Chapter 12

Encounters

He didn't need Finn to tell him what had happened, who those people were or who had taken them prisoner. He didn't even want to talk about it, but he felt that they had to. No… that was all wrong. They needed to talk about so many things, things with had nothing to do with their current situation, but this was neither the time, nor the place.

The light had not gone out, though Poe was fairly sure that they had been on board this ship for at least a cycle. He had felt the ship dropping out of hyperspace about half an hour ago, when the soft rumbling had shaken the walls and floor beneath them.

They hadn't talked. Not one word had passed between them, since they had been pushed inside this cell, but still Poe was fairly sure that they didn't need to. He felt Finn's presence, like he had never done before or had imagined he could. Still keeping his eyes tightly shut, he moved for the first time in hours, putting his arm around Finn. He felt Finn shift beneath him, felt him retreat, though he had no idea how he knew that Finn was doing it.

"What happened?", he murmured quietly, pressing his cheek against Finn's chest. He meant what had happened between them, not on that planet, but he was sure that Finn understood. It was as if Poe had never been so close to Finn before. Never. Not once. Something had changed. Finn had done something; Poe was sure of it.

He felt Finn shrug, and immediately snapped open his eyes. Finn had been hurt during that battle and as far as Poe knew, it hadn't been taken care of.

"What-", he began, but immediately felt Finn's finger on his lips, shutting him up before he had even begun to string together the sentence asking Finn to tell him what had changed. Why he suddenly felt more secure. Closer to Finn. Apart from the world and why in the name of all the stars had taken Finn to do this. To use the Force, which he must be doing, and why he continued doing it when it made him look so unbelievably tired.

"I'm fine," Finn said.

So he was reading his thoughts. Poe sat up, scared at the thought that this realization didn't frighten him. "Finn…" Poe shook his head again and looked into Finn's eyes, which were staring back at him with a warmth, which made Poe want to hold him even tighter.

"I don't know how, but I'm fine." With a smile Finn lifted his arm, off Poe's shoulders, demonstrating how fine it actually was.

Poe raised his eyebrows and grabbed Finn's arm. The fabric of the jacket and the shirt Finn was wearing had been singed by the blaster's forceful laser beam, but where there should have been a hideous wound, there was nothing, but soft, dark and unbelievably intact skin. Poe felt a wave of relief wash over him. He shook his head and pressed his lips to the spot, where Finn had been hurt during the attack.

Finn's finger's brushed through his hair and Poe looked up with a slight smile.

"You're a miracle…" he whispered, unable to hold back a soft laugh. He had by no means forgotten where he was, had in no way been able to push away the feeling of dread of what was to come, but he was no longer immobilized by it. Somehow he felt stronger. More capable to face what was to come. Because Finn was there. Because he was no longer alone in the dark.

Laughing, Finn put his arm around his shoulders again and pulled him closer. "Gee, thanks, Commander."

Poe closed his eyes, when Finn leaned over and kissed the bridge of his nose. He was still smiling. Why in the name of all the stars was he smiling, when everything around them was crumbling to bits? They were prisoners, they had no idea what was going to happen to them and he hadn't had a chance to make sure that his father would be taken care of. His father… why hadn't Poe thought of him before? What if he never saw him again? What if his father had to go through the same thing again he had been forced to go through once before?

"Sh…" Finn's thumb gently stroked over his cheek. "Don't panic. I'm here with you, I won't leave you…"

Poe shook his head and made to pull away, but he couldn't. Not because anything was holding him back, but because his body wouldn't allow it. "What are you doing?", he whispered, unable to grasp what was going on.

"I don't know…" Finn's answer came as a surprise, but Poe heard the insecurity in the other's voice. "I really don't. I'm just… just trying to help?" Biting on his lower lip, Finn shrugged. "I'm not doing anything to you as far as I know…"

As far as he knew… no… no, Poe remembered exactly what it felt like to be influenced by the Force. Ren's probing was still vivid in his memories, and this wasn't anything like it. Poe took a deep breath and nodded slowly. "Okay…," he whispered, not sure if it really was. He leaned forward, somehow unable to do anything else and gently pressed his lips against Finn's. He hadn't been able to do that the last time he had been captured, but he had dreamed of it. Now that Finn was here with him Poe felt like he hadn't kissed him enough. Like no amount of kissing could ever be enough.

