "I feel positive that the Resistance hides there. We will invade Hoth today, this war will finally cease. We have them in our grasp."
Kylo remained silent for a few moments, calculating the information. Everything Hux said did seem to add up. He was not expecting to locate the Resistance this soon, he had a small ounce of hope that Rey would turn to him before another pointless battle. He would have to fight her again. The idea made him feel nauseous. But then, he became aware of what edged just beneath his consciousness.
"You defied my orders General."
Instead of the usual mix of dread and malice that would spread on Hux's face when called out, he looked scornfully pleased.
"Oh? Well, my my I must have forgotten to call some troops out from a couple of planets. I had so many sent out, my mistake." Hux gazed forward, his face scrunched up to avoid barking out laughter.
Kylo bristled with fury, turned immediately and side stepped in front of the ginger haired man, his fingers taking hold of the general's throat. Kylo lifted him off the ground and enjoyed watching Hux croak by his hand.
"You didn't forget," Kylo hissed. "I am the Supreme Leader, you will obey me."
"Th-he S-ss-upreme Leader that I obey was mur-murdered." Hux took a moment to catch what little breath he could, his eyes flashed. "By a traitor and a desert rat."
With all of his strength, Kylo flung Hux across the passageway with the Force. Hux's body hit the steel of the ship wall with a loud thud before he crumpled onto the floor.
Kylo rushed over to him and took Hux's chin in his hand and roughly jerked up his head to meet his gaze.
"I didn't quite catch what you said," Kylo jeered. "Do you want to repeat yourself?"
A drop of blood dribbled out of Hux's mouth and smeared across his cheek. When he coughed, blood splattered onto his hand. He looked up at Kylo with contempt.
"I can see right through you Ren. Do you really take me for that much of a fool?" Hux spoke softly in a malicious whisper.
"I could kill you right now for your disobedience."
"You could. But then my army would kill you. Rumors have already spread throughout the First Order, no one believes a lowly scavenger could fend off Snoke, his band of guards, and you, and escape to tell the tale."
It was exactly what Kylo had expected. He needed time to think, to consider his next moves. But he couldn't remain silent here in front of Hux, it would only confirm the pale man's suspicions.
Kylo growled and began to say something, only to get interrupted by the sound of footsteps approaching. He stood and Hux followed suit, hastily wiping the blood from his face.
An officer approached and gave a hurried salute. "General, we have confirmation of the presence of the Resistance on Hoth. Should I set a course for the planet sir?"
Hux chuckled and folded his hands behind his lower back, puffing his chest out slightly. "Ah, excellent. I think a trip to Hoth is in order don't you, Supreme Leader?"
Kylo glowered at him, wanting nothing more than to beat the expression from his face. He glanced at the officer who had come to deliver the news. He had looked at Hux with unbridled loyalty and awe. Now as he regarded Kylo, sweat had started to form at his brow. Kylo didn't have to look into his mind to find his trepidation. He had no reverence, he stood trembling in his boots. A subordinate's fear usually filled Kylo with confidence, but in this instance he felt nothing but concern. It was obvious this officer (and assumedly all the other high command) did not respect him. He was an entity separate from them, a violent creature prone to outbursts and brutality. Throughout the years Snoke had held enough authority to keep Kylo isolated from the military and in good standing no matter what tantrum he threw. He had murdered his buffer.
Kylo resigned himself the best that he could so he could respond evenly.
"Yes."
The new fleet of ships, while a bit shabby looking, made Poe's face light up with glee. Or at least, she assumed it lit up underneath the layers of cloth. Rey enjoyed watching his bodily reactions as more and more ships entered the base. They had found a place to crouch along the edge of the main hangar behind some large artillery crates. It was satisfying to watch the completed ships arrive, it confirmed to Rey that her time scavenging wasn't wasted.
After a couple hours had passed Rey couldn't take the frigid air any longer. While the base sheltered them from the freezing wind, they were still exposed to the elements by the open door of the hangar. She got up to leave and felt a tug at her gloved hand.
"Rey, wait a second."
Rey shivered in protest to Poe's request. Poe raised his goggles and tugged down the wraps that shielded his face. "Rey I don't know when this war will end, or if I will even make it out alive." Poe shook his head lightly. His playful demeanor had diminished completely into a serious intensity. He seemed to consider his next words carefully.
"I— If—" Poe stopped mid sentence and huffed out a frustrated breath, "If we make it through this, maybe we can—"
A deafening blast coming from outside the hangar interrupted their brief conversation. Rey watched in horror as the freighter ship from Mon Cala that she had seen earlier went up into flames. The all too familiar screech of TIE fighter ships rung in her ears.
When she looked back down at Poe his shock had quickly morphed into a blazing determination. Questions of how and why could be saved for later. Rey felt her stomach drop into her ankles. It was far too soon for another battle, they had to find a way to evacuate.
Poe was already rushing to commandeer the nearest X-Wing, several other members of the Resistance following suit behind him. Poe yelled, thrusting his arm up into the air.
"Lets give them everything we got!"