Hi everyone!

Thanks to everyone for the well-wishes and the comments on the last chapter :D I'm home now, and while I'll be recovering from surgery for another five weeks (ugh.) I'll at least have time to write a lot :D Also, I'm totally okay, and I'm touched by your concern :)

You're all the best!

Here's another little chapter for this little story. There's three more chapters to go after this one, and after that, there will be a sequel. The sequel will not, however, be posted right away, since I want to outline it properly and write at least half of the chapters before I start uploading so I can keep a regular update schedule.

Also, this story will be under revision before the sequel's posted too; chapters will be expanded and more details and extra scenes will be added. In essence, nothing should change plotwise, but there will be more details on things like Rey's time at the Resistance and such.

If there are things you'd really like to see, please, let me know, and I'll definitely look into adding them :D

In any case, I hope you enjoy this chapter, and I'll see you all on Wednesday for the next one!

Please leave a little comment with your thoughts! :D

Love,

Annaelle

PS Thank you to Juulna (Meaghan) for being the best beta ever! :D


Part VII

Resistance

"The problem with comprehension is, it often comes too late."
—Rasmenia Massoud

"Tell me about Rey."

The way Finn poses the question—strongly, not-quite-a-question-at-all—unnerves Poe for a short moment before he moves to sit down next to Finn, offering him a swig from the bottle of Corellian Whiskey he'd nicked from the kitchens. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he realizes that getting drunk with Finn is hardly going to help him come to terms with having to postpone rescuing Rey, but he honestly couldn't care less.

There's much he's yet to come to terms with, most of it pertaining to Rey's life here on base, and he's no closer to accepting that than he had been on the day he found out.

He is, admittedly, impressed when Finn downs the alcoholic liquid without so much as a flinch.

He leans his head back against the wall and stretches his legs out before him, accepting the bottle from Finn when he holds it out to him. "She's amazing," he finally replies, turning to look at Finn with a sad smile. "I bet she could kick my arse into the next solar system if she wanted to."

Poe still vividly remembers the first time he'd met her.

She had stood in the middle of his quarters, her hair loose and curly, dressed in flowing white robes, her eyes wide and profoundly sad. He knows now that she had been forced into his bed that night; but at the time he'd just thought she was nervous.

He wishes he'd known then—he'd never have gone through with it.

He would have found a way to keep her safe sooner.

Finn snaps him from his thoughts when he chuckles, bumping their shoulders together unintentionally. "Yeah," Finn grins, "I kind of got that vibe from her too."

Poe chuckles a little before chugging some of the whiskey again. "I didn't know," he admits quietly, "that she was being forced to sleep with me, with… everyone. I mean, I don't ask for a girl a lot, but I… I thought she was like the others—I had no idea she'd only just arrived, much less that they practically blackmailed her into it. I took her virginity, for Force's sake—she was crying, and I just… How could I not have known?"

He winces when he feels his voice break, and he clutches the bottle of whiskey against his chest.

Finn tosses an arm around his shoulders, and Poe tries not to notice the little flutter in the pit of his stomach that flares up every time Finn touches him—he knows himself, and he knows his own feelings, and he's well aware what that little flutter is trying to tell him—but it's stronger this time, and Poe doesn't know if it's the alcohol or the horrible day he's had, and he just doesn't want to move.

He leans his head back against Finn's arm and looks up at the rapidly darkening sky, wondering if Rey is somewhere safe—if she can still see the same stars he can see.

"I wish I could take it back," Poe whispers. "I wish I'd known earlier what they were making her do."

They're both silent for a long, tense moment before Finn says, "Maybe she was glad it was you."

Poe frowns and sits up, turning to face Finn with a confused look on his face. "What are you talking about?" He asks, a little bit of anger and frustration creeping into his voice and he can't help it.

"Well," Finn sighs, sitting up a bit straighter as well, "she clearly cares about you a lot—she nearly cried when I told her I thought you'd died during the crash…" He trails off, and both men wince a little at the reminder of the three days they'd spent thinking the other was gone. "I mean," Finn continues, "I don't think she'd care that much if she hated you for sleeping with her."

"Maybe she should," Poe whispers. "Maybe I do."

