The trouble with the First Order was that someone could always defect to the dark side without the Resistance finding out. At least, that was Poe's plausible explanation for how Kylo Ren suddenly obtained his comlink frequency.

"Dameron. I know you're awake."

"I am now." Poe planted his face in the pillow and groaned. "Don't you have a planet system to explode?"

"Don't be absurd; it's not like I have a superweapon orbiting every corner of the galaxy. Would you sit up and listen, Poe?"

"You do not have the right to my name," Poe muttered as his eyes slid shut. "It's either Resistance Pilot or Mooka Guardian." Where the last title had come from, he had no idea. These conversations had no right to be held late at night, anyways. "Why am I talking to you again?"

"You're ridiculous, Dameron. I need advice. I can't tell Hux about this, and Snokes already thinks I'm weak."

"Wonder why," Poe mumbled.

"Are you falling asleep? I told you, this is imperative. I don't care if we're on opposing sides of the war – that's what interrogations are for. I need… I need your help." There was a pause, then Kylo Ren said quieter, "You said you would always be there if I needed you."

Somehow even cruel, tyrannical Sith lords could manipulate. Poe had the awkward impression that he might have told Ben everything if the kid had just pulled off his helmet and said 'Please'.

"Fine," he grumbled, rolling onto his back. "Tell me why the galaxy's scourge would call me up in the middle of the night. And how did you get my comlink frequency?"

"I don't have to tell you my sources," Kylo Ren said, rather defensively. "I need a location."

"No, I'm not telling you where to find the Resistance base," Poe droned. Honestly, it wasn't like he and the kid shared that much of a past – disjointed memories of "frizzy hair days" and Ben ridiculing his singing in the sanisteam didn't count.

"This is not about the Resistance base." Poe could hear Kylo Ren rolling his eyes. "Your friend, Rey; she left on a mission and I can't track her."

"No. No, no, no." Poe sat upright, lecturing the comlink as he nodded for BB-8 to record the conversation. "I already told you, leave Rey out of this."

"I'm not after your precious girlfriend," Kylo Ren spat. "Although take my advice, Poe; you're too old for her."

"She's not my girlfriend, and you and I are not on first name terms!"

"Stop stalling," Kylo Ren stated. "I need the location of the planetary system she is searching for. I think I know where she can be found; a watery planet with an island. What coordinates do you have?"

Gaping, Poe streaked a hand through his hair and barked a laugh. "You think I'm going to tell you how to track her down?"

"Not Rey, you fool! Luke!"

Poe waved away BB-8, who was agitatedly trying to join the conversation. "I'm a Resistance fighter. I'm not going to betray their only hope."

"Fine. I'll retrieve the map from that BB unit."

"Touch BB-8 and so help me –"

"Your weakness is defending useless astromechs."

"Watch what you say about my droid!"

"Force, Poe! It's a machine!"

BB-8 rattled in disagreement and Poe held the comlink at arm's length as Kylo Ren continued to rant.

"It doesn't have feelings, it was mass created in a factory, it can be disabled with a spliced wire, and you probably adjusted its memory banks to make it a sentimental creature."

Poe yanked the comlink back to his ear and enunciated in clipped tones, "Never. Insult. My droid."

BB-8 chortled and poked out its lighter in a 'thumbs up'. Poe gave it a second glance. Who taught you that?

"Fine," Kylo Ren snapped. "You were always overdramatic about insentient beings. Now will you give me the coordinates?"

"Why do you want to speak to Luke?" Poe tallied off the possibilities in his head. Kill Luke. Deliver Luke to Snoke. Kill Luke and laugh in Hux's face. Deliver Luke to Snoke and laugh in Luke's face. Prove yet another insensible point. Drop him off at Leia's doorstep. Oh, he'd kill Ben if he tried that. She'd suffered enough already.

"Obviously, he's in my way," Kylo Ren answered. "If I can kill Luke, I'll prove to the Supreme Leader that I am worthy of completing my grandfather's work, and Rey will be forced to train under me."

Kriff, this was worse than he'd thought. Scrubbing a hand over his face, Poe summarized, "So you want to kill your uncle to prove that you're capable of doing someone else's job, thereby leaving Rey with no choice but to pick you as a master because all the other Force-wielders are dead."

"Yes! Finally you understand. I was starting to believe you were as…. Wait. You're laughing at me, aren't you?"

Poe blocked his sight with one hand, trying to ignore BB-8. The droid's expressions describing Kylo Ren were lethally droll. "I'm just thinking… You really aren't making a name for yourself, are you?"

"What are you talking about, Dameron? I would have won the war if not for your flight team's ambush – which I shall never forgive you for and you will regret if you are captured again. I destroyed the Jedi and carried out my grandfather's legacy. The galaxy fears me."

"The galaxy fears Snoke," Poe corrected. Was he always lecturing Ben when they were younger? This was kind of fun. "I'll admit, you're pretty scary when you're gunning down helpless villagers…" And I will never forgive you for that, even if you were to assassinate your "supreme leader" and disintegrate the First Order. "But you're not original. You stole your grandfather's mission, you wear a plated mask, you recreated the Death Star, and you slaughtered hundreds of Jedi. From what I can tell, you copied Darth Vader's historical notes and you're still afraid that Snoke doesn't like you."

Ominous silence indicated that Kylo Ren did not appreciate lectures. "You're a fool, Dameron," he said at length, and the comlink shut down.

"He still can't stand it when I don't agree with him," Poe told BB-8 as he tossed the comlink to the other side of the room. Flopping onto his bunk, he snuffled into the blanket and closed his eyes. "Tell General Organa I need a new comlink tomorrow," he mumbled. "Burn this one."

For once, he didn't close his eyes and see slitted masks and gloves that rippled with the Force. It was kind of hard to be scared of a kid who called him up just to gripe about annoying relatives. Ben used to complain about his dad, Poe reminisced. The thought brought on its own pain, and he resolved to forget Kylo Ren until the morning.

Leia would want a report on their conversation.

Thank you to Nadreth, Space Opera Singer, Myrrate-Sade, NerdyNinjaUnicorn, SilverclawRose, BAD WOLF1221, Elleth of Mossflower, Real1Swear, Lazerkat, The EarthSong, JunJunyil, time2read, CrazedFangirl13, hellraiserphoenix, and guests Hunted Ranger, Corrine and Guest for reviewing!