There's no reason to be disappointed, Poe. He wasn't expecting anything anyway, come on. Reel it back in there, tiger. It's going to be a long leave if you don't. So he just laughs, definitely at himself. "No problem, we're staying as far from the First Order as we can get. I just want good company on this leave."
That's when BB-8 comes rolling up, chirping insistently.
"Yeah, and that means you too, of course." He figures BB-8 will have fun on Spira as well, playing on the sand dunes.
"You bet." And he smiles even wider to see BB-8. "All right! You got leave, too?"
(Just so you know, I'm your chaperone and security detail,) BB-8 informs the two of them. Or, really just Poe, but how's Finn going to learn unless he's exposed to more droidspeak?
"Good to have you." So it'll be a ship at least with enough room for the three of them. He's curious what they'll end up in, not to mention where. "We ready to go, then?"
"Yeah, some dumb fighter jock wrecked his X-wing," Poe says, laughing.
Though his eyebrows go up at what BB-8 says. "Our security detail, huh?" he says. The look is for the other half, which he is not saying out loud, thanks. Instead he just gives BB-8 a brief look of, 'what the hell?'
"Yeah, let's get going. Don't want to keep our ride to the station waiting." He gets an arm around Finn's shoulders again to usher him aboard.
Finn just laughs, but it's kind of nice to hear the little droid be possessive of him. At least, he thinks that's what the security detail bit is about. "Well then, the least we can do is let you hang out with us till the ship's back in shape.
(You know! So someone can play lookout if Finn ever gets a clue.) Finn recognizes his name in the burbling and smiles, completely unaware of the context.
BB-8 follows the two of them into the shuttle, and Finn looks mildly surprised when he follows Poe's lead in. There are seats. He doesn't have tos tand for the whole trip. Awesome.
Have another that the hell look from around Finn's shoulder, BB-8, for free. Is everyone keeping tabs on his love life or lack thereof? "Pick whichever seat you want," Poe says, noticing the look. "View ought to be pretty good."
Once Finn's picked his seat, Poe sits next to him, stretching his legs out comfortably. "Should be a pretty quick hop to the station at least."
Basically? Yes. Everyone except Finn, who still hasn't reached a certain important part of the rules manual yet. He did only just get it, after all, and he figures he can get some reading in while Poe's doing more important things, like flying or sleeping.
Finn mimics him, stretching out his own legs as well. "So what's the plan once we get there? Pick up some rathtars from a shady-looking contact and make a run for it?"
What, it's what happened last time he got some downtime.
Poe still isn't sure why Finn wanted the reg book, but knows it's for the best. He has a feeling they do things very differently in the Resistance. Fete fewer summary executions, at the least.
Rathtars? Right, General Solo. He still feels a pang thinking about that, what was happening when he and his squadron were on their on desperate fight. "I was planning on a parts run to Yavin 4 in exchange for use of the transport," he says, and grins at Finn. "But if that sounds too boring to you..."
Very differently. Very, very differently. And he really doesn't want to get kicked out for breaking a rule he didn't know about. He likes it here. He's still scared of the First Order--terrified, sometimes--but working to stop it is better than his first instinct of just running away. And...and if he stays, Rey will know where to find him when she's ready.
So he shakes his head vehemently. "One close encounter with them's more than enough for me. Did I tell you I almost got eaten?" And if Poe encourages him, he'll launch into the tale.
"If you're sure..." Poe teases. "I thought you were in it for the excitement." He nudges Finn's foot with his own. "How'd you avoid getting eaten? Though I'm glad you did."
He listens to the story; he had a vague idea of it before, just from reports. The actual story is better and a lot more scary. Though it does fall under the principle of any landing you can walk away from...
Finn snorts, grinning. Funny how something that terrifying to experience is much easier to relate than it is to live through, and he has BB-8 to back him up about how it happened.
"I've got good luck in my friends," he clarifies. "I couldn't get out of any of this by myself." He's used to working in a unit, after all - which means he's good at doing a few specific things, even if he does try to come up with a plan for every scenario. Those plans generally depend on having multiple people to carry them out.
Poe moreso than Finn, though he's no stranger to hyperspace. He doesn't get to drive nearly as often (read: never).
He cocks his head to one side. "Yeah? Then I am lucky. And so are you, mister hot shot pilot. You know everyone, it seems like." Or, at least, everyone on base seems to know Poe. It's not surprising, what with him being a squad leader and ace pilot all in one. And yet he wants to spend his leave with Finn. It's heartening to think.
