Poe Dameron always got nervous before missions. There wasn't a valid reason why, he never had any bad experiences, but there was always a small voice in the back of his head, a warning, that nagged him, made him tap his foot with restlessness and chew anxiously on his lower lip. Unfortunately, he never cared to share his apprehension with the others in his squadron, he was supposed to be their leader, and he didn't feel it was appropriate. He never shared his feelings with General Organa, either. He didn't have to, because she could always sense it. General Organa always knew how to soothe him, she had the experience and the wisdom that always managed to make him feel better.

"There's nothing for you to be concerned about," General Organa reassured him before their debriefing. "Stay alert, stay smart, but don't let your nerves cloud your judgment."

He had met with her before the others were to arrive. Over the past year, he and General Organa had grown very close. She had known his mother and father when they fought for the Rebel Alliance, and even after he joined The Resistance she'd taken him under her wing. At first it was almost embarrassing, the way the other pilots teased him for rising quickly through the ranks and being one of her right hand men, but the more he matured, the more he took pride in their relationship. His mother would have been proud if she saw him today.

Only he knew how deeply important this mission was to The General. The others in his squadron had no idea the depth of the issue, the significance of Lor San Tekka, but Poe was determined to find him. That was always part of why he got so nervous, he was afraid to let down the former Princess.

After the debrief was over he headed to the hangar to prepare Black One for the travel ahead of them. It would be a few hours, they were headed to the Ovanis, a mostly desolate planet in the Outer Rim Territories. The only known population there were the Créche, who Lor San Tekka had spent time living with in the past. Regardless of whether or not he was currently there, Poe would hopefully be able to get some clues as to where the man had gone from there. Poe suspected the mission wasn't going to be as simple as one trip.

Despite Poe's apprehension, BB-8 was buzzing and whirling at his feet. The little droid always loved whenever they went on missions, enjoying the travel but not fully understanding the potential dangers that lied ahead. However, his enthusiasm was a nice distraction for Poe as he readied his ship with the mechanic helping him. He'd been having issues with Black One's coolant feeds working incorrectly, so the engine was overheating pretty quickly.

"Were you able to fix the coolant feeds?" he asked the mechanic as she wiped her dirty hands off on the oil-stained rag, ducking down underneath the ship to return to his side.

She nodded. "These things had a recall a few years back, this is a pretty new ship, so I wonder if you just got some of the bad ones," the woman shrugged. "They'll need replaced soon, but for now, just make sure the engine doesn't overheat. I'll pack you some extra coolant just in case there are any issues. But until then, you should be good to go."

Poe smiled, thanking the woman for her help before she went about her day. He saw the rest of Black Squadron approaching him after their separate debrief with Leia. He specifically looked at Kyra, who walked a few steps behind the others, talking to Karé. Karé's leg had healed pretty quickly, she had just rolled her ankle, so she was perfectly fit to be involved in the mission. The pilots all nodded to their commander before taking their places next to their ships.

Kyra walked towards him. As usually, her hair was tied back in a braid, which had yet to become messy and wispy as it always did. Poe liked Kyra, she never gave him any issues or problems, and she generally was a positive presence among the squadron, but she was very reserved and guarded. Part of him felt bad for her at first, she seemed very lost and bewildered when she'd been assigned to Black Squadron. The young doctor had become more and more confident over the weeks, Poe just wished she'd open up to him and the others. She seemed too hard on herself, but afraid to admit any weaknesses or vulnerability.

He knew he could be intimidating, he was a commander after all, but he didn't like to make others uncomfortable. Poe found the best way to lead was to inspire and encourage, not to scare or threaten them. He supposed his position of power could be what kept her so modest. He thought he'd challenge himself to get to know her better, maybe let her know he was a friend, not just a supervisor, even though she didn't report directly to him.

"Good morning," Poe grinned at her as she approached and she offered him a shy smile, the dimple in her right cheek appearing for a moment. She looked a bit tired, as per usual, but he knew she worked much more frequently and at more inconvenient hours than he was used to, unless he was on a mission.

"Morning," she greeted him, lifting a first aid kit she held in her right hand. "Apparently you've made arrangements for this?"

Poe nodded. "I'll store it up front with me, I have a special compartment. Hopefully we won't have to get it out at all."

Kyra agreed. "Although then there's not much of a reason I'm tagging along then, is there?"

He noticed the rare teasing tone in her voice and let out a chuckle as BB-8 greeted her with a series of beeps and whistles.

