Poe Dameron, dressed in pilot gear, walked at a brisk pace down the metallic hallway. BB-8 followed obediently behind, beeping happily along the way.

"Hey, how's it going?" said Poe as a fellow Resistance pilot walked by.

BB-8 beeped at Poe.

"I told you, we're going to see General Organa," answered Poe.

BB-8 beeped again.

"I want to check up on our buddy Finn," he began. "He's on a mission on Brakaria."

More beeps.

"I'm not really sure what he's doing there. Top secret stuff, I think."

Poe and BB-8 reached a grey door. Next to it, a scanner which Poe placed his hand on. The scanner glowed to life, bathing Poe's palm in red light. The scanner beeped twice and the door slid open.

Inside was the Resistance base command center. Computers and holographic interfaces were scattered all about, intertwined with roots and vines that had grown around them. The Resistance personnel never seemed to stay still for more than a few seconds, constantly having somewhere to go, some screen to check or information to relay. At the center of all of this commotion was General Organa and Lieutenant Connix, standing at a large circular table with several holograms floating above it. Finn and BB-8 approached them.

"Morning, General Organa," Poe said to Leia, who was focused on the holograms in front of her. "Any word on Finn's mission on Brakaria?"

"Hello, Poe," she replied, preoccupied.

Leia clicked the holographic screen in front of her a few times. After staring for a moment, she swiped at it, sliding another screen into view.

"We've been monitoring Finn and his crew since they arrived on Brakaria," Leia continued, gesturing to the screen. "They've landed right outside the city of A'Karz. Finn last checked in an hour ago, indicating he was in the city."

BB-8 beeped at Leia, pressing her for more information.

"Finn is attempting to find an individual with information regarding the location of the First Order's base," she answered. "We know of several of their outposts and which planets they occupy, but we've yet to discern where their base of operations is ..."

She paused for a moment then finished, "... or where Supreme Leader Snoke is located."

Poe noticed her face grow grim. BB-8 beeped again, trying to cheer her up.

"I hope he's successful too," said Leia, giving BB-8 a smile.

Just then, the screen in front of her beeped loudly. Leia turned, and swiped over a few screens. The edges of the screen blinked red, indicating trouble.

"Uh-oh," Leia said. "The First Order - they're here."

The commotion in the command center grew louder. People rushed around, giving and taking orders. Lieutenant Connix turned to Leia.

"General, the First Order has entered our airspace. They've sent two squadrons of tie fighters."

A man dressed in a grey Resistance uniform rushed over.

"General," he began in a worried tone. "Our anti-aircraft defenses are being taken down! We've taken a few of their ships, but it won't be long until they break through."

"What?" Leia said confused. "How is this happening?"

"They're attacking with large enough of a force that they're simply overpowering us," he answered.

"Alright, back to your station," Leia ordered. "I'm putting the base on high alert. Be prepared to evacuate if I give the command."

"Yes, General," he replied before rushing off.

Leia pressed a few buttons before turning to Connix.

"Lieutenant Connix, launch the fleet," Leia said. "Get them up in the air as fast as you can. We need a response now."

"I'll get to my X-wing," said Poe turning to leave.

"No!" said Leia stopping him. "I need you elsewhere."

The command center shook. Dust fell from the ceiling as blasts could be heard off in the distance.

"Elsewhere?!" said Poe incredulously. "I need to be out there fighting!"

"Poe, I have something more important for you."

Leia grabbed a transponder from the table in front of her. She handed it to a confused Poe.

"Take this," she began. "I need you to get Finn from Brakaria. The information he is getting is vital to our cause. We can't chance that the First Order picks him up."

"What's this for?" Poe asked regarding the transponder.

"It contains the coordinates for Finn's location. It also has a secure line of communication to his transponder."

Poe looked at her unsure.

"If our base is overtaken, I need you to report to one of our other outposts," said Leia.

The base shook again, this time sending people reeling into their computers.

"Take BB-8 and get to your ship!" Leia shouted over the increasing noise. "Now go!"

"C'mon, BB-8!" said Poe, gesturing to the droid.

Poe and BB-8 ran for the door. Just as they were about to cross through, a loud blast could be heard, but this time much closer than before. The floor shook and the ceiling began to crack. Regaining his balance, Poe looked up as a huge fissure spread above him. He continued to the door but didn't make it in time. A large chunk of the ceiling broke off and fell towards him. He threw his hands up expecting the worst.

But it never came.

Poe looked up and saw that the ceiling had stopped midair, only a few feet above him. He looked at BB-8 and then turned around. Back at the table was Leia, holding her hands up toward the ceiling, seemingly holding it in its place.

"Go!" she yelled at Poe and BB-8, straining to hold the ceiling up.

Poe turned and hurried out the door, closely followed by BB-8. Once they were gone, Leia dropped her hands and let the ceiling crash to the floor. She slumped against the table, exhausted.

"General!" Connix shouted, moving to help Leia.

"No, no, it's ok," she said tiredly.

Leia looked up at her screen.

"We're losing too many ships … they're going to overtake us."

The command center shuddered violently again.

"You need to get out of here," Leia said to Connix. "I'm evacuating the base."

With that, Leia pressed a large button on the table. Red lights began to flash and alarms sounded all around. People began rushing out of the command center.

Leia went to stand but stumbled. She had overexerted herself saving Poe and BB-8. Connix moved to her side, helping her up, ignoring her dissatisfaction at being helped.

