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It was just supposed to be another mission.
Finn and Rose would sneak into the casino, steal the intel, and escape in silence. But no, their cover just had to be blown in the middle of the reception hall, leaving them running for their lives and praying they wouldn’t be shot.
And ok, the Resistance followed up on their promise and sent in reinforcements to combat the swarms of Stormtroopers that had somehow known they would be there (kriffing fantastic), but frankly, they were severely outnumbered—and it didn’t help when Poe sprinted forward like some kind of holonovel prince and yelled, “Finn, over here!” Instead of securing them an escape, it drew another horde of Troopers in their direction.
And kriffing Phasma.
The Captain was not one to waste her shots. A single blow aimed at Poe’s shoulder had him drop his weapon and fall to his knees. As he lay there, gritting his teeth, she calmly raised her blaster once again and fired.
“Poe!” In a panic, Finn ran forward, arm outstretched.
And then, the strangest thing happened.
The blaster shot froze right in front of Poe’s face.
Finn’s arm was shaking as he realized what had just happened. Poe was still staring at the blue bolt hovering in front of his eyes, before Rose pulled him away (“Move, flyboy!”) And if what he thought was happening was really happening…
Furrowing his brow in concentration, Finn focused on moving the shot away from Poe, and in the opposite direction of where it had come. Time seemed to slow down; Phasma was frozen to her spot, hand trembling ever so slightly on her blaster as the shot inched closer and closer to her.
With a final yell, Finn flung the bolt at her, hitting her square in the chest. She fell back, dropping her blaster to clutch at where it had hit. Though he knew it wouldn’t stop her thanks to her armor, Finn knew it could at least buy them some time.
Grabbing Poe’s blaster, he threw a glance in his direction. “Let’s go.”
Poe was still in shock once they were back on the ship.
“Hold still,” said Finn as he tended to his shoulder wound. “What?”
Poe’s eyes were still wide. “That…”
Finn sighed. “It wasn’t much, Poe. I just—”
“You saved my life,” said Poe, with a mixture of shock and admiration. “Again.”
“Don’t mention it, flyboy,” said Finn, finishing wrapping the bandage around Poe’s arm. “Too tight?”
“Nah, it’s fine.” Poe gently rubbed the freshly-wrapped wound. “So, um, did you know you could do that?”
“Not stopping the bolt,” said Finn, resting his arms on the table in front of them, “but I knew about… about the Force thing.”
Poe’s eyes narrowed. “I thought the First Order—”
“Only on rare occasions do they allow it,” said Finn. “It’s kind of a selective thing. Do you know about the Knights of Ren?”
Poe nodded, eyebrows narrowed in confusion. “Snoke’s brooding bodyguards, right?”
“Sort of. They’re elite soldiers, hand-picked by the Supreme—by Snoke,” he said (breaking out of the subtle Imperial propaganda wasn’t easy), “mostly from existing Stormtroopers.”
Poe’s eyes flew open. “So you—”
“I was. Phasma chooses some of the best Troopers—the ones with a keen eye, who have potential to become a leader—and sends them off to Snoke, where he gives them tests of their own. Not everyone passes, but…”
“You did.”
Finn nodded.
“If I can ask,” said Poe hesitantly, “what kind of… tests did he give?”
“Give me your blaster,” said Finn. Instinctively, Poe reached with his bad arm for his holster, and winced. “Never mind.”
Pulling out his own blaster, Finn set it on the table and concentrated, squinting his eyes with the effort. Within seconds, it was vibrating, and then hovering above the table, before he let it fall back down with a thump.
“Like that.”
Throughout the entire presentation, Poe’s jaw had gone slack.
“Buddy,” he whispered, “you know what this means, right?”
Finn shrugged. “That I’m sensitive to the Force. It’s no big deal—”
“No big deal!?” he shouted, before clearing his throat. “Sorry. But are you kidding me?” he continued, eyes sparkling with excitement. “This is huge, buddy! Not everyone’s aware of the Force, much less able to control it!”
Finn nodded, biting his lips.
“If you want, we could tell the General,” he continued, resting his good hand on Finn’s shoulder. “She’d be delighted to train you. Or hell, maybe even Skywalker himself…”
“That sounds nice,” said Finn, grinning faintly. “So I guess I can properly be a hero now?
Poe smiled widely at him. “You’ve always been a hero, buddy,” he said, and there was no denying the tenderness in his voice. “This just makes you extraordinary.”