Set immediately after 'The Last Jedi'. Poe and Rey are sent on a mission to find supplies that the rebellion needs. Will the rebellion be able to rebuild itself? And will their friendship blossom into something more? (Rey/Poe endgame).
This is my first Star Wars fanfiction, although I've read it for ages. I hope you all enjoy the first chapter!
Poe woke with a start. In the bunk across from him, Finn snored quietly. Poe listened hard. What had woken him? Finally, he heard it. Faint talking; somewhere near the cockpit. He could hear BB-8 beeping but it wasn't fast and exciting; it was cautious and fearful. Had something happened?
He padded down the passageway of the Falcon, carefully stepping around the other sleeping rebels who had managed to find a free space on the deck. He was one of the few who had managed to snag a bunk, but he wasn't about to make any apologies. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see several people curled up in the Engineering Bay. There wasn't much space for everyone and he was looking forward to getting to another base so they could sleep in actual beds again.
Listening carefully, he figured out who was talking before he hit the cockpit. General Organa, Rey, and the Wookie- Chewbacca? Poe wasn't sure if he had the name right. BB-8 was beeping about something.
"Commander." General Leia greeted him as he walked up. "Is everything all right?"
"I was about to ask you the same question." Poe moved to the only empty seat; the one behind General Organa, across from Rey. "What's everyone doing up at this time of night?"
"We're trying to figure out where to go. We need to refuel, stock up on supplies and see if we can get our hands on another ship," General Leia relayed what they already knew but didn't say aloud. "As much as I love the Falcon, we're crammed in like sardines."
"How many of us are left?" Rey asked.
"Less than 50..." General Leia's tone was grim. BB-8 burst into a flurry of beeping protests. "Not counting the droids," Leia added, one hand patting the droid's head. BB-8 chirped happily once before quieting.
"Do you have any ideas Commander?" Leia directed her next question to Poe.
He realized that she'd addressed him as Commander. "I thought I'd been demoted," He replied humbly.
"Don't let this go to your head, but you've been reinstated." Leia gave him a knowing look and her eyes danced with mischief. "You showed the kind of leadership ability I'm looking for on Crait."
Poe nodded to himself smiling, he was glad that he'd been reinstated. He shot a glance at Rey who was looking at him, smiling. He tried not to blush. "Where are we now?" He asked. Leia shifted so he could see the navi-computer better.
"Just leaving the Crait system," Leia said. "There's not much here."
"There's not much anywhere," Poe responded, shrugging.
"True." Leia conceded.
"What about Sullust?" Poe pointed, "we have enough fuel to get there, right?" Mentally he crossed his fingers.
"Yes, but there's not much in the way of fresh provisions." Leia said with a sigh, "there is an old abandoned rebel base but it was attacked years ago, and I'm sure it's in no condition to house anyone. We need a system that has plenty of wildlife and vegetation so we can restock our base supply. But it needs to be close enough to an outpost that we can restock our weapons, ships and begin to rebuild our manpower." Her lips pursed in deep thought. "I know of a place we might be able to do that. But it'll take a week to get there, and I don't know that we have the fuel. Even if we did, we have too many on the Falcon right now, we need another ship. Stat."
"Where is this place?" Poe asked, leaning forward to get a better view of the computer.
"Bespin. In the Anoat system." Leia replied.
"I can see why it'll take a week to get there," Poe quipped with veiled humor.
"You mean Cloud City? Lando Calrissian?!" Rey asked in surprise. Even in her remote area of the galaxy, she had heard of the legendary general.
"Yes," Leia confirmed.
"What does he do there?"
"He runs one of the mines, at least he did. We lost contact years ago. But despite the fuel situation, I'm concerned the First Order has their eye on it." Leia grumbled in frustration. She believed there should always be a plan, but lately, every time she turned around, she was being thwarted by one thing or another.
"Is there any way you can contact your friend directly and see if the First Order is there?" Poe suggested without sounding too forward. "Would he be honest about it if they were there already?"
Chewie and Leia shared a look. "If he knows what's good for him he will," she finally responded. "But it's refueling that's of the utmost concern right now. Especially if we're going to be going to the unknown regions to hide out while we get our strength back."
Poe thought for a moment. "Are there any one man crafts on board?"
Chewbacca said something and Rey spoke, "Only one escape pod, but yes."
"And it would take up fuel," Leia pointed out. "We have some to spare, but not much."
"Let's find the closest planet, then I'll go down in the escape pod, get a transport, a passenger ship, and extra fuel," Poe volunteered without a second thought.
"If I wasn't worried about Unkar Plutt trying to steal the Falcon back, I'd suggest Jakku once we refuel," Rey offered an alternative. "I know Nima Outpost and we could get plenty of extra ships, parts, and weapons."
"Tatooine? Yavin?" Poe knew both planets were out of range, but there was always hope.
"We might still have some allies on Yavin," Leia agreed, "but it's a risk. There's no way to know in advance if the First Order has been there already."
The cockpit was silent as everyone considered the remark. Leia finally sighed and stood. "I'm going to get some caf, anyone want to go with me?"
Poe stood as soon as he saw Rey standing. "I do," they spoke as one. That seemed to amuse the General and she smiled and shook her head as the three of them exited the cockpit with BB-8 rolling along behind them.
Leia entered the mess hall first, and Poe breathed a sigh of relief that only a couple of people were lingering. Lieutenant Connix was sitting at the table, sipping a cup of caf. Her eyes were bloodshot and her face pale. She looked ready to fall over from exhaustion.
"Go to my bunk," Poe offered. "You look exhausted."
"But..." the Lieutenant started to protest.
"You're no good to us if you make yourself sick." Poe interrupted. "We all need to be well rested right now. I'm your commanding officer, that's an order; go to bed."
Knowing that it would be a criminal offense to disobey a direct order, Lt Connix stood. "You can have my caf," she gestured to the cup. "No sense in it going to waste when we're on limited resources."
As she walked down the hall, Poe hissed after her, "careful, Finn snores!"
Both Leia and Rey laughed as Poe sat down in the Lieutenants spot and took a sip. He coughed, the lieutenant was a good leader, but she couldn't make a cup of caf to save her life. Leia noticed the look on his face, took the cup and took a small sip. She too made a face and poured it down the drain with a muttered "Screw resources, that's awful."
Leia rummaged through the cupboard and then nodded in understanding. "No wonder." She took the box of grounds and threw them in the trash chute. "Han bought those before we got married."
Leia set out to make some decent caf and waved off any help Poe or Rey offered. The two of them sat at the table, making small talk as Leia busied herself around the small mess deck. That was something Poe really admired about the General. She wasn't afraid to do what other leaders might label "mundane" jobs. Making breakfast, grabbing a blaster and fighting, or even unclogging a toilet; no job was beneath her.
BB-8 beeped happily and Rey turned to Poe's droid. "Yes, BB-8?"
Poe smiled as he watched Rey and BB-8 interact. Not many people treated droids with such kindness. He was glad that Rey and Finn were so nice to BB-8. Most people thought it odd, or even amusing that he was so close to his droid.
Poe turned as he felt eyes on him. It was Leia. "Everything all right, General?"
The General smiled; as if she was keeping a secret. "Everything is fine."
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