Force Destiny

Arrival on Barkhesh

Sunlight reflected off the rain like glass as it fell through the canopy of trees above them. The canopy obscured the sun, casting the trees in shadow, except for small beams of light that penetrated the darkness. The atmosphere around them was heavy and... suffocating. They were surrounded by a dense, green jungle in every direction she turned. Rey noticed the rain was warmer on this planet than on Ahch-To. She stuck her hand out to feel the droplets on her palm but withdrew it quickly at an unexpectedly sharp sting. Examining her hand, there were red, round marks on her palm.

"Where are we?" Rey asked, backing farther up the Millennium Falcon's open cargo door. She watched other Resistance members unload their limited, but vital, supplies onto the planet. They were wrapped in coats... blankets... any material they could find to brave the weather.

"The Outer Rim," Poe replied, "Barkhesh."

"There used to be a Rebel Base here," he said, "but we hit a bit of a setback. The droid scouts just returned, and the base has been destroyed. There seems to have been a battle here at some point. The Empire left behind some old AT-ATs and supply crafts. It has temples similar in architecture to the ones used by the Rebellion on Yavin 4. We will set up a temporary base in a temple until we can find supplies."

"The planet is scarcely inhabited, but they were allied with the rebellion under the Empire. Leia believes they will help us again, if there are any tribes left. We are desperately in need of supplies. The First Order has no business here, but the surrounding rainforest gives our ships excellent cover if they come searching. Oh, and you may want to find something to wrap around yourself; that's acid rain."

"At least it's not sand, right?" Finn teased, hoping to lighten the mood, as he put his arm around her. They stared out at the vast expanse of trees. He sighed. "Rey, I... There's something I need to tell you." He shifted uncomfortably. She had sensed his agitation for days, but had given him time until he was ready. It was the least she could do when she had secrets of her own. Rey moved out from under his arm to face him.

"What's bothering you, my friend?" Her smile hid the fear shivering up her back, wondering if he knew the secret she had been keeping.

"I don't know why this was so hard for me to tell you – maybe because you haven't been the same since you came back from Ahch-To," he hesitated, "But something happened when I went on that mission with Rose, and I don't know how to feel about it, and I'm... scared, I guess, that it will change things between us."

Rey sighed in relief. He didn't know anything about Kylo; he was simply nervous to tell her about a woman he met. "Finn, why would that change anything between us?"

"Because I don't know if my feelings toward her are 'friendship' feelings," he said softly, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand. He jolted in surprise when she jumped into his arms.

"Finn!" she squealed. "Don't be nervous! I'm so happy for you!"

"But you know it doesn't change anything between us, right?" he said, his brows still furrowed in concern. "You were the first person to see more in me than what I was; you're my best friend, no, my family. You mean everything to me... but so does she, in a different way. I don't know if I'm explaining this right..."

"I do, I understand," she said. Though her smile remained, the brightness behind it did not. Rey did understand what it felt like to care for two people in profoundly different ways, one no more important than the other. Finn would always be her family, her first friend, and she knew from his concern that she would always be his. Friendship to her was natural; effortless and uncomplicated, soul-healing, and unconditional. It felt like the warmth of the sun on her face on a breezy day.