Kylo Ren had used his lightsaber on anything he could see in Tania's now empty cell. He'd been on his way there to order her to receive proper medical attention, then he was going to mindtrick her into trusting him. But when he had arrived at the detention block, he had found a heap of dead stormtroopers and blasted out surveillance cameras. Tania's cell was empty, save for the blood on the shiny floor.
Well, she couldn't use the Force anyway, no big loss there. That made her pretty useless. But her piloting talents could've served the First Order so well, and been a staggering blow to the Resistance. Now that, would've been a delicious advantage over their enemies! Well, it had seemed like a good idea at the time. What Kylo couldn't understand was how the h- she'd been rescued? Unless. it had occurred during his session with Snoke. No! There was no way. He would've sensed them! Or had he been so preoccupied in his grand idea, and impressing his master that he'd missed it?
Poe Dameron. Poe Dameron, d-it! That shifty, sassy, trigger happy, sky jockey had snuck into their fortress and saved his sister right under their fingers! Needless to say, the many stormtroopers and officers gave the detention area a wide berth when they heard the after effects of Kylo's failure.
With Melda's help, Donny was hooking Tania to the medical machines when Poe stepped into the infirmary. "How's she doing?" Poe asked worriedly.
Melda kept one hand on Tania's wrist and felt her forehead with the other. "D- it. She's running a fever!"
Poe's breath hitched and he covered his face, bringing his hands down to his chin. "Donny, tend Mel's arm." Poe said, shuffling between them and coming to Tania's side. He felt her face himself. She was very feverish.
"I'm fine." Melda shook her head.
"That's an order!" Poe demanded. Donny and Melda could see that he clearly wasn't joking. Donny nodded and led Melda over to an examination chair so he could clean her wound and bandage it. Poe looked down sadly at his sister. She had an oxygen mask over her face, she was hooked up with several wires to the monitors, and she was so pale. He blinked back tears and cleared his throat loudly then walked away to find the items he would need to help nurse her back to health.
Melda winced as Donny tenderly dabbed bacta gel on her blaster wound. "Sorry." He said nervously. "You can squeeze my hand." He offered kindly.
"I'm not some kid who's never had a vaccination before, Don." Melda fixed him fiercely with a dark look. "Just fix me up and get it done with."
"Well excuse me for trying to be helpful!" Donny retorted. Normally, he enjoyed Melda's fiery attitude, but tonight he just wanted to make sure she was okay. It had scared him when she'd gotten shot, and on his watch. They were good friends, and thinking she could've been hurt worse still shook him.
"Sorry." Melda said more softly. "I just feel bad, you fussing over something small like this when...well, look at Tania! I have to help."
"Almost through."
"Donny?" Poe addressed him. "Soon as you're through with Mel, see if you can get through to the Resistance. Tell them to meet us with a med-tank when we arrive. And ask if they have been able to make any contact with BB-8!"
"You got it." Donny nodded.
Tania stirred, moaning. Poe quickly stooped next to her. "Shh. It's okay. Here, honey. Take this." Poe urged her, handing her a cup of liquid, holding his hand behind her head. Tania slowly drank whatever ill-conceived medicinal concoction he'd decided to give her then she gagged. "Easy." He took the cup from her then laid her head back. "You're in bad shape."
Tania normally would've replied with an, I could've told you that, dolt," but she merely chewed her lip.
"We have to bring your fever down." Poe dabbed her forehead with a cool cloth, making her slightly jolt. "Hey, I gotta treat these wounds before we get back to base. Which means, I have to get all this gunk off of you. This is probably gonna really hurt, Tanny. But just...just sit tight for me, okay?" Poe told her, squeezing her hand. She grunted unhappily.
Poe started cautiously peeling off what was left of her torn, burnt shirt and then the flimsy, bloodied bandages. "Sorry, hon." He told her as she flinched and whimpered from his ministrations. Tania screeched when he pulled the sticky cloth from her singed skin. Poe bit his tongue so hard he was sure he was drawing blood as he continued, trying to get this over with as quickly as possible.
