Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Sand. It’s only been a few seconds and he’s already decided he hates it.

Growing up within the First Order has made him curious about a few things. For most of his life, he’s been contained in the same boring training facilities and kept aboard space vessels, away from most solid ground. This lifestyle has often left him wondering what mountains actually look like up close, or what it’s like to be in a rainstorm, or what the touch of sand feels like against your skin.

Right now, it feels like a thousand minuscule knives repeatedly hurdled themselves at him in an attempt to strip flesh from bone. Knelt down in order not to be blown away, he only knew one thing. He was caught in a sandstorm in the middle of nowhere, with nothing but his stormtrooper getup to protect him.

Focusing on trying not to inhale anything, he vaguely recalled the events that led to his current situation. A few minutes ago, he was helping a Resistance pilot escape from the Finalizer before they were shot down and sent into the atmosphere of… Jakku, right? He’d been sent on a mission the night before to this very same planet, though the details were blurry. In fact, everything was blurry at the moment. Though amidst the chaos of last night, he still remembered why he had been sent to Jakku in the first place: they were to acquire a vital piece of intel for the First Order.

He now knew exactly what they were looking for.

The wind seemed to slow for the briefest moment and he was able to gather his thoughts. Only seconds before the TIE Fighter was shot down above Jakku, the Resistance pilot—Poe Dameron was his name—had told him that a droid held a map to the last Jedi. It was an orange and white BB unit, to be exact. There was not a doubt in his mind that this was the same droid and map that the First Order was determined to locate.

Looking through half-closed eyelids and lifting his head up from his curled up position in the sand, he found that Poe and the crashed TIE Fighter were nowhere in sight. Come to think of it, nothing beyond the length of a few footsteps was in sight. Even the ejected seat he arrived with was gone, having been dragged off by the attached parachute in the wind. It was a miracle in itself that he was able to land safely in this… weather? He wasn’t sure what to call it. They don’t teach this kind of stuff in the stormtrooper academy.

Actually, he wasn’t taught much of anything by the First Order. He was given a gun and a number rather than a name and was told to follow orders without question.

Despite being stuck in the middle of a raging sandstorm, he couldn’t help but relish the fact that he would never have to go back. He was done with the First Order. Done with being a stormtrooper. It was all behind him.

He was more than just a number now.

Finn.

The fact that someone had cared enough to call him something other than FN-2187 was enough for him to pick himself up from the sand and start moving. He wasn’t about to let himself die, especially when he had finally escaped the sinister First Order.

Raising his forearm in front of his face to shield the onslaught of sand from reaching him, Finn surveyed the area through slitted eyelids, hoping to find something, anything. His legs started moving before he could even pick a direction to travel. Walking blindly through the storm, he could only hope for the best.

Trudging through the dunes of Jakku was deemed a more difficult task than it ought to be, as Finn’s armour weighed him down, making him sweat buckets in the process. It’s not like he could just take it off, as it was the only thing between him and the relentless barrage of sand. Heat and exhaustion had made him lose track of how long he had been traveling, but Finn figured it couldn’t have been more than an hour since he first landed on Jakku. Only an hour and his dehydrated body is already wanting to give up. The only reason he hadn’t collapsed yet was that the gravity was noticeably less punishing than usual.

Plus, he just wanted to survive.

Still seemingly in the middle of nowhere, Finn looked up when something caught his attention. All he could see was the golden flow of sand blanketing his surroundings, all he could hear was the deafening up and down rush of the wind, all he could feel was the sweat-drenched fabric under the white armour along with the sandy assault on his exposed face. What caught his attention was a smell. The heavy smell of smoke and burning fumes filled his senses and before he knew it, Finn was already running against the wind, desperate to find the source.

Coming up over a tall ridge of sand, the smell became stronger with every additional stride Finn took. Only seconds later, he misstepped and tumbled down a sandy hill before coming to a rest in front of the wreckage of a very familiar TIE Fighter.

By some chance, he happened to stumble upon the very same starfighter that brought him down to Jakku in the first place. Laying in a mangled mess and already halfway covered in sand, the TIE was fit to never see the skies again.

Disappointed by that fact that he hadn’t found an actual shelter or vehicle, Finn could only sit in the sand and look at the starfighter through, the sandstorm showing no signs of stopping. Even if he tried, there was no way that the crumpled fighter would offer any sort of protection from the storm. Ready to leave and continue his journey again, a sudden thought hit Finn harder than the sand already attacking him.

Poe could still be in there.

Finn immediately jumped up and rushed to the shattered circular window in front, desperately searching for any sign of life.

