Chapter 55: Darkest Days
So, it's been a while, I am so sorry. I'm certain everyone has forgotten this story but i am making it my personal mission to finish it and there's still a way to go and life most definitely got in the way so I just haven't had much time to write a lot lately, but I WILL finish this story, I promise. In truth, I had purposely put off publishing this chapter because it was the hardest one to write, you will see why... Please don't hate me, I mean, i'm sure you already hate me for not posting in a year but please don't hate me more for this!
Poe Dameron did what he always had done, all the way through his childhood, all the way to his current situation. He dreamt of better days. Days where he and Lyra and his father could sit around a fire in Yavin, barbequing food for dinner as they sat around and spoke fondly of past memories, as his and Lyra's children played nearby. The latter was always something Poe would keep to himself, unless of course the day finally came where he and Lyra could adopt children of their own, or at least find a surrogate.
His dreams had become more vivid of late, and Poe couldn't decide if it was because the reality of them seemed that much further away, or if was because having Lyra back in his life had breathed new hope into them holding true once more. Poe was roused by his dreams by a sudden pang of worry. It had been 3 days since his and Lyra's last mission and yet they seemed no closer to victory over the Final Order than before.
As his eyes snapped open, he immediately noticed Lyra in his arms, sleeping soundly. His body had been plastered to her own as he spooned her, one arm under her head, cradling her and the other around her waist. Her own arms were of course resting on-top of his own as she held his hands in her sleep. Their legs entwined within each other. He couldn't think of a more intimate sleeping position, but they had been so frightened to let each other go since her near-death experience. He tried to return to sleep again but it didn't come. Lyra was warm against him and he listened to the comforting sounds of her breathing. After a while, he moved away from her slowly, planting a kiss on her temple as he shifted away from her slowly enough to ensure she didn't wake.
He took his data pad from his desk before sitting down on the floor, leaning against the wall so he could see out onto the resistance camp from his treehouse quarters. He checked for messages, ones that might have come in since going to sleep, three hours ago, but there was nothing. Not even a message from Hux, who had now turned spy for the Resistance for the sake of trying to keep his wife safe from Palpatine and Ren's wrath. Poe felt tears build in his eyes at the realisation of their situation.
"My love, is everything alright?"
Poe looked up to see Lyra sat up in bed, her long hair tussled from sleep, his shirt that she slept in had fallen off one shoulder. Beautiful even in the dim light of the moon.
"I'm fine sweetheart, go back to sleep" he whispered.
Lyra, ever defiant got up from bed and went to him, kneeling down to his level as she wiped the sleep from her eyes.
"Poe, what's the matter? Talk to me."
He met her gaze, shaking his head slowly. "Nobody responded to our call for help Lyra. All those prisoners we helped, Maz Kanata, the pirates Rey went to, our spies, none of them were successful, nobody is going to help us Lyra."
She took the data pad from his hands and put it away, knowing he was going mad checking it every five minutes. She reached for him, stroking his hair as she tried to help him through what he was feeling.
"Give it time my love, people will come."
He shook his head. "No Lyra, they won't. Leia is gone, people are looking to me to help them get through this and I'm failing them. Lyra, what if they don't come, what if I can't save them?"
Lyra paused, taking his face in her hands as she stroked his face. "Poe Dameron look at me, you are not failing them, you are doing the best you possibly can. You can have bad days Poe, you can fail, you are allowed to fail, you are only human, but you aren't failing these people my love, you aren't failing your family, or me, or anyone you love and care about, do you understand?"
He let his tears fall and tried to blink them away. "What if I can't save them Lyra? What if it's all been in vain? All this work, for nothing?"
Lyra moved to sit next to him and he instantly rest his head on her shoulder as she moved to hold him.
"It hasn't been in vain. You are giving these people hope, you have worked your entire life to help others Poe, that sort of devotion doesn't go unnoticed, it's why Leia picked you to succeed her, it's why people love you, why they stick by you."