As soon as he'd cleared away all the dirty, fringed material, an acidic anger pulsed right through his gut, rushing to his head, and all the way down to his fingers when he began to see how hurt she really was. "-!" Poe swore vehemently when he observed the damage. Red and black, bleeding, blistered flesh in several haphazard marks covered her whole front. Those were burns! Ugly burns. Two of them looked fresh, and coating over her already infected ones. His sister looked like a literally grilled fish, which made his skin crawl and his chest burn furiously. How long had she had these? Had they been treated at all? Never mind. That was a STUPID question!
Poe Dameron, though rash and temperamental, was not a vindictive person by nature, nor was he prone to extreme anger. But this...this was beyond crossing the line. Oh, he knew that was the way the First Order imperials worked. He knew this kind of stuff happened to people a lot, and some probably worse, who were tragically unlucky enough to be captured by the First Order. But this was his sister, his flesh and blood. And what had she done to deserve this? What charge had been brought against her so offensive that she'd been ordered to become maimed to this intensity? What was the use of all these questions, really? Poe knew the answer: she was a Rebel, that was good enough for those bloodthirsty Imperials...with rare exceptions like his good friend Finn.
Poe Dameron didn't care which individual in the massive army of the First Order did it: they would regret this unspeakable inhumanity they'd committed! No one could hurt his baby sister like that! Poe swore colorfully, enough for Donny and Melda to whip their heads in his direction, flabbergasted. "I gotta get you back to Doc Kalonia, fast!" Poe told Tania.
Donny hurried to the cockpit while Melda quickly grabbed whatever medical supplies she believed they would need and started rummaging through the first aid kit. "Thanks, Mel." Poe nodded. He turned to Tania, grimacing at what he had to do. He shifted closer to her. "Alright. Sweetie, this might sting… a lot." Poe warned her. Tania didn't speak but curled her fingers into tight fists. Poe gingerly dabbed a piece of gauze with bacta gel on one of her burns.
"Ahh, ahhh!" She hissed painfully, writhing. "Poe!" She cried.
"I'm so sorry, honey." Poe said sadly, stroking her face. Tania trembled horribly as he touched her hurts. Even in her greatly weakened state, she was petrified of being flat on her back like this, weak, and helpless. It reminded her of the torture chamber.
"Poe, stop!" She begged. "Please, stop. Stop."
"Believe me, sis, I wish I could! But these wounds haven't been properly treated. I can't let-" Poe told her gently.
"I k-know." Tania nodded, biting her lip. "Just...hurts..." Tears slid down her pale face as her body continued to shake. Her breathing became rapid. He touched her shoulder.
"Hey, it's okay if you have to cry. It's just me here." Poe smiled. Tania's eyes grew larger.
"P-Poe...BB-8...w-w-where is h-h-he?"
Poe hung his head shamefully. "I don't know. I sent him off with the map, so the First Order wouldn't get their hands on it. I...haven't found him yet. But we'll get him back, Tanny! That little guy is tougher than he appears."
"Mmm-hmm." Tania would've smiled, if she wasn't in so much pain. She missed her little droid. She sure could use his presence for moral support right now!
"Tanny, which one of those b-s did this to you?" Poe growled seriously. "I want to know which one."
"Wh-who else? Kylo Ren." She winced, panting frantically as she remembered those horrible moments.
"Ren." Poe seethed. "That bloody rankor!" He declared hotly, as he continued to tend his sister's horrible wounds. Ordinarily, Tania would be verbally sharing his sentiment. But at the moment, all she could do was cry. That really concerned Poe. They weren't bantering or joking small talk over stupid things like they usually did in the face of fear or danger. Even when he'd broken his arm and his leg or she'd sprained her ankle, they'd kept up lightly picking at each other to make each other laugh. He wished she would at least throw a small crack at him to relieve some of the mental stress, but not even that. Some of the burns were infected, and they had a limited supply of medical resources on board. Poe leaned down and sadly kissed the tip of her forehead. "I'll get you home, Tanny."
With Melda's assistance, Poe did what he could to tend her hurts, and keep her fever down. He tried to convince her to drink as much as possible. "Sorry for the incrimination, but right now it is the safest way to keep your burns from getting worse." Poe told her as he covered her torso with thick, clear plaster instead of another shirt or a med gown. Granted, her bosom was discreetly hidden underneath a large white pad. Tania slightly wagged her head, not retorting, her eyes closed. Poe sat down and rubbed her hand between his. He glanced anxiously at the monitors measuring her vitals. She was very weak. "Just hang on a little longer, Sweetie. We'll be home in a little while." He said, tears filling her eyes.