"Of course I'm excited," She answered the droid's question as she pulled on her specialized flight suit over her khakis and white t-shirt. As Poe went to pack the first aid kit he turned to find Kyra nibbling her lower lip and scratching the back of her head, focused on Black One in front of her, but somehow looking past.

"Are you nervous?" Poe asked her, and Kyra's eyes snapped to meet his.

"I'm okay," she gave him a reassuring nod.

Without hesitation, Poe reached out and put a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it gently. "It's okay to be a little apprehensive. It's your first mission. I still get nervous and this is hardly my first."

Kyra nodded, her eyes flickering towards the ground bashfully. She didn't respond, just gave him a soft smile before he pulled away and went to board the ship. He really hoped she'd come to trust him, but he supposed it was just going to take time. More time than he was used to.

Once the squadron had made the jump to hyperspace, Kyra felt a bit more relaxed. The travel time wasn't anything she was concerned about, if anything, it gave her a chance to rest, something she rarely got to do, especially with her promotion and her restless nights. Poe was busy flying, and she didn't want to distract him by talking too much, so she found herself asleep for most of the ride, thankful for the opportunity to relax.

Poe was very sweet, she thought. Before the mission he'd been very reassuring and comforting, as had General Organa. Many other Resistance members would probably love to work as closely to him as she got to, but that didn't really matter to her much. She was just glad they got along well and he didn't make fun of her for being on edge sometimes.

Kyra was awakened from her long nap by Poe's voice in her ear. She couldn't hear him well with the roar of the ship entering the planet's atmosphere, but she could make out him telling her to prepare for landing through the headset in her helmet. When they finally dipped below a blanket of gray clouds, Kyra was surprised to see the rocky, mountainous landscape below. It was dreary out, but not raining, and Kyra wrinkled her nose. When she thought of adventure, she surely didn't think of it being in a place like this.

Sighing, Kyra watched the ground come closer and closer as they lowered towards the rocky substrate, listening absentmindedly to the other pilots speaking with Poe over the intercom. She rarely talked when she was in the x-wing, she never wanted to interrupt or distract the others.

Black One touched down at the base of a mountain, the shade providing sanctuary and protection from anything flying overhead. The small squadron would be hard to spot from above. Descending and landing had gone surprisingly smoothly, and when Kyra followed Poe out of the x-wing, her only real discomfort was her tight muscles that had been in the same position for multiple hours. She graciously stretched for awhile as BB-8 was lowered from his spot in the ship, and the others gathered their things.

Poe approached her. "What do you think of Ovanis?" he asked.

Kyra shrugged. "It's...cloudy," She stated.

Poe chuckled. "You're not lying."

Clearing her throat, Kyra went against her better judgement and offered another tidbit, something she was slightly ashamed of. "You know, this is only the third planet I've ever been to..." she murmured, trailing off and taking in her surroundings.

"Really?" Poe asked. "Why not?" Traveling wasn't especially expensive or difficult to do, depending on where in the galaxy one planned on going.

"My father didn't like to travel," Kyra confessed. "I barely got to see any of Dantooine outside of my hometown."

Poe put his hands on his hips and glanced up at the sky. "What's Dantooine like? I've never been."

"Temperate. Usually warm..." Kyra locked eyes with him and shook her head. "Nothing very exciting."

"Well, I'm sure you'll see plenty of excitement in the weeks to come," Poe smirked.

"That's too bad, maybe I will start to appreciate the monotony," Kyra let out a soft laugh and Poe smiled back just as the others arrived.

The rest of the squadron stretched as they changed out of their pilot uniforms and into more comfortable clothing, water-repellant jackets and thick-soled boots to hike over the rough terrain. Kyra looked in, taking in her surroundings, but there wasn't much to see. Tilting her head, she searched for the top of the mountain they stood at the bottom of, but she couldn't, as the gray, misty clouds obscured it from her vision.

"The Créche aren't the most sociable," Poe warned them. "So we'll have to be careful. There one of the only known populations that inhabit Ovanis. Lor San Tekka was rumored to have spent time here with them. He could still be here, or they could point us in the right direction," he said. "From what General Organa has told me, their rituals and traditions are deep-rooted and carry great cultural significance. So it's important to be respectful regardless of what we see."

BB-8 whistled with excitement, and Poe held out his hand in a gesture to calm him down. "It's about a thirty minute hike to their settlement, and we'll have to go into the caverns, so make sure your flashlights are charged. I don't anticipate we'll run into anything dangerous, but it's important to stay alert."