She felt her shoulder grow wet with his tears as she spoke to him.
"But it's not enough Lyra, what if this is it?"
She sighed, it was hard, to not give false hope and comfort someone at the same time. "If this is the end for us, it doesn't mean it's the end of the resistance. These people, Ren, Palpatine, the First Order, they thrive on making everyone else feel alone. As long as tyranny exists, there will always be those there to rise against it and fight for freedom and even if we do not see this tyrannical state of the galaxy end, you helped set an inspiring example, just like Leia, Luke and Han did, just like Obi-Wan and Master Yoda did before them, you are following in their footsteps my love."
He shifted his head to look at her. "But what if I can't protect you, I spent my whole life looking for someone to fight for and when I find her, I can't protect her from our enemies? Seems cruel."
She gave him a small smile. "Such is life. Besides, I already told you when I thought I would die that day, all of this, me leaving my peaceful life to free you from the First Order, fighting with you, loving you, it was all worth it, just to have this time with you that I've had. I would not take back a single day of it Poe, you did save me. I didn't know what true living was like until I met you, so please don't think for one second that you didn't save me."
Poe moved so his head lay in her lap as Lyra wiped his tears away. She had rarely seen Poe break down, once when he was mourning Leia and when he thought he had lost her, it wasn't that he was a stoic man or afraid of showing his emotions, it was just that he was always so busy taking care of others around him that he often forgot about himself. She stroked his hair softly as he played with the buttons on the shirt she was wearing.
"Do you ever stop to think what would have happened if you hadn't have joined the Resistance?"
He shook his head in an answer.
"Well, think about it, Finn might never have escaped the First Order, I certainly wouldn't have, the Resistance wouldn't have a leader to carry on Leia's legacy with as much experience as you do, they might have all been killed by now. Black squadron, without you as their leader, they would have died under less competent management. All the pilots in the Resistance, without your training might have fallen by the wayside long ago, and BB-8, Bee wouldn't have a droid dad who loves him, he would be spare parts by now if it wasn't for you. I would still be in the First Order, or I would have been killed for standing against them while I still stayed aboard their ship. You matter Poe Dameron. Your actions matter. You have done great things, you will do great things until the day comes that you cannot do anything anymore, you are a great man and people will follow you until the very end because you stand for everything that is good and right in this galaxy, do you understand me?"
Poe smiled as he looked up at his girlfriend, his soulmate and everything else slipped away, all the bad memories, all the dread and anger and sadness over his shortcomings and failures melted away as he looked upon the woman who had made his lifetime of fighting worth it. He relaxed into her touch as she continued to stroke his hair and nestled into her tighter.
"I can't make the pain go away Poe, but I can stay here and help you through it until you ask me to leave, so that's what I'll do."
"Don't ever leave Lyra, stay right here with me please, I can't do this without you" he whispered.
"You won't ever have to. Now sleep, I'll keep an eye on the data pad for messages, you sleep. People will come Poe, our friends will come, you just wait, your kindness will pay off, it always does" she told him as he began to drift off to sleep with his head in her lap as they both stayed there on the floor.
XXX
When Lyra woke the next morning, Poe was still sleeping in her lap. She was glad he had managed to get some hours of sleep. As she stroked his hair, his eyes fluttered open and he smiled lazily up at her, reaching out to bring her hand to his mouth to kiss it gently.
"Thank you for last night, sorry I was so moody" he said.
She leaned down to him. "Don't apologise for being human Poe, you are under a lot of pressure, I understand."
Just as Poe was about to reiterate how much he loved her, Finn's voice sounded from outside.
"You two hurry up and get down here, Rey thinks she might know where to get the wayfinder to Exegol" he called out.
Lyra and Poe got ready in a hurry and met with Rey and Finn outside.