Tania swallowed hard and winced underneath the oxygen mask. Her body hurt so much! "P-Poe?" She whispered hoarsely.
"Yeah?"
"Stay...please..." Tania begged feebly.
"Sure. Of course." Poe nodded, squeezing her hand and dabbing her face again with a cool cloth. Tania closed her languid eyes.
Poe sat there, refusing to let go of her small hand and watched her thoughtfully. It's my fault this happened, he thought. His mind went back to their earlier years, to happier times: little Tania sitting in the grass cheering as Poe ran around the lawn pretending to be aircraft shooting the 'bad guys'; exciting bedtime stories with Kes their father; the crazy tickle fights they had-which was never a fair fight because Poe was bigger and much stronger; playing Hide-and-Seek all over the ranch; taking her into town to get her favorite ice cream, which usually ended up in a blue, sticky mess; him showing off his muscles and piloting skills to her childish delight; climbing all over the old tree Luke Skywalker had gifted to their family; Poe building an X-wing out of cardboard boxes and pretending he was fighting in the Rebellion like his mom, with Tania climbing in, his little "stowaway" and trying to take him by surprise; asking Kes if they could get a dog; Poe showing Tania the different tools and gadgets that went into fixing vehicles...
Poe choked down hard on a heavy breath. When he'd been a spice runner, running away from home, while it hadn't all been bad, the one thing he would never forgive himself for was leaving his little sister, to seek thrills! He'd hoped that she would be Kes's ray of hope and sunshine in his absence. But it had been hard: Tania was still quite young when Poe had fled Yavin 4, and she would ask their father all the time, "Why did Poe leave? When is he coming back? Why doesn't he come home? Did I do something bad, and that's why he left? Where's Poe? Where's my big brother?'"Poe had been struck to the core at how hurt and betrayed she had felt when he had just up and deserted them. After he'd come back to them, it had taken weeks to truly earn back his younger sister's love and forgiveness for what he'd done.
That was why she was here now. When Kes had given his blessing for Poe to join the Resistance, Tania had refused to stay home. She'd told him and their father, "I'm not losing you again, Poe Dameron! You go this time, you don't go alone. Don't worry, Dad. I will keep an eye on him. Somebody has got to make sure he has his head screwed on straight!"
He'd always felt it was his duty to look after his sister, yet she'd been the one looking out for him. She truly had since they'd joined the Resistance. She'd acted like his Mother Hen to the point he would avoid her at times so he didn't have to answer the scolding questions he already knew by heart. But this time, she'd needed him and he'd been too late. He just prayed she didn't die before they got back to the base!
"Hey," he whispered to her. Tania turned her head in his direction and barely opened her eyes. "When this mess is all over, I'm gonna get you the biggest, most expensive serving of blue milk custard in the galaxy." Poe joked sadly. That had been her absolute favorite dessert since she was a baby. "I need ya to stick around for that, okay?" Tania feebly nodded.
"We'll be there in a few hours." Melda told Poe as she stood in the doorway. "Don says no word from BB-8, yet." Poe sighed. "Hey, she'll make it." Melda said encouragingly. "You two are as tough as they come. I've never seen anyone cheat death like you, Poe. Dameron's' are not quitters."
"Right." Poe chuckled tearfully. "How's your arm?"
"Aww, it's fine." Melda shrugged. Her color was better, but she was guarded in how she moved her injured limb.
"Mel, I can't thank the two of you enough." Poe looked at her seriously. "What you did was beyond courageous. Thanks for being there."
"That's what friends do." Melda nodded.
One of the officers cautiously approached Kylo Ren, whose back was facing him."Sir, we were unable to acquire the droid on Jakku." The officer gulped nervously. "It escaped capture aboard a stolen, white, T-model Corellian freighter."
Kylo Ren cocked his head slowly. "The droid stole a freighter?" He quipped dryly.
"Not exactly, sir." The officer answered timidly. "It had help. We have no confirmation, but we believe FN-2187 might have helped in the escape..."
The crackling of Kylo's red lightsaber slashing and burning the screens and walls in front of him hissed furiously, echoing in the room. Kylo finally relented and stood there, shoulders
sagging, panting.