“Poe!” he shouted exasperatedly, finding only a brown jacket and his battered stormtrooper helmet among the wreckage. So far, no sign of life. As he started to climb into the cockpit, a sudden shift beneath his feet caused Finn to stumble back. He clung to the beige jacket and white helmet as the ground beneath the crashed fighter began to give way. Both items in hand, Finn could only watch as the TIE rapidly sunk into the sand and faded away from view.

A look of hopelessness became apparent on his face as he stared at the spot where the TIE once was, hoping that Poe had somehow made it out. Not even a minute to gather his thoughts, Finn was suddenly thrown back with a great force when a thunderous bang—no louder than the sandstorm—erupted from the sand beneath him. As he landed back on solid ground ten feet later, the only item left in his hand was his helmet; Poe’s jacket lost in the wind.

If Poe was still in there and somehow wasn’t dead from the crash, that explosion definitely finished the job. Otherwise, Poe was probably wandering through the sand as hopeless as Finn was right now.

Choosing not to dwell on the pilot’s fate for too long, Finn turned away and continued his journey through the storm. Having obtained his beaten helmet, he supposed it was still useable and put it over his head.

The second the white material covered him, the pain and constant annoyance from the sand faded away, replaced by a dull throb and the hum of the wind against his helmet. Finding the task of traveling swiftly easier, Finn set off again with the goal of finding help before dehydration claimed him.

Yet again, the hope of finding anything worthwhile was fading away. Finn had been walking for hours now, daylight disappearing rapidly, making it harder and harder to navigate through the endless hills of sand. He had stumbled and fell so many times, he couldn’t tell if he was going in circles or not. The storm had not dissipated in the slightest, remaining an intense, hot mess that attacked Finn’s every sense, even through the safety of his armour. Though he wasn’t ready to give up.

As the time passed by, Finn was left alone with his thoughts. If Poe really was dead, that meant Finn now held a responsibility. He got both Poe and himself into this mess, and he was going to have to fix it. The droid must be found. He would have to move quickly, as the First Order was likely already searching for it. A BB unit. One that just so happens to hold a map that leads to Luke Skywalker. Just as Finn started in to wonder how in the world he was going to find such a droid on this desolate wasteland, he spotted a large, dark object peering through the airborne sand.

Energy spent, Finn was too tired to run this time. The object came into view after a few more fatigued steps, though he was sure he was seeing things. It appeared to be a fallen First Order— no, Imperial walker. Laying on its side, the decayed material seemed to be barely held together, though it’s the first sign of anything in miles. Where the underside would be, there was a small gap that led into the walker; an entrance, it seemed.

Finn took his time as he approached the slain walker, trying not to pass out from exhaustion. Each shambling step depleted his energy even more. If he fell down, he probably wouldn’t be able to pick himself back up. Warily approaching the entry to the AT-AT, he climbed inside to seek refuge from the storm without hesitation.

For the first time that day, Finn was able to feel truly relieved. The constant roar of the wind seemed to disappear underneath the thick metal armour of the walker and the scorching heat of the dying day was left outside. He immediately stripped out of the now unneeded armour and tossed it out into the storm along with his helmet. The black fabric underneath was drenched in sweat, but it was all he could wear for now.

Forced to a crouch in the nearly claustrophobic room, Finn found a wall to settle down against and regain his bearings. As he sat down and let his legs rest for the first time in hours, he eyed the area only to discover something problematic.

This was somebody’s home.

Panicking, Finn swiveled his head around in search of the occupant of said home. Finding nothing but a few old belongings, he assumed no one was here at the moment. Nervousness subsiding, he took a minute to get a good look at the interior of the AT-AT walker.

There appeared to be no food or water in sight, though Finn was too drained to put in the effort to look.

Soaking everything in, the word “home” became more of a loose term if the rusty and decayed interior were anything to go by. It was more of a hideout, a place that could be abandoned at any moment. Perhaps it was.

Though the state of the place was subpar, someone definitely lived here. Or they had. The main indicator was the various supplies and tools laying around as if they were part of some collection. One thing that did catch Finn’s eye were the markings on the far wall. Thousands of white ticks were etched into the black metal, all organized into an array of rows and columns. What they meant, Finn could only guess. The only logical explanation he could come up with was that each marking represented a unit of time. A day, maybe? Whoever made them was probably waiting for something, but no sane person would wait that long for anything.

Then again, anything seems possible in a place like Jakku.

Finn almost thought it was all a dream, though that was improbable. There’s no way that he would come up with something as wild as a droid carrying a map to Skywalker.

Certainly, Finn hoped it wasn’t a dream. If everything that happened was a dream, that meant he was still enslaved by the First Order, playing just another one of their expendable puppets. If it were a dream, he would still have to answer and serve his extremist superiors. If it were a dream, a number—FN-2187—would be the only distinctive quality about him. If it were a dream, he wouldn’t be Finn.

Worn out beyond belief, he finally faded from consciousness and fell into an uncomfortable slumber.