Poe led the way, with the others trailing behind in a single file line. BB-8 excitedly rolled along beside Poe, who was focused on his data pad that directed them towards their destination. After about fifteen minutes of walking, they ducked into some sort of cave system, and the temperature grew cooler. Kyra shivered as she zipped up her jacket and drew her flashlight. The sounds of their steps echoed of the caves walls, and there were man-made railings and a bridge that crossed over a deep abyss. They couldn't be too far from their destination, Kyra assumed.

They seemed to come to a clearing, a hallowed out area in the cave where two humans stood. Their dress was different from anything Kyra had ever seen, their hair either braided or pulled into two tails, with large, blue circles painted between their eyebrows. The two guards aimed their weapons at the oncoming group, and Poe halted in his tracks.

"What's your business here?" The men spoke Basic, which surprised Kyra slightly. But then, she supposed this was just another culmination of citizens in the galaxy, and not some foreign species that she felt like it was.

"We are here to find Lor San Tekka," Poe spoke up, and Kyra admired his confidence and self-assured stance.

The men looked at one another, seemingly confused by his statement. "And who exactly is that?" They asked.

"He may go by a different name," Poe answered. "He has important information for us."

One of the guards sauntered forward, looking them up and down. "Is that so?" He paused in front of Poe. "And who the hell are you?"

"My name is Poe," Poe said carefully. "And my friends and I would like to speak with your leader, whoever that may be."

"If you come inside, you must surrender you weapons," The guard ordered.

Poe hesitated for awhile, but turned to the others and nodded. Kyra handed her blasters to the guard and followed them through the entrance. Inside was dim and dark, only lit by fires and torches, and some lanterns hanging around. There were several huts, and parts of destroyed ships that now served as homes and shelters. The Créche stared openly at the squadron, young children hiding in their mothers long tunics, adorned with the same blue circles that all the other residents had. Kyra's eyes lingered on them, before pulling away and focusing forward once more.

They were led to a tent, and Poe entered, leaving the others standing outside awkwardly. The guards stood next to them, and Kyra felt uncomfortable under their gaze. She was beginning to feel a deep sense of dread in the pit of her stomach, like something bad was going to happen, she just didn't know what.

The rest of the squadron waited outside for probably fifteen minutes, unable to go anywhere because of the guards. Kyra could make out Poe's low voice inside the tent, but not his exact words. After a few more minutes Poe emerged from the tent with an older man, dressed similar to the other Créche.

"One of our elders may know of this Lor San Tekka. We will take you to her," he spoke, nodding curtly at the squadron who had been waiting outside. Kyra started out, following him first in line, when she felt a gentle tug on the back of her arm. When she turned, she saw Poe's hand gripped around her arm, bringing her back towards him.

"Stay close," Poe murmured, and Kyra was taken aback by his sudden protectiveness. However, she obeyed him, relieved she wasn't the only one feeling apprehensive about the situation.

The Créche were not very welcoming, and as the man led them down a series of tunnels and caves, Kyra made a mental note of where they were going, memorizing the labyrinth of the settlement in the chance they may have to escape. The deeper they traveled, the more unsettled Kyra got.

Finally, they entered another clearing, and Kyra felt her jaw drop at the sight before her. In front of her was a large, blue egg-like structure, suspending in the air with a series of strings and platforms. It was large, bigger than anything she'd ever seen, and it looked to her like a ticking time bomb ready to explode. What was it? She was snapped out of her reverie when an older woman approached them, one of the elders, she suspected. The woman held the same icy glare in her eyes that the leader did, and Kyra assumed that this was just their nature.

The woman introduced herself, but Kyra was distracted by a slight tremor she felt underfoot. Her eyebrows knit together in confusion, and she looked at the others for confirmation, but they didn't seem to notice what she had felt. That was strange, she thought.

"Everything okay?" Jess asked her, and Kyra shook her head.

"Yes, I just thought I..." Kyra trailed off. "It's nothing." She figured it wasn't worth sharing. There were many Créche around them, wandering about, some of them on their knees in front of the large, blue egg, almost as iff they were worshipping it.

"This egg is our charge, our purpose, our salvation," the elder lifted her arm out, gesturing towards the structure. "We protect and nurture it, and in return we bathe in its radiance. Its presence guides our lives. It holds salvation itself—the savior unborn. Someday the egg will hatch, and we, or our descendants, shall receive our reward for keeping it safe these many generations."

