video;

[flightforfreedom]

[Hello, Network! It's your friendly neighbourhood Poe Dameron. You might know him from such adventures as: being that guy that you saw on that one terrible energy drink for months, or that guy that you saw break that other dude's heart on tv, or that guy that showed up on that other guy's dating show even though he was definitely not welcome there. That's right, it's that dude with the really nice hair who has way too much pornographic fanfaction of him available for browsing on the internet and approximately 200 different videos of him getting into and out of a sonic shower on a space station.

You are probably more familiar with his face than you'd like to be.

That said, today he's wearing a very crisp blue uniform that some of you may recognise as belonging to the US Air Force, and behind him stands a very majestic 2-seater training F-16. Beside him is a little weird orange and white ball with a head, that some of you may recognize as his trusty buddy, BB-8.]

Hey, imPorts!

So, turns out that a lot of you left some pretty damn good impressions on the brass in the US Military, which is good - because I've been trying to convince them since I got here that they need to hire more of you. And looks like they're starting to agree.

So, consider this an official recruitment video, I guess? Looking for a job a little more exciting then selling energy drinks? Hit me up.

Next week I'll be flying at the airshow in Heropa, so if any of you want to take a ride in this monster - [pointing back to the F-16] - that's your chance. I'll also be there to answer any questions that you don't get a chance to ask me here, and a recruitment officer will be on site, so. Make sure to--

[He's interrupted by BB-8 suddenly letting out a flurry of beeps and whistles, and the smile breaks into a worried frown for a few seconds before he pushes it to something impassive. When he speaks next, it's to the droid, not the camera.]

What, you're sure? Just now? [The droid replied with a sorrowful beep.]

... Yeah. Alright. Thanks for letting me know, buddy. Just uh... keep a search tracer on the network for if his commlink comes back online, alright? Thanks.

[He is not smiling when he looks back up at the camera, his train of thought broken. He visibly tries to shake it off, and for the most part manages it - but for those who know Poe well, something is definitely Not Good.]

Uh- yeah. Anyway. Come on out and learn how to blow things up, if you want.

[The video feed winks out.]

Comments

video; permaprivate

[flightforfreedom]

Thanks, Lando. [And he does feel thankful. Even if the message means a little less, when he knows that they could show up - and never have.

He looks a little off camera at the question, but otherwise looks totally fine. Because that's what being fine is, right? Looking fine.]

Finn.

[bespin]

[ Lando just nods solemnly. He knows that the Porter likes to play games with who it takes and when, and he also knows there's no guarantee that they'll return. ]

Can you have your astromech do me a favor, and check on some other names for me?

[flightforfreedom]

Yeah, of course. [Though he frowns a bit.]

Who do you need run?

[bespin]

The usual suspects. Han, Luke. Leia.

[ He won't ask Poe to run Kylo's name. ]

[flightforfreedom]

[He relays the question to BB-8, and the droid takes a long moment, before it quickly relays the information back to Poe. If Lando knows Binary, he probably already knows what Poe's about to say, but:]

... Fuck.

Luke's still here.

[But his tone clearly means 'and that's it'.

His jaw tightens and the cords of his throat stretch and he sucks in a hard breath.]

Hey, Lando, give me a minute? Be right back.

[And the video feed switches off. In a few minutes, it comes back, and Poe looks TOTALLY FINE AND NOTHING IS WRONG.]

... Yeah. Just Luke. Sorry, Lando.

[bespin]

[ He's seen the way Poe talks to Leia. About her. He knows she's something special to him, in his future. So he allows Poe a moment of time to compose himself. During which time he fires off a message to Luke.

He'll have to check in on Kylo as well.

When Poe comes back on, Lando's got a hard smile. It's the smile of a general who knows he's lost men in war, but needs to carry on anyway. Maybe he did earn that rank from Mon Mothma, after all. ]

That's alright. We'll carry on without them. Keep this world safe for them if they come back.

[flightforfreedom]

Yeah. Of course. [His voice is tight, though.]

Doesn't change anything. [He's a bad liar.]

[bespin]

No, it doesn't. They're still gone.

[ There's not much either of them can do to change that. ]

You want company? You can properly introduce me to your friend, there.

[flightforfreedom]

Yeah. I'm heading to Eli's bar. You want to come watch me get drunk, you're more than welcome.

BB-8's worth the trip.

[bespin]

I'll meet you there.

[ Someone ought to make sure he can get himself home again. And Lando's not trusting that job to a droid. ]

[flightforfreedom]

[He gives a salute, and then the feed winks out.]

to action!

[bespin]

[ Lando pockets his comm and makes his way towards Pour Decisions. He hadn't planned to go day drinking when he woke up this morning, but then, things don't always go according to plan.

He looks around for any sign of Poe or his astromech. ]

[flightforfreedom]

[l-l-log time!]