Hello again! I'm so glad people are excited about this fic (over 100 follows already, that's crazy!). I'm having a blast writing it! Thank you for joining me on this adventure.
Escape.
Landing on Yasutra was difficult. Had Poe the comfort of his own ship and controls, perhaps it would have been easier. But it was too great a risk to attempt such a mission in a ship bearing any known insignia let alone that of the Resistance. Instead, he had taken his own ship to a neighboring planet: the bantam, minimally populated Craas. It sat on the border of the Unknown Regions, far from the safety and protection of the now desolated Republic.
There his ship, Black One, would wait for his return; guarded by an old ally of his long dead father and his ever trusty companion, BB-8. The plucky little fellow had been anxious to join him but Poe, worrying that the mission could end in calamity, insisted it stay put.
Now, he piloted a small freighter on loan from Craas. It was an outdated model, but sturdy and held up surprisingly well under the duress of the stormy winds.
After donning his jacket, a new number he had required back on his home Yavin 4, Poe clamoured out of the cockpit and leapt to the ground.
He had made his landing close to the outpost. It was nearly ancient, originally built long before his birth. All recovered records noted that the bunker hadn't been in active use for nearly a decade. When the mayday transmission had first been received on D'Qar, The Resistance thought it nothing more than a fluke. It wasn't until the third attempt at connection did they choose to accept the call.
Poe approached the main door, blinking against the stinging winds. He had hoped his apprehension would subside before he had gotten this far. But worry was still eating away at him, distracting him from his drive to impress the General at any opportunity.
He stood before the door close to a minute. In his right hand, he gripped his blaster pistol. It had been one of his mother's and he considered it as lucky and as important to his cause as his buddy, BB-8. Having already deactivated the safety, his index finger hovered tentatively over the trigger.
Poe wasn't sure what he would find inside. The defector, alive and well? A body, discovered by the First Order and callously dealt with; left to rot? Or was it all a ruse? A trap he had all but barrelled into?
For only a moment he was enveloped in a memory. He could feel the pinch of shackles around his wrists. He could hear the screams of four dozen innocents, snuffed out one after the other. So many lives, destroyed because of him. And then, the voice of that masked psycho needling into his mind; trying to unspool his thoughts and pick out only what he desired.
Poe shook the thought away with a grimace.
She's in there. He thought. She's got to be.
Swallowing, he lifted his left hand and brought it down hard against the surface of the barricade four times. At each impact, hollow bangs rang out, but they were barely audible over the winds.
For several neverending seconds, nothing happened.
Poe could feel his confidence began to wilt. Would this be another failed mission? Another let down? The thought left him cold. He did not want be the one to deliver more bad news to the General. She had been through well enough already.
Then with a sudden keening, the door shuddered open. A gust of wind raced inside ahead of him; eager to scope out the abandoned innards of the bunker.
Poe could make out nothing but his elongated shadow centered against the light that flooded in from behind him. He raised his blaster and stepped inside. The door creaked to a close behind him.
He kept moving forward as his eyes slowly adjusted to the light inside. Or rather, lack of light.
A single shaft, no wider than his arm, shone from a crack in the ceiling several feet ahead of him. He could see flecks of dust and ash pass through it, glinting like dull sparks as they floated in the air at stagnant pace. Several flickering pads of gray green light lined the bottom of the walls.
Aside from them, it didn't seem as though a single piece of tech was still functional. That the girl had managed to relay a signal to The Resistance was nothing short of a miracle.
Or it's extremely suspicious. Poe thought.
"Hello?" He called, his voice echoing through the shell of a bunker. He stepped closer to the light, maneuvering around small collections of debris that covered the floor. He could make out remnants of broken down furniture, tech and weaponry. Most of what he saw looked useless, however. It was likely someone or something had come through and taken anything of true value long ago.
Maybe she was discovered. He thought as he inspected the floor. These could be signs of a struggle.
He was no bounty hunter. He wasn't even a soldier. Poe would be the first to admit he didn't take well to ground work. His place was in the sky, unfettered by gravity.
"Anyone home?" He called, trying to sound unthreatening.
He lowered his blaster.
Behind him, he heard the distinct sound of shifting metal. But before he could turn, an arm shot out, slid under his arm and clung tightly to his chest. He felt a sharp steel blade against his throat, just under his jaw.
