What do I say? You guys are making me so happy with your amazing reviews! I might have some delay in posting during the next two weeks, as I have University exams. Please don't forget about this story...!
Although, after this chapter, I don't think you will. :P ENJOY!
P.S. For the reader's friend who asked if they were going to "bong" (which, although I don't know this word, I think I can safely presume what it means) ... you'll just have to check the story rating to find the answer to that.
PLOT TWIST: THEY ACTUALLY HATE EACH OTHER.
Enjoy.
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Beep beep beep beep. Beep beep beep beep.
"Go back to sleep, BB-8. I've still got five more minutes."
Beep beep beep beep. Beep beep beep beep.
"C'mon, buddy, let it be..."
Beep beep beep beep. Beep beep beep beep.
Poe Dameron dramatically lifted his head from the soft pillow, but his vision remained dark. He puffed a strong breath of air from his lips, causing his curls to fly away from his chocolate eyes. As his foggy vision began to adjust to the sunlight trickling through the window, Poe finally realized the bot he had been speaking to.
His alarm clock.
"Damn it," he cursed, realizing that he had overslept by ten minutes. "It's already 6:10? These sleeping habits are killing me." He slid his legs over the side of the bed and whistled loudly towards the corner of the room. "C'mon, BB-8. Let's get the day started!"
A medium-sized bot, smaller than the traditional R2 units, whizzed into life. BB-8 was a morning 'person', and it had always made Poe envious. After all, he was the head pilot of the Resistance, and he could barely function enough to make a bowl of porridge after waking up. BB-8 whizzed over next to Poe, who was already splashing water in his face from the basin. He flicked it off with a shake of his head and stared back at himself in the mirror. His eyes looked even darker from the shadows of his thick brows, and a few blinks attempted to bring back some moisture into them. He slid his tongue over his chapped lips to try and revive some colour, which was paling with the bitter morning air. His curled hair remained a mess, but that was something he could never control. The hairs on his chin remained invisible from yesterday's shave, but despite all of his actions, his looks remained worn-out.
"Can't kill me for trying," he sighed.
The First Order had gained more troops in the past month. That single month turned Poe's entire world upside down. Beforehand, Poe could count on a few free days a week to fiddle with the X-Wings and take them for test drives. He could even stop over to Yavin IV to visit his friends and family. These days? Forget about it. Not a single day passed where Poe wasn't assigned a mission. His squads were feeling the stress as well, but they all kept up their spirit. They had to. After all, it was only the beginning.
"How do I look, BB?" Poe spun around with his arms outstretched. The bot's head rolled over to the side, as if analysing his friend. He made a few low beeps and rolled off with disinterest. "Some friend you are."
Poe laughed at his friend's taunting and got back to his morning routine. He tugged off his navy pyjamas, exposing his refined muscles to… the empty room. His eyes slipped over to the bed, and he couldn't help but think about how many months it had been since someone else had been there with him. He took another look at himself in the mirror, but was pleasantly surprised to see that he had been maintaining his weight despite the stress. He just didn't have time for a woman. Man, he thought. I barely have time for myself.
No news had come during the night, which always meant that the day would be pretty simple. He would probably remain on base, but be tasked with some important research into who might have the missing piece of Luke Skywalker's map. With that in mind, he put on a dark shirt with a slit in the middle, topping it all off with his faded brown jacket. The jacket had become a symbol of who he was, and he wouldn't be caught dead walking around the base without it.
"First thing's first, BB. We'll grab some food in the canteen and then go see what the General has in order for us today. Could be some maps, could be some flying. Who knows? But we're up for anything, aren't we?" He snapped his fingers towards his companion, who spun around excitedly. "What're you so excited for? You think today's going to be a good day?" BB-8 nodded his head with excitement. "Well, maybe you're right, BB. Maybe you're right."
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Oh. My. Stars.
Mara let out a loud gasp. How long had she held her breath for? She was far too distracted by everything going on around her to focus on breathing. Who needs breathing, anyway? She taught to herself.
Alok had just landed the ship on D'Qar a few moments before, but Mara was already imagining her life there. There were T-70 X-Wings lining the runway, but the T-85 was nowhere to be seen. She quickly forgot about the mysterious pilot and General Organa as the giant ships and luscious green hills captured her complete attention.