Before he could intensify the kiss however, Finn pulled away and, holding Poe's face in his hands, forcing Poe to look at him. "Don't you think we should talk about what's going on here?"

Closing his eyes, Poe nodded regretfully. "You're right. I'm sorry."

"Don't ever be sorry for kissing me. I rather like it, you know?"

Poe heard the smirk in Finn's voice and looked at Finn again. "I know," he smiled and leaned back, freeing himself from Finn's grasp. "So…", he said shakily. "What did we see on Birken Six?"

Finn pulled a face, which showed only too clearly how he felt about what he had seen. "The attack on a mining outpost. The soldiers were… they looked a lot like Stormtroopers, don't you think?"

Poe nodded with a shudder. "That's what I thought." He reached out and took Finn's hand in his. Somehow skin contact with Finn helped him to focus on the issue at hand. He couldn't allow himself to be drawn back into the darkness. "Whoever these people are… they love military procedures."

"And they have obviously stolen this ship. Maybe even the others, which have gone missing these last couple of months." Finn leaned his head back against the wall, his eyes focused on the ceiling. He shook his head slightly. "But I don't think they're in any way as powerful as the First Order was… I mean… if they have to steal ships and use those for attacks…" Finn shrugged. "I don't know."

Poe pressed his lips together. He heard the footsteps approaching their door. Finn squeezed his hand. "I guess we're going to find out…" Poe whispered, already feeling waves of anxiety wash over him and he held on even tighter to Finn's hand. "Stay with me, buddy…"

"Where else would I be?"

No one had asked the prisoners for their names. Meelan felt like he was surrounded by amateurs. Maybe he should have sent Captain Kayla to deal with this situation on 16-MG-85. She would have been more suitable to the task and she would certainly have known how to deal with this situation properly. But her daughter, Mara Blanche, and Morap had gone missing right before Meelan had been forced to send out the Endeavour to deal with the situation on the planet called Birken Six by most of the galaxy and he had known that Kayla would be needed by her daughter… maybe he had gone soft too.

It was beginning to grow dark again. Meelan looked out the window at the transport gliding into the hangar. From his office, in the only tower this building possessed, he could see almost anything taking place outside and keep an eye on everything that was going on. He watched most of the other officers leave, until only Kayla remained. He turned his back on her and watched the shuttle vanish into the huge hangar.

The reviewing of the footage of the attack on the settlement on 16-MG-85 and the subsequent discussion on whether or not it had been wise to take prisoners had taken hours and Meelan and other former First Order officers had let the younger ones argue, until he had finally stepped in and told them what a huge mistake it had been. The Endeavour's commander had endangered them all. Their operation, their profits and their lives. The right thing to do would have been to destroy the ship with the Republic's signature, and then the settlement so as to wipe away all traces of their doings.

The look on the Lieutenant's face at his words had shown Meelan all too clearly that their training methods had to be revised drastically. The Lieutenant, going by the name of Bex Durron, had been unable, or unwilling to hide her disbelief and disapproval. Meelan had also seen those very same emotions on his brother's face, after he had found out that it had been their mother, who had betrayed their father to the authorities. It was an expression, Meelan had never wanted to see on one of his officer's faces, no matter how much he disapproved of them or their behaviour. That was why he had finally asked for the woman's name. People like her were endangering their operation, but for now he had no idea how he could teach them the right and proper procedures. They were too old now, he thought. Too old to be brought up to understand the importance of what they were doing here. That keeping alive the way of life of the First Order was essential.

Meelan did his best to keep up his outward appearance of disapproval and determination, when the thought of his son suddenly crossed his mind. Hadn't he decided to allow Morap to be the way he was? To not try and break him? But at the same time he knew that his life's work was depending on his boy to really understand what needed to be done and why.

