Radio Silence: A Poe Dameron Series

Chapter Three: Say Again

 They have only been on this ship for about three standard hours, and already Poe is beginning to go mad. The journey to the Kinoss system to deliver supplies to the Resistance supporters hadn't seemed that long, yet somehow the return trip seems to crawl by, second by second. It could be because the ship is damaged and the flight isn't as efficient as it was previously, or it could be because of the third passenger: a cocky, arrogant, altogether infuriating recon agent named Y/N L/N.

Suddenly, Poe can't entirely blame the First Order for locking her in a cell. Of all the turns to take on that Star Destroyer, of all the detention blocks to wander past, they just had to pick the one with the girl who was his mortal opposite. There's a problem with the nav screen, they're both standing up to fix it. There's an incoming call from headquarters, Poe has to race her to the comms to answer it. Poe knows he has an issue of always wanting to prove himself to people he doesn't know, but with her, it's the complete opposite. He can't wait to get off of this ship and never have to talk to her again.

Finn, on the other hand, seems to be enjoying himself. His eyes cut between Y/N and Poe, a barely contained laugh written into every line on his face. Poe slumps down into a seat next to him. "Hey, pal, I thought you were supposed to be having my back in an argument, not watching this like it's a podrace." Finn just chuckles. "I've never seen someone so similar to you. It's kind of funny, honestly."

Poe's mouth drops open in outrage. "We are nothing alike! She walks around this ship like she owns it!" Finn raises an eyebrow. "Is that not what you've been doing ever since you found out you'd be piloting a Mandalorian Needle?" Poe waves a hand dismissively. "That's different, I was given control of the ship by the Resistance itself. She just happened to be on board." Finn gives him a look. "Sure thing."

Poe is distracted from delivering a no doubt witty defense by a choking sound coming from the consoles in front of him. "That doesn't sound good." Finn mutters, taking in the sudden appearance of several blinking red lights. Poe stands up, considering the controls arrayed on the walls and ceiling around him. "No, it doesn't. I think the sublight engine power couplings were-" "Demagnetized by the jump to hyperspace?" Poe glances over his shoulder at Y/N, who has walked up in time to finish his sentence.

A slight smile surprises itself onto his face. "Yeah, actually. That's right. How'd you know that?" That sound and these alerts aren't just any ship problem, this is a very specific issue that Poe's only seen once or twice in his life. The fact that Y/N knew it so quickly is actually pretty impressive, although he'd never say it to her face. Even this barest hint of approval is already hard to dole out- a smirk is present on Y/N's face once more.

"You can stow the surprised look, you know. You're not the only one in the Resistance who knows their way around a space cruiser. I'll go check the couplings, you can pick your jaw up off of the floor." With that, Y/N turns and heads down the corridor, a teasing grin still on her face. Poe makes a face at her departing back, and glances over to see Finn trying to hide a smile. Finn holds up his hands defensively. "Hey, say what you want about her but I'm glad someone's finally standing up to you. The amount of times I've heard you brag about ships is astonishing and it's pretty funny to see someone do the same thing to you."

Poe doesn't know what Finn is talking about, but he pushes it from his mind, standing up from his seat near the front windscreen to check the sublight engines near the back of the ship. Y/N probably has it handled, but he just wants to make sure everything is right. If he returns the Needle to the Resistance in a state of disrepair, they won't let him fly anything larger than a speeder bike for the next decade.

Eventually, Poe finds Y/N leaning over an exposed panel near the engines, gaze riveted to the mechanical parts before her. Her sleeves are rolled up to reveal toned arms already streaked with grease, and she's donned some light worker's gloves to protect her fingers as she methodically fiddles with the couplings. She instinctively turns towards the door when she hears Poe approach. There's a strange panic in her eyes, as if she's not used to being in the same ship as someone. Then she relaxes and turns back to the panel, confidence once again flowing from her with such surety that Poe begins to question whether or not she'd looked uneasy at all.