"I'm glad we got here so early," Alok said casually. He had no interest in the Resistance base, as he had already stopped by hundreds of times. "People are still waking up. Seems like things are going well, otherwise this place would be flooded with people." Alok spun around after he got no response. Mara's mouth was wide open with a smile, as she slid her hand over the nozzle of a T-70.
"This is just… This is incredible. Is there even a word to describe the beauty of these ships?"
Alok placed his hands firmly on his hips. His impressions of the girl were altering into ones he didn't like. "You'd better drop that schoolgirl act real quickly. If you go in and start speaking to the General about how 'excited you are to be here' and how much you 'love to fix engines'..." Alok flailed his hands and rose his voice to imitate a teenage girl. "...Well, then she's never going to take you seriously."
"Oh, come on!" Mara laughed, stretching her arms out widely. "Just let me have my moment to breathe in some fresh air after living on Coruscant for twenty-six years!"
Alok's tight grip on her arm brought her back to reality. "You better thank your lucky stars that I'm not putting you back on that ship." Alok grumbled. "Now, straighten yourself up. You're about to meet royalty."
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Poe quickly tossed his porridge bowl into the cafeteria wash bin, but not without blowing a quick kiss to the Ithorian cook. Her widespread eyes battered in amusement, as she had grown familiar with Poe's roguish charm. "I don't know how you cook it so well, but you do it every time!" He shouted after her. "I'll see you at the same time tomorrow!"
"It better not be the same time!" She called in response. "You were already late today!"
"Yes, but fashionably!" He chuckled before turning down the hallway.
BB-8 rolled steadily behind him, prepared for what the day had to offer. He beeped cheerfully at the passing crew in the halls, feeling like the droid celebrity that he was slowly becoming.
The duo continued onwards until the dark walls of the canteen faded away, and light came pouring through with the sight of the base's entrance. It was 6:30AM and the base was slowly starting to fill with people, all of whom tossed Poe a friendly wave. He continued towards the white hallway to the right of the entrance. This was Leia's territory, where she held meetings with advisors, ambassadors and fighters. It was also her personal quarter, and few people were allowed to enter. Poe, of course, was one of them.
With no calls from last night, Poe assumed it was safe to enter her office without warning. She wouldn't have any meetings to attend to early in the day, and if she didn't want anyone to bother her, an announcement would have been made. So, without warning and with a loud whistle on his lips, Poe made his way towards the wooden doors. His hands lifted to touch the glossy wood, and with a gentle push, he stepped into the office with BB-8.
"Good morning, General," he began to speak. "Hope I'm not… interrupting?" Poe didn't mean for his sentence to come out as a question, but he was suddenly struck by the sight of two people in the middle of the room. Leia was leaning on the front of her desk. The stance didn't seem casual, but the smile on her lips was.
"Dameron, this is my old friend and former member of the Blue Squadron, Alok Lokesh." Leia outstretched her hand towards the man, who nodded his head in respect.
"Of course," Poe grinned, reaching out to shake hands. "I've heard about your work. It's an honour to meet you."
"It's an honour to meet you: the young pilot making his way into the history books." Alok wore a wide grin, and Mara couldn't help but notice how happy Alok had suddenly become. All she had done on their trip was annoy him, but then again, she still hadn't proven herself. Would she be able to? Her meeting with Leia had only lasted about ten minutes until the random man appeared, but it seemed to be going well. Leia was as beautiful and graceful as she had imagined. And Mara hadn't even thrown up yet! Success! She had even made the Princess laugh a few times. What did I say that made her laugh? Mara taught to herself. Who even knew that I was funny?
"Mara."
Mara's head snapped towards Alok, whose face was as tight as a mask. "Did you go deaf in the last fifteen seconds, or were you simply not listening?"
Mara's eyes snapped towards the newcomer, who she had not properly gotten a look at. "I'm sorry, I…" Her words began to fall towards her stomach, where they quickly transformed into butterflies. Dameron. That's what Leia had called him. That was the name of the pilot. This was the old, wrinkled pilot she had been daydreaming about. "You're not old at all," she whispered in amazement.