"I looked at some notes Luke left behind. He talks of a Sith named Ochi, he was hunting Jedi masters and reporting to Palpatine, in Exegol. His last known location was a planet called Pasaana, I think we need to hunt for him in order to locate the wayfinder to Exegol" Rey told them as she held Luke's old notes in her hands.
"Alright, we'll leave now, Lyra, get Chewie and 3PO, Finn, Rey, you start the Falcon up, I'll brief the rest of the Resistance on what to do while we are gone" Poe told them, despite his lack of confidence last night, he was back to his usual commanding General ways, just like he was meant to be.
Maybe this was the luck they needed, the step towards defeating Palpatine's forces the Resistance so desperately needed.
XXX
Pasaana in normal circumstances would have been a dull planet, not unlike Tattoine or Jakku, It was an endless desert. However when the group of Resistance fighters landed, they saw it had come alive with the festival of ancestors, a legendary event held only once every 42 years by the Aki-Aki species to celebrate years of prospering on such a harsh planet.
Chewie stayed back to watch over the falcon, while the rest of the group went to look for clues to Ochi's location. As the group moved through the crowds of party-goers, they marvelled at the flurry of paint and bright colours and market stalls filled with all kinds of sights, smells and tastes.
A female Aki-Aki waved Lyra over as she walked by Poe's side. Lyra went to her as 3PO followed. Lyra knelt over as the female put a flower in her hair and spoke. Lyra looked to 3PO to translate for her.
"Her name is Pera, and she is giving you a bespol flower, it's a symbol of fertility. She hopes you and General Dameron are blessed with beautiful children" 3PO translated.
Pera put a hand on Lyra's stomach gently, but Lyra could only manage a sad smile as 3PO translated that Lyra couldn't have children of her own.
Pera's hand remained as she looked at Lyra and then her stomach before talking again.
"She says she sees children in your life, she says stranger things have happened in the galaxy this year, and that if you want children, you shall have them" 3PO said.
"Lyra sweetheart, everything ok? We have to go."
Lyra turned to see Poe stood there, holding his hand out for her.
"3PO, can you tell her I said thank you, tell her to enjoy the festival and that I appreciate her words" Lyra said as she nodded her head at Pera and stood up, taking Poe's gloved hand as he led her back towards Rey and the others.
As they walked, Poe noticed Lyra held a hand to her stomach. He placed his hand on her own, thinking that her blaster shot wound was perhaps causing her pain again.
"You alright sweetheart?"
She nodded, taking his hand in her own. "I'm fine, let's find this Ochi before anyone finds us."
They walked through the desert, searching for clues to Ochi when suddenly stormtroopers were seen patrolling the area. The group tried to stay under cover, moving through the crowds and stalls away from the stormtroopers, until eventually, they were spotted.
"Resistance members ahead, after them!"
Without even looking back, the group began to run away from the stormtroopers, dodging blaster fire as they fled, not wanting to fight back from fear of catching any festival attendees in the crossfire. They ran and ran until eventually they came to a clearing and that's when they began to fire back against their enemies.
As they ran away, they managed to secure a speeder big enough for them all to fit on and they began to race away through the desert. As the stormtroopers followed on their own land speeders, a couple of them deployed jet packs to catch up to the group.
"They fly now?" Finn asked.
Poe took one look back as he steered the speeder away. "They fly now" he answered.
Lyra took a well-aimed blaster shot at one of the approaching stormtroopers and shot at the jet pack, sending the stormtrooper flying into the sand before the jet pack exploded.
"I really hope you saw that Poe because that was impressive" she called back to her lover.
As he turned, Finn took out the other stormtrooper using a jet pack and Lyra managed to shoot one of the drivers of the speeders, sending the whole thing spiralling out of control.
Poe grinned. "I missed the first shot but I saw that one well enough, one more left guys let's go."
But as Poe was so busy paying attention to his friends, he missed the rock in-front of him, sending their own speeder flying. Thankfully it didn't go far and they managed to shoot the last lot of stormtroopers down as they stood in the sand pits.
