--FINN--

It's been three hours since we arrived back at the Resistance base, and all I've done is pace back and forth across the narrow hall outside the infirmary. My mind is racing, coming up with hundreds of scenarios where things could've ended differently, where Poe didn't end up bleeding out on a cold metal table and possibly dying. He wouldn't want me to blame myself, but I know I slow him down. The Resistance leaders should've sent someone smarter and more experienced than me. Feeling defeated, I slump to the ground and rub my face tiredly.

When Leia's medics arrived at the temple, they told me Poe was lucky. I didn't really see how, given that he was lying on the ground, unconscious from severe pain, in a puddle of his own blood. The doctor in charge told me he'd be okay, but until I saw him myself I wouldn't believe it. How many times is he going to die on me? 'He's lucky to be alive,' they'd said. 'The shot barely missed his lung. An inch higher and he'd be choking on his blood, if not dead already.' They were trying to make me feel better. It didn't work.

"Finn?" I glance up to find the wiry young doctor staring down at me as if he were afraid of me, like I was some kind of explosive he had to tread carefully around. He wipes his hands nervously on his shirt, which is covered in splotches of drying blood. Poe's blood. "You need to get some rest. Go back to your quarters and I'll have someone alert you if there's any change."

I jump up and step around the doctor, trying to catch a glimpse of my friend inside the brightly lit room. All I can see are a couple old FX-10 medical droids salvaged from the remnants of Imperial transports and destroyers. They're standing over Poe, working on something I can't see, and blocking my entire view of him. "Can't I see him now? I won't stay lo--" I'm cut off by the doctor stepping in front of me.

"He's fine, but he's sleeping. You both need lots of rest. Let him heal a bit before you bombard him with questions." The small man regards me sternly, daring me to oppose him again. I don't.

The doctor gives me one final glare before retreating into the infirmary. The door slides closed behind him with a hiss and puff of cool, sterile-smelling air. I sigh in defeat and stomp back toward the sleeping quarters.

Halfway there, I spot Leia standing over a control panel, staring blankly at a flashing screen.

"Is everything okay?" I ask quietly. She spins and puts a hand over her heart, clearly startled by my presence.

"No, Finn, it's not." She takes a deep breath and glances back at the screen. The recording plays over again and I see the flashes from before are actually blaster fire. "The unit we sent after the First Order ship that tracked you... They were ambushed. Overrun. No survivors."

My heart sinks and a tear slides down the general's cheek. She wipes it away quickly, as if embarrassed to be caught being human.

"Apparently there was another ship," she continues in a broken voice. "They knew what we were planning. The whole time, they were one step ahead of us."

"Are you saying there's a First Order sympathizer on base?" I ask, shocked.

Leia shrugs. "I can find no other explanation." She shakes her head sadly and looks at me, heartbreak clear in her eyes. "I know each of these people by name, I consider them family. I can't imagine any one of them doing this."

"Ma'am, I promise I'll find out who it is. I won't let them get away with hurting you or anyone else here," I tell her solemnly. She shakes her head.

"I couldn't ask you to do that."

"You took me in without question and trusted me wholeheartedly. You saved me from being tortured and killed for treason. Let this be my way of thanking you for that."

Leia smiles sadly and rubs my arm. "You're a good man, Finn. I'm so glad we have you on our side."

As I walk away, my heart breaks for the woman who survived her father and the evil Empire, only to lose her son to the same evil she fought so hard to defeat. And now, her husband is dead and one of her closest allies has betrayed her. I can't imagine how broken she must feel, yet she never wavers in her strength and leadership.

Later that night I'm sitting in my quarters cleaning my blaster for the umpteenth time when I hear a timid knock. The door slides open before I can stand up and Poe's doctor looks at it, startled. He opens and closes his mouth several times before stuttering, "I-I didn't mean to--"

"It's fine," I say, waving him off. "Is something wrong? Is Poe okay? Did something happen?" I stand up, ready to take off.

