Chapter 1

His X-Wing went along with the control stick's slightest movement. The small fighter moved through every manoeuvre effortlessly and Poe almost regretted the fact that the inertial dampeners prevented him from really experiencing the more reckless twists and turns physically. Laughing at his own good luck he shot through the narrow crack in the stone wall and he could already hear the people on the ground moaning in desperation through the Comm.

"Dameron, we only just upgraded her, don't break her on her first test flight!"

"Well, Gehrth" Poe said grinning when he saw Beebee-Ates violent curses on the translator screen. Normally the droid trusted him beyond common sense or programming. "Beebee-Ate isn't too happy himself. I only wanted to say goodbye to our base properly. By the way: she reacts better than ever. Good work."

The engineer's sigh made his grin grow even wider. Still he was grateful for the fact that the cameras were only fitted to the ships' hulls when they were taken out for test flights to monitor new equipment. Else they would have taken it away from him long ago. The Bith was just too timid sometimes. "Come back down, already. The new guy woke up."

Poe smiled slightly. "And how can I help with that?" He laughed, but shot up into the atmosphere straight away nonetheless. He had gone halfway around the planet and it was high time for him to get back to the base. The fighter flew as well as ever, despite its exertions of its last mission to Starkiller Base.

Finn was awake. And he had to be there. Finn didn't know anyone on the base besides himself after all.

Poe landed his X-Wing and before he could even open his cockpit, he saw that Beebee-Ate had already decoupled from the fighter. His peripheral vision registered the yellow and orange droid rolling up and down next to the fighter.

"Alright, buddy, I'm coming!" Poe called out to it as soon as he had unbuckled himself from the seat and the cockpit had shot upwards. He hurried to get out of the ship and climbed down the ladder which had been released from the hull once he had landed. As soon as he felt firm ground beneath his boots he missed the feeling of being inside the stuffy fighter, but he knew that Finn would probably ask hundreds of questions and it would be better if someone he knew delivered the answers. Poe had asked the medics to call on him as soon as Finn woke up so he could be the one. It had been him after all who had brought Finn into this situation.

Poe pulled off the helmet and gave it to one of the ground workers and waved at Gehrth, who was walking towards him at a fast pace. As usual Poe had difficulties to read the Biths face, but his tone of voice could not have made his anger more palpable. "Dameron...", he hissed making Poe grin, while Beebee-Ate rolled against his legs from behind as softly as he could to motivate him to get walking.

"Yes, I know. Awesome work. Seriously. Will the new control stick be installed into all X-Wings?"

The small compliment worked miracles as soon as it was uttered as far as Poe could tell. That was new. Apparently a compliment following a risky manoeuvre helped to ease the waves of outrage after apparent recklessness. He had to remember that.

"As soon as we can get our hands on them."

Poe nodded and laid a hand on Beebee-Ates head. "Alright", he said calmly only to make the droid beep faster and more urgently than ever. "I have to go. When are you loading her?" He pointed at the starfighter which would be shipped on a bigger transport with the other fighters to save fuel, while he himself would go on a troop transport with a couple of other pilots, engineers and ground workers who were no longer needed on D'Qar.

"In a couple of hours", Gherth answered, while his eyes examined the black X-Wing's hull critically.

"Okay. I'm sorry, but I have to get to Finn", Poe said and after Beebee-Ate had rolled around him, he hurried off to the medbay. He had to hurry up to keep up with the droid, who easily found his way through the crates and containers which were stacked in the corridors and were waiting to be sent to the last remaining transporters. "Beebee, what's going on with you?" The droid seemed to have become quite attached to the former Stormtrooper. In answer he let out a couple of loud and long beebing sounds, which made Poe laugh out loud.

"I'm afraid I can't do anything about the length of my legs." Poe had never been sorry about the personality chip the droids behaviour patterns and even now he wouldn't give up Beebe-Ate's nippy sarcasm for all the ships in the galaxy.

They arrived at the wide door, which opened up to the vast infirmary on D'Qar base. Fortunately all the beds were empty now except for one and Poe spotted the former Stormtrooper right away. Wearing standardized military clothing he sat on a bed near the entrance. Poe held up his hand in greeting and the medic who had been taking Finn's pulse heard Beebee-Ate's happy beeping, turned around with a smile and walked away after a quick but friendly nod at Finn. Beebee whizzed past Poe in a frenzy mimicking of the humanoid expression of excitement perfectly and approached Finn beeping happily in the binary language, which Finn was probably hard pressed to understand.

"Hey" Poe said when he approached the younger man with a slight smile on his lips. He had visited him daily ever since Finn had been returned to D'Qar by Rey and Chewbacca, even though Finn had not been able to feel anyone's presence. Poe felt responsible for the other man. "Sleep well?"