He didn't turn to look at Kayla, but folded his hands behind his back. There was still some time left before he had to go and interview the prisoners. He didn't trust any of the other officers to do it for him. They hadn't proven themselves capable enough for this sort of situation these last couple of days. "Captain?", he said, his voice calm and not showing any trace of uncertainty. She had been his strongest supporter these last couple of years, even though their first encounter had been far from encouraging. Meelan had been an officer on board one of the last First Order ships still taking a stand against the Republic and the New Alliance of Resistance pilots and smugglers, and his superior officer Dopheld Mitaka had ordered him to get young Lieutenant Kayla off the ship. Only moments before the ship had been hit by enemy fire, had Meelan realized that Kayla was pregnant with Mitaka's baby, and for some strange reason he had felt like it was his personal responsibility to get her, and everyone else still loyal to the Order off board, and, if he could, to a place, where they could rebuild their society in peace.

"Sir?" She took a step towards him, so she was standing next to him at the big window overlooking the eastern side of the complex.

"How is your daughter?" They didn't usually discuss the matter of their children in his office, but he couldn't get his son out of his head and for some reason it felt right to broach the subject now. Mara Blanche was, and had been for a long time, Morap's best and probably only friend. They were the next generation of their people and Meelan had always been comfortable in the knowledge that those two were getting along, but especially since Mara Blanche seemed to be a better fit with the other children than Morap was, and because she was good at getting him involved with them. She made sure that he stayed on track. Or rather, she had done that until a couple of days ago. Since that incident with the crystal and the Askija, he had stopped thinking as fondly of the little girl. It was likely after all that her influence had driven Morap into recklessness. But that seemed wrong somehow. Mara Blanche was a good girl and it was very probable that he, Meelan, was doing his best to turn his focus away from the fact that his son had obviously displayed an ability he shouldn't have.

"She is fine, Sir," she said quietly, though her stern tone of voice didn't quite manage to cover up a trace of frustration.

"Really?" Meelan turned his head slightly to look at her for a short moment, then stood up even straighter and faced the window again. "I get the feeling that my son is missing her company. He was… distressed by what happened."

Kayla nodded. "I can imagine," she answered and she seemed to have mastered her voice now. "Mara has asked when she can see him again." Her eyes were trained on the hangar, when he looked at her briefly.

"Soon. I will take him with me to the interview of the prisoners." He had decided on it the previous night, after the meeting had ended and he had joined Nataleeh in their bed. She had already been asleep and Meelan had been unable to bring himself to wake her up and talk to her. So he had started thinking of what he could do to make Morap understand. The prisoners didn't have to be interrogated by force. Not necessarily. With a bit of luck Meelan might even be able to talk himself out of this whole ordeal. He still wasn't sure what to expect, but he knew that applying force might really not be the best solution to this situation.

"You are?" Kayla sounded surprised. "Sir?" She only barely managed to add the appropriate address.

Meelan nodded. He didn't think it necessary to explain his reasons to her and he wouldn't do it either. What business was it of hers? But still… he had started this conversation, hadn't he? "As part of his education. I believe it is time for him to truly understand what we are doing here and why. What kind of trouble the tiniest mistake could mean for all of us."

Kayla bit her lower lip, but she nodded. "Mara hasn't told me why they ran off, Sir," she said quickly. "She-"

Meelan cut her off with one single gesture. "It doesn't matter. It wasn't her fault." He remained silent for a moment. He would have to go and get Morap soon, if he wanted the boy to accompany him to see the prisoners. "Morap is headstrong and he dragged her into that situation. I am sorry, Captain," he realized, as he said it that he truly meant it. Had anyone else put his son in danger, he would have wanted to know.

With a shake of her head, Kayla said, "Mara is just as headstrong. They are both fine and I'm sure neither of them will sneak away again anytime soon."

Nodding, Meelan watched as a huge flock of birds flew up into the darkening sky in a cloud of stark white feathers. The next moment, he spotted something he hadn't expected to see again for a very long time, and though it was hard to make out, its shape was undoubtedly familiar. This wasn't the same Askija he had been forced to kill a couple of days ago. This one was of an almost whitish blue colour and from what Meelan saw, he guessed that this one was much larger than the one which had circled the night skies over their base before. He was almost relieved to see it and its scales, which started shimmering, now that the sun had almost set. "No," he said, eyes still on the Askija, which climbed higher and higher, from time to time vanishing in the thick, dark clouds, while the birds started fluttering further and further away. "I don't think they're going to sneak off again, either." Meelan couldn't help himself but smirk. "At least not for a while… did your daughter tell you that she and my son are engaged?" He turned to look at her again, as he said those last words and he could literally see her go pale.