“What about the droid?”

A pause. “What about him?”

“I’ll pay for him.”

Suddenly interested, Rey watched in astonishment as Unkar Plutt brought an armful of food onto the counter between them.

“Sixty portions.”

Everything in Rey’s mind started screaming at her to take the food. Especially on a sandy day like today, portions became very valuable. Plus, she had not allowed herself to grow too fond of the white and orange droid, making the deal all the more appealing. Today’s weekly sandstorm combined with an empty stomach had her longing for anything edible. And sixty portions! That was a month’s worth of food!

Taking one final rueful glance at the droid in question, Rey made up her mind. This was an offer she couldn’t refuse.

“Deal.”

The very next second, two of Unkar’s goons threw a net over BB-8 before the droid had any chance to react. Rey could only watch for a few long seconds as the spherical droid struggled against its captors and was lifted away. As Unkar’s men carried him out of sight, a small object dropped out of one of BB-8’s side compartments before sneaking through the netting and hitting the sand beneath.

Sounding almost distressed, the droid made a few last-second beeps and Rey deciphered two distinct words.

Take it.

Curiously piqued, Rey scrambled to take the portions from the countertop and retrieve the dropped article before it was lost in the sand. Claiming the large amount of food without thanking Unkar, she hastily approached the item and picked it out from the soft, golden floor.

Rey examined the small object and couldn’t help but notice it was some sort of storage device. A jagged piece of hardware that looked old and battered. Whatever it contained, she didn’t know nor would she usually care. Normally she would sell this sort of thing and pray for a decent amount of food in exchange. This time it mattered though. That droid had given it to her as a final wish, and she felt responsible.

Whether what was on the device was important or not, Rey was now invested in finding out what was hidden within. Her best guess, it was a small hard drive containing something no bigger than an image or two. The only problem was, she didn’t have anything to analyze it with.

Looking down at her unusually large amount of food, Rey figured that she could find a good deal for something; perhaps a small monitor or a holographic projector. Anything capable of reading the device would be good enough for her.

Jakku obviously didn’t have the grandest of technology, as all of it was either made from scratch or lost in the treacherous conditions. The finest piece of machinery around was probably Rey’s own homemade speeder, though that didn’t mean it was impossible to find something to scan the hard drive—if that’s what it even was.

Having nothing better to do with her time in Niima Outpost, a quick trip for supplies seemed right. Rey’s water supply has been a bit short the past few days, so restocking now was probably a good idea. Anyway, she could find something to read the device, now safe in her satchel along with her new supply of food.

Rey readjusted the bag over her shoulder, put her protective goggles over her eyes, and navigated her way towards the other shops in Niima Outpost, sandstorm still sweeping the area.

Having lived here long enough, Rey knew how to handle this sort of weather. She knew how to handle all of it, in fact. Today, she wore her usual outfit, combined with some additional protective clothing. It was something light enough to keep her from getting too overheated, but sturdy enough to provide some sort of barrier against the sand. It wasn’t perfect, but it did the job.

Leaning sideways into the wind at the appropriate angle in order not to be blown over, Rey trekked to the shops in town. A frown crossed her face upon arrival; not because of the surprising amount of outlets open in this weather, but for something else entirely.

Dozens of familiar looking white figures stood around the sandy market area, clearly not there to buy anything.

Rey stopped in her tracks, wanting nothing more than to avoid the stormtroopers that seemed to have taken over Niima Outpost. Her last run-in with the white troopers ended with her hiding from all signs of life for a while, though that was a long time ago. Since then, they seem to have updated their attire, sporting a sleeker look, visible even among the harsh conditions. But she had never seen so many stormtroopers in one place at the same time.

She wondered if it had anything to do with the First Order’s star destroyer that showed up in the sky just over a day ago.

Skeptical of the large number of troopers from the First Order, resupplying tomorrow rather than today seemed a better option. Rey just hoped they were gone by then. Anyway, she’s survived on minimal amounts of water before. Rey was sure she could hold on for another day. And whatever was on the device could wait for another time.

As Rey turned and walked away from the market, the sight of the stormtroopers awoke a distant memory in the back of her head. Something she was sure she had hallucinated.

When the First Order was still making a name for themselves, Rey happened to come across two troopers when scavenging down south. Though years ago, she’ll never forget the fear she felt when they started to accuse her of suspicious activity for no reason whatsoever. Being stormtroopers, they had decided to execute her—probably to show others that the First Order meant business.

Only, they hadn’t.

Jakku had taught Rey that begging for anything just didn’t work. Reasoning seemed to be a popular form of obtaining anything, though that didn’t seem to work for Rey either; she wasn’t the most sociable person around. A completely different tactic worked when getting what she wanted. Straight up telling people, no, commanding them seemed to sway people. It just happened, with no logical explanation. Maybe people were scared and just gave up on arguing, but that was very unlikely.