As Connix was carrying her away from the table, another part of the ceiling caved in nearby. The blue sky opened up above them, filled with tie fighters and X-wings zooming about firing at one another.

As soon as the sky had appeared, it disappeared. A large, dark First Order cruiser hovered above the hole in the ceiling. It slowly lowered itself through the hole, stopping only a few feet above the rubble. A long ramp opened from its backside, eventually touching down on the command center floor.

"General, we have to go!" pleaded Connix, staring at the ship.

"No, Lieutenant," Leia started. "You won't be able to get out of here with me. You have to go."

"But - ," Connix started.

"No! They're here for me," Leia argued. "Leave me."

Shapes began to form through the smoke from the cruiser. Connix gave Leia one last look, fear painted across her face, then ran out of sight.

From the ship descended four stormtroopers. Their all white armor shone brightly in the dark scene that was the command center. Behind them followed a figure dressed in all black.

The figure approached Leia, now barely standing on her own. She looked up, and saw a black helmet looking down upon her.

"Ben?" she asked.

"I am not your son," responded the figure in a smooth but masculine voice. "I am one of his Knights."

Leia stared at the helmet, which was similar to Kylo Ren's. It was black, but with a longer facemask. Grooves ran vertically down the headpiece. One long slit separated the facemask from the top of the helmet, but Leia couldn't see any eyes in the darkness behind it. She peered down at the rest of him, looking over his long black coat, dark boots, and jagged bracers meant for close-quarter combat. And at his hip, clipped onto his belt, was a lightsaber.

"What do you want with me?" Leia asked, some anger in her voice. "Why am I not already dead?"

"It's not what I want with you," began the Knight of Ren calmly. "But what the Supreme Leader wants with you."

The Knight hesitated for a moment, unmoving.

"He requested that you were captured … alive."

He waved his hand over his shoulder at the stormtroopers behind him.

"Take her to the ship."

Two stormtroopers grabbed her forcefully, picked her up under the arms and dragged her up the platform and onto the ship. The Knight of Ren and remaining stormtroopers followed, disappearing into the depths of the cruiser as the ramp closed behind them.

Meanwhile, the Resistance base hangar was in utter chaos. Poe and BB-8 watched as tie fighters shot into the open hangar, destroying many of the ships docked there. Resistance pilots tried their best to stay out of the line of fire and take off with any ship that hadn't yet been hit.

Poe spotted his X-wing sitting in between the smoking wreckage of several ships.

"C'mon, BB-8!" Poe yelled, gesturing for BB-8 to follow.

They began to run for the X-wing, dodging other pilots and watching out for tie fighters. They approached the ship, but skid to a stop. His X-wing exploded as a tie fighter flew by. Poe threw his arms up in front of his face to shield it from the explosion.

"Over there!" Poe yelled, pointing at a nearby ship. "Get to that cruiser!"

Poe and BB-8 rushed to the cruiser. Luckily, their ship wasn't blown up this time. They boarded quickly, closed the ramp, and took off.

The cruiser shot out of the hangar like a bullet. It soared into the battle above, dodging enemy tie fighters and Resistance ships. Poe steered the ship through explosions and debris, trying to reach the edge of the battle.

Just as Poe reached the outskirts of the fighting, two tie fighters began firing on the cruiser.

"Looks like we're gonna have to shake them before we jump into hyperspace," said Poe to BB-8, who sat next to him in the cockpit. "Hold on!"

Poe banked the ship left, hard. The tie fighters did everything they could to match the turn. BB-8 went sprawling into the wall. He rolled back next to Poe and anchored himself down with some cables.

The cruiser zigzagged through the other ships and darted through clouds of smoke in hopes of losing the First Order fighters. Poe tipped the cruiser forward, preparing to plunge it towards the ground. Just as the tie fighters were upon them, he flipped on the boosters, shooting them away and downward.

"Alright, buddy, I'm going to need your help," said Poe to BB-8, gripping the controls tightly.

BB-8 beeped that he was ready.

"Turn on the secondary boosters."

More beeps. The cruiser shook as it sped up.

The ground was now fast approaching. With two sets of boosters on, the cruiser would reach the ground in a matter of moments.

BB-8 beeped nervously.

"Trust me on this," said Poe. "We're gonna lose 'em."

Poe toggled some switches on the control panel in front of him. The boosters turned off.

"I can only reach the primary boosters, so when I say so, turn on the secondary and tertiary boosters. Got it?"

His co-pilot beeped in understanding.

The cruiser was plummeting towards the ground. The base, blown up hangar and all, was coming into sharp focus. Poe yanked the ship horizontal again.

"Now!" yelled Poe.

All at once, every booster was activated. The cruiser bolted forward, flying just above the Resistance base. The two tie fighters couldn't pull up fast enough and crashed into the ground, exploding on impact.

"Wooo!" shouted Poe, throwing up his hand for a high-five.

BB-8 stared at him.

"Oh, yeah …" Poe said while starting to laugh.

He patted BB-8 on the head. He beeped happily back at him.

Poe tipped the ship up once more and climbed towards outer space. Once outside of the battle, he switched on the boosters again to make sure they got clear this time. Eventually, the fighting disappeared behind them and it grew very quiet. Poe exhaled, then looked at BB-8.

"Time to jump into hyperspace," said Poe. "Here we go."

Poe slowly pushed the hyperdrive lever forward. The black space outside the window turned into streaks of bright blue as the cruiser leapt into hyperspace at lightspeed.