"They… Sir?" Her mouth was slightly ajar and Meelan's smirk widened into a smile. He still remembered rather vividly what Morap had told him and the tone of voice with which he had said it. Kaylas's dark eyes met his and as she realized that he wasn't angry but rather amused she managed a smile as well. "Engaged…" She laughed quietly and shook her head. "Well, at least she's ambitious enough and decided to get married to Morap, rather than that Cateer kid. I don't like him very much."

Meelan nodded without commenting on this and gently touched her shoulder. He knew that Kayla had always had his back and that he could trust her, but until this day they had never had the opportunity or incentive to talk as friends. "I have to go and get my son, Captain." He let go of her shoulder again and moved towards the door. "I'll see you in the conference room."

The light of the stars didn't manage to break through the thick cover of clouds and the rain was hitting hard against the window. There was nothing to be seen outside, except the bright blue glow of a creature, Poe couldn't even begin to find a name for, flashing through the clouds like lightening. He had never seen anything like it and he did his best to focus his eyes on it, rather than his surroundings. Of course Finn was sitting next to him, but if Poe looked anywhere but at the window on his left, he'd also see the guards behind them.

It's okay, Finn's voice in his head startled him, though he had heard it there before. Just a couple of hours ago, actually.

Poe pressed his lips tightly together and kept watching the animal outside. Somehow watching it was soothing, despite what was going on around him. The ease with which the long, flowing tail cut through the clouds and illuminated them, made him feel more relaxed, though he had to admit that he had been far from relaxed, when they had brought him and Finn in here and not bothered to chain them to the chairs. In fact, being led into a wide, open space, which appeared to be a conference room, at least gathering from the enormous round table and the chairs around it, had been quite disconcerting. Still neither Finn, nor Poe had decided to stand up and walk about the room. The guards behind them were armed, after all, and even if they were able to overwhelm those two men in their white uniforms and faceless masks, there were sure to be other guards outside in the corridor.

Poe…

Without answering, because he simply didn't know how, Poe reached over to his right side and took Finn's hand in his. He knew that Finn was tired, more tired than Poe even, because, whatever was happening here, obviously took Finn a lot of concentration. The fear and uncertainty, which had kept them awake during those hours spent aboard the ship, had made Poe tired both of them out, but still his heart was racing and he knew that Finn's must be too. Whatever their fate might be, it wold be decided soon. Poe was only glad that they hadn't decided on separating them.

Me too.

Poe's head snapped around. Did Finn actually hear what he was thinking?

Finn's thumb brushed gently over Poe's hand and he was smiling at Poe in a way, which made him return that smile despite everything.

When the doors behind them opened and they heard the soldiers retreat, Poe let go of Finn's hand. He still felt connected to him. Physical closeness meant nothing at this moment. The first thing he saw was a woman a bit younger than Finn with her dark hair pulled back into a severe bun. The uniform she was wearing looked instantly familiar, though at a second glance he realized that it didn't bear any insignia. Poe's and her eyes met for a brief second, before she stepped aside and at a nod, a boy who couldn't be older than maybe nine stepped into the room. Poe couldn't help himself but stare at the boy with his dark brown hair, which shimmered red in the light of the room. He didn't look like he knew exactly what he was doing here. He returned Poe's gaze with a look of apparent indifference and then turned to look at Finn. The whole moment may have only taken the fraction of a second, but Poe couldn't help himself but think that he somehow knew that boy, knew that face, but before he had reached the conclusion that there was no way he had ever met the boy, someone else stepped into the room, following the boy. His blood seemed to freeze as he recognized him.

Without a thought Poe of what he was doing shot out of his seat so that the chair clattered to the floor with a loud bang. His hands were balled into fists as he stared at the man, who was now standing in the doorway. For the first time in years they looked at each other. Poe would have known him anywhere. He barely registered Finn standing up only a moment later. The only thing Poe could think of, was that this was impossible. This couldn't be happening!