"Anything else?" He asked wearily.
"Yes, sir." The officer said in a small voice. "The two were accompanied by a girl."
Kylo whirled around reached out his hand, force choking the poor officer and dragging him to his hand where Kylo's finger curled angrily around his throats. Kylo growled,
"What girl?"
They finally sailed into the Ileenium System and landed on solid ground at the Resistance base. Donny and Melda disembarked from the cruiser, Melda's sister, Jan, running up and embracing her tightly.
"Get me a medic! I need a medic, now!" Poe yelled at the top of his lungs, carrying Tania's limp body in his arms. The medical transport tank drove right up to him and the aides gingerly helped move Tania onto the flat bed. "Easy, easy!" Poe warned them. "She's been tortured. And she's got a fever." The aides nodded urgently and took her away to the infirmary.
Poe stood there, panting. He'd gotten her home! He'd gotten her this far, where she could get the proper help. He felt soulful eyes on his person, and he glanced to his right. Leia. She gazed at him sympathetically. They slowly walked toward each other. Tears filled Poe's eyes. "Poe," Leia spoke softly.
"It shouldn't have happened." Poe sniffled. "You didn't see her like I did when I found her..." He swallowed hard, "she was trying to get me out...it shouldn't have happened."
"No, it shouldn't have. But you got her out, Poe! You brought her back home where she can be safe and looked after." Leia said encouragingly.
"It's not good enough." Poe snapped.
"You didn't fail her, Poe. I did. I shouldn't have let her go on the mission to find the map to Luke. This is on me. Forgive me, Poe."
"I should've put my foot down! I knew it was dangerous. I should've never let her come here with me."
"What matters right now is that she's here. Because you got her out. Now, we have work to do. Pull yourself together, Poe." Leia told him firmly, but kindly. He glanced at her tentatively.
"Right." He wiped his eyes.
Poe joined his comrades who filled him in on the newest developments, which weren't many. He told Leia and the other superiors of Melda and Donny's bravery. How he couldn't have saved his sister without them. They'd been back at the base for five hours, and he'd received no word on his sister. As he went over plans to return to Jakku to retrieve BB-8, Doctor Kalonia appeared and touched his shoulder. "Commander Dameron?" She spoke kindly.
"Doc, how is she?" Poe asked anxiously.
"We had her in a bacta tank for a few hours." The doctor replied. "It helped dissolve the flakes of dead skin. It didn't take away all the scars, they're still not pretty to look at. Some of her wounds were infected when she was first brought in, but they are in slow remission now. The fever's still there, but her temperature is steadily remaining low right now. You did a good job looking after her."
Poe allowed himself to breathe. "Is she gonna be okay?" He asked pleadingly.
"I think so. But right now, I need to tell you. She's in a coma." Poe winced, rubbing his face and his eyes welled up. "We'll keep a close eye on her, Captain."
"I wanna see her."
"Of course." Dr. Kalonia nodded.
"Captain! Captain Dameron, sir!" C-3PO hollered excitedly cantering toward him.
"Not now, 3PO." Poe waved him off.
"But, Sir! General Leia has sent me to fetch you. We have some rather startling good news!"
Poe cocked his head. "I'll be right back." He told the doctor and ran to find Leia, with C-3PO waddling behind. "General Organa? You sent for me?"
"Yes." Leia smiled. "One of our informants has just reported that we have a signal from BB-8."
Poe gaped. "Really? Where?" He asked breathlessly.
"Takodona." Leia said. "We're getting ready to head there right away."
"General, I...I haven't seen my sister yet."
"Go ahead. But come back to me when you're through." Leia nodded to him.
Poe walked slowly into the med-bay and his shoulders sagged as he stepped toward the hospital bed where Tania lay, unaware of his presence. According to the doctors, she would recover. But how long would that take? When would she wake up? WOULD she wake up? He sniffled as he took her small hand. "I'm sorry I have to rush off like this, sis. But BB-8 is out there and needs help. We need to bring him home." He kissed her hand and stroked her hair. "I'll be back. I love you."
Inside his X-wing, Poe cranked his engine to life, adrenaline pumping through his body. "Hang on, BB-8. I'm coming for you, buddy!"