Sometimes people repeated what she said, sometimes they didn’t, but she could make others do things they otherwise wouldn’t do. Often it didn’t succeed, but when it did, it was usually in a moment of desperation.

Just like the moment before she was about to be shot by two stormtroopers. The details were lost, but Rey remembers telling them to stop.

And to her amazement, it had worked.

Nothing of that scale had been successful since then. This weird gift she had would only be used subconsciously when trying bargain a better deal for something, or other similar, small things. It’s a crazy concept, now that she thinks about it. Maybe people just felt bad for her.

Still, it scared her.

Rey shook those thoughts away as she took note of the fading daylight. It was best to go home for the night and rest. Hopping on her speeder and activating it using her thumbprint, Rey sped off towards her old, collapsed Imperial walker.

Well, it wasn’t that old. Most of the ruins around the area—including her own home inside an AT-AT walker—was debris leftover from the Battle of Jakku. She heard that it had happened not too long ago, but Rey couldn’t recall any battle in her lifetime. Assuming the stories and legends were true, the ruins appeared just before she was born.

The destruction that blanketed her home planet was without a doubt the only interesting thing about it. Even she had to admit she lived in an awful place, though it wasn’t like she could just leave; she was still waiting. Her parents would come back. Someday.

Even while riding through a sandstorm, Rey was still able to locate her home. Finding salvation was pretty much instinct at this point.

Killing the engine, Rey stopped her speeder and jumped off. It’s times like these when Rey wishes she had a working door at her entrance. She could just find one, maybe even build one, but it seems she’s always occupied with scavenging for her survival. Now that she has enough food to last about a month, she could figure something out.

After a day like today, a little relaxation would be nice. The guilt of selling a helpless droid hadn’t quite gone away, so some time to unwind inside her protected home was very inviting. Thoughts of having an easy night, Rey dropped her bag in shock once she saw what was inside the fallen walker.

Someone, a man, was asleep in her home.

Upon first glance, she could tell he wasn’t from around here. His pure black attire suggested so, along with the fact that he was in her place. Anyone that lived in these parts was smart enough to not enter Rey’s premises at any given time. The intrusion needed to be dealt with.

“Hey!” Rey shouted, effectively waking up the sleeping form that was across the room.

Flinching and scrambling to get up, the man said flusteredly, “Oh, er, sorry— I, just uh—”

Rey interrupted, not wanting to hear it. “Get out.”

It came out as more of a command than a request, compelling the man to crawl, albeit slowly, toward the exit. As he passed by her at the door, Rey could tell that this man had been through hell. Perhaps he was hiding from the storm. But this was her home, so she tried not to allow herself to feel sorry for him.

Watching as the clearly exhausted man struggled to clamber out of the exit, Rey turned to check what he had done in her shelter.

Nothing looked out of place, though that didn’t mean he hadn’t done something. The first thing Rey checked was her emergency food and water supply, which she had forgotten to hide after using it this morning. Sitting out in the open, nothing had been taken from it, seeing as the water levels were the same as how she left it and the two food portions still intact.

A surge of guilt was swept through her for the second time that day. Whoever that man was, he was noble enough to not take any of her supplies. Rey hadn’t even given him a chance to explain himself before she kicked him out. She had only gotten a couple seconds to observe him, be she could tell that he needed nourishment more than she did.

Rey scrunched up her face in thought and decided to let the man stay while the storm passed. If she let him walk through the storm, she would be failing yet another individual that day, the first being an innocent droid.

Stepping outside, Rey was about to call for the man, when she saw his buckled form on all fours in the sand a few feet away. Running up to his side, her voice was drowned in the wind as she beckoned him back inside. It took a few moments to help him up and back into her home against the raging sandstorm, but she managed it.

Seconds after making back inside, the man collapsed against the same wall he occupied a couple minutes beforehand.

“Th— thank you…” he said hoarsely, drifting off.

Before the man could fall asleep, Rey quickly brought some food and water over to him. He probably wouldn’t make it through the night if he didn’t eat something. She could tell was ready to drop, as he needed help getting the food into his mouth.

After an awkward few minutes of feeding some unexpected stranger, the man fell asleep once again, already looking better than moments before.

Whatever his name was, or why he was here, or how long he would stay, Rey would find out in the morning. Right now, she also needed to rest. Today was the most eventful day she’s had in ages.

Finally removing her sandstorm garments, Rey made herself a meal, although with little to no water. She sighed and wondered she was going to deal with her new guest, but that could wait till tomorrow. Then, she would figure out just what was on her newly acquired device.

For now, Rey added another small tick to her wall and went to bed.

Chapter Text

“Get up, FN-2187. ”

Oh no. Maybe it was a dream all along.

