Rey jolted awake with a snort, her eyes squinting open. She raised herself on one elbow to look around, head still swimming a little, but otherwise feeling fairly normal. It was dark, too dark to see much, but the gentle flapping of the tent door told her she was in the main pavilion. Which meant she was lying in Poe's bed. She could hear gentle snoring from across the room, what sounded like two sets of it.

Whipping the blanket off of her, she swung her legs over the side of the cot and stood, swaying a little as the blood rushed from her head. She crept towards the snoring to investigate, the dim moonlight filtering through the tent wall behind her just enough to make out Poe and Finn's sleeping forms, both crammed into Finn's cot. She shook her head at them, imagining the argument they must have had over which one would sleep on the floor and both being too stubborn to let the other do it. Finn had curled himself around Poe in his sleep, one arm draped over Poe's side, leaving Poe half-hanging off the very edge of the cot. It was a wonder he could sleep like that. Still, they both snored on.

She considered using the Force to move Poe back to his bed, but she knew that would probably wake one or both of them, so she decided against it. Instead, she stepped out of the pavilion for some fresh air. Outside, the moonlight cast harsh shadows over the camp. By its position, she judged it to be only around halfway through the night. She rolled her head around, her neck stiff after sleeping for so long, and set off through the camp, feeling a walk would do well to clear her head of the last of the drugs

Chewie was sitting against the hangar wall, methodically cleaning his bandolier, when Rey came that way. Hearing her soft footsteps on the grass, he gurgled a quiet greeting to her.

Startled, she whirled towards him, then her face softened. "What are you doing up, Chewie?" she asked as she came towards him.

He moaned and shook his head.

"I can't sleep, either," she said. "I've already slept much too long." She plunked herself down next to him, and they shared a companionable silence for a few moments as she watched his deft fingers. "Chewie," she began, struck by a sudden curiosity, "How did you and Han meet?"

He set the bandolier aside and let out a series of murmuring roars.

"The Beast? How uncivilized of them."

He grunt-roared, followed by more gargling.

"You're joking," she said. "He called you what?"

Another gargling roar.

"I'm surprised you two became as fast friends as you did, considering all that." He roared in response, and she chuckled. "He certainly did have a way with people."

He let out another long, chuckling roar, punctuated by gargling.

"You're not serious!" she cried, the corners of her mouth lifting. "Leia kissed Luke?"

He roared, and she laughed again. "He never told me! What else can you tell me about back then?"

So he told her all about the days of the Old Republic, how he and the other Wookiees had fought in the Clone Wars alongside Master Yoda. How the Republic and the Jedi had fallen. How he and Han had gotten involved with the Rebellion and helped overthrow the Empire. How Han and Leia had fallen in love and gotten married. Rey listened to it all with rapt attention. But then he fell silent, his thoughts far off.

"You must miss them," Rey said.

Chewie moaned softly, passing one paw over his furry head.

"They didn't die in vain, Chewie," she said, placing a gentle hand on his forearm.

He roared, more aggressively this time, and shook his head adamantly.

"I know, Chewie, but he's changed now. He's not Kylo Ren anymore."

He roared gutturally, turning his head away from her.

"Were you two close when he was a boy?"

Chewie bowed his head, a soft moan escaping his lips.

"It must have been hard for you to watch him do everything he did."

He roared roughly, his nostrils flaring.

Rey was silent for a few moments, considering what he'd said. "I understand that you can't forgive him yet, Chewie," she said. "And I can't ask you to after all he's done. All I can say is that he's not the man he used to be. Give him a chance if you can, Chewie. You mean a lot to him, I can sense it."

He shrugged and let out a low, gurgling moan.

"I understand," she replied, a sadness underlying her tone, and let it go. The two fell silent, and Chewie returned to cleaning his bandolier. Rey glanced up at the sky, which had faded from navy blue to grey, the sun resting just below the tree line. She could hear the sounds of the base beginning to wake: the whirring of droids out and about, the yawns of their human counterparts, the crackling of fires just started to cook breakfast. She got to her feet, brushing loose grass off of her behind.