Bendar hadn't changed. Not really. Poe realized that in his dreams, the man had seemed younger and looked more like Morap, than he actually did, but that didn't mean that seeing him wasn't like he was thrown back into one of his nightmares. The brown eyes returned his gaze with the same sense of incredulity he himself was feeling. Was Bendar's heart racing just as fast? Probably not.

For a moment they just stared at each other until Bendar had apparently regained control over his expression once more. Poe thought for a brief moment that he had been better at that sort of thing once, but of course back then the situation had been a bit different. "Dameron…", Bendar said and, stepping closer, pulled up his gloves. He had done the same thing back then, Poe remembered and only now did he realize that it was probably a gesture of insecurity.

"Is that him?" Finn's voice was barely audible, but Poe heard the tone of barely suppressed anger. He nodded slightly, but didn't comment. He still hadn't gotten over the initial shock of seeing the man, who dominated the torture his nightmares were, in the flesh.

Bendar scoffed and at a wave of his hand to the woman still standing in the corridor, the door slid shut behind him. The only thing that was still betraying Bendar's surprise was the sudden paleness of his face. He had grown older, Poe realized. His hair, which had once been a darker shade of brownish red, was now grey in places and there were a couple of lines on his face. His heart dropped, as he thought for a second of how well those traces of grey would have suited Morap and of how unfair it was that his brother Meelan was allowed to parade this obvious sign of aging, while Morap hadn't even been given the chance to grow one single grey hair.

Without even giving the situation, of where he was and what had happened, one single thought, Poe balled his hands into fists, and as Bendar took another step towards him, launched himself at the other man. All the rage, all the anger, which he had kept bottled up for ten years, suddenly burst to the surface, providing him with a speed, he had not expected of himself. As his knuckles connected with Bendar's jaw, he felt a sudden wave of relief. The next second, Bendar had moved to the side and before he knew it, he had grasped Poe by the arm and slammed his head onto the table. A violent pain shot through his head and all the air was pressed out of his lungs as he felt Bendar's elbow between his shoulder blades. The next second Finn was there and the weight was lifted off him. Bendar was thrown backwards, but he pulled Poe with him.

Breathing heavily and trying to focus his eyes on whatever was in front of him, Poe felt something cold and metal pressed against his jaw. A blaster. Obviously.

"Don't move!" Bendar wasn't addressing Poe, but Finn, who still had his fists raised, but dropped them reluctantly without taking his eyes off Poe's for even a second.

"Get out, Morap." Bendar's voice was eerily calm, but Poe could feel the other's shaky breath on his temple.

Poe flinched. Morap… what was going on here? Poe saw a flash of movement, but was unable to turn his head. Bendar had twisted Poe's arm on his back and held him in an iron grip. Poe's mouth had gone dry. Morap…

The boy stepped into Poe's line of vision. The dark eyes were wide and he was so pale that his hair appeared to be even darker. Morap?

"Dad I-"

"I said OUT!" Bendar shouted the last word so loudly that it made Poe's ears ring and the boy flinch. The boy didn't look like he was used to being shouted at.

The door opened again and the soldiers were just about to enter again, when he felt Bendar shaking his head. Poe's eyes quickly flashed to Finn again and he saw nothing but confusion mixed with furious anger on the other's face.

"I'm handling this. Take the boy outside."

Without hesitation the soldiers obeyed Bendar's orders and the door closed behind them and the boy. Poe only saw that woman throw Bendar a questioning look, but she didn't say anything before she left.

"So… now that we have reacquainted ourselves, can we start handling this situation like adults?" Bendar was still a bit out of breath. So he was just as much out of shape as Poe was, or just getting older. Poe couldn't tell.

"Let go of me, you-", he was barely able to keep himself from adding bastard, but the word hung heavily on the air.

"Fine." With a jerk Bendar pushed Poe away from him, and Poe turned around abruptly to face him. It was good to know that Finn had his back, but of course he also realized that there was nothing either of them could do to get out of this situation. They had both seen the number of soldiers this place held and the door outside was heavily guarded.

Bendar, still holding his blaster, pressed his free hand against his jaw. At the very same spot where Poe had hit him. Poe could still feel the impact of his knuckles against bone and he knew that he had aimed well. Bendar would either need bacta later on or put the spot where Poe had hit him on display for the world to see.

