Flying in Skylab 3. Alan Bean moves about America’s first space station via a maneuvering unit. The July 1973 mission was the 2nd crewed flight to the space station. Bean, Owen Garriott & Jack Lousma were launched within the Apollo Command & Service Module situated atop a Saturn 1B rocket. It was the rookie spaceflight for Garriott & Lousma & the 2nd & final flight for Bean. The mission lasted a total of 59 days. The dome within which Bean moves is 19 feet in height & 22 feet in diameter.
Yesss! This track is absolutely massive. Seven minutes and twenty seconds and it’s glorious. Old school vibes with that undeniable Above & Beyond touch to it. :)
Astronaut Scott Kelly has spent more time in space than any other American. He has also played solo ping pong with a ball of water and two hydrophobic paddles. Scott Kelly is an American hero.
Words: 1544 Pairing: Finn x Poe Dameron Summary:Finn and Poe are in love with each other. Leia Knows it. Rey Knows it. Anyone who’s been in the same room as them know it. So why, has it taken so long for the two of them to admit it to each other?
Finn stood in front of the mirror of his quarters. If he didn’t leave soon, he was going to be later for afternoon mess. Poe always worried about him when he arrived late to mess. Even if they’d just seen each other minutes before. It was as if his friend worried the ground had sucked him up and swallowed him in the ninety seconds, they’d been apart.
Friend. Finn didn’t really know why, but idea of being friends with Poe Dameron always made his stomach feel like it was doing backflips. He always assumed it was because Poe was the first real friend he’d had. Poe had given him his name. Before Poe he’d just been FN-2187. He owed a lot to Poe, including the jacket he was wearing.
The brown leather jacket, which Finn now studied himself wearing in the mirror, had been a gift when he’d first met the Resistance Pilot. It was the first piece of clothing Finn had ever owned that belonged to him. Not standard issue trooper armor or underclothes which were laundered and shared amongst the other storm troopers. Even now that he had a respectably sized wardrobe, the tattered old jacket remained his favorite garment.
“Poe gave you that jacket, didn’t he?” A voice appeared so suddenly it had Finn jumping out of his skin. He didn’t realize the door to his quarters were even open. He turned to see Rose Tico leaning casually in his doorway. He didn’t answer her question because he hadn’t exactly heard what she asked.
“He sent me to see what’s keeping you from mess.” She explained. “You know, in some systems, giving someone your jacket is a sign of romantic interest.”
“I-Wha..” Finn sputtered unable to formulate a response.
“Relax.” Rose laughed. “I was just teasing you. Are you ready to go or do you need to preen for a few minutes?”
“I’m not! Let’s go.” Finn sighed before rushing out the door.
Poe had saved them both seats at the mess hall because of course he did. He smiled when he saw Rose, but his entire face lit up the second he laid eyes on Finn. Being around Finn gave him the same feeling as zero gravity on the cockpit of his X-Wing; weightless, free. Finn never told Poe that he was talking too fast. The former Stormtrooper never chastised him for acting rashly. Instead, he’d nod along and simply ask, “How can I help?”
“Sorry.” Finn apologized, even though they weren’t even technically late yet. “I got caught up in something. Lsot track of time.” He lied.
“Yeah, looking at himself in the mirror.” Rose mumbled. Poe hadn’t heard what she said and was about to ask her to repeat herself when Captain Elav, a Twi’lek Security Officer approached their table.
“Commander Dameron, I’m sorry to interrupt your meal, but The General said you’re scheduled for overnight watch on the eastern gate this evening.” Elav asked.
“I believe I am. Did something happen for The General to reassign me?” Poe asked. Typically, his assignments came directly from Leia herself.
“No, Sir.” The Captain replied. “Luroon was meant to join you, but they were injured during weapons training this afternoon. I’m afraid we’re having trouble finding a replacement for them.”
“Weapons training? Are they alright?” Poe wanted to know.
“Nothing a day or so in the bacta won’t fix.” Elav promised.
“Well thanks for letting me know. I’ll be sure to check in on Luroon tomorrow and I’ll find someone for watch tonight.” Poe said. Captain Elav nodded before leaving the trio to their meal.
“I’ll do it.” Finn volunteered before the Twi’lek was hardly a footstep away.
“Didn’t you just come back from that weeklong mission with Rey? You couldn’t have gotten much sleep on the Falcon’s hard bunks.” Poe asked.
“I’ve slept in worse places.” Finn shrugged. “C’mon, it’ll be fun. It’s been a while since we’ve hung out.”