The venomous voice that woke Finn from his slumber was similar to that of a commanding officer, though it didn’t sound familiar. Perhaps a new recruit? He rolled over and pried open his eyes, expecting to see the plain, grey walls of his sleeping chambers. Only, his wake up call hadn’t come from a loudspeaker, seeing as he was still inside the wreckage of an Imperial walker.

“Get up. ”

Seeing the source of the voice coming from a young woman dressed in pale brown material, memories of last night came flooding back. This girl, about the same age as him, had saved him from the storm. Finn didn’t have any time to thank her though. She was holding an old, metallic staff in a defensive position, looking ready to strike or parry at any moment.

Finn chose to obey her order, standing up as best he could in the cramped space of the AT-AT and not saying a word.

“Are you gonna tell why there’s a stormtrooper in my home?”

This was the last thing Finn needed. He still hadn’t thought of a response when she continued:

“Don’t tell me this isn’t yours,” the girl warned as she held up a familiar no-longer-white helmet from a nearby stand. “It’s got your name on the inside and everything. It was just outside, buried in the sand along with everything else.” She paused. “Everything except your blaster.”

At this remark, Finn was quickly shot his hands up in the air, trying to show that he was unarmed. Moving maybe a bit too fast, he was struck hard in the chest by her staff. Finn crumpled to the ground and let out a groan, winded from the sudden attack.

“I don’t— don’t have one,” he managed to choke out.

She let out a huff of indifference. “Why should I believe you? You show up here, eat my food, sleep under my roof, and yet, you’re a stormtrooper. Now where’s your blaster?”

Her tone of voice clearly meant she was irritated. Quite a change from the small time he had with her before he passed out. One second, she was pretty much feeding him, the next, she was about to clobber him with a giant metal stick. Finn could feel that he still wasn’t one hundred percent, still being weak from walking through a sandstorm for a whole day. Getting beaten to a pulp by some very unhappy girl wasn’t going to make that any better, so he needed to explain himself.

“I lost it in the crash!” he quickly voiced, telling the truth. Finn was sure his blaster was lost in the sand miles away.

For half a second, a surprised look crossed the girl’s face before replacing it with the same scolding gaze. “What crash?”

Finn sat up. “Our TIE fighter was shot down. We landed in the middle of the storm—”

“What do you mean ‘we’? Who else was with you?” Finn could tell she was trying too hard to be hostile, though she couldn’t hide her interest. Perhaps her intimidating stare was just a mask.

“A pilot,” answered Finn.

“You mean there’s another stormtrooper wandering around in the sand near my home?”

“No, no— he’s uh,” Finn struggled to say what he was thinking. Probably dead. “He was a prisoner. Not a stormtrooper.” Seeing her unmoving expression, he added, “Actually, I’m not one either. Not anymore.”

She tilted her head. “What do you mean?” she asked, lowering her weapon slightly.

He took a deep breath. “I left the First Order. I don’t want to be apart of anything to do with them.”

The girl remained silent for a moment, probably trying to decide whether or not to believe him. Of all people to desert the First Order, a stormtrooper had seemed least likely to. They were supposed to be brainwashed fools that only took orders, not knowing good from bad. But not Finn.

She spoke up again. “How do I know you’re not lying?”

“Who do you think shot us out of the sky?” he responded, answering her question with another question.

Finally, she lowered her staff after a moment of silence and Finn huffed out a sigh of relief. The air around them became quiet once again, leaving Finn feeling like something was missing. The roar of the wind no longer echoed around the walker. He took a glance at the entrance only to find that sunlight was pouring through, indicating two things. The storm had passed, and so had the night.

Remembering why he had crashed on Jakku in the first place, Finn thought it was time to get going. There was a droid out there that needed to be found. Plus, he had intruded on this young woman for too long.

The ex-stormtrooper broke the silence and stammered, “Well, uh, I should get going. It was nice meeting you, er…”

“Rey.”

“Rey,” he repeated, giving his head an understanding nod and attempting to pick himself up off the floor.

When he struggled to successfully plant two feet on the ground, Rey intervened. “You probably shouldn’t leave unless you’re absolutely certain. You’re clearly not from around here, so you won’t last long by yourself.”

Defeated, Finn slumped back down against his wall. “Then how did I survive in that storm yesterday?”

“Pure luck. It’s a good thing that storm was mild.”

“Oh.” There’s almost no way Poe had survived.

Finn fell silent as he watched her turn away and start to prepare a meal. Interested in the type of edibles they would have on a planet like this, he observed carefully as she cut open a package and created a bread of some sort out of the material within. It looked unappealing, but she was likely used to eating that kind of stuff every day.

Which is why he was surprised when she handed yet another meal to him.