Finn grimaced miserably. The artificial coma in which he had been placed during his healing had left visible signs on his handsome face, even though he tried not to show is weariness. Obviously a remnant of the First Order indoctrination, Poe thought, clenching his fists.

"What does Beebee want?" Finn asked instead of answering Poe's flippant question.

Poe followed Finn's eyes to the round droid, whose sensors moved rapidly from Finn to Poe and back, before he uttered a few quick binary sounds, which drew out a hearty laugh from Poe. "He wants to know how you are" Poe grinned, abbreviating and editing Beebee's remark while laying a hand on his companion's spherical head. Beebee neeeded to shut up and quick.

Finn looked at him with a frown, but seemingly accepted Poe's answer. The excited young man Poe had met on their escape from the Star Destroyer had suddenly turned into a much more serious person and Poe didn't like the change at all. "I'm okay", Finn said quietly and sat up straighter and pulled another face. The wound which Ren had inflicted on him with his lightsaber had been treated, but Poe had seen the scars on Finn's back by accident one day as the medics were changing the dressings and he could only imagine how each and every movement would hurt Finn even now. "Where is Rey?"

Beebee-Ate started beeping away again before Poe could even wrap his tongue around the words he was going to say in answer to Finn's question. "May I?" He asked the droid sharply and pulled a stool towards him, sat down on it and didn't leave Beebee-Ate out of his sight for even a second. "He doesn't understand a word you're saying anyway, so it would be better if you let me do the talking." The long, considerably deeper note the droid was uttering now made Poe roll his eyes before he looked at Finn again, who was staring at him with wide eyes.

"Is she all right?"

Poe nodded. "Yes, she and Chewbacca brought you here." He crossed his arms, wishing for a backrest. "The map to Skywalker is complete. Rey and Chewbacca took the Falcon to get to him and bring him back, but no one really knows when they'll be back." He inclined his head slightly and shrugged not taking his eyes off Finn who appeared to be very relieved at the news. Of course he was relieved. "You and Rey went through a lot together." A small smile spread across Poe's face. He himself had not really talked to Rey before she had left, but from what he had heard about her, he figured that she was a rather exceptional young woman. Just as Finn was a rather exceptional young man.

Now it was Finn's time to shrug. "When I met her on Jakku she wanted to beat me up. Beebee told her I had stolen your jacket."

Poe laughed, leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. "Sorry to hear that", he answered. "It's ruined by the way, as far as I heard at least. The jacket I mean."

Uttering a non-committal sound Finn's eyes moved towards the narrow bedside table on whose lowest shelf Poe now recognized the clothes Finn had been wearing when he was brought in. "A real shame."

With a wide grin on his lips Poe looked at the young man opposite him. He owed him his life and he knew that the Resistance too would have been a lot worse off if it hadn't been for Finn. The only question was what destiny had in store for Finn next. "It suited you." He stated again folding his hands. "Listen, the Resistance is moving on to another base since the First Order now knows where we are and we can't wait for them to get here with a couple of their Star Destroyers."

Finn nodded with a look in his eyes which showed Poe what he was thinking.

"Are you staying with us?" He asked the question even though he already felt the answer trembling in the air. Still he went on: "You've been a great help so far, but no one is expecting you to stay just because you deserted from the First Order." He bit his lip. That might have come out a bit too harsh. He didn't want Finn to think that he thought Finn couldn't make it on his own.

Finn nodded again like he was used to nodding rather than talking. Slowly he got to his feet. Every movement seemed to hurt him and Poe felt a slight twinge in his stomach. The fact that Finn had gotten off with a slap on the wrist was only too obvious and Finn still wasn't entirely okay.

"How are we getting to the new base?"

Poe stood up, pushing the stool back again and approached Finn so the other man could lean on him if necessary and he realized (not for the first time) that Finn's proximity could eventually become dangerous and he really needed to work on that. "With a troop transport." He answered picking up Finn's freshly laundered clothes. The medic who had treated Finn waved at them in goodbye from across the room A couple of droids had already started packing up the portable beds and taking them from the infirmary to be shipped on one of the transports.

"Leave it" Finn's request was a silent one, but Poe realized its urgency at once. "Or let me throw it away. I can't stand looking at it anymore."

Lifting an eyebrow Poe made to throw the garments into a nearby trash can, but Finn held up a hand to stop him.

"Not the jacket."

With a slight smile Poe pushed the Jacket into Finn's hands, who immediately pressed the leather to his chest.

"It did suit you." Poe grinned widely. "And maybe someone somewhere can fix it."