"No, nothing happened. Poe is okay. He just woke up and he's asking for you."

I breathe a sigh of relief and follow the tiny man through the halls of the base. As soon as the door to the infirmary opens I hear Poe's voice arguing with one of the droids about some insignificant mishap with the bedpan. He glances up when we walk in and grins when he sees me. His eyes are half-closed and his smile is a bit droopy. I can't help but laugh at his drunken, painkiller-induced state.

"Finn, m'buddy!" He slurs. "Guys, this 's my bes' friend," he tells the droids. They don't have faces, but I imagine if they did, their eyes would be rolling. Poe tries to sit up, but the doctor runs to his side and gently pushes him back down.

"What did I tell you about keeping still?" He scolds. Poe shoots me an exasperated look.

"They don' think I'm strong enough to sit up," he explains.

"You need to rest and heal, Poe. You shouldn't be trying to move around yet."

"Finn, pal, buddy, 'm fine. Trust me." His head is rolling back and forth in a way that makes me laugh louder than I have in a long time. Poe laughs too, though he probably doesn't know why.

"You're crazy, Poe Dameron," I tell him. The doctor leaves and I sit down on the cot next to Poe's.

"Hey, Finn! I jus' thought of somethin'," he says excitedly. "I had to babysit you when that whiny kid cut up your back," he says, referring to Kylo Ren, "and now it's your turn to babysit me!"

I chuckle and pat his shoulder. "I know, I know. Payback."

Poe grins and laughs his drunken laugh. I smile, feeling a bit of the weight on my chest lift. He's gonna be okay. I don't have the heart to ruin his good mood by telling him about the traitor among us, but I know I'll have to soon. If I don't, he'll find out anyway and wonder why I kept it from him.

An hour later, Poe is fast asleep again and I quietly leave to let him rest. I decide to poke around a bit to see if I can find out anything about the First Order's spy. After thinking about the whole messed up situation, I realized that people would start to wonder about me before too long. I know I'm not a traitor, but they don't know me at all. I have to find out who betrayed us before everyone remembers that I'm the only one here with obvious ties to the Order.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

--HUX--

I don't know what the Supreme Leader sees in Ren.

I had everything perfectly under control before they brought in that petulant, overgrown child. He serves no real purpose except to intimidate people, which I am perfectly capable of, thank you very much. I've grown tired of his constant, overbearing presence, acting like he's in charge and everyone else is miles beneath him. Who does he think he is? Just because his grandfather just so happened to be one of the most fearsome Sith Lords the galaxy has ever known, he thinks he deserves the same respect and fear from those under his command.

Well, I'm not falling for it. He's no more than a toddler throwing a tantrum because his mommy and daddy didn't pay enough attention to him. And now here I am, stuck on babysitting duty to make sure Leader Snoke's precious prodigy can focus on his petty little project. If I knew I could get away with it, I'd have shot the moron already.

I hear Phasma's distinctive heavy footsteps approaching before her ridiculously shiny armor blinds me as she walks down the corridor. I straighten, mentally preparing myself to deal with whatever idiotic problem she has now.

"General," she greets in her obnoxious voice.

I nod stiffly. "Captain."

"I must speak with Ren immediately. How long will he be delayed?"

I glance back at the door. "He is under strict orders from Leader Snoke to remain in the room until he has information on the scavenger. Apparently he is attempting to communicate with her." My voice betrays my disgust. Honestly, why even bother with the desert scum?

"I understand, sir. But I must see him now. It's a matter of urgency."

My eyes narrow at her. "If it is of import it should be brought to my attention, should it not?" I ask, not bothering to hide my condescending tone.

"Yes, sir. But it concerns the orders he gave--"

"Am I not the commander of this ship?!" I scream, reaching my wit's end for the third time today. I'm in her face but I can't see any reaction besides mine reflected in her stupid helmet.

"Yes, sir. But--"

"No! I have had enough of you imbeciles undermining my authority! I am the authority here, not him!" I gesture wildly at the closed door behind me. At least, I thought it was closed.