It was only when they shot the last stormtrooper down they realised they were slowly sinking where they stood.
"What's happening? What is this?" Lyra asked as she reached out for Poe.
He tried to reach for her but only managed to grab her hand as they both fought against sinking to no avail.
"Poe, Poe, what's happening, Poe, don't let go" she called to him as she looked at him in fear when she saw him sinking faster than her.
"It's alright baby, it's gonna be alright, just stay calm, it's gonna be fine" he said as he sank below the ground, leaving Lyra to scream out for him.
Poe sank into a cave below, followed by Finn and Rey. As the others followed, Poe waited for Lyra and when he saw her legs come through the ceiling, he ran over to catch her in his arms as she fell.
She gripped him tight, touching his face as she checked he was really there with her before she hugged him. Another experience they had survived together by the skin of their teeth.
"Nearly didn't get a chance to tell you that shot you took at that stormtrooper was badass" he whispered.
She grinned against his neck before leaning back to face him. "That would been the real tragedy of us dying just then."
They made their way through the cave, trying to find clues of Ochi's location.
"So Ochi lived here, under the ground? Did he ever leave?" Finn asked.
"He didn't" Rey answered as she pointed to the skeletal remains of the Sith Master. Rey searched Ochi's body for any clue to unlocking the way finder's secrets until she came across a dagger, a dagger with sith inscriptions on.
"Stars, that's it isn't it? The instructions for the way finder? 3PO, can you translate it?" Rey asked their English speaking synthetic companion.
"Why, yes, I believe after Zorri's work on Kijimi, I can translate the inscriptions" he responded, causing the group to sigh in relief, some good luck at last.
But their good luck was about to run out, as a noise up top, alerted them to trouble. They made their way out of the cave using Rey and Lyra's connections to the force to sense a weak spot in the wall and blast through it to the surface.
They were met with stormtroopers, and as they fought back against the enemy, in the distance, they saw Chewie being marched onto an enemy ship by Ren's personal soldiers, the knights of Ren. The group managed to defeat the attacking stormtroopers, but while they fought, Chewie was flown off into space on-board the enemies ship.
They raced back to the falcon but as they went to race after Chewie, Lyra brought up a good point.
"Wait, wait, you have to hold back, we can't go straight to their location, they are expecting us to follow them, we have to hold back and follow them later" Lyra said.
"We'll lose their location by then!" Finn shouted back in response.
"You won't. I'll hazard a guess and say they are on their way to the Finalizer, and I know how to get to it" she replied.
Poe looked at her in confusion.
"Please don't be mad. I haven't used it I swear, but Armitage gave me this in case I was in danger and needed to find my way back to him. It was a last resort thing, and it's been turned off this whole time, I promise you Poe" she said as she pulled out a tracker before switching it on.
He paused before nodding once. "I'm not mad, you just gave us our chance to save Chewie without getting hurt on the way. We'll follow the tracker at nightfall, that gives us enough time for the enemy to think we left Chewie to their mercy."
Rey frowned. "And if they hurt him before then?"
"Chewie wouldn't want us to risk all our lives for him, we'll help him when we can, and if we are too late, I'm sure he would understand. Finn and I will rescue Chewie, the rest of you stay behind, I'm not risking more lives than we have to" Poe said.
"I have to object, if you're going on-board the Finalizer, me being there might be your only shot at surviving if you get caught. Armitage could help us, if the worst comes the worst, he's our best shot at getting us off that ship alive, and you'll need me to secure that trust from him" Lyra replied.
Poe grit his teeth, he knew what she said was true. While the First Order General turned spy might be willing to help them if it meant no harm would befall him, with Lyra there, Poe was sure the man would put his own life on the line to ensure their safety for the sake of his wife.
"Fine. Lyra, Finn and I will go rescue Chewie, Rey, Bee, 3PO, we'll fly back to Ajan Kloss, drop you off first" Poe replied.