Poe leaned back in shock. Alok's head quietly buried itself in his hands. The silence was broken when Poe began to laugh heartily. "Did you expect me to be old, Miss Crescent?" Mara was shocked that he knew her name. She must have zoned out for longer than she realized. "That's not usually the reaction that I get, but I'll take it."
"I'm sorry." Mara quickly looked towards Leia for help, but the General was only smiling in amusement. Her eyes flickered between the young pair, as she was curious to see how the situation would play out. "I had expected you to be older with the amount of experience that you had. Alok was telling me about it on our way here-"
"You hadn't heard about me before today?"
"Some people would say that I live in my own bubble. Nothing personal."
Poe's arms folded over his chest. Again, the situation would have seemed intimidating if it weren't for the smirk that was curling towards his cheek. Mara's heart seemed to beat faster at the appearance of his grin. "Where are you from, Mara?"
We're already on a first name basis? "Um... Coruscant."
"Ah! Galactic City!"
"Coco Town, actually."
"Not so 'ah' then."
"Not so 'ah' indeed. With the exception of Dex's Diner." Mara chuckled nervously. Her fingers were itching to twist around one another, but she was not about to let her embarrassing habits ruin her chance at working for the Resistance.
An awkward silence hung in the air for a moment. Alok was still staring at the ceiling in distress, as if his reputation was on the line for Mara's awkwardness. Leia's mind was simply bemused with the entire scenario, and she was becoming rather fond of the girl. Mara's eyes shifted towards the bot that suddenly moved closer towards her. She was a bit scatter-brained that morning, admittedly.
Poe… Well, Poe couldn't stop staring at the strange woman that was standing before him. Her long hair rested just past shoulders, the waves as untame as his own. Her dark eyes watched BB-8 with a hidden smile, but something about them seemed lonely. He couldn't place his finger on it, but she was different somehow. She didn't ooze charm, and her style was nothing to drool over, but her anxious nature was endearing. Just what exactly was she doing here?
"Mara is applying for a place here as an engineer." Leia answered the question Poe was forming.
"I can do repairs as well," Mara intercepted. "I can do anything you need me to. I've been reading about X-Wings since I was old enough to pick up a book."
"That wasn't what I expected to hear." Poe admitted. "You worked as an engineer in Coco Town? For how long?"
"I got hired when I was 18. My boss wanted to take on other people, particularly men, but when he realized the speed and talent that I had, he didn't need to. I work by myself. Eight hours a day. I can fix a projectile launcher on a T-70 in less than five minutes." Mara paused to reflect on her words. For once in her life, she could talk about her accomplishments with people that understood her. They would know what she was talking about, and hopefully this would lead them to see her potential. "The pay is so-so, but that's not the reason I came here. I want to help. I want to fight against the First Order and do my part."
"Let's go then." Poe's declaration caught them all by surprise. "We've got a broken launcher on one of our T-70's and haven't been able to fix it. If you say that you can do it in under five minutes, I think we need to see it to believe it." His thick brows rose in amusement. Mara knew it was a challenge, but it was not the first time she had been challenged by a man. It would not be the last. She knew her limits.
Mara nodded firmly, although her heart pounded with nerves. Alok and Poe headed out first, with the BB unit not far behind. Leia gave Mara a long look before they left the room. "Let them go first. I want to say something to you." Mara stared at the General with patience. "Even if you can't fix that launcher in under five minutes, you seem like a good kid. We don't get a lot of allies from Coruscant anymore. They've remained quiet in the last few years about political issues. You represent your planet well. Don't tell Poe, but we could use a woman like you on our side."
Mara did not react with a shout. She couldn't even find the proper words to express her gratitude. Tears began to fill the brims of her eyes. "You won't regret it, General."
"Alok trusts you, and I trust him." She mockingly waved her finger towards the girl. "Don't let me down, Mara Crescent."
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Well? What do you think? It's hard to dart around from POV between characters, but I hope you liked it! I needed some Poeeeeee Dayyyyuummmmeron in my life. If we could get to 45 reviews for this chapter, I will post the next chapter in a day!
LOTS OF LOVE 2 U ALL
