Chapter 1: Conversations Over Calligraphy
The fragrant scent of fresh morning dew filled his nostrils, as Finn made his way across the jungle clearing blanketed by a veil of fog. He was uncertain about his daily assignment, and kicked himself once again over just what he had agreed to do and why he had agreed to do it. But then he remembered the pleading look in Rey's eyes, her hopeful face, and he felt his resolve renewed.
Finn had not arrived at this intellectual destination easily. All the harder still, probably impossible, would be to drag his Co-General along. Poe Dameron was many things, a naked partisan being one of them. It had taken much convincing and begging from Rey for the pilot to even agree to harbor him here, alive and (at least for the moment) unharmed. Finn had watched Rey plead her and his case, say her piece, silently and all the while remaining stubbornly neutral. He felt he had always been the one to keep the peace between Poe and Rey, always walking a fine line between the extremes of their two ideals which were almost always in conflict with one another.
This was for Rey. This was all for Rey. If it had been anyone other than her, he wouldn't even be doing this much. But best friends had to mean something. If at present that meant doing something that Finn was not entirely comfortable with, so be it.
The beaming rays of sunlight cut through the early morning fog, steaming away a path for Finn as he approached the Resistance jail cell. Saluting the soldier posted outside, then flashing his badge indicating high-rank, Finn was waved on without a word. His boots clopping down the stone corridors, the dark-skinned man wondered who had been on night duty with the prisoner, and he pitied the poor soul who had to trade a night with him over a good evening's sleep. Passing through one last door, he finally came upon the cell - the only one occupied in the whole jailhouse. No other First Order survivors had been taken captive just yet, and several months after war's end, it was doubtful they would pick up any more - though there were bounty hunters like Zorri Bliss still tracking high-profile officers and other desirables who had likely gone into hiding. Besides, this high-profile prisoner was a handful all by himself.
Emerging into the main corridor, Finn spotted Lieutenant Connix slouched down against the wall directly opposite the only occupied jail cell in the whole prison. Upon seeing him, she staggered to her feet and stood at attention. The bags under her eyes were apparent. She snapped to a salute and Finn returned it.
"At ease, soldier. You are relieved of your post. I will take over."
Connix sighed. "Thank the Maker!"
Finn chuckled. "Long night?"
"Long and uneventful. All quiet, nothing to report," Connix shouldered her pack. Stepping past Finn, she whispered, "He's so quiet. Does hardly anything. It's unsettling."
Finn smirked. "Small blessings. Go on now to the mess hall, Lieutenant; there's a good girl..." Connix patted his shoulder, and left. Finn immediately took her place opposite the cell.
He was seated cross-legged on the cobblestones, criss-cross applesauce, a roll of parchment in his lap, quill and inkwell just off his knee. He was scratching out words purposefully, composing with care, as though he was conducting a symphony.
What was he writing that was so important? A manifesto? Poetry? Finn recalled how Klaud had told him that the prisoner had requested pen and ink some weeks ago - his first inquiry in days and days. Whatever the document was, Finn thought he could see light in the prisoner's eyes, even as the expression on his face was tight and methodical.
"What are you writing?" the question came forth from Finn's mouth of its own accord.
The scratching ceased for just a beat. "A letter," the prisoner replied simply, without looking up.
A long, awkward pause. Finn cleared his throat. "Well, I have your morning meal and rations for you. Can't it wait?"
The chicken scratch slowed, but didn't entirely stop. Then the quill stilled in mid-air, hovering, as though the writer were suddenly now blocked on what to say. Finally, the prisoner set the parchment down with a sigh.
"I suppose it can." And up came his gaze, so that Finn was caught in the eyes of Ben Solo.
His hair had grown long in these months in jail, now well down to his shoulders. At least it wasn't dirty; Ben was granted shower privileges once a day. He had also been offered the right to a barber, but Ben had always refused to allow his hair to be cut, for a reason that still went unexplained. His deep, green eyes were piercing as they studied him, and Finn began to understand what Connix had meant by 'unsettling.'
Those piercing, green eyes blinked in surprise upon taking in the new visitor. "So... today, they assigned you to be my guard."
"I asked to be your guard," Finn corrected, seating himself cross-legged on the floor opposite Ben and carefully passing the meal tray, then the rations, and lastly a kettle of tea, through the bars. Actually, that was the truth. Finn had volunteered for the post when Poe had been in need of soldiers to fill these future shifts. "Soldiers like to see their Generals cycle in and do the dirty jobs. Gives them a morale boost."
Accepting and setting aside the food without a word, Ben took this in blankly. Finn fought the urge to sneer. Of course the appearance of equality among the ranks would be a foreign concept to him. As Supreme Leader, Ben wouldn't have dared to stoop himself so low as to perform menial jobs, like, say, Sanitation - the department Finn had been assigned to while he himself was with the First Order.
