"I don't like it," Poe grumbled over the com. He was patched into a separate channel with the Falcon as they turned their fleet towards Base.
"It comes down to this, do you trust Rey?"
He hated it when Finn was being reasonable; but he also knew he was right. All that remained of the First and Final Orders was the one man. One man they were leading back to base. One man against their whole army and their Jedi… "we could take him." Poe thought, but he hated it nonetheless.
"I still don't like it," Poe grumbled. "Make sure we got men on the ground standing by… just in case."
"Don't you think that'll send the wrong message?" Chewie's voice trilled its descent behind Lando's.
"Better safe than sorry. See you there, Dameron out."
On that thought, at least, Finn could agree. He wasn't sure what had gone on below on Exegol; but he had sensed Rey's Life Force go out. It had been a numb feeling - a coldness, deep inside of him. And just as he had begun to sink into grief, he felt the spark of her return. A spark that had flared up inside of him too. He had so many questions.
Like, what was that other feeling? There had been something else there too. He could feel the Darkness from below coming from the Emperor. Electricity in the air even before he'd shot lightning at the fleet. But then there had been something… else. Something he couldn't place until now. It hadn't been Dark like the Emperor. But it wasn't as bright as Rey either. Finn felt it even now, flying along beside them. Now he had a face for it, but he lacked understanding.
Whatever had happened below on Exegol, Finn wanted to hear the whole story. And perhaps then he'd have the courage to tell Rey what he'd been wanting to. It felt so foolish to say in front of others. Like they'd laugh in his face. But noy Rey. She wouldn't laugh, and perhaps she would even be willing to help him.
Finn felt like an idiot. Maybe he was just caught up in the emotion of the battle. The adrenaline. They said that the Force lived in everything. Perhaps he was being foolish and it was all his imagination because he wanted so badly to believe it was true. But sometimes, he honestly thought that if he concentrated hard enough, he could feel something corporeal in his hands.
"That's a pretty solemn look on your face," Jannah elbowed Finn in the side. "What are you thinking?"
"N-Nothing," Finn stammered as he exited his thoughts. He cleared his throat and looked down at the planet below them. "Just happy to be home. Happy this is over."
The engines roared as the Falcon hit the atmosphere and began to decelerate. They returned with fewer ships from their fleet than when they had left, but they returned with more people and ships all together. They had ignited the Galaxy into action. Thousands of people standing up against the power of Emperor Palpatine. They were, at last, free. For now.
"What happens now?" Finn asked as they neared Base. He could see all the people already gathering in celebration.
"Now, we celebrate," Jannah laughed. "I haven't had much to celebrate since our company defected."
"I mean after that." Finn shook his head. "They formed a New Republic after the last Empire fell. That didn't stop the First Order from enslaving planets and forcing people, like you and me, into their service."
"That is a question for the people to decide," Lando said.
"There has to be something better than that. Look what happened. No one wanted to believe the General. But she was the only one willing to keep defending."
"So we'll keep defending." The elation had gone out of Jannah's face. She looked like the steely warrior they had met on that moon of Endor. It lasted only a minute before she smiled again. "Look, we can worry about what comes after later. Right now is a time to celebrate."
"You got that right, kid," Lando agreed from the Pilot's seat as the Falcon touched down.
Finn pushed the questions from his mind. They were right. Now was the time to celebrate. To be relieved that, for once, they were not being hunted. He raced down the ramp with Jannah and immediately found Poe.
They clasped hands in triumph and celebratory congratulations; but Poe still had that stoic look on his face. He watched over Finn's shoulder as Red Five touched down, closely followed by the Tie Fighter. Heads turned and bodies went rigid. Poe felt for his balster as Rey jumped from the X-Wing. She didn't move immediately towards the crowd. She went to the Tie Fighter and escorted the pilot out.
The sounds of joy and celebration which had filled the base just moments ago died out completely as the figure in black emerged from the cockpit. All eyes landed upon the helmet-less figure of Kylo Ren, towering behind their defender, Rey. Poe felt some relief to see others on alert - hands were on blasters at the ready.
"Hold!" Finn called out to all who could hear. He turned to Poe. "You have to relay to them to hold. She wouldn't have brought him here if he was a threat. Let her explain."
Poe's stomach churned. He didn't like it one bit. Damn Finn for being reasonable. But he'd seen it with his own eyes - the man had helped them take down the last of the Emperor's ships. He'd flown with him as his cover… but what did that prove? Was that enough? All the people who had died because of that man.
"Stand down!" Poe called to crowd against his better judgment. Bodies parted as he and Finn made their way towards Rey and the infamous Supreme Leader of the First Order. The man who had terrorized the Galaxy for years. But Finn was right - it came down to if he trusted Rey. Poe trusted Rey with his life.
Rey stood in front of the man dressed in black. She was his opposite in white robes. Black and White turning to address the crowd.
"The Emperor is dead," Rey called to the crowd. "The First and Last Orders are defeated. Kylo Ren is dead."
There was a murmur in the crowd. Disbelief as others pointed at the man behind Rey. There was a hint of a smile on her face.
"I know," She said as their voices threatened anger. "I know because I killed him on the moon of Endor. I know because General Leia gave her life to save her son. The man standing here today is not Kylo Ren. That man is gone forever. Leia gave her life to save her son, and he has returned. Welcome home, Ben Solo." She turned and held out her hand to the man in black.