The most generous word Poe could use to describe the base on Dendri was utilitarian , which probably would have made the original designer of the facility very proud. The rebels had only found it as the old bones of an abandoned mining colony. Cramped, labyrinthine tunnels lined with rows and rows of pipes like blood vessels ran several stories below the dusty, uninhabitable surface of the moon. Steam whirled and danced around his ankles down every passage until he would reach the hangar.
If the dilapidated mining operation was a long-abandoned skeleton, the hangar was the ribcage. Tall, sturdy pillars upheld the ceiling where massive bay doors could close and open to accommodate behemoth mining rigs (or rebel capital ships, as the case may be).
Seemingly endless sluggish doors dragged themselves open before him until he reached his destination. Upon peeking out into the hangar, the star pilot found it was empty. Ideal conditions for a restless commander trying to steal a little night cruise.
BB-8 appeared behind his legs, looking up at his loyal friend. He chirped as quietly as he could.
"Yeah, coast looks clear," Poe replied biting his lip as he strode across the room to his X-Wing.
The little droid buzzed in reply. Uncertain.
"No, we're not doing anything wrong," he said, as if the idea were ridiculous. His quickening steps echoed. "I just don't want to answer any questions. You know, 'is this a scheduled deployment, Commander Poe?', 'are you observing fuel conservation regulations, Commander Poe?'."
The Dendri crew held the reigns a little tighter than they did in Evit. Then again, it had helped having so many friends in the hangar. Out of habit, his eyes went to the control room. Rey did not wait behind the darkened glass there.
After striding nonchalantly to his bird, he checked that she was refueled. The meter was good but she needed a hose-down, to be sure. Then, up the small wheel-in ladder he went, bouncing into his cockpit with ease and familiarity.
Looking shifty, Poe watched over his left and right shoulders, flipping switches and powering up the engines by sheer muscle memory alone. BB-8 ascended to his copilots spot, clicking into place. He let out a prolonged bwoo-woop of contentment, as if he were settling into bed.
"See?" Poe said, flicking the pitch indicator impatiently. "We needed this."
BB trilled his reservations in reply.
"Yeah, well, better to beg forgiveness, right buddy?" An apt phrase. There was going to be a very peeved quartermaster to deal with if he was caught.
With that, Kestrel One's engines screamed to life and Poe made a swift, skillful exit before anyone could come back from dinner to notice.
The sheer frustration of being trapped on Dendri had been stacking up like so many plates Poe wanted to shatter. Deliberations were ongoing over whether or not the rebellion was ready to strike the First Order supply line. It wouldn't be a particularly large-scale mission but it would be their first outright attack on the First Order since Rey had recovered them all on Crait. He was stuck until a decision could be made. Unfortunately, he was also the person in charge of making that decision but he refused to do so until everyone had their say.
Poe punched the throttle as far as it would go and let the setbacks of the past few days fall away with every aerobatic maneuver he performed. BB-8 hooted and cheered even though the barrel rolls made him dizzy. Sometimes, a pilot just needs to go fast .
And when he was done going fast, he let himself down, just close enough to Dendri's surface to upset the crystalline moondust that settled there. Then he just went, slowly and leisurely through a canyon which sparkled with mineral deposits and veins. There was no better place to think than the quiet interior of a starfighter.
Suddenly, BB-8 made an inquisitive sound.
"What's that?" He said, brow furrowing. "A signal? What signal?"
BB-8 repeated himself, this time slower.
"Patch 'em in. I'll find out."
The static crackled into his headset but cleared in an instant. He mostly expected he was about to be chewed out but BB-8 was very insistent that the signal was too long range to be coming from Dendri.
"Kestrel One, here," he said skeptically, but there was no response, "do you read?"
Poe shook his head. "Chalk it up to interference," he said to his round little buddy.
"Poe?"
"Rey?" He couldn't hide the sheer shock in his voice.
"What are you-" she stopped, he could hear shuffling and then a crashing sound. "Oh, Force , I dropped the-"
"What time is it there?"
"Sorry. Hi. I didn't mean to- I was just sweeping signals, I didn't think-" She cut herself off and he thought he could hear her groaning.
"It's gotta be," Po
e checked the clock. "Yeah, it's almost morning there. Not that it isn't nice to hear your voice, sunshine, but what are you still doing in the tower?"
"I was fixing something," she said stubbornly. Rey could always sense when he was about to mother her over something and she almost always responded with defiance, but this time, she elected to soften.