If Finn asks, Poe will definitely let him drive the freighter, at least in clear space. He loves flying, so everyone else does too, right?
Poe laughs. "Nah, I've just been around a lot longer than you. You'll get there."
(He really dies know everyone.) BB-8 opines. (Because he's kind to everyone.)
Embarrassed laughter. What's unique about being kinds? Everyone should be. "I'll keep introducing you around when we get back. Everyone who meets you loves you, Finn. You're great. You just have to get out there."
Only if Poe has the equivalent of an emergency brake. Finn hasn't trained at all since basic assessment.
Whatever BB-8's saying, it makes Poe a little self-conscious. Finn raises his eyebrows. "You think so?" Huh. Well, if people are talking about Finn behind his back, they apparently aren't doing it around Poe, then. "I don't--I'm not used to making friends. But I'll try! I like the ones I've met so far."
Maybe some day he'll know everyone, like Poe. That wouldn't be so bad.
"I know so. You're good with people, Finn,m even if you don't realize it. You just have to trust yourself, right? There's a lot of good people on base. I couldn't think of a better group on all the galaxy."
If anyone is saying bad things about Finn behind his back, they must know better than to say anything where Poe or any of his people can hear, that's for sure.
"Right. Right, I'll keep trying." And Poe has a point - the base does have a good selection of great people. Even the officers are friendly toward him, and he sure didn't expect that.
So he gives Poe another smile. "Thanks, Poe. I really like it here--even if I'm not really sure what I'm doing all the time." He nods toward his bag. "But I'm looking at the manual so I don't make any mistakes."
"You're doing great so far, Finn." Black Squadron's taken a shine to him, for sure. And he's been hearing good things out of the ground forces, though he doesn't want to just say so, since he doubts Finn wants him hovering around like an anxious mother whose kid has just gone to pre-academy or something.
"You actually got the manual from Jess?" He laughs. "Well, it is good to know the rules. I bet it's pretty different from what you're used to."
Finn grins and ducks his head, a little self-conscious. "They're good people, like you said."
And then he nods earnestly. "The manual's about a quarter of the size of the First Order Regulations Book, to start with. There's a lot less--" he searches for the right word for a moment "--micromanaging, that's it. If the Resistance wants something done and you have a good idea, they let you do it."
That was something that had begun to frustrate him well before he ever met Poe. Finn has lots of ideas, but when he put them into action he got reprimanded.
Poe lets out a low whistle. He's having a hard time imagining a manual as long as what Finn's describing. The one for the Resistance is already pretty thorough, in his opinion, and it's basically a copy of the one that belonged to the Republic Navy. "You have to trust your people at some point," he says.
Maybe that's the big difference from which all the others springs. He's not sure. But how can there be any kind of innovation in an environment let the one Finn's from? Not like it's a free for all in the Resistance, but people can get creative about solving problems. That's the only way a group this small manages to do so much with so little.
"General Organa listens to her people." His commanding officers in the Republic hadn't. And... well, it's still a bitter thought. He's ended up where he needs to be, that's for sure.
Trust. That's the big difference as far as Finn's concerned. "'I trust you will do exactly as I say, FN-2187,'" he says in a mock-Phasma accent. "That's the only kind of trust we ever got. When you've got Hux breathing down your neck for perfect results, you can't have your troops moving a single micron out of line."
And there are advantages to having disciplined troops work like a well-oiled machine; of course Finn can see that. He's seen it in action countless times, and it's the reason he's still afraid of the First Order. They advance like an overwhelming tide, but not as he'd once though an unstoppable one.
"General Organa deserves the legend she has," he says with firm confidence. "She's got a--an instinct about what to do. Never seen anything like it."
Poe grimaces. "That's not really trust," he murmurs, not that he thinks Finn believes that it is either. Perfection is a thing to aim for, but he's seen the Imperial--and the First Order's--version of perfection. It looks a lot like death for a lot of people. "That's the thing that sucks the hope right out of people." It was the reason his parents had left him behind when he was so young and joined in the fight.
"I don't know how much of it is her having been in the Senate, or having been a leader in the rebellion, and how much of it is that spooky Force stuff," Poe says. "And it doesn't really matter. She's the best officer I've ever served under."
"No. It's fear." He's just beginning to see how they use fear as a weapon, and that they're very good at it. That came straight out of the Empire, no question.
Could it be the Force? If so, it's a very different application than he's used to seeing from the Knights of Ren. Finn looks thoughtful, not responding for a long moment. "Probably all of it together." She's not the only figure from the Rebellion he's noticed in the Resistance, either.