"You are not going without me" the young jedi added, her brow furrowed.
"Yes we are. We can't afford to put more lives at risk than we need, you might just help us win this war Rey, and Bee, I can't put him at risk if I don't need to. You are staying behind to watch over the Resistance while we are gone, I'm the General and that's an order" Poe said, squaring up to Rey. Their stubbornness was exhausting.
They fought all the way back to Ajan Kloss, leaving Lyra and Finn to sit and watch them in exasperation, they even fought on the route they took back to the Resistance base. Eventually Rey relented, understanding the need to have someone in charge of the Resistance while the others were gone, just in case they didn't make it back.
After waiting until nightfall, Finn, Poe and Lyra made their way towards the finalizer on a smaller First Order ship the resistance had stolen a while back to use for covert missions. As Poe and Finn took charge of flying, Lyra paced the floor of the ship nervously, thinking about the possibility of seeing Armitage again.
Poe noticed her pacing and asked Finn to take over full command of the ship while he checked on her.
"Hey you, are you trying to wear the floor down to nothing?"
She looked up to see him smiling at her, his arms folded as he seemed concerned for her.
"Sorry, just nervous, going back to the ship I was tortured on, it's not something I thought I would have to do again, but we have to save Chewie" she replied before chewing her lip gently.
Poe stepped closer to her, he knew she was nervous, and he also knew she wouldn't want Finn to hear their conversation. Lyra was showing more fear now than she did when she was shot.
"I understand, you don't have to come with us if you don't want, I can fly you back sweetheart, I obviously don't want you to come, I don't want you put in that danger, and I know how hard this is going to be" he told her.
She shook her head as she rest her hands on his chest. "No, you need me. What use is having an ex First Order girlfriend if you can't use the benefits right? I might be able to help if we are caught, if things get bad. Poe, about the tracker, I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, I really didn't ever plan to use it, but I couldn't refuse Armitage's last request, he helped me escape. I thought it might be the last time I saw him and I couldn't say no, and then I told you the truth and you weren't talking to me so there was no time to tell you."
He shushed her gently as he held her hands. "No, don't be silly, it's fine, I understand, and it worked out for the best so don't be sorry Lyra, it's fine, I'm fine with it, it's ok, I just want you to be ok."
Lyra blinked as she looked down, thinking about the possibility of seeing Armitage before she met his gaze and nodded. "I'll be fine, as long as we stay safe."
He cradled her head with one hand as he kissed her forehead softly before he helped Finn pilot the ship into the finalizer.
They carefully knocked out the stormtroopers who waved them into the dock and took credentials and made their way silently through the halls of the ship Lyra had once reluctantly called home. They followed Lyra's lead, she knew the hours the stormtroopers patrolled and which hallways were best to travel by and it wasn't long until they bumped into Chewie, being held at blasterpoint by some stormtroopers, and a man Lyra knew so well, Armitage. Her heart fluttered in relief when she realised he was alive, however him being in the way of Chewie complicated things.
Poe was already looking at her when she turned to look at him. "What now?" he whispered.
"We just gun them down, save Chewie and run" Finn replied.
"No, what about Armitage?"
Poe frowned. "We, we have to save Chewie Lyra, it's the only wa…"
"Freeze! Hands where we can see them!"
A stormtrooper held a blaster to Lyra's head and all three of them held their hands up in surrender.
They stood up properly and immediately, Chewie, the other stormtroopers and Armitage looked over. When the General locked eyes with Lyra his eyes widened as Lyra's own eyes filled with tears. She didn't know if her tears were out of relief he was safe or sadness she and her friends had been caught.
"Hi Tij" she whispered quietly.
The General frowned at the stormtroopers as they raised their blasters to his wife. He raised a hand up to stop them.
"No. My traitorous wife and her rebel friends are mine to deal with, I'll execute them myself" he told the stormtroopers. Two of them followed the General as they escorted their prisoners down one of the halls.