"I'll see you later, Chewie," she said, and he grunted a farewell in response. She headed back to the main pavilion to see if Finn and Poe had woken up yet, curious to know how the other attacks had gone. She ducked into the pavilion just in time to see Poe throwing the flap open that led to the sleeping area, an alarmed expression on his face that melted the moment he saw her.

"Rey," he said, coming to her. "We thought you'd wandered off and gotten yourself hurt or something." Behind him, Finn drew the flap aside and joined them near the entrance.

"I can take care of myself, you know," Rey replied, her eyebrow arching.

"Last time we saw you, you were high on drugs," Poe replied. "Excuse us for worrying, it won't happen again."

"I managed to look after myself long before you showed up," she shot back. "I don't need you clucking over me like a mother ripper-raptor."

"I have no clue what that is, but I don't-"

"Stop it," Finn interjected, then turned to Rey. "What he's trying to say is that we're glad you're okay."

She folded her arms. "You two might not be if you keep talking like that," she said. "Maybe I will go back to Tatooine, just to get away from you."

"Hey, you promised you'd stay here," Poe shot back, jabbing his finger in her face. She batted it aside.

"That was a moment of weakness, before I remembered how impossible you are."

"Guys!" Finn said, exasperated. "We have more important things to talk about."

"You tell her, Finn," Poe said, brushing past Rey and leaving the pavilion. "I'm going for a walk."

Rey huffed at him as he left, then turned back to Finn. "How you can stand being co-general with him, I'll never understand."

Finn chuckled. "He is stubborn."

"That's an understatement," she replied, then let it go. "You said you had something you needed to tell me?"

"Yes. Poe and I have discussed it-"

"While you were sharing a bed last night?" she asked, smirking.

He cleared his throat awkwardly and glanced away. She could almost see the heat rising from his cheeks. "We just-wanted to make sure you had a comfortable place to sleep, that's all."

"Mm-hmm," she replied, her smile broadening at his obvious discomfiture.

"And we decided this before we went to bed," he continued, trying to regain his dignity.

"So what did you decide?" Rey asked, letting him off the hook for the moment, and genuinely curious as to what he was talking about.

"We're going to do a broadcast for all the stormtroopers who are still with the First Order," he began. "We're going to tell them that they can come join us and that we'll help them establish a new life, find their families for them if we can."

"Finn, that's wonderful!" she said, grinning. "Any idea how many will come?"

He shrugged. "My guess is most of them."

Her brow furrowed. "What about the others? The ones who don't?"

"Still trying to work out the details on that," Finn said with a sigh. "Poe wants to execute them, but I think we should wait until we've got a government in place and put them on trial."

She nodded thoughtfully. "It might be a long time before we get that far," she replied, "but I agree with you. Now that there's relative peace in the galaxy, they should be justly treated."

Finn bobbed his head eagerly. "Exactly. I'm heading up the operation. I know Jannah agrees with me, so I want to ask her to help me make this happen. And Ben's agreed to do the transmission himself."

"That ought to get their attention," she replied.

"That's what I was thinking," he said. "I'm hoping to do the broadcast later today, if we can get a hold of a First Order signal to use by then."

: :

Ben settled himself onto the stool in front of the communications array, accepting the microphone from Poe. His eyes flicked up and around the dense circle of people around him, and Rey could sense his unease.

"Give us some space," she said, jerking her chin at the Resistance fighters gathered around them. She placed a hand on Ben's shoulder and squeezed gently. Poe and Finn stood on his other side, both looking tense. She noticed Chewie standing against a tree a little ways off, turned away from them, but she could tell he was listening intently. Perhaps this might soften the Wookiee's resentment.

Ben took a deep breath, glancing to Rey for reassurance. She offered a small nod, her lips pressed together in a smile. He raised the microphone to his lips and nodded to Finn to start the transmission, who reached over and pressed a button on the center console.

"Stormtroopers of the First Order," Ben began. "My name is Ben Solo, but most of you know me as Kylo Ren." His voice gave out a little, and Rey squeezed his shoulder. He took another breath and continued. "As Snoke's right hand and then as the Supreme Leader myself, my dedication to the cause was absolute. I even sacrificed my own father in order to rid myself of weakness." His jaw clenched, and Rey moved her hand to the back of his head to run her fingers through his hair. "I don't need to list everything I did for the First Order and for Snoke to you, you all lived through it. You all know the kind of man I was." He paused, and Rey could sense him gathering his courage to go on.

