Jessika Pava liked most things. She liked mechanics. She liked tinkering with her planes, and wiring her engines to keep them fast. She did not, however, like being dragged to parties against her will before she was ready, even if said party was a going away party for a Jedi in training (and boy, did she love Jedis).

But here she was, at the door of the mess hall in her mech suit, the top of it unzipped and knotted around her waist, in attempt to look like she had chosen to come here in the thing, and not like Poe had pulled her out of the shop before she was ready.

"Come on, Pava!" shouted Poe over the pounding music as he dragged her in by the wrist. She stuck her tongue out at her best friend's back as he pulled them to up the bar. He threw up two fingers and winked at the bartender, a woman with green skin and gill-like folds in her neck. She giggled and handed Poe two plastic cups, each filled with a blue, bubbling liquid. Jessika sniffed it, and took a small sip of the thing. It tasted like lemonade and vodka, but it wasn't unpleasant. She took another sip as she followed Poe, who had spotted Finn, and was making his way through the crowd to the ex-stormtrooper.

Jess rolled her eyes. The two were madly in love with each other, and if one of them didn't make a move soon, she was going to have to do something about it. She couldn't take another day of him pinning and moaning about Finn during flight exercises.

"Have either of you seen Rey around?" Finn asked as soon as the pair were in earshot of him. Poe shook his head and Jessika just shrugged her shoulders. She had yet to meet the elusive Rey, who apparently didn't want to attend this party as much as Jess herself, despite the fact it was for her.

"It's her party, I'm sure she'll show up soon," Poe said as he put a comforting hand on Finn's shoulder. Jess couldn't help but smile as she noticed the way Finn's cheeks filled with color at the touch.

"Shall we?" Poe asked, gesturing to the clump of people in the center of the room. The three made their way to the crowd. They danced in an odd triangle and Jess sipped from her cup, feeling like the third wheel. After a few minutes, she excused herself and leaned against a wall. She slid down it and folded her legs, setting her cup between them. She let her mind drift to her X-wing. The engine had been making strange noises all week, and nothing had been more satisfying than tinkering around, finding the source of the problem. Oh, and the sound the engine had made when she replaced that old fan belt-

"Sorry, can I sit next to you?" said a voice, interrupting her thoughts. Jess was about to say no; the last thing she wanted right now was to socialize, but then she looked up. The voice belonged to the prettiest person she had ever seen. Jessika's brain scattered in a million different directions, and she could hear the stammer in her own voice as she said yes.

"I'm not really one for parties, but my friend says I have to go to this one," the woman said as she flopped next to Jessika. Her hair was in three tight buns at the back of her head, and two curly tendrils swayed into her face as she adjusted herself more comfortably.

And just like that, Jessika Pava was in love.

The two talked for a bit. Jessika found it surprising how easy it was to talk to her. She also couldn't help but notice how her lips looked when they moved, and how nice her laugh was, like thousands of tiny bubbles escaping her throat.

The conversation eventually swung back around to how much both of them didn't want to be here.

"If it were up to me, I would be in the shop right now." Jessika said.

"Are you a mechanic?" the girl asked, with such a curious tone in her voice, Jess couldn't help but smile.

"Pilot. But I do all my repairs myself."

"That's amazing. I always wanted my own plane to tinker with, but who knows when I would have the time."

Jess looked at the girl, who was staring at Jessika with a mix of curiosity and awe. In the strange light of the party, her brown eyes twinkled, and Jess felt her heart pull a little for this girl she'd just met.

"Would you maybe like to see my plane?" Jessika asked her. The words popped out of her mouth before she could stop them. And to Jess's relief, the girl's eyes widened, and she nodded vigorously.

oOo

"Here it is!" said Jessika as she swung upon the doors. The girl gasped slightly as Jess flicked on the lights. In front of them stood rows and rows of planes, extending for what seemed like forever.

"Which is yours?" asked the girl in a breathy voice, still drinking in the sight around her. Jess made a note about how adorable her admiration face was, and led them over to an X-Wing, gleaming from a recent polish, with a splash of blue on the wing.

"It's beautiful," the girl whispered, gently running her fingertips on the varnished sides.

"Thank you," Jessika said, wishing her new friend had been talking about her.

The girl smiled wistfully. "I wish I could be a pilot. Or at least a mechanic. But I'm constantly in training..." She trailed off, too enraptured in the machinery before her to finish her sentence. Jess's heart hammered in her chest. Why was she so attracted to this girl? The way she moved, the way she talked, everything this girl did made Jessika want to lean over and kiss her. The girl was looking curiously at one of the wings, studying it with such intensity that it made Jessika wonder if she was thinking about stealing it to fly it herself. Flying! That gave Jessika an idea.

"Would you like to go up for a flight? It would be a little cramped, but it might be fun," Jess proposed.

"I'd absolutely love to." The girl smiled, and then promptly frowned. "Wait, what time is it?"

Jess glanced at her watch. "About 2200. A little after."

The blood drained from the girl's face. "I have to get back! Oh, Finn's going to be so mad." the girl sputtered as she began to run out, reminding Jess of a story her mother told her once about a white rabbit.

Before she reached the hangar's doors, the girl turned around. She kissed Jess's cheek, making her blush heavily.

"Thank you for making this night infinitely more bearable." she said. "And we will go on the flight! I promise!" she called as she ran off into the night.

Jessika sighed, trying to quell the butterflies in her stomach. She didn't even know this girl's name, and somehow she had developed the world's biggest crush on her. Maybe she could ask Poe tomorrow. He knew almost everyone on the base, and if this girl knew Finn, then it was likely she had met Poe too.

Jessika flipped off the lights as she shut the door. She needed to say goodnight to Poe, who was definitely still at the party. And who knew, maybe she would run into the girl and ask her name. And maybe they would kiss a little. Hopefully.

oOo

When she arrived, people were chanting loudly, the screams a mix of "Rey" and "speech!". She heard one familiar voice yell out loudly, "Come on Rey, say something!", making Jess laugh. Poe would only scream that loudly if he was hammered.

The chanting turned to cheers as Rey made her way on to the little platform that served as a makeshift stage for the event. At least, that's what Jess assumed, as her view was still blocked. She pushed through the crowd a bit until she could finally see the person standing at the front of the room.

Jessika Pava hadn't just fallen in love with some random girl on the base. No, the girl she had fallen head over heels for was now standing in front of the room, saying some words that Jess wasn't even comprehending.

The girl she had fallen for was non other than Rey, the Jedi in training who was leaving base in less than a week.