Lyra looked back at her husband, hoping it was all a ruse so he could escort them all to safety, but when she tried to smile at him, she was met with a deep frown.
"Eyes ahead scum" he told her.
She looked over at Poe who reached out to hold her hand. He knew Hux was a spy for the Resistance, but even he was doubting that even Hux hadn't turned to serve the final order completely, after all, he had followed the regime a lot longer than he had been a spy, and without Lyra, perhaps that was enough to give over to the darkness completely.
When they reached the end of the hallway, Armitage made them stand in a line facing away from him. He took the blaster from the stormtrooper next to him and cleared his throat as he aimed.
"I suggest you say your goodbyes now" he told them.
Lyra couldn't help but let a tear loose as she reached over to take Poe's hand and Finn's hand with her other, thinking that this was perhaps the end and that hers and Poe's luck had finally run out.
"I love you Poe, I'm sorry I couldn't protect you in the end" she whispered.
"I love you too sweetheart, remember, I would choose this all over again if it meant I could spend more time with you" he replied.
As they squeezed each others hands, they recoiled as they heard two blaster shots but remarkably were not hurt in the process. As they all turned around, they saw the stormtroopers dead on the floor, with Armitage holding the blaster.
"Armitage!"
"Hello my darling" he replied.
She ran to him, enclosing her arms around him in a bone-crushing hug. He wrapped his arms around her, she was warm, as always and her hair, he didn't remember her hair smelling quite so lovely.
When they finally pulled away, she smiled up at him. "Tij, what you just did for us, that was very brave."
"Of course. Lyra, while you are here, you should know, I'm the Resistance spy."
Lyra and Finn both gasped before Lyra grinned. "You're the spy?"
When she noted Poe's lack of reaction, he stepped up. "Sorry sweetheart, I knew it but he asked me not to tell you, I was just honouring his request."
She nodded before turning back to Armitage. "You've been helping us? For how long?"
He sighed heavily. "Since, since you found out about me hiding Dameron's messages to you. I felt so guilty, I wanted to try and help, atone for some of the bad I had done."
"You started helping before I left? Why didn't you tell me?"
Armitage took her hands in his own. "I didn't want you to know because I didn't want you to think I was helping just to get back in your favour. I wanted to help in a way that wouldn't make it seem like I had an ulterior motive."
She smiled at him before looking back at Poe. "So you have both been speaking to one another, working together?"
Armitage shrugged. "To a certain extent, I suppose, yes we have. Are you angry?"
Lyra let out a small laugh. "No, of course not, I'm delighted."
"What are you doing here? All of you, you shouldn't have risked your lives coming here" the redheaded General said, looking over at Poe. In truth, he was annoyed Dameron had brought his wife here, to one of the most dangerous places in the galaxy.
"We came to rescue Chewie" Poe replied.
"Well, I hope this giant furball is worth the trouble, come on, I'll help you escape" Hux said, leading them away back towards the docks.
Poe, Finn and Chewie trailed behind as Lyra walked alongside Hux.
"So, how does working for the Resistance feel?"
Hux smirked. "It feels good to help you, and to fight against Ren right under his nose."
She bumped his shoulder affectionately. "No other reason at all?"
He paused, looking down at her, his beautiful wife, her lopsided grin at the realisation he was doing good by her finally.
"Fine, I suppose it feels good to be doing the right thing" he replied before smiling at her.
"I knew it. In any case your help is invaluable Tij, we need all the help we can get and having someone on the inside, it's amazing. Does anyone suspect you?"
He sighed. "They know there is a spy. I don't think anyone suspects me, but, I'm sure it won't be long until they realise the truth."
She reached out to touch his arm. "Then you should come with us, we can fight together Tij."
As they approached the docks, Tij pointed to his arm. "You need to shoot me, make your escape look believable, it needs to look like I didn't help you."
Lyra shook her head as she gripped his shoulders. "No, I'm not going to hurt you."
