Ah, ah, ah. Not today, Kylo Ren!
As for Kylo's dark plot, Poe Dameron had other plans.
No way was he gonna leave his little sister at the hands of those First Order butchers! Even if they'd already gotten to her, gotten inside her head, he wasn't going to leave her. He'd already lost his mom, and his dad was holding out hope for their success. Nope. Abandonment was not an option!
"So, Captain. What's your big idea?" Donny asked.
"We'll play it by ear." Poe replied. "Okay. We're going in." He slowly steered the ship inside the small cargo hanger, the very one that Tania had snuck into hours ago!
"Smuggling us in. Clever." Melda grinned.
"Okay. Just let me do the talking." Poe told them as he parked the miniature cruiser. "Oh yeah. Yep. They've noticed us. Open the loading dock."
"You want me to what?" Melda gaped.
"Open it." Poe insisted. "Just trust me, guys."
"Okay..." Melda gulped and punched the button. The dock slowly opened.
"Inspect that cruiser from the inside out." One of the First Order commanders instructed the stormtroopers.
"Yes, sir." They answered.
"They're coming in." Donny warned Poe.
"I know." Poe whispered back. "Hello?! Uhh, yeah. We could use a hand in here! Something's jammed!" He called out to the stormtroopers. Melda and Donny were stunned.
"What the h- are you doing?" Donny hissed.
"Get ready." Poe answered back.
"For what?" Donny asked.
"Just do it!" Melda grinned.
Ten minutes later, three stormtroopers emerged from the small ship and approached the commander. "What took you so long?" He growled at them.
"Aww, sorry. Our shipment of weapons from Canto Bite was raided." Poe groaned. "We had to recount everything, it was a mess."
"Where did you get this...ship? That is not a First Order cargo ship."
"As I said, ran into a little trouble. We had to fight our way through, and by the time the shooting stopped, our own ship was up in flames. Had to accommodate this one to get back." Poe sighed.
"Resourceful, I suppose." The commander muttered. "Very well. Report to Captain Phasma immediately."
"Yes, sir!" Poe exclaimed, saluting. Donny and Melda did the same and followed their leader out of the cargo bay. Once they were in the hall, they spoke in low tones.
"Nice move, Captain." Melda chuckled.
"Hey, I've done this a time or two." Poe shrugged.
"Where is Tania?" Donny wondered.
"Well, there's one of two places." Poe sighed. "We could sure use BB-8 right now. Follow me."
The three impostors quietly marched through the ship, doing their best to look inconspicuous. "So, where is the interrogation?" Donny asked lowly.
"Trying to figure that out." Poe shushed him. "Hey, buddy!" Poe spoke, trying to disguise his voice as he waved to another stormtrooper. "We're to pick up a prisoner. But, I'm new here. This is my first assignment. So, where is interrogation again?"
"Up three decks. First large door on the left. Good luck." The stormtrooper answered.
"Thanks, pal." Poe said. They stepped to one the elevators and filed inside.
"You're getting a little too good at this." Donny told Poe.
"Yeah, well it's getting us in, isn't it?" Poe huffed. The elevator shifted and they walked out. "There it is!" Poe whispered. He swallowed hard, afraid of what he was going to see when he walked into that d- interrogation room. He was dreading what condition he was going to find his sister in. But the longer he stalled, the less chance she had of getting out. "Okay, let's go." He told his partners. He held his head high as he strode up to the door. He pressed the large enter button and the doors slid back. He quickly hurried in, but his heart dropped into his stomach when he found the interrogation chair empty!
No, no! Poe's breath hitched. The floor has been wiped clean, no traces of blood or anything. "No..." His voice quivered.
"Poe?" Donny spoke with concern. Poe shuddered. She wasn't here! That could only mean one thing.
"Poe!" Melda spoke louder, shaking his arm. "Come on. I have an idea." She started removing her stormtrooper armor.
"Mel!" Donny scolded. "What-"
"You need a prisoner to escort to the detention block, don't you?" Melda spoke, gloating. Poe breathed with hope. It was a long shot, but it was a shot. "We're gonna do this, Captain." Melda grinned confidently.