He doesn't flinch when Finn lays a hand on his shoulder and takes another swallow of his whiskey.

"So," Finn says after a while, "who decided that girls are supposed to be treated like this?" Poe can hear the confusion in the younger man's voice, and he's a little unsure—surely it's not like the First Order treats women any different; that's all he's ever been told anyway.

"It's always been this way," Poe says quietly, "I think… Back in the Rebellion days, it was normal—there were women who fought, like Princess Leia, and others, who simply wanted to be close to the action, but not be a part of it. I'm not sure who decided that women could only be there for us to blow off steam with, but…" He shakes his head and shrugs, "I think the Council has something to do with it."

Finn wrinkles his nose in distaste—Poe can't quite blame him either—and says, "I can't imagine treating a woman like that; not just because it's wrong and illegal and they could execute you for it, but just… That's another person with feelings and a life, and it's just…"

"Wait," Poe frowns when he nearly spills his whiskey all over Finn's lap as he turns around, "it's illegal in the First Order?"

"Well yeah," Finn nods, eyeing Poe's precarious hold on the whiskey bottle nervously, "there's a whole bunch of punishments depending on what you did—I remember once, they executed two Stormtroopers for raping and killing one of the female recruits. It was terrible, what happened to her." He shakes his head and rubs his hand of his forehead. "Supreme Leader Snoke himself attended the execution via hologram. He had them whipped and then shot."

Poe feels a little nauseated at the thought, but nods anyway. "I had no idea," he says quietly, "I thought that the First Order didn't care what happened between their soldiers—I didn't even know they had female soldiers at all."

Finn snorts and shoves at Poe's shoulder, and Poe can't help but laugh at the adorable expression on Finn's face. He's not even sure why they're laughing—their discussion had hardly been light or frivolous—but it feels so good to just laugh that he doesn't want to stop.

They end up lying on their backs, side by side, breathlessly staring up at the now-dark and starry sky.

Poe's thoughts stray to Rey once again, and he hopes that, despite being a prisoner, she is being treated better than he had been. Despite Finn's earlier reassurances about the First Order's treatment of women, he's still wary of them—he has not forgotten being on the receiving end of Kylo Ren's brand of questioning, and he still wishes he could spare her from that fate.

He'd promised himself, on the last night he'd spent with her, that he'd find a way to keep her safe.

It's a pledge he feels truly shamed to have failed at.

"We'll get her back, you know?" Finn pipes up, rolling his head to the side so he can look at Poe. "Tomorrow, after the meeting, we'll have the details we need, and once we figure out where Kylo Ren took her, we can go to get her back. She's going to be fine."

Poe rolls his head to the side as well and offers Finn a small, weak smile. "I hope so," he replies quietly, heaving a deep, heavy sigh before looking up at the stars again. "I really hope so."

.

.

.

A DAY LATER

Poe sits, dejectedly, on his small bed in his quarters, head bent down to rest on his hands as he attempts to reign in his disappointment and frustration.

The meeting had, despite his best efforts, been nothing short of an absolute disaster.

He could tell that the generals had already made up their minds before they'd even entered—they'd already decided that they weren't going to waste any resources on saving one, inconsequential, little girl that had gotten herself captured by the most powerful Force-sensitive in the galaxy.

They seemed to think that the fact that Poe had every single pilot, several technicians and two engineers backing him in his determination to save Rey from being held by the First Order was also inconsequential and ridiculous.

The council had voted on the matter anyway and had—unanimously—decided that the generals were correct in their analysis, despite Poe's passionate pleas and disagreements.

He'd been shouting, he recalls, before Finn and Snap grabbed his arms and dragged him from the room before he could do something really foolish, like punching Admiral Ackbar in his stupid, arrogant face. He remembers turning to shout at them too, before he'd realised he was making a fool of himself—and he's smart enough to know the council might order him to remain at the base if they suspected he was turning against them.

He'd let Finn take him back to their shared barracks and had promptly collapsed onto his bunk, rubbing his hands over his face and through his hair in agitation while Finn watched from the doorway.

"We'll find a way," Finn tells him. "This is not the end of this—there's still plenty we can do. And there are plenty of people who agree with you, Poe." He knows that Finn means for the words to be comforting, but they really aren't—because Rey has been in the First Order's hands for three days already.