Finn stepped forward. "I will."
"No Finn, stop" she cried.
Poe put his hand on Finn's blaster, lowering it.
"Come with us Tij, you aren't safe here anymore, they will know you helped us, come with us" she said.
He held her hands. "I can't my darling. You need someone to cover your escape or you will never make it out of here alive, please, you need to leave, you need to go now…."
"FREEZE REBEL SCUM".
They turned to see stormtroopers approaching from every direction. Their hearts sank at the realisation they had been caught, and it was too late for Armitage to help them.
"Bring them to Allegiant General Pryde, General Hux, lead the way" one of the stormtrooper captains ordered.
Hux reluctantly led the way towards the main control room to the ship where Pryde would most likely be.
As he walked, he stole a few glances back at his wife, worrying for their current situation. Lyra's lip quivered as she looked between Poe and her husband, a sudden sense of dread filled her as she realised none of them would be able to talk their way out of this situation, perhaps Hux could leave unharmed but there was no way Pryde would let her go again, and there was no way he would spare Poe and her friends.
Poe managed to get close enough to her to nudge her, even with the stormtroopers aiming their blasters at them. "It's gonna be ok sweetheart, we'll be fine" he whispered to her.
She reached out to hold his hand but a stormtrooper jabbed her with his blaster in her back hard enough to cause her to cry out.
"You keep your hands off her!" Poe shouted back.
"Leave them! Let Pryde and I deal with them" Hux called out to the soldiers.
As they entered the main deck, Hux addressed Pryde.
"Allegiant Pryde, I, I have found resistance scum skulking around the ship" Hux frowned as he approached the older General.
Pryde smirked as he saw the four prisoners in question. Lyra frowned as she saw the old General draw his baton. As he stepped closer to them, he looked down at Lyra.
"Your traitorous wife returns to us again Hux, and with Poe Dameron no less, the very man she initially left you for? And who is this, the stormtrooper turned traitor as well and Han Solo's pet, how wonderful, four birds hit with one stone."
Before anyone else could react, he hit Lyra around the legs with his baton, causing her to fall to the ground in pain.
The other prisoners were forced to their knees as well before they could jump in to help.
Hux bit his tongue, flinching as he watched his wife hurt by a man he hated almost as much as he hated Ren.
"So Hux, explain to me what happened" Pryde asked, turning back to the young General.
"I….. it's like I said, I saw them skulking around the ship and I reprimanded them immediately" Hux said.
"And yet none of you are injured? They didn't fight back when you took them prisoner? Seems odd."
Hux frowned. "They were outnumbered, they clearly knew better than to fight back" Hux replied, his worried gaze going to his wife.
Pryde nodded once, his cold eyes falling on Lyra once more.
"What do you suggest we do with them General Hux? This is your wife, turned traitor twice and now she comes back, surely she doesn't get anu more chances now?"
Hux cleared his throat. "No, of course not. I think I'll deal with the prisoners myself, make an example of them, especially my wife. It will be my revenge."
Pryde nodded once more, studying Hux for a moment before taking a blaster from the nearest stormtrooper and shooting him in the stomach, sending him reeling back.
"Tell Ren I found the spy" Pryde spoke as Lyra let out an ear-piercing scream.
Poe tried desperately to reach Lyra as she cried out in pain at the realisation her husband had just been shot.
Suddenly, without warning, Lyra let out another blood-curdling scream and with that scream, she sent the remaining stormtroopers as well as the other officers on deck with the exception of Pryde back against the walls of the ship so hard she knocked them out cold.
Before Pryde could stop her, she used her ties to the force to disarm him before force-choking him so powerfully, his feet lifted up off the ground.
Poe, Finn and Chewie watched on in disbelief at Lyra's immense display of power.