"Well done, Dameron, I wouldn't have though you still had it in you. You've grown old."

Poe looked at Bendar with narrowed eyes. The side of his face which had been slammed against the table top still hurt and he knew that he was very likely to show bruises soon as well. That was, if he and Finn lived long enough. "Likewise," he hissed through gritted teeth. "But unlike me, grey doesn't suit you."

Bendar managed a smirk, but Poe would be damned, if he let this man make him lose control again. He felt Finn move closer and Finn's hand on his lower back in a comforting gesture. It didn't help much, but he forced himself to take a deep breath.

"You named your kid after him?" Poe couldn't help himself and he was unable to hold back the tears shooting into his eyes. It hurt just thinking about it. How dare he? How dare Bendar use his brother's name for his offspring? The pressure of Finn's hand increased and Poe knew that he was hurting Finn just by mentioning Morap in this way, but this was something he couldn't and wouldn't hold back on. This was Morap they were talking about and Bendar befouling his name. "You loathed him!" Poe very vividly remembered Bendar calling Morap an idealist with a sense of distaste, which still made Poe tremble with fury.

Bendar sighed and a resigned look came to his eyes. "Just what my mother said… not the last part, obviously." He raised his eyebrows. "Shall we sit and discuss this situation, then?"

"I don't see what there is to talk about," Finn said, his voice eerily deep and determined. Poe didn't turn to look around at him, but he knew that the fury Finn was feeling was probably still showing on his face. "You ordered that attack on the settlement, did you? Most of the people there are probably dead. Happy about that?"

With narrowed eyes Bendar looked Finn up and down, who still had his hand on Poe's back. "Actually no," Bendar said finally and drew up a chair but didn't sit down. "I would really like to talk this whole thing over without causing another scene, if that's alright with you."

Poe saw him throw a look at the door and for a moment he wondered if Bendar would call for his son again, but he didn't. Poe was grateful for it. He wouldn't have been able to look at that child with that unfitting name again.

I think, we'd be okay, if we just talked with him… Finn didn't sound too confident, but Poe was glad to hear his voice in his head anyway. He nodded slightly and sat down in one of the chairs without paying too much attention to the one he had thrown over, without taking his eyes of Bendar, who sat down as soon as Finn had taken a seat next to Poe.

Bendar folded his gloved hands on top of the table and outside, right behind him, Poe could see the birdlike creature shoot down into the forest and vanish among the trees. "I must say, this isn't what I expected to happen," Bendar admitted.

"I thought you were dead." It was true. Poe hadn't thought he'd ever see Bendar again. From what he knew most officers had been killed in that last battle, but of course there had been no way for him to make sure that Bendar had actually died.

Bendar raised his eyebrows. "Sorry to disappoint." Their parting hadn't been a friendly one, but Poe couldn't help but think that Bendar had saved him. Not because Bendar was a decent person, but for his brother. For Morap… and Poe remembered only too well that he had been worried about betraying Bendar by returning to the Resistance, endangering Bendar by doing so. He had never wanted Bendar to die. Not really. Not until the nightmares had started. For some reason he still felt like he owed him, especially now, and that made this whole thing even less bearable.

Poe crossed his arms over his chest and never took his eyes off Bendar. No… he didn't look as much like Morap as he remembered, but that would never get him over the shock of seeing this man for the first time and actually taking him for his lost lover.

Finn, who was obviously more interested in getting answers than anything else, bit his lower lip, but didn't say anything. Poe knew that he'd leave the talking to Poe first.

"I never knew you had a family," Poe said quietly, his voice barely more than a whisper. He still couldn't get over that boy's face. Just seeing a child in this environment was unnerving.

"So do you," Bendar nodded at Finn with raised eyebrows, "But that topic wasn't part of our first conversation, was it? Not to my knowledge. You didn't need to know anything about me."

The tone of voice with which he talked about the torture Poe had undergone under his hands, made Poe's anger well up again. His hands were clenched tightly, so he wouldn't get up and have another go at Bendar. "But now you're taking your kid to see you… have conversations with people. This really is a family business, huh?"

Bendar seemed barely able to hold in his anger, but the traces of rage vanished as quickly as they had become apparent. "It doesn't concern you or your boyfriend what I do and don't do with my son, Dameron. The only thing that concerns you is what you are doing here."