Force knows what they've done to her already—for all he knows they've killed her.

He can't stand the thought of living in a universe where she doesn't exist anymore, though, so he refuses to think of that possibility until he has seen evidence to the contrary.

He hopes he'll never find that evidence.

"We might not have much longer," he finally replies. "She's been with them for three days already. How long do they usually keep their prisoners before they—" He breaks off, because he can barely stand to think the words, much less to actually say them.

Finn heaves a sigh and shrugs. "It depends on Kylo Ren's mood." He wrinkles his nose and adds, "Which is usually terrible, but when a prisoner somehow impresses him, he likes to keep them around. And Rey…" He shakes his head, and drops himself on the small bed next to Poe—and Poe can't help but notice the way Finn's thigh is now pressing intimately against his, despite the terrible situation—before he continues. "I know you weren't there to see it, but he carried her aboard the ship."

Poe frowns, unsure where Finn is trying to steer this conversation.

Finn rolls his eyes a little, clearly sensing that Poe isn't quite grasping the meaning of what he's trying to say. "He doesn't touch, okay? Like, seriously, I've never seen him actually touch anything or anyone ever—everyone knows. He just uses his saber to destroy things when he's in a bad mood and he uses the Force for everything else—but Poe," Finn leans towards him—and Pfassk, but Poe can't help but realize that Finn's eyes are absolutely perfect and beautiful—and emphasizes, "he carried Rey. It's got to mean something."

Poe snorts and shakes his head, attempting to dispel that disturbing image, before falling back onto his bed. "I just—I can't stand waiting. I want to go to her and get her out of there now."

"I know," Finn replies sadly, "but it's not going to happen right away. And we'll get her out, I promise."

It still doesn't soothe his mind, but Poe nods nonetheless.

"I tried to make it stop, you know?" He says after a while, staring blankly at the ceiling. "The whole prostitution thing—when I found out Rey had been forced into it… I talked to the guys—the ones who don't… you know—got them to request her, so she could just…" He falls silent and swallows thickly. "It didn't work. I think Jessika figured it out almost immediately—shut us down before we even got the chance to help her. So I just… I kept requesting her until they'd let me see her again."

Poe startles a little when Finn drops his hand onto his thigh, and he feels his cheeks flush with an unexpected—and unwanted—blush.

"I'm sure she knows," Finn offers kindly. "I'm sure she knows what you tried to do for her. Hell, she nearly killed me when she thought I'd stolen your jacket—that girl doesn't hate you, Poe. And I don't think she wants you to hate yourself for what happened either."

"M—maybe," Poe chokes a little, sitting up and subtly shifting away from Finn a little bit—he likes the former Stormtrooper, he really does, but he honestly cannot let himself get distracted from rescuing Rey right now, and he's sure that giving into the sparking chemistry between him and Finn will prove to be exactly that.

A distraction.

That, and he's fairly certain the younger man has no idea what kind of effect his casual and tactile gestures have on him. Finn seems fairly inexperienced when it comes to things like this, and Poe has zero desire to ruin a good friendship because of a one-sided crush.

Honestly, he's not even sure Finn likes him like that at all.

He's not going to do anything to ruin their friendship.

He is keeping this strictly platonic.

.

.

.

TWO WEEKS LATER

Finn is trying to kill him.

Really, Poe groans internally, that is the only explanation that makes any sense whatsoever.

He'd thought, at first, that Finn was completely oblivious to what his casual touches invoked within the privacy of Poe's—admittedly very dirty—mind, but the touches are now so frequent and so deliberate that he just… He can't quite believe Finn doesn't know what he's doing.

Even now, as they're standing around the map table, taking in the wireframe hologram of a rolling view of the surface of Starkiller Base, attending an emergency strategy mission, Finn is standing unnecessarily close to Poe. He is practically plastered to Poe's side, and Poe knows other people are starting to notice; he'd already seen Princess Leia eye them suspiciously and Snap had winked at him.

He'd winked.

"The scan data from Snap's reconnaissance report confirms Finn's report," he finally says, nodding towards both men. When General Solo had come to Finn to ask him for any and all information he could give them regarding the First Order and their weapons, Finn hadn't hesitated to explain about the superweapon they had built; a project that had been years in the making, apparently.