A second hand wove into the hair atop his head. Bare skin, cold as ice, kneaded into his skull. The hand forcefully guided his head backwards then down. He could really feel the pressure of the blade now; it dug into his skin threatening to slice through it.
"Don't move." A silky voice commanded from behind him.
Well, she's alive. Poe thought, caustically.
"Alright." He responded, maintaining an amiable tone.
He lifted his hands high into the air. "I won't."
"And drop the blaster." The girl said, shifting the angle of the blade only slightly.
Poe was tempted to ignore her demand. While her grip was firm, he could feel her reedy form trembling against his back. She was either weary and cold or unable to hold him in such a stringent position for very long. He was willing to bet on the latter.
Even so, he complied and let the weapon fall from his hand. It hit the floor with a loud clatter, kicking up dust.
"You're the pilot?" She asked. The girl was nervous, but she hid it well. It was her pulse that betrayed her. Poe could feel it pounding rapidly in her wrist which was pressed tightly against his skull.
"I'm the pilot." Poe repeated slowly, hoping to reassure her.
He felt her chest withdraw as she took in a steadying breath. She loosened her grip on his hair only slightly.
"And who was it that sent you?" She continued.
"General Organa." Poe answered.
After a pause, she finally released him and shoved him away from her. He stumbled forward, through the shaft of light and spun around.
For some time, neither spoke, each taking a moment to assess and examine the other.
She certainly looks like a First Order lackey. Poe thought.
Her hair, a light coppery shade, was constricted into a tight knot at the top of her head. She was clothed entirely in black, making it difficult to truly gauge her shape in the shadows. If she was lying to him and hiding a weapon or tracker on her, he couldn't tell. What he could make out, thanks only to small beam of light, were her eyes. They were a frigid, steely blue. They examined him pointedly; he couldn't tell if she was simply wary of him or entirely unimpressed.
He certainly doesn't look like a Resistance pilot. She thought.
He was shorter than her by an inch or two. His dark hair was thick and unkempt, likely knocked around from the wind outside. But she suspected it didn't take much to make a man like him look a mess. He was dressed in loose, drab clothes: a gray low cut shirt, black trousers and a slate flight jacket. They were the clothes of a down-on-his-luck smuggler.
Certainly, this couldn't be the man chosen by the near legendary General Organa. Even as a child of the Empire, she had heard tales of the Princess. While most of them had been defamatory accounts of a foolish young woman, the truth could not be hidden. Leia Organa was more than an anarchistic royal, she was a thorn in the side of the Emperor. One of only a handful that had undone all the Empire had stood for. A true adversary.
And yet she sends this...vagabond.
"You don't look like a Resistance pilot." She said, bitingly.
"That's the point." Poe shot back. He glanced at the blaster on the floor. It had fallen a mere two feet from her. Any move to take it would likely result in its loss.
"Whatcha got there?" He asked, trying to draw her attention in and away. In the dim glowing light, he could see that what he had thought to be a knife looked more like a piece of severed debris.
She looked down, raised the hand still clutching it and inspected it herself.
"I'm not sure." She answered, truthfully. "It was all I could find."
She let it slip from her gloved hand and fall to the ground with a soft clang.
Poe relaxed. Only now was the playing field rightly leveled. If he made a grab for the blaster, at least he wouldn't run the risk of being slashed and wounded.
"How long have you been here?" Poe asked. He took a gentle step to his left and feigned an interest in further inspecting the shelter.
He could feel her eyes on him, carefully watching his every move.
"Two days I think, maybe three…" She answered. She ran her fingers over her brow, kneading at her sore flesh in careful, practiced motions. "I'm, uh, starting to lose track."
Poe turned to look at her. Her guard was slowly slipping away. He could see her exhaustion more clearly now. She must have been tired. And hungry. And half mad. Being locked away in a place like this, waiting and hoping for someone to come.
Unless she's lying. The thought badgered him. Unless she's had help or she's not alone here.
"You have a ship?" She asked, turning away from him and moving towards the door. "So, let's go."
With quick strides he caught up to her and grabbed her arm.
"Hey-" She tried to jerk away, but he held tightly and pulled her closer. Without the assistance of surprise, she couldn't overpower him.
"Hang on." He said, "Do you have the files you promised?"
A small, strange grin formed on her face, lighting a spark in her eyes. "Of course. I-"
"I'll need to see them before we-" Poe started.
Her smile thinned at his petulant interruption. She raised her free hand and touched a finger to her temple.
