Allegiance | Kylo Ren

XLIX

On the third day I was allowed outside. Of course, I was accompanied by Poe, who was armed and took his guard duty very seriously.

The fresh air kissed my skin as I stepped outside, enjoying the feeling of sunshine on my shoulders. There wasn't much sun back at the First Order base; it was a rare treat to see the sun through the heavy clouds that fogged the atmosphere, and it was even rarer that we were permitted to go outside to enjoy it if the sun decided to show.

I received a few curious stares from Resistance members as I made my way outside. I was a new face, and unless they had visited me, they probably didn't know that I was the Stormtrooper that they had taken hostage.

I ignored the stares, focusing instead on the glow of the sun as it shone down on us. I lifted my face and closed my eyes, letting the warmth wash over my face.

My enjoyment was dampened by the knowledge that Poe was hovering over my shoulder with a gun pointed at me.

"I'm not going to attack anybody." I sighed without turning to face him. "I'm not stupid. I don't have my armor or a gun, and I'm vastly outnumbered. I won't start anything."

He hesitantly lowered his gun. "I think they're more concerned about you trying to escape."

"Well, I'm not going to do that either." I looked him in the eye. "I have no idea what planet we're on, let alone what system we're in, and if I leave I would be abandoning my only source of food and leaving the only place where I have a chance of being rescued from."

Poe seemed a bit flustered by the soundness of my reasoning. He glanced away, back at the building we had left behind.

"Do you think he'll agree to meet with Leia?" He asked at last.

"I don't know." I sighed. "He's not exactly predictable."

Poe's soft brown eyes met mine, and he offered me a small smile. "But he'll come for you."

"Yes, he will." I sat down in a patch of grass and began to pull at the individual pieces. "The question is whether or not he'll come in peace."

Poe settled down next to me, setting his gun to the side. "It seems clear to me that he should come peacefully. Your life is on the line, and it sounds like that's something he's not willing to gamble with."

I sprinkled some grass pickings on his knee. "He's not always rational, either. The fact that you separated us and stole me so easily probably embarrassed and angered him, and he tends to act out when he feels angry or embarrassed." I paused. "But the Resistance aren't the only ones who want this war to end. I'm hoping that he'll see how something good can come of all this."

The pilot stared down at the small pile of grass that I was gathering on his pants. "Why do you matter so much to him?"

I shrugged, adding to the pile. "Because I treat him like he's a human being." Upon seeing Poe's questioning look, I continued. "People are terrified of him, which is fitting, because that's the image he has worked to develop for himself, with the mask and everything. But after a while, he must have gotten tired of being treated like a loose cannon. He needed someone to talk to, someone to connect with, and I happened to be in the right place at the right time."

Poe was quiet. "I never really saw him as the type who could care about anyone else."

I plucked a nearby flower, and balanced it gently on the top of the pile of grass. "Like I said, that's the image he has created for himself. But everyone is capable of caring, even if it's just about one person."

He gave a strange smile. "Who knew a Stormtrooper could be so smart?"

I threw a handful of grass at his face. "We're people too. Everyone seems to forget that."

"Maybe it's because you're basically human weapons." His words should have been offensive, but they somehow weren't. "I mean, to them you're disposable, replaceable. That makes it hard to remember that there's a person underneath the white armor." He caught my eye, and continued. "I mean no disrespect, of course. My best friend was a Stormtrooper, and he's one of the best people I've ever met."

"Finn." I said quietly, starting to pull at the grass again.

"Yeah, Finn."

We fell into silence, sitting in the small field of grass until the sound of a bell echoed around the complex. Poe brushed the pile of grass off his knee and stood up, offering me a hand. "Looks like it's time for dinner."

I took it, letting him pull me to my feet. I brushed off my clothes.

"I'll bet Leia's okay with you sitting with us at dinner," Poe gave me a sideways glance. "As long as you don't go attacking anyone."

I made a face at him. "I'll try to restrain myself."