"I was wrong," he said. "I thought I could make the galaxy better by destroying everything that came before, everything holding it back. Everything my parents built. And there is a time and a place for having a fresh start. I still believe this galaxy needs one. But terrorizing it into submission is not the way." He paused once more. "I went to Exegol, not to join Darth Sidious and rule the galaxy, but to save the last Jedi. I have now joined with the Resistance and plan to dedicate the rest of my life to righting the wrongs I committed as Kylo Ren. I am asking you to join me. To join us. Help us to heal the galaxy. Help us to rebuild a better order than those that have gone before." He allowed a few moments of silence for his words to sink in for any listeners before saying, "General Finn of the Resistance has a few words he would like to say."

He held the microphone up to Finn, who's eyes went wide. He shook his head adamantly, hissing "no way, I don't have anything to say!"

Poe dug his elbow into Finn's side and said, "Yeah, you do. Just take it."

Glaring Poe down, Finn accepted the microphone and cleared his throat as he brought it to his mouth. "Hey, guys," he began, then shook his head, huffing in frustration. "I don't know what to say," he hissed to Poe.

"Just start talking," he said. "You got this."

Finn's eyes bored into Poe's, and a few moments of tense silence passed. At last, he nodded. "My name is Finn." He took a deep breath. "I used to be a stormtrooper just like all of you. FN-2187. Some of you might remember me." Then he chuckled. "Actually, a lot of you might. I was the one who left, who helped the rebel pilot escape over Jakku." His eyes rose to Poe's face, and he seemed to take strength from him. "I got lucky. I had a chance to escape the First Order. Most of you haven't had that chance. So we're offering it to you now. We can help relocate you, help you build new lives. Just because the First Order is all you've known, doesn't mean it's all you ever have to know. We can help you if you let us." His gaze traveled across the faces of the people who had given him his second chance. "We're transmitting coordinates to you now. If you are interested in accepting our offer, go there." He paused, searching for suitable final words while Poe sent the coordinates over. "We can all be more than the First Order meant us to be. FN-2187, signing off."

With a click, he ended the transmission, setting the microphone down on the console. Poe pulled him into a tight hug and said, "See, I told you you could do it!" Finn's face broke out in a relieved grin.

"Well done, both of you," Rey said, smiling broadly.

Finn's com chimed, and he released Poe to answer it. "If I'd been on the other end of that, I would have ditched the First Order, no questions asked, even while it was in power," Jannah said.

Finn laughed. "You already did."

"Fair enough," she replied, joining in his laughter.

Ben stood, his eyes passing over the crowd of rebels, most of whom were excitedly discussing the possibility of former stormtroopers joining them-as well as some who seemed less than thrilled-but there were a few approving and even friendly glances thrown his way. He sensed that the general opinion of him had risen, that he was one step closer to truly becoming one of them. And the realization made him happy, of course, but also uneasy. He had never been liked by his peers, only feared.

"Is the base set up yet?" Poe asked, throwing his arm around Finn's shoulders to speak into his com.

"We're almost there," Jannah replied. "We'll be done by the time they get here."

"If you need anything, let us know," Finn said.

"Will do," she replied, then ended the call.

Ben's gaze travelled over to where Chewie stood, now facing them. After a moment, Chewie bowed his head slowly and moaned something too quietly for Rey to understand before turning away and heading back towards the Falcon.

"What did he say?" she asked Ben, her eyes flicking up to his face, where she found his expression vulnerable and open in stunned surprise.

He swallowed hard, as though fighting back emotion. "He said my parents would be proud."

Tears gathering in her eyes, Rey took his hand and squeezed it, smiling up at him. "They are."

He nodded reflectively, the corners of his mouth lifting into a small smile. Then his brows drew together, and he said, "But it's not enough."

"We won't be able to fix it all overnight," she replied. "It's going to take time."

He turned to face her, his gaze intense, and released her hand to take her shoulders. "I won't give up, Rey," he said. "I'll do whatever it takes."

"I know," she said firmly, cupping his cheek with her hand.