"All up here." She finished, coolly.
Poe, taken entirely by surprise, unconsciously loosened his grip. She shook free and stepped away.
"You've gotta be kidding me." He said, running a hand through his hair.
"You're meant to escort me to the safety of your base." She responded as she smoothed out the sleeve of her jacket. Her voice was lucid and easy now that she had the upper hand again.
"...Not ask questions."
She turned back to the door again, reaching for a control panel centered on the wall.
Poe followed her, his exasperation quickly turning to frustration.
"You expect me to trust you?" He spat; his face only inches from hers.
"No," She responded amicably. "I expect you to do what you're told."
Poe opened his mouth to retort, but his words were swallowed up by a much louder sound. A familiar BANG emitted from the other side of the door.
The pair jumped backed, both thoroughly rattled. They shared a shaken look.
Someone else had found the bunker.
"Oh no." The girl said, stepping further backwards. She brushed past Poe and hit a button on the control panel.
Next to it, a rusting circular screen fizzled to life. From his position next to the door, Poe could only make out fuzzy shades of gray and black.
"It looks like a carrier ship." She said, her nose a mere inch from the screen. She gripped the side of it tightly with one hand, unable to swallow her rising nerves.
"Any stormtroopers?" Poe asked.
"Yes," She said, nearly breathless. "I can see five...or maybe six? There can't be any more, a ship that size can only hold so many."
The number seemed to relieve her, but to Poe they were odds he couldn't compete with. He wasn't skilled in ground combat and his shooting skills with a blaster were only just above mediocre. If they tried to take the attackers straight on, they would be easily overcome.
The pounding came again. Louder this time.
"Open the door!" A muffled voice barked from the other side.
"What do we do?" The girl asked; the words hitching in her throat.
"Is there another way out?" Poe asked, his mind racing.
She nodded. "There is."
Simultaneously, they made a dive for the blaster. Unfortunately, Poe was several steps further from it than her. She managed to swipe it away before he could make the leap.
With a grim, triumphant smirk, she lifted the strap over her shoulder and held tightly to the weapon.
"Come on, then."
She led him deeper into the bunker, down an ever narrowing hallway.
"Here." She said, dropping to her knees when they reached another barrier.
Poe watched her struggle with a seam in the floor. After a moment she was able to pry it upwards, revealing an emergency hatch hidden underneath.
"You sure about this?" Poe asked.
"It leads into the mines." She explained, carefully lowering herself down the ladder. "There's another exit through the tunnels. It's how I got in."
He wasn't allowed a chance to argue. From behind them a definite crash warned them that the door had been blown off it's hinges. Once she was clear, Poe slipped down after her and into the mines.
Thankfully, it didn't take long for the them to navigate the dark tunnels and find their way out. They emerged from mountainside, several feet above the bunker.
With the winds still raging they could just barely make out two ships below. Poe's ship stood to the right of the door. The carrier, only slightly larger, stood to the left.
The girl didn't hesitate. She began to scale the hillside in the direction of the freighter.
"Wait-!" Poe called over the howling winds.
"We can't wait!" She yelled back. "It won't take them long to complete their search. And your ship-"
He reached out and grabbed her arm again, pulling her close so he wouldn't have to shout.
"They'll have searched it." Poe said. "...Immobilized it."
"So now what?" She asked, her voice almost hoarse.
"We go for the carrier." He said, pointing to it. It was risky, but Poe was certain he would be able to fly it as surely as he flew the TIE Fighter.
"What?!" She yelped, incredulous. "Are you crazy? Those things can't make the jump to lightspeed. There's likely a destroyer hovering over the planet! It doesn't even move fast!"
"It doesn't need to move fast it just needs to move." Poe said, slapping her shoulder in what he hoped would be reassurance.
She stumbled forward, not expecting the contact and fixed him with a fervid glare.
He ignored her and began to scale down the hillside in the opposite direction. She watched him go and, realizing she had no other choice, followed him.
When they were within thirty feet of the distracted troopers, they ducked behind a larger rock. Only two of the troopers remained outside the bunker. The others were likely conducting a thorough search inside.
"Are you sure you can fly it?" She asked, clutching the blaster tightly.
Poe smirked. "I'm sure."
He caught her rolling her eyes, clearly impervious to his brash tenacity.
"You fire at the door to draw their attention away from the ship." Poe explained.