Poe agreed, pausing a moment to nod respectfully at the woman before continuing, despite the fact he thought it was a bit ridiculous. He had no clue what it held inside of it, but he didn't like the look of any of this. Poe wondered if Lor San Tekka agreed with any of this, or if he was received as coldly as Black Squadron was. "I am looking for a man named Lor San Tekka. He is rumored to have spent some time here."

The woman nodded. "It's been awhile since I've heard that name. He once lived among us, practicing our rituals and traditions, but that was a long time ago. One morning, he left without a trace. We have no idea where he could have gone, or if he even made it off Ovanis."

"So he didn't tell you where he was going? Did he leave anything behind?" Poe questioned, and suddenly the ground shook much more audibly beneath them. Poe reached his hand out to steady himself.

The elder looked up at the high ceiling of the cavern. "Earthquakes are common here, nothing to worry about," she paused before continuing. "No, I'm afraid we can only imagine where he has gone. He left behind the lighter clothing we use for the summer months, and took with him coats and blankets we use at night and in the winter."

Poe nodded, his face turning to a disappointed scowl. Of course, he couldn't have possibly expected this assignment to end so smoothly, but they were suddenly at a dead-end, he had nothing to take back to the General. This whole mission was now a waste of resources, and nothing seemed to point them in the right direction.

"You're all with The Resistance, aren't you?" The elder asked, and her eyes somehow got colder.

Poe didn't have time to answer, because another shockwave hit the ground, this one larger than the others, and many of the Créche fell to their feet.

"We need to leave," Poe turned to find his squadron all behind him, looking uneasy, as the giant blue egg began to creak and make noises, disturbed by the earthquake. A loud yell, and Poe saw Snap lying on the ground, clutching his arm, a Créche backing away from him with some sort of knife in his hand. Kyra rushed forward.

"Kyra, no!" Poe yelled, his voice cracking. But she ignored him and kept running forward. As important as Snap was, he couldn't risk losing two of his squadron instead of just one, he noticed the others looking to move forward towards their friend, but he held them in place. "Stay here," he commanded.

The elder reached out to him. "Yes, Poe Dameron, The Resistance's best pilot. Am I correct?"

Poe didn't answer, just stared back at the woman, his eyes flickering nervously between Kyra, who was currently running into certain death, and the elder. How did she know who he was? He hadn't revealed anything besides his first name, and his clothes certainly gave nothing away. Had they been spied on?

"What does Lor San Tekka have that you are looking for?" The elder asked, but he suspected she already knew the answer.

Kyra was knelt over Snap, and had somehow managed to tie an strip of fabric right above a deep cut on his forearm. The egg creaked again, and suddenly a large crack formed. The elder, and the other Créche suddenly turned all their attention towards the giant egg. "It's happening."

Snap was standing up, Kyra had one arm around him as he clutched his wound to his chest, in her opposite hand, Kyra had withdrawn her blaster, which she'd somehow gotten off the distracted guard. Poe saw the rest of his squadron at his side do the same.

"We found what we need, let's get out of here while we still can," Poe said sternly, taking a mental note of everyone around him. "They know we're with The Resistance."

"What's the fastest way out?" Karé asked, concerned. "It's a labyrinth in here."

"I remember," Kyra said, and Jessika reached out to comfort Snap, taking him from under Kyra's arm. He was still able to walk, but appeared to be in great pain. Unfortunately, there was nothing they could do for him in the moment. Kyra's tourniquet would help with blood loss until they were far enough away for her to give him stitches. "Follow me," she said.

The momentary distraction of the egg beginning to hatch was enough to distract The Créche from Black Squadron's hasty escape out of the cavern, but it didn't give them a complete pass. They had to hurry if they wanted to make it out safely. The elder rose to her feet, turning to one of the guards.

"They won't make it very far," she said to him. "Alert Captain Terex of the First Order. Tell him we found who he's looking for."

I even hate myself when I end chapters in cliffhangers.

Up Next: Will Black Squadron make it safely off Ovanis? Or will they run into trouble as they are trying to leave? Where do you think Lor San Tekka is hiding?

I am loosely following the Poe Dameron comic series for all the events leading up to finding Lor San Tekka/the beginning of TFA. I say "loosely" because I am planning on changing some events, and because I have not read the comic series word for word! What I know is from summaries and reviews of the series I have found online!

PrincessStarberry: I'm glad you liked to see Kyra's backstory! I will be including it a lot more in the future, and Kyra will be sharing more with Poe soon enough. I am excited for them to get closer, even though we know Kyra is very shy!

But as always, please drop me a line and let me know how I am doing!