"They've somehow managed to create a hyper lightspeed weapon within the planet itself." Snap still sounds impressed and horrified at the same time, and Poe can't blame him either—a weapon of this scale is both terrifying and awe-inspiring.

"A laser cannon?" Lieutenant Brance pipes up, his face scrunched into a mask of horrified confusion.

Poe glances over towards Snap and shrugs—if only it were as simple as that. "We're not sure," he begins, "how to describe a weapon of this scale."

"Another Death Star then," Leia sighs tiredly, rubbing her hand over her forehead before giving into Han's insistent attempts to tuck her into his side.

Poe shakes his head and chews on his lower lip—because no matter how angry he is, Princess Leia has always been one of the people he's looked up to, and he hates to see her look so old and tired—before gravely replying, "I wish that were the case, ma'am."

He leans forward—and a little away from Finn's comforting, but distracting, warmth—and hits a control, carefully studying everyone's faces as a wireframe of the Death Star appears. "This was the Death Star," he starts before hitting another control, watching as the wireframe shrinks further and further before the wireframe from Starkiller Base is drawn into a larger image, revealing the entire planetary base.

"This is Starkiller Base," he finishes gravely, trying not to wince when Finn steps forward again, pressing their arms together.

"So," General Solo recovers first, though Poe can tell he's still shaken, "it's big."

Admiral Ackbar leans forward and, though Poe still holds a lot of animosity towards the admiral, he has to admit the man always has brilliant strategic insights—he hopes he has a few now. "How is it possible to power a weapon of this size?" He demands, studying the wireframe carefully.

"It uses the power of the sun, any sun," Finn speaks up from beside him. "As the weapon's charged, the sun is drained until it disappears."

Poe manages not to visibly respond when Finn brushes his hand over his, and returns his attention to General Solo, who is glaring at the wireframe so intensely, Poe might almost assume he's trying to telepathically destroy it.

"How do we blow it up?" Han finally speaks. "There's always a way to do that."

No one replies, and Poe bites his lip nervously, because he knows general Solo is probably right, but he has no idea where to start to blow something like this up. Poe also can't help the flash of fear that darts through him; Rey is almost certainly on Starkiller and the thought of it blowing up with her trapped there… Finn had told him she'd either be on Starkiller or a ship called the Finalizer, but it's no use bringing up Rey at this meeting.

The Generals and Council had already made up their minds unequivocally on the subject.

Perhaps he can come up with some way of getting her out of there during the attack, he muses.

Finally, Admiral Statura leans forward and offers, "Well… In order for that amount of power to be contained, that base would need some kind of thermal oscillator." Poe shakes himself out of his thoughts to pay attention to the matter at hand once again.

"There is one." Finn leans forward and pushes Poe's hand off the control before spinning it and punching in a random code. "There," he zooms in on a large, black hexagonal structure. "Precinct 47."

Statura steps forward and studies the wireframe of the oscillator. "If we can destroy that oscillator, it might de-stabilize the core and cripple the weapon… Maybe even the planet."

"So," Poe says cheerily, in a desperate attempt to make everyone feel a little less hopeless, "we need a plan. We can't just go in, guns blazing—we need a solid plan of attack before we hit that oscillator with everything we've got."

Everyone just nods in agreement—finally a point they can all agree on—before admiral Ackbar speaks up again. "They have defensive shields that our ships can't penetrate. If we can't disable the shields, none of this will matter." Everyone falls silent, and Poe can feel Finn fidget beside him—he assumes Finn feels a little uncomfortable because he can't offer more help on the matter.

So, slowly, he moves his hand to cover Finn's and gives it a short, hopefully reassuring squeeze before he returns his attention to the argument that is unfolding before them.

"Look," Han interrupts, shaking his head. "Finn—can you disable the shields?"

Finn frowns and eyes the wireframe before he nods. "Yeah, I guess… But I'd have to be there, on the planet—"

"But you could do it?" Han interrupts, leaning forward eagerly—and Poe has a really bad feeling about this—"If we got you onto that planet, you could disable the shields so we could get in?"