Rey sat back and made herself something to eat. “I don’t know what to call you. Your helmet says FN-2187 but—”

“Finn,” he interrupted, not waiting to hear that number again. “Call me Finn.”

She nodded and went back to eating. Finn felt elated. She knew his stormtrooper name was FN-2187, yet now she refused to call him by it. Maybe he was starting to gain her trust.

Nearly starving, he dug into his food. Halfway through his meal, Rey spoke up again:

“Why Jakku? That star destroyer has been sitting in the sky for two days now.”

“They’re…” Finn stalled. “The First Order’s looking for something.”

“What?”

“I don’t know,” he lied, already regretting doing so. If he wanted her trust, lying was probably not the best option. He knew they were looking for the droid, but he couldn’t help but feel that that was his business.

“Huh.” She seemed to think for a moment before asking, “Who was the prisoner that crashed with you?”

“Poe Dameron. He’s a pilot for the Resistance. Or he was.”

Her eyes widened though she stayed quiet, likely thinking things over.

Finn continued. “I’m not so sure he survived the crash.”

A beat passed before Rey started, “Did you say—”

“Although, I didn’t see him in the wreckage,” Finn thought out loud.

Rey tried again after a short moment. “The pilot. Is he with the—”

“Come to think of it,” Finn unintentionally interjected, “he’s probably—”

“Shut up for a second, Finn.”

Closing his mouth, he refrained from interrupting again and let Rey speak.

A slight contemplating frown crossed her face as she slowly asked, “Did you say that the pilot was with the Resistance?”

Finn nodded. “Yeah.”

She appeared to ponder on another question. “How did you two end up in a TIE fighter?”

“I helped him escape,” Finn responded, eager to finally tell someone about his getaway. “I needed a pilot in order to leave, so I escorted him to the nearest hangar and we stole a fighter.” He smiled to himself, remembering the adrenaline rush of the whole thing. “I was gonna leave eventually, so I guess freeing the First Order’s prisoner was sort of a last act of defiance toward them.”

Rey looked completely enticed in his story, and Finn felt a surge of pride. This was the first time that his words weren’t just background noise that others chose to ignore. It was a nice change.

“A Resistance fighter on Jakku…” Rey trailed off.

Finn watched as the peculiar girl was lost in thought, her food forgotten by her side. He took this time to finish his own and stretch his legs afterward, hoping to regain some strength for his task of finding Poe’s droid. He knew he couldn’t stay here forever.

Rey came to and spoke again. “Forgive me for asking so many questions; I’m just curious. After all, you are the first stormtrooper I’ve had a civil conversation with.”

“Hmm.” Finn wasn’t really listening. Focused on trying to get to his feet again, he was dying to leave and find that droid. Finding the map to Luke what’s-his-name didn’t even concern him, but if it meant preventing the First Order from getting to it, then it was worth it. Plus, Poe would have probably wanted him to. Although, finding anything in this wasteland would be nearly impossible alone...

“You’re not leaving, are you?”

Now on two feet, Finn was startled by the voice, almost forgetting that Rey was still there. “I need to go.”

“Why the rush?” she asked, also standing up.

Finn thought of something on the spot, not technically a lie. “I’ve intruded your space for too long.” She might be getting a bit fed up with his presence, he thought. He did show up uninvited, after all.

“No you haven’t.”

That surprised him more than it should have. “Really?”

Rey stayed silent for a moment before saying shyly, “I— I don’t usually get along with people. Or get visitors. Everyone here is either trying to take your food or kill you. Usually both.” She softened a bit. “You’re not from around here though.”

Yet again, Finn felt that same sense of fulfillment that he had felt before. Before, he had thought he was just an annoyance to her, having slept in her home and eaten her food. That didn’t appear to be the case though. Though she hadn’t directly said it, his mere presence comforted her. After all, Jakku did seem like a very lonely place.

He hadn’t made a move towards the door yet, knowing that that would mean leaving Rey.

“You could, uh, stay longer. If you want. I— I have more than enough food.”

Finn decided right then and there. For now, he would stay, but he still needed to complete his mission.

“Alright. I guess I don’t have to leave right away.”

It looked like Rey let out a breath, before she said, “Okay. Cool.”

Finn only nodded and sat back down, his legs already sore again and everything else still weak from his journey through the storm yesterday. Once his body was willing to cooperate, he would depart. Hopefully soon. He wasn’t here to make friends, even if Rey was as pleasant as he thought she was. Even though he had been rudely awakened by an irritated version of her earlier that morning, this girl was good at heart.

Bringing him out of his thoughts, Rey said. “You know, unless you’re planning to somehow steal a ship and leave, there’s not much out there. You’d probably run into some of your previous coworkers along the way.”

Finn raised his eyebrows. “Other stormtroopers? Where?” He hadn’t realized they had already dispatched more troops to the planet.

