"Poe?" Rose asked quietly, trying not to bring much attention to herself. "Can I have a word with you, please?"
Poe looked a little puzzled, in all the years he had known Rose Tico she had never once asked him for a private word in such a sneaky, quiet manner. "Sure, Rose..." He said hesitantly. "Can you give me like, 5 minutes?"
"Yeah." She said then went to wait in the hall outside the crowded command center.
In true Poe fashion he showed up fifteen minutes later, full of apologies.
"It's fine." Rose cut him off mid-excuse."Listen, we need to talk about some pretty heavy stuff, can we go to your office?"
Quickly agreeing, Poe led Rose to his office where he locked the door behind them as he gestured for her to take a seat.
Rose declined the proffered chair, choosing to pace instead.
"Look, I know there's a lot going on right now with Lando, and Bressacca and Rey and Finn and the Hutts and the Devronians and a million other things..." She began, growing more agitated as she went. "but I need to leave for a while."
Poe frowned, "What is it? What's wrong?"
Looking rather sad Rose responded a little too crisply, "Nothing! I just need to get out of here for a while."
Poe stared at her hard for a moment then shook his head, "I don't buy that. Something's wrong. What is it?"
Shaking her head stubbornly, Rose insisted, "Nothing is wrong. Everything is exactly how it should be. You have this huge important job, Finn has his Jedi studies and Jannah, Rey has her quest for Ben... I just need to... I need to find my belonging too. You know? I need to find my place in the galaxy."
Taking a step towards her, Poe leaned down to look her in the eyes as his hand landed gently on her shoulder. "I understand how you feel." He said simply. "Rose, you're a brilliant engineer, the best we have in fact, but no job - no cause - can fill the emptiness in a person's life once loneliness has taken hold and become a habit."
Rose looked at Poe, really looked at him for a change, and for the first time she noticed the grey streaking his jet black hair, the tired tilt to his jaw, and the soul deep weariness in his eyes. "I think, maybe, you do understand." She said softly. "You really care about her don't you?"
In an instant Poe's guard came up and he straightened, pulling away from her. "I care about everyone in the Resistance." He said elusively.
Not to be deterred, Rose pushed, "You love her."
Poe scowled at her for a moment before answering. "I did. A long time ago."
"You still do. You just won't admit it because she doesn't love you back." Rose said confidently before reaching out a hand to place on his shoulder and confide, "I know how that feels."
Poe looked at her, his guard dropping once again to show the pain he kept so carefully hidden around everyone. "I guess you do." He said finally after an intensely silent moment.
"Wanna have a drink on it? We haven't done that in a while." She suggested.
"What, just me and you?" He asked, a little hesitantly.
"Why not? It's not like drowning our sorrows would work if Finn or Zorii were there this time..." She said with a shrug.
"You have a point." He said with a tired smile. "My place at say... 8?"
"Alright, should I bring anything?"
"You kidding? I have enough booze to put half the Resistance into a three day coma." He grinned ruefully then made a quick escape, calling over his shoulder, "If you're one minute late I'm starting without you!"
A blinking red light on the dash alerted Lando and Rey to an incoming transmission. Lando looked at Rey and grinned, "I'll do the talking." He said then switched the flip to open the comms channel. "This is General Lando Calrissian of the Resistance, I have come to negotiate with the High Exalted One, Bressacca, High Queen of this sector."
"Her Highness bids you no welcome, Resistance scum. You will turn your ship around and leave before she decides to blow it and you out of this galaxy." A hostile voice replied.
Lando winked at Rey, "I could leave without finalizing the negotiations for Her Majesty's new fleet, but then there won't be any ships coming to these parts except the ones that'll be coming to take this sector from Her Majesty and place the High Queen under arrest."
"We'd like to see you try that, rebel slime!" The voice shot back, unperturbed.
"You probably would, but I doubt her highness would enjoy losing the 100 ships we're prepared to give her." Lando said genially.
Several long moments passed in silence before a different voice came over the comms, directing them to a landing pad in the heart of the capital city of Uronis Prime - Carsinium.
Lando and Rey exchanged a glance as Lando switched off the comms. "Now comes the fun part." He grinned. "Just hang back and let the master show you how it's done."
Rey rolled her eyes but held her silence. She was quite used to Lando's overbearing charm by now, but it still sometimes annoyed her. She liked the man well enough, but he was just so... outgoing and... he seemed to be lacking in all genuine forms of honestly, including emotional honesty. Not like the people she preferred to spend her time with. Not like Finn, or Rose, or even Poe for the most part... and certainly nowhere close to the often brutal honesty of... No, she stopped herself. She couldn't afford to think about him right now. The situation was too precarious to give in to distractions - especially distractions as large as... him.
Upon landing Rey and Lando were escorted at blaster-point through a maze of alleyways and across a few wide boulevards to the Chancellor's mansion where Bressacca had taken up residence after quite unceremoniously disposing of the Chancellor.
Bressacca took her sweet time summoning them to her throne room and Rey was frustrated to the point that she almost wished someone would open fire so she'd have an excuse to kill a few of the surly guards that had been making rude comments and gestures in her and Lando's direction since they had landed.
"High Exalted one!" Lando greeted in a booming voice that echoed from the walls and ceiling of the cavernous chamber. "I am Lando Calrissian, of the Resistance forces, formerly of the Rebel Alliance, Hero of the battle of Endor, and Ruler of all Bespin." He said formally then bowed extravagantly. "And my dear companion is General Rey Skywalker, Master of the Jedi arts, Hero of the Battle of Exogul, Slayer of Emperor Palpatine and Founder of the new Jedi Order."
Uncomfortable with being thrust into the spotlight so boastfully Rey gave an awkward wave then shot Lando a glare.
Bressacca stared down her long, scaly nose at them for a moment then said in a serpentine voice, "Very well, What have you come to speak to Queen Bressacca about, Lando of the Resistance?"
"If I may?" He said obsequiously and stepped forward. "We would like to negotiate for the return of this system to the mantle of the Resistance's protection."
Bressacca drew back with a hiss. "You've come to try to talk me into giving up my claim on this system?"
"Not at all!" Lando said, stepping a little closer. "We've come to broker an alliance." He smiled his most winning smile. "In times such as these, one can never have too many allies."
"I need not for allies, Lando of the Resistance." Bressacca said, eyeing him with hostility. "Especially allies who would try to sway me with sweet perfume and loud clothing."
Lando's grin faltered. He hadn't expected to be rebuffed for his flamboyant outfit and the extra care he had taken in selecting a fragrance the Queen would find pleasing.
Stepping forward, Rey waved her hand, saying very calmly, "You want us for allies."
Bressacca looked at her closely then her scaly lips peeled back to reveal wickedly sharp looking teeth, "I want you for allies?"
"You want to negotiate in private with Lando and I." Rey said in the same tone with another wave of her hand.
"I have no reason to negotiate with either of you." Bressacca said, her long tongue shooting out to flick against her eyeball. "And now that you've both proven your untrustworthy nature, you are both under arrest."