"But-" She started.
"I'll run around and get the ship started." He straightened up, readying himself for a sprint. "If there's anyone still inside, I can take them-"
"Wait!" She said, grabbing at his shoulder.
"What?"
"I-I can't-" She stuttered.
"You don't have to kill them," Poe reassured, thinking he understood her concern. "Or even wound them. Just get their attention."
"It's not that." She explained, looking down at the blaster in her hand. "I don't know how to fire one of these things."
Poe groaned. Of course not.
"Then, we'll have to go with plan B" He said.
"What's plan B?" She asked.
Without hesitation, Poe reached over and snagged the blaster from her. Before she could protest, he sent a barrage of shots flying in the direction of stormtroopers.
"Run for it!" He yelled, leaping over the rock and barreling down the hillside.
"What?!" The girl yelped, rising to her feet.
"Hurry, Red!" He called over his shoulder.
Red?! She thought, aghast. Unable to argue, she scowled and took off after him.
Her tired bones, weakened by a lack of nourishment and proper rest, resisted her every stride. Mercifully, she had enough adrenaline left in her to match his pace. As they ran, they could hear and feel a string of return fire speeding past them. One shot grazed her boot, nearly tripping her up.
Poe reached the bridge first and hastily tried to find the button that would close it. The girl quickly caught up to him and dashed up the ramp and into the carrier without looking back.
"There's no one here!" She called, panting heavily.
Good. Poe found the button at last. As the door rose to a close, he spun around and made for the control station.
"You ever fly one of these things?" He asked, excited by the opportunity to get behind another new ship.
"No!" She yelled back, clutching her stomach and trying to catch her breath.
Undaunted, Poe ignited the engine and guided the carrier into the air.
The girl, unprepared for such a swift takeoff, lost her footing and was knocked backwards. She hit the wall of the hull and cringed as a stabbing pain erupted in her shoulder.
Poe didn't hear her over his triumphant whooping.
As she watched him excitedly maneuver the carrier out the atmosphere and into space, she felt her heart drop into her stomach with a sickening plunk.
Just what have I gotten myself into? She wondered.
One the ship had leveled out, Poe shifted into autopilot and entered the destination coordinates into the system. It was a setback, having to hijack a ship that couldn't make the jump to lightspeed. But luckily Craas wasn't too far away. It was only a matter of time before he would be reunited with his X-wing and back on D'Qar.
He looked over his shoulder, searching for the girl. She was hunched over the floor, clutching at her shoulder. Poe tried and failed to conceal a chuckle.
"Sorry." He said, realizing that she must've taken a nasty spill.
She only huffed in response.
"There's an open seat." He offered, gesturing to the copilot's chair to his right.
She staggered to her feet, brushing several strands of hair back into place. She crossed the hull and carefully lowered herself into the seat.
Poe watched her, bemused. It was only then he realized then that he still didn't know her name.
"You gotta name, Red?" He asked. He looked back to the control panel, double checking that he had disabled the tracking system.
From his peripheral he could see her tense. When he turned she seemed to be deep in thought, in a place far away from the interior of their stolen ship.
Finally, she answered him.
"Bel."
"Bel," He repeated, carefully. Though it did suit her, the sound of it on her tongue didn't ring true.
"And that's your real name?" He pressed.
She just smiled wide and turned her attention back to the observation window.
"Well, I'm Poe." He said, after she failed to respond. "Poe Dameron."
Bel simply nodded in acknowledgment. Truthfully, she didn't care who the pilot was. She couldn't understand why he felt the need to ask for her name. He was just a steward tasked with delivering her to The Resistance.
I'm a glorified package. She thought.
As she gazed out into the starscape ahead of her, she felt waves of dread flood her consciousness once more.
What have I done? She thought, color draining from her face. What if we're caught?
There were only so many possibilities. The pilot would certainly be killed. She would be returned to the First Order and severely punished.
Or killed. She thought, bile filling her throat. Branded a traitor and executed...just like all the others.
The thought chilled her still frozen bones. Swallowing, she focused her attention on the stars and tried to dismiss her fears.
After all, She reasoned.
There's no turning back now.
Thank you very much for reading! I can't wait to continue this story. I also want to extend a special thank you to Lauren, she let's me annoy her with my ideas and troubles for weeks now and I'm so grateful for her time and her wisdom. And as always, I would love to hear your thoughts. :0)