Poe wanted to say no. Despite what Finn said, he had a hard time sleeping on ships. He’s told Poe before it was a problem he’d had since childhood. There was nothing compared to a soft cozy bed. Poe had been inclined to agree with him at the time. He knew his friend likely needed rest, but truth be told watch duty sucked. It sucked even more when you were stuck for eight to twelve hours with someone you didn’t know well or like.
“Okay.” Poe agreed with no further push from Finn. “Meet you at the east gate at moons up?”
“I’ll be there.” Finn agreed.
After mid-day mess Finn, Poe and Rose returned to their posts. Poe anxiously kept an eye on the time stamp near the bottom of his monitor in the command room. He’d never been excited for watch before in his entire life. Finn tried to keep himself busy helping Rey and Chewbacca with the Millennium Falcon. It seemed the ancient ship was never short on repairs that needed to be done. The Wookie and the Jedi were happy for the help, there was a very short list of beings they trusted with their ship. Finn just barely managed to make the cut.
At long last the planet’s three moons were just barely visible in the sky. Finn nearly tossed down his spanner in excitement. He did his best to maintain his composure as he informed Rey that he’d have to leave for his watch shift. She thanked him for his help and waved him off, turning her attention to the perpetually on the fritz hyperdrive.
Poe was nearly late for his shift. He’d been with Leia and some of the other high-ranking officers. They’d been in a debrief so long that the words of the presenting Mon Calamari had stopped making sense to him. He’d been just about to nod off when the alarm he’d set at his workstation sounded off. The Commander apologized to everyone and excused himself to night watch, promising to read the complimenting documents before returning to the war room the following day.
“I thought I might have to actually send a search party out for you for once.” Finn joked as Poe finally arrived, out of breath.
“I might ask Leia to knock me back down to Captain if it means I don’t have to sit through any more of those debriefs.” Poe huffed.
“I don’t know,” Finn shrugged. “Commander Dameron kind of flows better than Captain Dameron.”
“You think so?” Poe asked, leaning against the base’s exterior wall. “Alright I’ll keep it then.”
Finn studied his friend’s features. The planet’s three moons lit the sky so brightly it could compare to another planet’s daylight. Poe’s bronzed skin was practically glowing in the moonlight. He had his shirt sleeves rolled up, and his collar buttons open. Coolant in the command room must have been broken again.
“You’re from Yavin, right?” Finn asked suddenly.
“Fourth Moon of Yavin, born and raised.” Poe nodded. “You ever been?”
“Have I…no.” Finn shook his head. “I’ve heard it’s got massive jungles.”
“Yeah, sounds about right.” Poe agreed. “It’s muggy, large trees, but not as big as the ones on Keshyyyk. Why, you planning a trip?”
“No, I was just thinking about something someone said earlier.” Finn replied.
“Something someone said about home planets?” Poe pushed off the wall he’d leaning on. His lighthearted smirk changed to serious quickly. He tried to voice his concern in a delicate way. He didn’t want to offend Finn. “Is someone harassing you about not knowing your home planet? Because If they are…”
“No! No!” Finn interrupted him. “Nothing like that.” He was embarrassed to admit that he was still thinking about what Rose said earlier about gifting jackets. Finn took in a gulp of air before recounting to Poe that on some planets giving your jacket to someone is seen as a romantic advance. “So you know, I was just wondering if that was true on Yavin.”
“Oh.” Poe digested what Finn had said. He then remembered that the jacket that fit so perfectly on his best friend had once belonged to him. “Ohhhh.” Poe chose his next words carefully. “We didn’t have anything specific that I remember on Yavin 4, but you know if you’re trying to ask me out, Buddy, you could just do that. Jacket or not.”
Poe bit his lip. He’d hoped the suggestion came off as playful. If Finn wasn’t interested in him, he could easily flip it as a joke. But, well, if Finn was even remotely interested maybe that sort of line would be just the thing to tip the scales.
Finn was speechless. He’d waited so long for Poe to make the first move. Poe always made the first move. Poe made all the plans and did a lot of the talking. Maybe just this once he could be the one to act without thinking.
Finn stepped forward so suddenly, that Poe stepped back. Finn used this to his advantage. He moved even closer pinning Poe against the wall. Their hips crashed together. He thought he may have heard a moan escape Poe’s lips.
“I’m sorry, should I…” Finn pulled away, but a pair of hands were gripping his waist, pulling him close again.