"We're gonna do this." Poe nodded.
So, two stormtroopers marched with a tall girl in cuffs toward the detention area. "I hope you're right about this." Poe gulped.
"Don't have much of a choice, do we?" Melda replied.
"Nope. Act scared." The door from the elevator opened. They marched up to the command center. "New prisoner, sir." Poe spoke.
"I didn't receive any orders about a new prisoner." The commander grumbled.
"Last minute record discrepancy." Donny said, irritated.
The commander grunted. "Let me confirm this." He rolled his eyes.
Donny was keeping a close eye on the command center controls. He normally worked back in the surveillance area at the Resistance Base. If he could just get close enough...he might be able to disable the cameras. As the commander was reaching for the microphone, Poe handed Melda a blaster. She fired on the commander, then Donny fired at the guy working the controls. As Poe and Melda took out the others, Donny hurried to the desk and switched the surveillance cameras off. But Poe still blasted them just to be safe.
"Lock the doors!" Poe told Donny. Donny quickly put the doors on lock down. "Nice job, guys." Poe praised his friends.
"Poe! I found her!" Donny told him. "She's in Cell-block 6153." Poe's face lit up.
"Thanks, pal. You guys stay here. I'll get her." Poe told them and he ran to the cell door and punched the numbers in."In here!" Poe yelled as he dashed inside. His heart dropped into his stomach at the gut-wrenching sight before him. Tania was lying on her side, the side of her head stained with dried blood, her hands shackled together, chained to a block on the floor. Her body was a horrible, bloody mess.
"Oh my g-" Poe swallowed and knelt down next to Tania. Her complexion was so sickly, she looked like a corpse. "Donny, get in here! Tanny. Tanny!" Poe implored her, carefully gathering her in his arms."Wake up, honey. I'm here." Tears filled his eyes as he removed his stormtrooper helmet. "Honey?" He leaned his head against her chest, afraid of what he wouldn't find. He felt it! A heartbeat!
"She's still alive!" Poe gently shook her face. "Tania? Tanny, it's me!" He told her quietly. Tania cried in pain with her eyes tightly shut. "Shh. Shh. It's okay." Poe assured her.
"P-P-Poe?" Tania whimpered shakily, her voice sounding so small and frail, her bloodshot eyes wide with fear. "Poe! Poe?"
"Yes, honey. It's me. It's okay. I'm here." Poe smiled tearfully, holding her face.
"Po-" Tania couldn't speak, but clung to him tightly.
"Oh my..." Donny's eyes popped out when he saw his friend.
"Help me." Poe told him. Donny stooped next to them, handing a wrench to Poe.
"Never leave home without it." Donny said proudly. Tania shuddered as she gazed at her friend looking like an enemy. He quickly removed his helmet. "It's okay, Tania. It's just me!" He smiled.
Donny quickly unscrewed the bonds and Poe rubbed her wrists. "P-Poe. Are you r-r-real?" Tania wept, shaking.
"Yeah." Poe nodded. "Come on. Let's get you out of this hellhole!" Tania collapsed into his arms, passing out again. "Whoa." He gulped, and scooped her up bridal-style. "It's okay. I got ya." He said. "Let's go! We have to hurry. She's in really bad shape!"
"How?" Donny asked.
"Oh, right. We can't just walk her out of here like this." Poe bit his lip. But he had to think of something fast! Tania was dead weight in his arms, and who knew how long it had been for her going without her wounds untreated?
"Poe, did-" Melda asked then she gasped in horror, seeing the condition the pilot's sister was in. "What the h-!" She growled.
"We need a way out of here." Poe said.
"I have an idea." Donny smiled.
"Whatever you guys can come up with right now, I'm open to it!" Poe urged them.
"Mel, I'll need your help." Donny said. Melda sighed and followed him as he unlocked the doors. They were met with a horde of stormtroopers.
"Oh, boy." Melda groaned. Donny opened fire and she did the same. Poe shrunk back into the corner. He set Tania down up against the wall, and stood in front of her, shielding her and prepared his blaster.
"Guys! What's going on, out there?" He shouted.
