SO, in a span of less than one month from my Graduation, I've gone on my own solo mission, earned three medals from Han himself, been promoted to Lieutenant—and then to Captain—and been assigned as the new Aviation instructor in Han's absence. Leia trusts me. I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing.
— Poe Dameron
"This must be a shock to you all, I imagine. So, to try and warm you guys up to me, go ahead and ask any questions you have. I'm an open book—in moderation." I say, looking around the room at everyone.
A girl with dark skin and bright eyes raises her hand, leaning back against her bunk.
"How do you and the General know each other so well?" She asks. "She treats you as if you're her own son."
I smile, crossing my arms in front of me. Ben. How did Elyse take that? My eyes lift to her. She chews on her lips, watching me.
"She was friends with my Parents before I was born. I met her when I was Eight. She came to my Mother's funeral." I say.
She nods. A boy at the end of the aisle raises his hand, looking up from his boots.
"How long ago did you graduate?" He asks, raising an eyebrow at me.
I think back to the day I left to find Elyse. I graduated, left home the next day at 2 am. Found Elyse, stayed on Yavin 4 for two days. Flew home for one day, stayed with Elyse for two days. That all happened two weeks ago.
"Just a little over two weeks ago—crazy, I know." I say.
Elyse raises an eyebrow. I guess in the craziness of it all, I forgot to mention the fact that I had just Graduated from the academy.
"Two weeks ago?" Another boys asks. "You're a fetus in flight! Why the Hell should we take orders from you if you're fresh out of training yourself?"
I drop my smile, biting on my bottom lip. I want to refrain from yelling. I sigh out, squeezing my hands together tightly.
"I get where you're coming from. It's strange to take orders from someone who is maybe only a little older than you. It's like taking orders from a sibling whose only older than you by a year. It's strange, I get that." I say. "But Leia asked me to do this for a reason. She has faith in me because I've proved that I can do this, among other things."
They stare at me, then to their colleagues, whispering. I sigh out sharply, whistling loudly. I grab their attention and the room is quiet enough that you could hear a pin drop.
"Look, I'm just not even gonna try to sugar coat things. If you're going to have trouble addressing me as your Captain for the next 14 weeks, I suggest you pack your things and leave now before I take the time to learn your name. So, now, I'm giving you an out. If you're having any doubt in my training abilities, you can leave now and I won't be offended." I say, allowing any initiate to leave if they'd like.
No one stands from their seat. No one declares their doubt in my abilities. They all stay put.
"Okay. We're in this together—even if I'm younger than you'd like. But, if you can treat me as your Captain, I can assure you that this will be the greatest experience of your life. I will make sure Aviation has become the passion you eat, sleep, and breathe by the time I'm done training you." I say.
They all stare at me, then look back at each other again.
"When I tell you about the exhilaration you feel while perusing your first TIE-Fighter, I mean that that sensation is better than the purest form of any drug. It's so addicting and so hard to stop. All you want is to chase after it even more—so much so that you're willing to die for it." I say. "As a Pilot, your job is to shoot down TIE-Fighters and take out surface cannons and go on special missions with classified details—all while putting your life on the line to do so."
I smile at my initiates, positive that this is going to be a life changing experience.
"Follow me. I want to show you guys something cool." I say.
BB-8 and I lead the initiates down the halls, walking in utter silence. The slap of military boots on tile behind me brings back memories from day one of training. I take a sharp turn towards the Med-bay, pushing the doors open, allowing the initiates to peer into the large wing of medical staff.
"Initiates, this place is a safe-haven for the injury prone. If you're anything like me, you dive into a problem before you clear any danger out of the way—then you end up here." I say. "These medical staff are who will or will not save your life. Treat them kindly and they'll most likely take care of you."
I walk them further into the Med-Bay, spotting Marlene and Piper standing at the Nurse's station, flipping through their binders.
"These are Doctors Crowe and Mason, two of the best doctors in the Resistance. Treat them very kindly, they'll more-than-likely be the ones who give you stitches and decide if you really even need the lidocaine." I say.
Marlene smiles at us, raising an eyebrow, then slaps Piper's arm.
"Poe, what are you doing here? Where's Sergeant Solo?" Marlene asks.
I smile, looking back at her.
"I'm taking over for him while he takes some time off. I'm just making sure my initiates know who to respect here." I say.
We exit the Med-bay and I walk the initiates to the Hangar bay, stopping them just before the sliding door.
"Initiates, the world is going to change in this program. Initially, you'll think that the world sits in the palm of your hand—it doesn't. The only thing you control in this world is how you dress and what you eat. In this program, you discover that the Galaxy is even bigger than you had once imagined. Until you go to the stretches of the outer-rim, fly to nearly every old base this Galaxy has to offer, you really don't understand that this Galaxy is far bigger than you can even fathom." I say.
I press the button, allowing them into the Hangar.
"I shouldn't be letting you guys in here so soon, but it's good to have exposure early. To have motivation." I say.
I lead them through the Hangar, showing them the different departments.
"Those are our mechanics. Take any mechanical problems you have to them. They know what to do. Those are our landing and take-off crews. They make sure that, if you land or take-off, you don't blow up in the process. Those are our infantry guys. They're the people on the ground. They give you your space up in the air, you give them their's on the ground." I say.
I approach Snap, Jess, Karé, and Peter. They all wave at us, smiling.
"These are some of our best Pilots. Snap Wexley, Jess Pava, Karé Kun, and Peter Patterson. They're going to help me assure that you are in fact ready for this program." I say.
Jess uncrosses her arms and stares at the initiates intently.
"Are treating you properly, Poe?" Jess asks, staring my initiates down.
I laugh, nodding before I pat her shoulder to ease her.
"They're just fine, Jess. Don't worry, I know what I'm doing." I say.
Jess steps forward, her eyes narrowed as she stares at the initiates, almost as if they are her prey.
"Poe decides which of you will and will not become a pilot. Treat him with respect—your whole career depends on it." She says. "Treat him with anything less than your best, you'll answer to us and the General, got it?"
The initiates all nod, staring back at her, a sense of fear within them. Almost as if she's a rabid dog, I command her to back down and allow me to control the situation.
"Thanks Jess." I say, smiling down at her. "I owe you one."
She smiles back up at me, all of her sharpness and anger dissipated with her smile.
"Hey, you're practically royalty within these walls now. It's an honor to serve you." She says.