“Niima Outpost,” Rey answered waving a hand toward some far-off direction. “Likely sent to retrieve whatever the First Order is looking for.”

Right. Rey still didn’t know what they were actually looking for.

He suddenly felt bad. Finn had not been completely truthful, and yet Rey had been nothing but hospitable. It might be safer to keep her oblivious to the First Order’s intentions, though that didn’t mean it was right. She would likely find out one way or another that they were looking for a droid, and that Finn was a fugitive of the First Order, having helped the owner of said droid. He decided that now was the opportune time to tell her, before things potentially got ugly.

“About earlier…” he began.

“Yeah?”

“I haven’t been completely honest.”

She stared at him blankly. “How do you mean?”

“I know— know what the First Order is looking for.”

Rey remained soundless, though Finn could see the curiosity in her eyes.

He took in a deep breath, knowing that what he said next would only put her in danger. It was his choice to make, but her right to know. She deserved to, since she had been so helpful to him. Anyway, trust goes both ways.

Finn finally spoke. “The First Order is looking for a droid.”

For over an hour now, the same thought has been nagging at the back of Rey’s head.

What droid?

Call it paranoia, but something told her that she had somehow come across that same droid. The thought was crazy though; what were the chances of that? Sure, there’s not much of any droids on Jakku, but that didn’t mean she had sold the same one that the First Order so happened to be looking for. She couldn’t be sure of anything though. This never-ending debate had been going on in her head for a while now.

Of course, Rey hadn’t told Finn this yet, as she didn’t want to burden him further. He seemed to have enough to worry about at the moment, being a defected stormtrooper and a fugitive of the First Order. Finn was clearly eager to leave, but Rey could not fathom why. It time, he would leave, but right now he’s barely fit to walk and already growing restless. Anyway, where would he go if he took off? It was obvious that Jakku had nothing, so he wasn’t venturing out there to find something, right?

She wanted him to stay for his sake.

Well, hers too.

Rey had to admit it was nice to be civil with someone for once. They may have had a rocky start, but Finn was growing on her. He also didn’t originate from the wastelands of Jakku, which naturally made Rey curious. She couldn’t help but berate him with questions of his life and the galaxy beyond this wasteland’s atmosphere. It was nice, knowing that he wouldn’t scold her for her interests.

Finn also seemed obliged to answer her inquiries. After straying away from the topic of the droid (which he was evasive about), the two of them had fallen into a conversation about Finn’s life. Well, it wasn’t actually much of a conversation. For the rest of the morning, all Rey had done was ask question after question. It was more of an interrogation, though a friendly one at that.

Of all the things Finn had told her, many smaller details stuck out to her. Like the fact that stormtroopers have to wear their helmets for ten hours a day, only being allowed to take them off for their allowed two meals. Or that they could barely see out of the things in the first place. He had also mentioned that their armour isn’t truly armour. Apparently, it’s meant to strike fear and intimidate on behalf of the First Order, rather than protect from lethal projectiles. It makes sense, considering they can be brought down with a single shot from a blaster.

As Finn spoke about these things, he did it with passion, not even attempting to hide his hatred for the First Order. As a junker on a desert planet, Rey hadn’t much reason to hate the Order. Other than that incident a few years ago with the troopers, they had never bothered her. But now that she’s heard Finn’s side of the story, Rey was disgusted by anything to do with the First Order. Except for Finn, of course.

After a while, they had halted their talk and Rey left momentarily. She trusted Finn enough to leave him alone in her home for a bit while she headed to Niima Outpost.

Jumping off of her speeder on a hill just outside the town, she pulled her quadnoculars out and promptly scouted the area. Sure enough, there were still a large number of stormtroopers stationed in the outpost. By the looks of it, more than yesterday. Rey shouldn’t have expected anything else; that star destroyer was still in the sky.

Rey sighed and turned back to her speeder, her hopes of those troopers disappearing overnight shattered. She shrugged it off and hopped back on her speeder, starting it with her thumbprint again. Tomorrow she would come by again, and hopefully, she would be able to get some water and buy some sort of interpreting device. But she was in no hurry. Whatever was hidden on the hard drive could wait.

Unless BB-8 really was the droid that the First Order sought. Finn hadn’t told her much more than the fact that they looking for a droid, so Rey had no description of the thing. It was entirely plausible that she could have met and sold the same droid.

She shook those thoughts away, thinking of how ridiculously convenient that would be.

The journey back home took only a few minutes, being easier to navigate without the sandstorm savagely attacking all senses. Rey had just parked her vehicle outside her AT-AT when Finn poked his head out of the entrance.

“Back already?”

Rey gave a short nod. “Yeah, there were still stormtroopers there. I’m not walking into the market with them just standing around.”

