Finn stared at the plastic webbed suit skeptically. It was old tech, and the tangle of wires bursting spontaneously like creeping vines did little to assuage his doubts. He shifted in his seat and the paper thin canvas of his makeshift hospital gown rustled slightly.
The dashing pilot to his right frowned down at the suit as well and gripped hands more firmly on the wheelchair Finn was sitting in. "I don't like it anymore than you do, buddy, but this is the closest thing we have to a bacta tank on the base. You gotta do it if you want your legs back."
Finn glanced up at the the pilot, Poe, and sighed. "You're right..."
Still he'd be asleep for days, weeks even, while this pile of junk patched him back together. What if Rey returned while he was still out?
Poe squeezed his shoulder. "It'll be okay, the General will look out for Rey."
Finn grinned sheepishly up at the pilot. As usual his friend could read him like a book.
Still he couldn't help but worry about Rey. She was his first friend, the first girl, hell the first anyone, he'd ever really known. He'd met Poe first technically speaking but he'd had gotten to know Rey and she had been the first to know him. She was special. Funny, cute and definitely a little magical. Maybe more than a little magical. Even if he was currently beat up and useless he still felt the overwhelming urge to protect her. She was worth protecting.
How could he do that if he was trapped in a plastic tarp?
A med droid approached. It was time.
Finn grinned lightly and sighed. "Alright here we go. Help me up will you?" He raised up his arms so Poe could more easily hook his underneath to lift him up. It took a little maneuvering but eventually he was successfully propped up on the med table and the droid was steadily encasing him in the rickety plastic cocoon.
Poe flashed him a grin. "You've got me here too you know. Any friend of your's is a friend of mine pal."
Finn chuckled half from the reassurance and half from the ticklish sensation of bacta fluid filling and inflating the suit. The gown dissolved into the fluid. Soon the meds would kick in and he'd be out like a light.
"Thanks." He said meaningfully looking over at the pilot. Poe was a good man. Trustworthy.
The room blurred. A mirage of a med droid lowered the dome lid down around him and then there was silence.
—
Poe watched until his friend's eyes closed and his features softened with sleep before he left the room to rejoin his droid out in the hall. The orange striped BB unit chirp quizzically. He smiled down at the little sphere and shrugged.
"I'm not sure how long it will take for this last one BB, that bastard got him pretty bad." His jaw hardened at the thought of their mutual enemy and the memory of being interrogated on the ship. He shook them out of his head and walked briskly towards the command center of the ship.
"Come on BB, lets go find the General."
The base was a blur of activity and flashing smiles. Nearly everyone he and the little droid rolled pasts looked up from their various assignments to beam at the young pilot or exchange an enthusiastic variant of a greeting. Poe smiled back effortlessly. He had long since learned exactly how many teeth to show to get out of speaking. It was flattering that so many people looked up to him. Flattering and a little overwhelming. A hero's shoes were big ones to fill.
He dunked under the scaffolding some of the maintenance techs had set up and entered the small command center. Just as he had been expecting, General Organa stood next to the monitors, accompanied by her usual entourage of droids. A brassy uptight protocol droid and a blue little R2 unit. As usual C-3PO, the protocol droid, was the first to speak.
"Ah! So good to see you both! Why the General was just mentioning you BB-8! You—"
The General waved the droid into silence and looked up at the young pilot.
"Good to see you Poe, how's our new recruit?"
Poe grinned at the grey haired General. "He's wrapped up in a bacta suit for one last nap. He should be good as new soon."
The General smiled thinly and ran a hand over the silver cuff bracelet encasing her wrist, adjusting it slightly over the dusty brown of her sleeve. "That is excellent news. He seems like a fine young man."
"He is." Poe agreed enthusiastically. "He'll be an asset for sure."
Her smile widened into something more genuine at the sentiment before it fell serious once more. "Commander, it's not looking good out there."
Poe's easy grin fell to match her steely expression. "That bad huh? How close are they to finding us?"
"Close." One word was enough for Poe to understand. They had discussed the possibility of the First Order discovering the base earlier. That was one thing he appreciated about the General, she included him in her plans. It was a small gesture but it meant more to him than she probably realized. It made him feel needed and less like a fraud.
"Are we going to meet them head on?" He asked. They had limited ships but if they struck early they had just enough bombers to-
"No Poe, we're going to evacuate."