"Right," hissed Finn. "What are we doing here? And what were you doing on that planet? Reviving the First Order by the looks of it."

"Whatever gave you that idea, Mr…" Bendar sounded polite, but Poe wasn't fooled. This man was dangerous. More dangerous than ever before, probably, because it seemed like he was in charge of this whole place and this place was huge.

"The name is Finn," Finn said, his voice strong and proud. He had always been fond of that name. "And I hate to tell you this, but you are in big trouble with your little First Order outpost here."

Bendar didn't even blink. "Finn…", he murmured and then looked at Poe, before pointing a finger directly at Finn. "This is FN-2187?"

Poe felt Finn tense up next to him. It had been years since anyone had called him that and Poe felt like getting up and throwing his fist at Bendar one more time. "Finn," he repeated.

It was only too obvious that Bendar didn't care much for the name, but he didn't say anything else concerning the matter.

"So, what are your plans with us now? Execution? Again? I guess I'm getting bored with that solution to First Order problems." Poe tried to sound as if he didn't care and the biting sarcasm managed to cover up the fear building up inside him.

The corners of Bendar's mouth twitched. "That wouldn't help our current situation now, would it", he said calmly. "The thing is, and what you need to understand is that we are merely trying to live our lives here. The way we know how to live and the way we want to live, without anybody's interference. We have contracts with settlements like the one on 16-MG-85, or Birken Six, as you call it, and if they don't fulfil their quota we have to take action."

Poe only barely managed to suppress a mirthless laugh, but Finn next to him was slowly, but surely reaching the point at which he himself might lurch himself at Bendar. "So you kill them?" Finn demanded to know.

Bendar raised his eyebrow once more und shrugged. "I admit that our forces may have gone overboard with their mission, but it is not always easy to control them. We have very limited resources here and most of the people who join us nowadays have nowhere else to go but this place, so they aren't as well trained as the Stormtroopers were." He was looking directly at Finn now. "You have to admit that your military training was excellent, don't you, F- Mr Finn."

But Finn didn't respond. He didn't do anything but stare right back at Bendar.

"Anyway, my people picked up your ship's signature and, as you know, they overreacted a little."

That was one hell of an understatement, Poe thought. The Pinn was nothing but scarp metal now and if Bendar had seen any footage of their crash, he must know that. But of course Bendar was trying his best to talk his way out of this. It was obvious that he thought that he was in no position to threaten or touch them in any way. The very thought made Poe tremble with something he couldn't quite place.

"The only question that remains to be answered now is this… does the Republic know what happened?" The straight out question took Poe by surprise, but it showed quite plainly what Meelan was worried about. That they might be discovered. That whatever they were doing here might be put to an abrupt halt by what Poe and Finn would tell him next.

"Yes, of course they do," Poe said, though he couldn't be sure their distress signal had actually reached anyone. But of course he wouldn't say that. Of course he wouldn't give away the only bargaining chip he had left. "The question is how long it will take them to get here and take out this… First Order fan club you have assembled here."

Bendar got up, his hands on the table top and his face so close to Poe this time that it felt for a moment like they were back in that cell. Like Bendar was back in control. Poe could almost smell the scent of the hairs on his arms burning again as waves of electricity shot through his body, causing his muscles to contract painfully. Simultaneously he and Finn got to their feet, so they were facing Bendar. Together this time. Poe wasn't alone anymore. He wasn't as helpless as he had been back then and for a brief moment he thought Bendar might actually take a step back. But he didn't. Bendar didn't even blink. "I believe that we'll see what is going to happen next, won't we?", Bendar said quietly.

It was obvious that he wouldn't let them go. He couldn't. Whatever was going on here, couldn't be brought to the Republic's attention, if it could be helped. Poe knew it and so did Bendar. With a short nod, Poe managed a cocky smile, though he didn't feel like it.

"I guess we will, Bendar."

A/N: I am SO sorry this took so long! I'm just really busy with my placement at the moment and just returned from a trip to wonderful Eisenach to visit the place where Martin Luther translated the New Testament. This place was SUCH an inspiration... but still I'm sorry! I hope you liked this chapter! The next ones will be up soon! I promise!