Many thanks to Perosha for beta. :)

One of a Kind

Poe knew that he had been closely watched from the moment he entered the hangar. It was a feeling he couldn't really place, but he sensed that he had raised someone's interest, just like how a slight vibration of a yoke informed him that something was off with the ship he flew.

He looked around as he walked toward the long line of X-wings parked on the other side of the hangar, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. It was quarter past noon, and not much was happening in the base. The pilots that were on duty today were most likely in space on patrol, or at the training grounds, practicing maneuvers and aim. He noticed three tech officers debating over a half-disassembled engine of one of the older starfighters. There were also one or two pilots present, doing some small maintenance work on their ships, accompanied by their astromech droids, but none of them were paying any attention to him.

He shook his head. Maybe he was just imagining things after all.

For the past six months he had been completing the final part of his training. He was proud that he had a chance to work with Wedge Antilles, who was not only a seasoned pilot but a Rebel hero. Antilles strongly believed that a young pilot should first fly different models and types of starfighters, to learn as much as possible and prepare themselves for different scenarios. Poe didn't mind this. He loved flying; he would fly anything as long as it was flyable. Both his instructors and classmates joked that he would eventually grow wings, so eager was he to spend time both in the air and in the space among the stars.

Today, however, Dameron was to be assigned his regular ship. A brand new T-85 X-wing that came straight from the assembly plant. And before the end of the month, he was going to join one of the squadrons and sent on his first mission. He was looking forward to that.

The assignment officer, Eveen Vulaan, was standing by the side of one of the ships, typing something on the datapad he was holding.

"Weren't you supposed to show up at 12 p.m.?" he asked, when Dameron approached him.

"Hey, you said 12 p.m. I said 12-ish," answered Poe, cracking a smile.

"What if I tell you that there is nothing left for you except for some junk?"

"Hey, don't be like that, Eveen. I have a good excuse, I was in a meeting with Captain Antilles, you know that. Mid-year review."

"Yeah, yeah, right. Probably seeing yourself as a commander of the fleet already, don't you, Dameron, eh?"

"First I need to have an X-wing assigned," answered Poe in a light tone. He was more than happy with the outcome of the conversation with the captain. He'd scored outstanding notes during his course, his performance on the training grounds exceeded the benchmarks set for a junior pilot, and it was only a matter of time before he would get his own squadron of four starfighters to command.

"Let's see..." Vulaan typed something on his datapad. „You will get number 74." He pointed the X-wing on his right. Just like the others in the Navy, it was painted blue and silver.

Poe nodded. He had flown number 74 before, and it was a good swift ship.

"And... you will be also be needing an astromech. All of the those you have flown with before have already been assigned to other pilots, out of what I can see, but we have a few new ones, not a very wide choice, but you will find something fitting... All are compatible with 85s, of course..."

Dameron again had that strange feeling that someone was watching him. He looked around and finally noticed who had been observing him so keenly. A spherical droid, orange and white, a BB unit if he was not wrong. It peeped out somewhat timidly from behind the landing skid of a nearby starfighter, watching the pilot like a hawk.

"What about that little guy over there?" asked Poe.

Vulaan raised his eyes and noticed the droid.

"Ah, this one. He came with the last batch of equipment, I think. Most pilots prefer good ol' R2 units, so he hasn't been assigned to anyone yet."

Well, lucky me, then?—thought Poe. He had read about BB-series—they were a fairly new model—but he'd had no chance to fly with one before, although he recalled some were in the service of the Navy.

"Hey, come here, buddy," he said to the droid.

Encouraged, the BB rolled closer with a soft hum.

Dameron kneeled before the astromech. It seemed to be a natural thing to do—this way his eyes were on the same level as his black optical lens.

"What's your name?"

"Bee bee beit."

"BeeBee-Atee?" repeated Dameron. „Very fitting, I must say," he smiled. There was something about the droid that raised his instant sympathy. „Where do you come from?"

"Beep bep bep booo." The droid moved his round head in a manner that imitated a human gesture of showing sadness. He heard also a note of disapproval in his beeping.

"Wiped clean? Really?"

"Standard procedure," said the assignment officer, not even raising his eyes from a datapad. „If you let the programming of droids run free, all sorts of crazy things may happen. They get too independent."

The droid turned his head to Vulaan and responded with a series of very irritated beeps, moving his spherical body in agitation.

"See? That ball of circuits has already started to develop quite a character! Too curious for his own good as well. I see him rolling to and fro, getting in everywhere he can fit. Don't you have something to do?" he said to the droid. „What about that assignment in Bay 6 I gave you this morning?"

"Beep bep beep bep bep booo bep."

"Already done?" the assignment officer was surprised. „Well, he is very hard working, I must give him that."

Poe knew that there was no good pilot without a good astromech behind him, serving as a copilot and an on-board mechanic. Sometimes these droids were the only companions on long missions.

"So, BeeBee-Ate, since you have no pilot yet…" He could have sworn the droid prickled up his antenna in interest. "Would like to fly with me?"

The droid whistled enthusiastically and moved closer, bumping him gently in a friendly manner.

"Beeo boo bep?" he asked.

"My name is Poe Dameron."

"Pioo Bee Beep Booo." The droid made a good effort to repeat his name in binary.

"So, what would you say to a short training flight today?" he asked BB-8 and received a series of happy beeps. "Eveen, do you think you can find a spot for us on the training grounds in the afternoon?"

"Yup, you can go as soon as team two finishes training."

"Great."

Dameron patted the side of the droid, which earned him a patronizing glance from Vulaan. He didn't care. He'd always liked droids, and since they were sentient beings he treated them equal to living creatures. An R3 that belonged to his mother was one of his best childhood friends. He looked forward to having his own droid; he was sure BB-8 would make a good companion. That little guy had won him over in the second he had seen him, there was no denying that. He was one of a kind.

A/N Hope you liked this little story. Just a speculation since as far as I know it was not told in the canon when Poe and BB-8 first met.