"We're busted, genius! That's what!" Donny yelled, firing back, standing in front of Melda. Melda squatted down behind his legs and fired from there. A hot graze hit her in the arm and she screeched, falling back.
"Mel!" Donny cried in horror. Melda scooted to the other side of the door, firing back as best she could until she had to hide and wince.
"Melda," Poe gulped, kneeling next to her. "Are you okay?"
"It's...not bad..." Melda gritted her teeth. Poe noticed the red, bloody wound on her arm.
"This is not good." Poe bit his cheek. He glanced back anxiously at Tania. She was unconscious, and even more pale out here in the hall than she had in her cell. Poe panted, trying to figure out what to do! "Stay low." He told Melda. He sprang from his hiding place and fired with Donny. The stormtroopers all went down, smoke flowing out of their chest-plates.
"Mel," Donny said sadly as he held her arm. She winced. "Sorry."
"I'll be okay." She panted.
"Melda? Stay here with Tania. We're gonna get you two out of here. Donny, you come with me." Poe said.
"Right." Donny nodded. He quickly locked the doors before running out.
Melda sat next to her friend, blaster in hand. How she wished she'd kept that stormtrooper armor on! Tears spilled from her eyes at the drilling pain in her arm. She gazed at Tania and studied her fried torso. The bandages were red with blood and showed peeks of raw flesh, her shirt was frayed with black edges, and she was deathly pale. "What the h- did they do to you, my friend?" She whimpered, her heart pounding with fear. She hoped Poe and Donny hurried!
Ten long minutes later, a pounding on the door startled Melda nearly out of her skin. "Mel! It's us!" Donny called. Melda bit her lip and walked to the desk and unlocked the doors. Two stormtroopers entered with a large, black metal crate on wheels. "Mel, are you okay?" Donny asked.
"I will be when we get out of this mess!" Melda answered. Poe was at Tania's side, checking her pulse.
"We gotta hurry. Her pulse is too low!" He exclaimed, his shoulders heaving with worry. His friends felt helpless when they saw the panic in his eyes.
"So. what's the plan?" Melda asked.
"Mel, you're pale." Donny said as Poe picked up Tania.
"I just got shot, Captain Obvious." Melda retorted. Donny helped Poe gently place Tania inside the crate as comfortably as they could.
"You're next, Mel." Donny said.
"I won't fit."
"Sure ya will. Now get in." Poe told her. "Please hurry, Melda!" Melda took a deep breath then climbed inside, hovering over Tania. "Okay. We're gonna close this, and you stay down til we open it again."
"Let's just get out of here!" Melda told them. She was so done with this place!
Donny and Poe carefully pushed the crate through the base to the lower levels, and to their relief, nobody tried to stop them or question them. They came to the door leading into the cargo bay where their ship was. It was swarming with stormtroopers! Melda could hear blaster fire, but wasn't sure who was shooting. It sounded muffled inside the cramped crate. Finally, it was silent, but she didn't know if it was safe to lift the lid and stand up or not. She heard the lid being opened! She aimed her blaster up.
"Whoa, whoa! Easy there, Mel! It's just us!" Donny told her. He offered her a hand and she gladly took it. Her legs were almost asleep from squatting for so long. He helped her back on solid ground as Poe lifted Tania into his arms.
"Come on!" Poe commanded. They hurried down the stairs, across the terminal, and into the ship. "Shut that door!" Poe yelled. Donny quickly sealed the loading dock closed tight. Poe carefully set Tania down on one of the cots in the infirmary. "Donny, help Melda. I'll be there as soon as I get us out of here!" Poe jarred up the controls, rudely firing the engines to life, and quickly steered the ship backwards out of the hanger. He was relieved that no one seemed to notice their departure!
"Everyone okay back there?" He called.
"Give us a little warning next time!" Donny thundered back.
"Sorry." Poe shook his head. He put the ship on full speed and drove it as far away from the Finalizer as he could then jumped to light speed. He let out a huge breath of relief, sinking back into his chair. He removed the stormtrooper armor then hurried to the infirmary after putting the ship on auto pilot.