Rey's angelic face popped into Finn's head just then, helping Finn to keep his face stoically passive.
Ben cocked his head for a moment, those green eyes furrowing, and Finn got the distinct impression that the other man was sensing all these inner thoughts. Finally, Ben's gaze softened, accompanied by a blink-and-miss-it shrug of his shoulders, as he tipped the kettle of tea to pour himself a cup.
"You're a very... gracious person then, General."
Finn blinked, the statement hitting him right between the eyes. Had Kylo Ren just... complimented him? "...Thank you?"
There was Rey's face again, back in his head, her smile even brighter, almost as if she was encouraging him to make more cordial conversation. Her invisible, but influential presence gave him a thought that willed itself into being spoken aloud. "Has... she been by yet today?" Finn immediately berated himself for the question sounding so stupid. Connix hadn't mentioned anything about Ben receiving visitors, though he made a note to check the Lieutenant's shift log once her minutes had been recorded. Finn glanced at his wristchrono. No, it was still too early.
"No," Ben replied simply, pausing to raise the cup of tea to his lips. "Saturdays are training day for her. She needs some time for herself, away from me."
Finn got the feeling that it was Ben who had convinced Rey of this plan. And that it had been a more recent development. According to camp gossip, Rey had been by to see Ben every day since his surrender to the Resistance, maintaining the practice for weeks. The logs filled out by everyone who had taken a shift guarding the prisoner reflected this. However, no one said what went on when the pair was alone - though the pining sighs and lovestruck gazes observed in some of the female staff, like Rose and D'Acy, left little to the imagination.
Finn studied Ben intensely for a few moments, even as his mind remained fixed on his dear friend. He had seen how Ben's captivity seemed to affect her - how she moped about in those initial days following his arrest. But what else had she expected to happen? They couldn't just let him walk free. A part of her must have known that, for how she pleaded with Finn so sweetly, and then Poe. "Just give him a chance, Finny," she had beseeched. "Please? For me?"
Finny... the invocation of her pet name for him had torn at his insides, and behooved him to drift into neutral territory. How much or if at all Rey recognized the softening of his stance, Finn was uncertain. Poe hadn't been so moved, but for now that hardly mattered. Between the two Generals, Rey knew which side her bread was buttered on; for her in particular, Finn had always been a softie. All he wanted was for her to be happy, and if... he made her happy...
"Do you love each other?" The question was out of Finn's mouth before he could stop it.
The muscles in Ben's face hardened, but his voice was smooth as silk as he replied, "Forgive me, General, but I don't believe that's any of your business."
"It is my business when it concerns my best friend," Finn countered. "There has been talk that you are courting her. That you are her suitor, her mate. I am not her father, but someone must ask - I must ask - what your intentions are with her."
Ben leaned back ever so slightly as he took those words in. His expression shifted so that he appeared almost... impressed. Grateful. And blessed with a new understanding. After a moment, he started to chuckle, shaking his head. Finn watched him, perplexed.
"I can see why she cares for you so," Ben finally spoke. "She talks of you more than anyone else. It's always 'Finny this' or 'Finny that'. Make no mistake, Finn - you have favor with her... second only to me."
Finn flinched at being addressed like this, not as 'General' or 'FN-2187.' The last stronghold in his brain that was biased searched for any hints of jealousy or arrogance in Ben's statement. He was disconcerted when he found none of either. There was something to be said about the man's lack of irascibility.
Meanwhile, Ben had turned back to his letter, the scratching of the quill almost a soothing sound, though it did not reach Finn's shaken demeanor. Suppressing a shudder, Finn glanced at his wristchrono. Shock and relief flooded him when he saw it was nearing the end of his shift. He stood, his vision graying for a moment as he got to his feet after being seated for so long.
"My colleague will be arriving soon, to relieve me of my post."
"Ah, perfect!" Ben dashed off a final flourish on the parchment, and then stood, folding the letter into an envelope, then scratching with the quill one last time over the top. He handed it to Finn through the bars. "This is for Rey. Please see that she gets it."
Taking the envelope wordlessly, Finn nearly staggered back a step. Did the man actually say please? Finn couldn't get out of the jailhouse fast enough, not even bothering to follow military protocol as Wedge Antilles finally, mercifully arrived to relieve him of duty.
Finn arrived in the hangar clearing as dusk began to fall, meeting up with Poe to observe the ships coming in for the day. His Co-General was scanning the skies with more anxiety than usual, stroking the peppering of stubble on his chin. Finn hardly registered it when that warm, familiar hand clapped him on the shoulder.
"Did your day with the prisoner go well?"