“Hmm,” Finn responded, not questioning her true reasons for not going near them. “You never told me what you needed to buy over there.”

She almost countered by telling him it was none if his business, but thought better of it. “I just need some supplies.”

They both fell silent after Rey chose not to elaborate.

In only the past few hours, it felt like Rey had learned almost everything about Finn. He had willingly opened up to her a answered questions without hesitation, even sharing his own little stories about his life (like the one time that they had lost over a dozen cruisers full of stormtroopers to a herd of angry rathtars on some foreign planet. Finn clearly hadn’t wanted to relive that one, but he told her about it anyway). It was clear that the ex-stormtrooper was an open book.

Rey couldn’t say the same about herself though.

There wasn’t a whole lot to be told, but Rey kept almost everything to herself. Even the tiny, insignificant things, like how she constructed her speeder. She had shot Finn down earlier when he asked about it. Come to think of it, Rey evaded almost every question he had asked. Finn had been curious about what she did on a place like Jakku, and she hadn’t responded with anything definitive. Technically, all he knew about her was her name and that she was a scavenger. Rey suddenly felt guilty for being so secretive.

Although, she wasn’t obligated to reveal anything to Finn. They had only just met and were barely even… friends yet. Rey hesitated on that thought, not even sure what it was to have a friend in the first place.

Finn spoke. “Have you lived on this planet your whole life?”

Rey grimaced at the fact that he referred to her home as ‘this planet’. She decided to answer though, but direct the questions back to him. She wasn’t quite ready to open up in the way Finn did.

“Yeah, I’ve lived on Jakku my whole life.” She paused for a moment. “Are there any other planets you’ve lived on?”

Finn scratched his head. “I’ve been on tons of planets, though never long enough to appreciate them. I guess the only place I’ve ever lived beside on a star destroyer is Starkiller Base.” He frowned. “Man, it sucked having to mop floors in a stormtrooper suit.”

One of Rey’s eyebrows raised. “What’s Starkiller Base?”

A look of surprise crossed Finn’s features, and he responded, “You mean you don’t know?”

Rey shook her head no.

“Well,” Finn pursed his lips, “...to put it shortly, it’s a system killer. A huge weapon that can destroy almost anything at any given time.”

“Woah.”

“Yeah. It’s pretty crazy.”

Rey frowned. “Isn’t that just like the Death Stars?” Sure, Rey had heard stories about the Galactic Empire and their reign before the First Order. She wasn’t oblivious to everything that happened beyond the atmosphere.

“Sorta. Starkiller can take out multiple targets at a time. It also doesn’t have a limited range, being able to fire at the speed of light.” Finn looked unsure. “Actually, I don’t know if its reach is limited or not…”

Rey merely stared in astonishment. How could the First Order be allowed so much power over the rest of the galaxy? It just wasn’t fair.

“...man, if they got their hands on that droid…” Finn shook his head, now talking to himself. “The First Order would finish Skywalker without batting an eye.”

All thought of Starkiller Base left Rey’s mind. “Skywalker? Luke Skywalker?”

Finn visibly gulped, and slowly nodded once. He obviously had some sort of slip of the tongue.

Rey tried to collect herself after that revelation. Since when did Luke Skywalker actually exist? No one ever spoke of him as if he were actually real. Anything she had ever heard about him was merely a rumour. Rey’s head was immediately flooded with countless questions.

“How does he have anything to do with the droid?” she asked first.

A long moment of silence followed before Finn reluctantly answered. “The droid is carrying something. A map—” He stopped. “A map that leads directly to Luke Skywalker.”

Rey attempted and failed to not let this new startle her. Everything inside screamed at her, telling her that she currently possessed the said map. But, that was impossible! Everything she’d ever heard about Skywalker and the Jedi Order were all thought to be nothing more than myths; fairy tales that were meant to give a false sense of hope to people like her. Anyway, how could she have the map, of all people?”

“Apparently it’s in a BB unit,” Finn added.

Rey’s head snapped back up. That was all she needed for confirmation of her suspicions. Before she could say anything on the matter, Finn continued:

“I don’t know how in the world I’m gonna find it in this .” he gestured outside.

Everything about Finn’s behaviour suddenly clicked in Rey’s mind. His true intentions for trying to leave so soon were answered, as he also sought the droid. She didn’t understand why he chose to be so secretive, but everything else made perfect sense. Finn was evidently worked up about the droid, and its contents. Or, its former contents.

Now, Rey was in this mess too. She couldn’t say she wanted to be apart of it, but she now held a responsibility for selling BB-8 in the first place. Finn was also having his own dilemma, wanting to leave but not having to energy or means to.

They wouldn’t be able to handle this individually. They needed to work together.

“Finn.”

“Yeah?”

“I think I have the map.”