By now the shuttle's made the jump and they're in hyperspace; not much to do until they reach their destination, so Finn stretches out in his seat again. "Nice not to have to stand the whole time."
"People shouldn't have to live in fear." There it is, the reason for his own commitment to the fight.
"Probably. Don't know how the Force stuff works, but you can bet I believe in it. A lot of people in the Resistance still don't." It's not like he had a choice, not after Kylo Ren ripped through his brain. But he'd already known; he'd grown up with the tree that Luke gave his parents in his backyard. People seem to like thinking he's just superstitious though. And either way, "Stuff is way over my pay grade. Don't understand it, never will."
Which is why it's a point of pride to him that the General seems to think he's as good as her brother. Poe doesn't have the Force. He's got only himself.
He grins. "Nice to be able to not have to sit the whole time too. But I think you win. Standing would be worse."
That goes back to trust, doesn't it? If your citizens are too afraid to rebel, your control is absolute. So Finn nods. "As long as that's what the Resistance stands for, I know where I want to be." And that it's the right people to be with.
The General had said that Rey had the Force, actually, and that's why she got the mission to track down Skywalker. And if Rey has it, he wants to be able to work with her. "I'm tied up in it whether I want it or not," he admits. "So I better learn more when I can."
He nudges Poe's shoulder and grins. "Yeah, you probably get the opposite problem, don't you? When you're not escorting a bigger ship." One-man fighters are sleek and efficient, but don't exactly offer room to get up an exercise.
It's a relief that Finn wants to be anywhere. From what he'd heard, that hadn't been entirely certain for a while. Not that he'd blame the man if he wanted out of the fight entirely either.
"Hopefully you can. Maybe something the General can help you with, since she seems to know a little about it. I wish I knew more."
He laughs and bumps Finn's shoulder lightly back. "You spend all this time training your body and being in peak shape just so you can sit still for two days straight in a cockpit. Makes me long for crashing in the desert sometimes."
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That's when BB-8 comes rolling up, chirping insistently.
"Yeah, and that means you too, of course." He figures BB-8 will have fun on Spira as well, playing on the sand dunes.
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(Just so you know, I'm your chaperone and security detail,) BB-8 informs the two of them. Or, really just Poe, but how's Finn going to learn unless he's exposed to more droidspeak?
"Good to have you." So it'll be a ship at least with enough room for the three of them. He's curious what they'll end up in, not to mention where. "We ready to go, then?"
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Though his eyebrows go up at what BB-8 says. "Our security detail, huh?" he says. The look is for the other half, which he is not saying out loud, thanks. Instead he just gives BB-8 a brief look of, 'what the hell?'
"Yeah, let's get going. Don't want to keep our ride to the station waiting." He gets an arm around Finn's shoulders again to usher him aboard.
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(You know! So someone can play lookout if Finn ever gets a clue.) Finn recognizes his name in the burbling and smiles, completely unaware of the context.
BB-8 follows the two of them into the shuttle, and Finn looks mildly surprised when he follows Poe's lead in. There are seats. He doesn't have tos tand for the whole trip. Awesome.
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Once Finn's picked his seat, Poe sits next to him, stretching his legs out comfortably. "Should be a pretty quick hop to the station at least."
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Finn mimics him, stretching out his own legs as well. "So what's the plan once we get there? Pick up some rathtars from a shady-looking contact and make a run for it?"
What, it's what happened last time he got some downtime.
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Rathtars? Right, General Solo. He still feels a pang thinking about that, what was happening when he and his squadron were on their on desperate fight. "I was planning on a parts run to Yavin 4 in exchange for use of the transport," he says, and grins at Finn. "But if that sounds too boring to you..."
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So he shakes his head vehemently. "One close encounter with them's more than enough for me. Did I tell you I almost got eaten?" And if Poe encourages him, he'll launch into the tale.
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He listens to the story; he had a vague idea of it before, just from reports. The actual story is better and a lot more scary. Though it does fall under the principle of any landing you can walk away from...
"You're luckier than me."
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"I've got good luck in my friends," he clarifies. "I couldn't get out of any of this by myself." He's used to working in a unit, after all - which means he's good at doing a few specific things, even if he does try to come up with a plan for every scenario. Those plans generally depend on having multiple people to carry them out.
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"I think that's what most luck really is," Poe says. "The people you know."