"Finn," Poe says quietly—because he does not like the idea of sending another person he cares about into the lion's den. He can't stand the idea of losing Finn to the First Order as well. Finn offers him a timid, hesitant smile—and Poe hates that smile, because he's seen Finn's real smile, and he hates that the Resistance still thinks they can just order Finn around.

The only reason Finn's even still here is because Poe asked him not to leave.

"I can do it," Finn replies, never once taking his eyes off of Poe's. "I can do it."

A short, tense silence falls between those gathered in the room, before Poe tears his gaze from Finn and glances back towards the wireframe. "So we disable the shields," he says slowly, "take out the oscillator, and blow up their big gun. Sounds like a plan."

"We'll commence planning the assault immediately," Admiral Ackbar decides. "We should be fully prepared for the attack within a week."

And with that, the meeting is concluded, and everyone files out of the room, the hologram shutting down—the room is suddenly really quiet, and Poe flounders a little, unsure of what to do with himself now that everyone but him and Finn have left the room.

Poe suddenly realizes that Finn is staring at him and he feels his cheeks flush, wondering self-consciously if there is something on his face. "What are you looking at?" he asks somewhat nervously, rubbing a hand over his nose and cheeks quickly.

"You," Finn blurts, his already-dark skin darkening further when he realizes what he said. "I mean—"

Poe cuts in with a smirk before Finn can continue. "Well, in that case, I hope you enjoy the view."

Finn grins toothily and Poe is momentarily breathless—holy kriff, he's so fucked—before he shoots back, "Well, I usually do." The words hang heavily between them for a long moment—and Poe feels almost like his jaw has been unhinged and is hanging down nearly to the floor as he stares at Finn—before Finn, again, realizes what he's said and flushes even deeper.

"I mean, I—well—it's just—" Finn stutters, eyes wide and a little startled.

And Poe just… He can't stand Finn's awkward stuttering, and Force, didn't Finn just say what he's been thinking about all along? He nearly lunges forward and curls his fingers around the back of Finn's neck, smashing their lips together in a messy, breathless kiss.

It lasts less than thirty seconds, and really, Poe barely has the chance to relish in the feel of Finn's deliciously soft lips on his before the latter has pulled away, his eyes wide and confused—and sithspit.

"I thought," Poe stammers, "I thought you wanted—"

Finn blinks at him, opening and closing his mouth several times before he actually manages to say something. "I didn't—" he stutters, "I mean, I do—but…"

Poe watches as Finn shakes his head and turns away, and he wants to pretend that it doesn't sting, but it does, and he hates that. "But what?" He asks, softly and quietly, taking care to ensure that his voice doesn't sound too demanding.

"Rey," Finn whispers when he turns back, and Poe is stunned by the look of agonized guilt in Finn's eyes. "You love her, right? I mean—you have to. Everything you've been trying to do, to get her back—so the two of you could be together, right?" Finn's babbling at this point, and Poe is staring, speechless as Finn continues. "I don't want to be in the way of that."

"Finn," Poe breathes, taking another step forward, "I'm not—Rey means a lot to me, and, yeah, I want her back, but I'm not in love with her. Never have been." He watches as Finn stills, his eyes shining with something new—something hopeful—and he can't help but smile a little. "I wouldn't have kissed you if I felt something like that for Rey."

"I thought you were into girls," Finn whispers unsteadily, taking a step towards Poe.

Poe smirks a little and leans in, his lips only a hair's breadth from Finn's, as he says, "I am. I also happen to be into guys—and specifically into this one guy." He grins when Finn puts his hands on his hips and draws their bodies closer together.

"Yeah?" Finn breathes. "What's so special about him?"

"Oh, you'd like him," Poe smirks, bumping his nose against Finn's playfully. "He saved my life. And he's handsome and kind—"

"Poe?"

"Yeah?"

"Shut up and kiss me already."

He does—and he really doesn't want to stop kissing Finn once he's started.


For those interested, here's a list of the seven other Knights of Ren and their respective species :D

- Lumiya Ren (Mirialan)
- Jacen Ren (human)
- Dota Ny Ren (Togruta)
- Venamis Ren (human)
- Bo-Ro-Tara Ren (Cerean)
- Hoolidan Ren (Duros)
- Aalad'zaja (Zaja) Ren (Twi'lek)