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Poe Dameron stretched out on his side of the bed, exhausted. The ship had just jumped to hyperspace, headed towards an Outer Rim system in search of a new base.
The door hissed open to reveal General Organa.
“I hope you realize,” she said conversationally, “the only reason you weren’t court-martialed is that we’re so desperate for personnel.”
“Yeah. And you like me.” Poe smirked.
Leia sat on the edge of the bed and kicked her shoes off. “Believe me, if you hadn’t been sleeping with the highest-ranking Resistance officer, you’d be floating in deep space right now. Without the benefit of a vac-suit.”
Poe pouted. “I learned my lesson—”
“Oh, yes, at the eleventh hour. Well-done. As I recall, you’d been granted the opportunity to learn this lesson numerous times before. Yet it never seems to stick.”
His pout deepened. “It’s not my fault this time. Vice-Admiral Holdo—”
Leia stared meditatively into space. “Wise-cracking flyboys who never take responsibility for their own cock-ups. I suppose after all this time, I still have a type.” She sighed and laid on her back. “It was the same for the woman who gave birth to me. Stunning political career, ghastly decisions in her personal life.”
Poe sat up. “If you want me to go—”
“No. I just want you to realize that if the officer you committed treason against and most of the witnesses to your treason weren’t dead, you’d be outside of this ship, not in my stateroom.”
He collapsed back against the pillows. “I know.”
They sat in silence for a moment until Poe spoke again. “You know, part of the reason I couldn’t keep it together was not knowing what was going to happen to you.”
Leia stroked his hair. “I’ve thought were lost and beyond reach countless times. I never risked the entire fleet over it.”
“That’s why you’re the General.”
Leia smiled fondly at him. “You know, someday you’ll have to pull your own ass out of the fire. I’m not going to be around forever.”
“Shh. Yes you are.”
“My dream is to retire at some point. And not be on-call to bail you out of your latest screw-up. But I know you’ll have a chance to prove yourself.”
Poe nuzzled her cheek. “So, does this mean my demotion’s reversed?”
“Your demotion stands, Lieutenant Dameron.”
“Hey!”
Leia chuckled and chucked him under the chin. “Don’t worry. I’m sure you can make it up to me.”
Poe swung his leg around and straddled her. “Oh yeah?” The cocky grin was back.
Leia laughed out loud. “Not like this. I mean proving yourself to the Resistance.”
“Consider this a personal apology.” He winked and slowly unzipped his flightsuit.
An hour later, a very relaxed Leia was staring meditatively at the ceiling. “You know, as much as I can’t condone mutiny—”
Poe groaned and burrowed his face into the pillow.
“—Holdo was not blameless.”
That raised Poe’s head.
“She withheld information from her subordinates for no reason, creating a completely avoidable atmosphere of confusion, anxiety, and panic. As a subordinate, you should have trusted Holdo’s orders. But—as a leader, she should have given her subordinates reason to trust her and her course of action.”
“What are you saying?”
“If I had been there—well, if I’d been there Holdo wouldn’t have been thrust into a leadership position she wasn’t ready for. But if I had been in your position…well. Let me just say I understand that you weren’t entirely motivated by egotism and impulsivity.”
“Thank you,” Poe said quietly.
“And if Holdo had survived and if I’d had to testify at your court martial, I would have pointed out that: if at any point during that 16-hour low-speed chase the First Order had had the foresight to split their fleet, chart a microjump and surround us, we’d all be dead.”
“Well. Thank god for Hux’s unfailing incompetence.” Poe sat up. “Do you wanna drink to that? Let’s drink to that.”
Halfway across the galaxy, General Hux sat up from the middle of a REM cycle, gripped with impotent rage. “I’m such an IDIOT!”