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He cocks his head to one side. "Yeah? Then I am lucky. And so are you, mister hot shot pilot. You know everyone, it seems like." Or, at least, everyone on base seems to know Poe. It's not surprising, what with him being a squad leader and ace pilot all in one. And yet he wants to spend his leave with Finn. It's heartening to think.
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Poe laughs. "Nah, I've just been around a lot longer than you. You'll get there."
(He really dies know everyone.) BB-8 opines. (Because he's kind to everyone.)
Embarrassed laughter. What's unique about being kinds? Everyone should be. "I'll keep introducing you around when we get back. Everyone who meets you loves you, Finn. You're great. You just have to get out there."
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Whatever BB-8's saying, it makes Poe a little self-conscious. Finn raises his eyebrows. "You think so?" Huh. Well, if people are talking about Finn behind his back, they apparently aren't doing it around Poe, then. "I don't--I'm not used to making friends. But I'll try! I like the ones I've met so far."
Maybe some day he'll know everyone, like Poe. That wouldn't be so bad.
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If anyone is saying bad things about Finn behind his back, they must know better than to say anything where Poe or any of his people can hear, that's for sure.
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So he gives Poe another smile. "Thanks, Poe. I really like it here--even if I'm not really sure what I'm doing all the time." He nods toward his bag. "But I'm looking at the manual so I don't make any mistakes."
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"You actually got the manual from Jess?" He laughs. "Well, it is good to know the rules. I bet it's pretty different from what you're used to."
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And then he nods earnestly. "The manual's about a quarter of the size of the First Order Regulations Book, to start with. There's a lot less--" he searches for the right word for a moment "--micromanaging, that's it. If the Resistance wants something done and you have a good idea, they let you do it."
That was something that had begun to frustrate him well before he ever met Poe. Finn has lots of ideas, but when he put them into action he got reprimanded.
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Maybe that's the big difference from which all the others springs. He's not sure. But how can there be any kind of innovation in an environment let the one Finn's from? Not like it's a free for all in the Resistance, but people can get creative about solving problems. That's the only way a group this small manages to do so much with so little.
"General Organa listens to her people." His commanding officers in the Republic hadn't. And... well, it's still a bitter thought. He's ended up where he needs to be, that's for sure.
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And there are advantages to having disciplined troops work like a well-oiled machine; of course Finn can see that. He's seen it in action countless times, and it's the reason he's still afraid of the First Order. They advance like an overwhelming tide, but not as he'd once though an unstoppable one.
"General Organa deserves the legend she has," he says with firm confidence. "She's got a--an instinct about what to do. Never seen anything like it."
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"I don't know how much of it is her having been in the Senate, or having been a leader in the rebellion, and how much of it is that spooky Force stuff," Poe says. "And it doesn't really matter. She's the best officer I've ever served under."
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Could it be the Force? If so, it's a very different application than he's used to seeing from the Knights of Ren. Finn looks thoughtful, not responding for a long moment. "Probably all of it together." She's not the only figure from the Rebellion he's noticed in the Resistance, either.
By now the shuttle's made the jump and they're in hyperspace; not much to do until they reach their destination, so Finn stretches out in his seat again. "Nice not to have to stand the whole time."
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"Probably. Don't know how the Force stuff works, but you can bet I believe in it. A lot of people in the Resistance still don't." It's not like he had a choice, not after Kylo Ren ripped through his brain. But he'd already known; he'd grown up with the tree that Luke gave his parents in his backyard. People seem to like thinking he's just superstitious though. And either way, "Stuff is way over my pay grade. Don't understand it, never will."
Which is why it's a point of pride to him that the General seems to think he's as good as her brother. Poe doesn't have the Force. He's got only himself.
He grins. "Nice to be able to not have to sit the whole time too. But I think you win. Standing would be worse."
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The General had said that Rey had the Force, actually, and that's why she got the mission to track down Skywalker. And if Rey has it, he wants to be able to work with her. "I'm tied up in it whether I want it or not," he admits. "So I better learn more when I can."
He nudges Poe's shoulder and grins. "Yeah, you probably get the opposite problem, don't you? When you're not escorting a bigger ship." One-man fighters are sleek and efficient, but don't exactly offer room to get up an exercise.
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"Hopefully you can. Maybe something the General can help you with, since she seems to know a little about it. I wish I knew more."
He laughs and bumps Finn's shoulder lightly back. "You spend all this time training your body and being in peak shape just so you can sit still for two days straight in a cockpit. Makes me long for crashing in the desert sometimes."
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