The metallic, slightly muffled voice sends white hot rage and icy chills down my spine. "General Hux," he spits. My back is to him still but I can feel his angry gaze bearing down on me. I jump when his lightsaber ignites and appears, hissing and humming, next to my face. "If you'd like to continue insulting me, I suggest you do it somewhere other than directly outside my quarters," he growls, now standing close behind me.

I gulp and try to mask the slight twinge of fear. "Ren, deactivate your saber or I'll--"

"You'll what? Tell the Supreme Leader?" His voice is humorless, yet I know he's mocking me. "Who are you, that would stand against me?"

"Do not threaten me."

"Leave us."

"You can't--"

"LEAVE US!"

I huff angrily and spin on my heel, storming back toward the bridge. Barking orders at lowly recruits always makes me feel better.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

--KYLO REN--

"Sir, we have the opportunity to follow the traitor back to his base, but there is still the matter of the units tracking us. They believe me to be on the ship they plan to ambush, but they do not know that our informant has alerted us of their intentions."

I mull this over for a moment before glancing back at my most trusted officer. "Leave the traitor and the base. Follow the others. Kill them all."

"You do not wish for us to discover the location of the Resistance base?"

"No. We will know soon enough. For now, we need to crush their hope. Make them question one another's loyalty. It will make it easier to take them down from the outside when they're already broken on the inside. Understood?"

"Yes, sir!" Captain Phasma bows slightly before turning and striding back down the hall, cape swinging regally behind her.

I watch her disappear into another corridor before stepping back inside my chambers. The door slides shut behind me with a resounding hiss and click, reminding me of a cell rather than sleeping quarters. Reaching up with shaking hands, I remove my mask and let it fall to the floor with a thud. Perspiration dots my face. My breathing is heavy. I can't seem to settle down enough to fall back into that deep state of meditation that had me on the brink of further enhancing my knowledge of the scavenger and her newfound power.

It takes me an hour of focused breathing and precise control to finally reach the pinprick of light in my mind. I've been there before, and each time it's a different memory from my life before the Order. The memories are never pleasant and never fail to unsettle me. I steel myself before diving headfirst into another nightmare.

What I find instead is almost worse.

I'm back on my grandmother's home planet of Naboo. I recognize the meadow from the many summers I spent here with my family, before I was enlightened. Everything is the same, and nothing is the same. My head and heart are at war, battling between anger and sadness, regret and relief, nostalgia and bitterness.

For a long time I wander around one of my favorite spots in the galaxy, soaking in the sunlight and enjoying - for once - the absence of responsibility and the heavy burden that is the First Order.

And then I see her. The desert scavenger scum.

She's sitting in a nest of soft grass, staring in awe at the views around her. I reach for my lightsaber, ready to put an end to the source of so many months of torment, but it is not there. For a moment I forgot I was in a memory, where weapons are not needed.

Then I'm there, young and naive, and she's speaking to me as if she has no idea who she's looking at. I hear my father's voice and immediately his dying face flashes across my vision. So much older than I remembered, yet still familiar enough to send a sliver of pain shooting through my heart as the blade of my lightsaber pierced his. He did not plead for his life, but when the last light was leaving his eyes, he pleaded for his lost son. With that final gentle stroke of my cheek, he begged me to come home. I have no home, I wanted to say. Instead I pushed him off the bridge and into his grave.

The scavenger hears him too, and now she's crying. Crying for the little boy who grew up to be a mass murderer and for the father she almost had. He would've disappointed you, I'd said. Suddenly I'm angry all over again and wishing I could kill him here, too. I want his voice and his face out of my head.

I stride across the field to confront her, and her spine stiffens when she senses my approach.

"Hello, Rey."

She spins to confront me. Brave girl, I think. Despite the tears drying on her face, her eyes could cut steel. I'd almost be intimidated if it weren't for her small stature.

Her next words stun me.

"We need to talk."