"It would have gone a lot better if he was easier to hate," Finn got out through a mirthless laugh. "He was... conversational and... polite. He even asked a favor of me, and included the word please."
Poe cocked an intrigued eyebrow. "I don't think the prisoner's in any position to be making requests."
"He still made one," Finn countered, flapping the envelope so that it sliced the air.
Poe eyed the missive curiously. "And what is that?"
Before Finn could answer, the Force whispered to him, turning his head in the direction of a path leading into the clearing. Emerging from it was Rey, followed by a gaggle of small children all ranging in age from teens to little ones. In the months since the end of the war, Rey had begun to rescue and collect Force sensitives, building her own balanced Jedi school. The children happily screamed with delight as they took off in the direction of the mess hall, the Jedi setting a little girl down so that she could pelt after them. Rey must have just completed the training course, which with young ones hanging around her shoulders would have been nothing more than an innocent nature hike. Spying Poe and Finn, she jogged up to them, her face flushed from exertion and her hair windswept. But she was beaming, which was saying something.
"Hello, boys. Had a good day?"
"Well, enough," Finn shrugged. He bit his lip for a parsec before handing the envelope out to his friend. "This is for you."
Rey took the envelope from him curiously. When she saw the handwriting on the front, her eyes widened, her grin broadened, and she tore the thing open. The letter in her hands, she eagerly scanned line by line, seeming to savor each and every word. A hand went to her mouth as she failed to bite down a beaming smile, her eyes filling with tears. "Awww..."
Watching her, Poe smirked in amusement. "So, we're exchanging love letters now?"
She swatted at him, pink in the face. "Shut up." Happily, she took to re-reading the letter again. Seeing she was absorbed in its contents, Poe whispered in Finn's ear, "Maybe that was why he was so agreeable with you. Rey's certainly worked her wiles on him."
"And that comment isn't sexist at all," Finn quipped back. Poe blinked at this, and Finn had to suppress a snort. Besides being a naked partisan, Poe could also be casually misogynistic. Perhaps he wasn't even aware that he was doing it.
A loud whine interrupted them just then, followed by the wind picking up. Rey folded the letter tight against herself, as she followed the men's gazes skyward towards a sleek, bounty hunter ship taxing down just yards from them in the expansive clearing. His expression noticeably brightening, Poe shifted his feet nervously, watching as the gangplank lowered.
A gorgeous woman in chrome-plated armor strode down the ramp, crossing purposefully towards the trio. Letting out a deep breath, Poe nearly ran to her.
"Hi," he grinned.
"Hi," Zorri Bliss got out, sounding tired.
The couple pulled each other close almost as one and kissed lightly. They held it for a moment, before Zorri drew away softly. Rey found herself averting her gaze as Poe and his girlfriend talked quietly.
"Still no new captures?"
"Almost had an admiral - underling to Pryde - but the bastard got away," Zorri looped her arm through his as they strolled towards headquarters. The beautiful bounty hunter paused when Rey caught her eye, glancing the Jedi up and down. Rey awkwardly waved.
"Hello, Zorri."
"Hello, Rey." Zorri's tone was cool, but cordial. Turning back to Poe, the bounty hunter observed as if Rey wasn't there. "Little Miss Jedi seems to be in a good mood."
Rey frowned. Ever since a tense meeting on Kijimi, she and Zorri had never seen eye-to-eye. She had tried to be kind to the beautiful bounty hunter, for Poe's sake, considering that Zorri was his significant other. There may have been something tactical in that decision - the hope that maybe Poe (and by extension the forces he commanded) could come around to being kind to Ben, for her sake. So far, Rey had yet to see the fruits of that particular labor.
"Young girls in love usually are," Poe answered. The pair shared a chuckle at this, even as Rey blushed and glanced at her feet, the awkwardness mounting. She couldn't help but feel that Poe and Zorri were making fun of her, talking about her as if she wasn't standing right there.
"I've got to go check in with landing authorities." Leaving Poe with a kiss, Zorri strutted away.
"I need to check in with my Padawans. Excuse me." And Rey hurried for the mess hall, leaving Poe and Finn alone.
"Who relieved you of post?" Poe asked Finn.
"Wedge. I need to file my minutes with the Seargeant-at-Arms."
"Be sure to place that letter request of Solo's into the record," Poe advised, his furrowed brow communicating that was still leery of the idea. Even if they just were innocent love letters being passed back and forth. "You joined up for double shifts on the prisoner, if I'm not mistaken. Still wanna go back in tomorrow? I can cycle Beaumont around to spell you."
"Nah, I'll be fine," Finn dismissed, waving farewell as he and Poe parted at his bunkhouse. Besides... he actually wanted to go back tomorrow. There was more to Ben Solo, and damn it if Finn didn't want to know what.