"And, honestly, I was looking for you," she admitted. He could feel his face flush. "I know you sometimes skip dinner to fly. It's almost been a week and I never got to thank you for the honey rolls."
"It was nothing," he said, feeling giddy but playing it ever so cool.
"And those blue round things ."
"Satsumas. You like those?"
"They're sour."
"But good?"
"Very good. Even better if you peel them."
Poe had to cut off his end of the feed for a moment so he could snicker at Rey, who was as funny unintentionally as she was sincerely.
"Well, I'm glad you liked them, but I hope you didn't stay up until morning just to tell me so."
"I told you I was fixing something."
"C'mon, Rey."
"I haven't been sleeping well," she said quietly. It was an oddly personal admission, or at least the way she said it made it seem personal. "It's why I'm gone most mornings."
"Is it your leg?" He asked, concerned.
There was no sound in his ears or his cockpit. Poe was adrift in open space.
"No. Or- yes," Rey said, but her tone was peculiar. Strained. "When I lay down and try to sleep it's just- it-"
"Have you gone to see Doc?"
She made a noncommittal noise.
"Well, you should. He could give you something for the pain, or at least something to help you sleep."
"It isn't unbearable. Just distracting."
"Rey," he said, gently chiding her.
"Poe," she parrotted back, wholly uncaring.
"You're gonna make me tell Finn," he said resolutely, shaking his head.
"Hold on, let's not do anything rash."
"Rash is my middle name. Try and stop me"
"Oh, stars, that's awful," she broke, relinquishing a fit of laughter. Poe laughed too.
Soon after, he found himself counting the stars. Waiting. He might have thought to head back if he were alone but he never wanted their little talks to end like it had to so frequently during their busy days. And, after awhile, like she could always be relied upon to do, Rey spoke.
"When I was eleven." She stopped, hesitating. He could faintly hear her steady breathing. In and out. Until she was ready.
"I had an accident. When I was eleven, that is." She had to force it out but once the words began to flow, they came easy. "Fell down a lift shaft, scavenging an old dreadnought."
"I caught every snag I could on the way down. It's probably why I survived but I still broke my arm. Collar bone too." She was pensive. Far away. If he could just reach his hand out to hers.
"Another scavenger found me. Sen-Sen. And thank the Force she had a soft spot for me. Set my arm right there at the bottom of the shaft, made me a sling, put some spare parts in my satchel - enough for a meal, at least - and sent me off."
He could hear her smiling through a small exhalation. "She was sweet. Visited me everyday while I mended." Rey had laughter in her voice now. "She never spoke a word, isn't that strange?"
Poe wasn't verbally equipped to begin.
He had broken his arm too, as a child, falling out of a young Massassi tree he was recklessly, foolishly determined to conquer. Only, Rey had nothing like what he had. No father, like his, to wrap her cast and kiss her cheeks. No mother, like his, to tell her that a broken bone was worth the tears and the pain because she would have a story to tell that was all her own.
Perhaps she took his silence as discomfort because she quickly tried to smooth it over.
"Anyway, it's-" She tsked, changing gears. "I grew up never having anything for pain, so…"
"Of course," he said quickly. "Sorry, I shouldn't've-"
"No, no," Rey soothed. "It's not a bad memory. Just a memory, that's all." He found himself being comforted by her, which made him feel ashamed somehow.
After a moment, she yawned.
"You should turn in," Poe said. It wasn't an order from a Commander, but a fervent recommendation from a concerned friend.
"I know." She sounded as if in a daze.
"Wait, Rey." He chewed his lip and knit his brow, unable to decide if he should speak or just shut up forever.
"You- You should holo me." Then, he cleared his throat. "You know, just to keep you abreast of the situation over here. Definitely, the, uh, briefings could be relevant to you."
"Really?" She said, excitement kindling in her voice. "You'll tell me about the officer meetings?"
"If you'd like." At least he landed on his feet. "It might even help with your insomnia. The word meeting alone is making me nod off."
"Me too," she said through another yawn. "I'm off to bed. Talk to you tomorrow."
"Night, Rey."
"Night, Poe."
Even small goodbyes can be hard but hers held so much promise. Poe could return to the cramped bunks and the stuffy quartermasters with tomorrow on his mind.
"You were listening in, weren't you?" Poe said to his friend, after awhile.
BB-8 tweeted conspicuously.
"Liar."
The droid didn't reply for awhile but when he did Poe laughed.
"I know, buddy," he agreed, resigned. "And I'm a sucker for her."