"Allegiant General Pryde, how dare you hurt the ones I love. How dare you hurt my husband. How does it feel to know you will not see the end of this war? How does it feel knowing I was the one to end your life, the wife of your competition, a woman, one you underestimated more than once. I hope it feels as sweet to you as it does to me" Lyra spoke as she squeezed tighter around his windpipes with a mere hand gesture.
The General's eyes grew wide and red as he gripped at his throat, desperate to relieve the pressure the woman in-front of him was responsible for. She couldn't help but smirk at the thought of killing him, at the sight of him helpless beneath her strength.
"You are going to die now Pryde and nobody will remember you, I doubt anyone will even mourn you, unlike the man you just shot, who was a good man, who protected those he loved and did right in the end. You will go to your grave with no such comfort and I hope whatever awaits you in the afterlife treats you as you treated the innocents in this life" she spat at him before finally using the force so much she crushed his airways into nothing and released her hold on him so his lifeless body slumped to the floor.
"Lyra, it's….. it's Hux, he's still" Poe called to her as he stood over Hux's body. She snapped out of her blind rage and ran to Hux's side, sitting on the floor and pulling his body into her lap as she held him close.
He hissed in pain as she moved him, his wound gaping and undoubtedly fatal. She allowed tears to fall as she tried to comfort him.
"Tij, you're ok, hey, look at me, you're fine" she told him.
His eyes were wide as he looked up at her. He was scared, scared of what awaited him.
"I'm sorry Lyra" he whispered weakly.
"Sorry? What could you possibly have to be sorry for Tij, you tried to help us" she said.
"I'm sorry for everything Lyra, I'm sorry for keeping you prisoner, I'm sorry for not letting you go sooner, I'm sorry for not loving you better" he told her, one hand going to her cheek.
"You loved me better than anyone had before you Tij, you loved me well, more than well, don't you dare think otherwise. Listen, I'm going to help you Tij, we'll get you to the Resistance, to the healers. I'm going to save you Tij" she told him, resting a hand on his wound.
She began to channel her own strength through to Tij's wound, but as she did so, she felt herself weaken, her eyes closing as she tried to focus. Tij held her hand.
"Lyra stop. Stop, please. My job after I met you was to keep you safe, I'm not about to let you give your own life for mine. Please my darling, you have to let me go now."
She shook her head frantically as Poe and Finn watched on from a distance, wanting to give them space to say goodbye.
"No, no I won't let you go Tij. You're going to be fine, you can't leave me. You'll come with me back to the resistance base and you will fight this war alongside us, and everything will be fine Tij, everything will be fine I promise" she said, her tears falling as she tried desperately to deny the truth.
"My darling, you already saved me, you know that don't you. I was so lonely before I met you, you loved me, you showed me a love I didn't think I was ever worthy of, you made me happy my darling. You need to do the same for yourself now, Dameron, where is Dameron?"
"I'm here Hux" Poe said as he approached them. Lyra stroked Hux's hand as she held him close.
"I need you to get her out of here Dameron and then I need you to love her, love her better than I did, and never stop. Do you understand?"
Poe nodded. "I understand Hux, thank you for your help, I promise I'll love her like she deserves to be loved."
Hux nodded before he turned back to his wife. As his eyes began to close Lyra cried. "No, no Tij you can't leave me please don't leave me, you can't go, after everything we have been through you can't leave me. Don't go where I can't follow Tij, stay with me please, Tij please, please stay" she said as she held him tighter.
"I love you Lyra" he whispered.
"I love you too Tij, I love you, please, please stay here with me" she said as she stroked his face.
His grip began to weaken on her hand, his skin already painfully pale, more so than usual, he was dying.
"To die in the arms of the only woman I've ever loved, it's not a bad way to go my darling, I consider it an honour to have lived such a life with you, no matter how short it may have seemed, I'm so very lucky to have loved you and to be loved by you. You, you need to go on, be happy, marry Dameron, build a home and a life with him, please my darling, do it for me. Promise me you will do that for me?"
She paused before nodding, not wanting to deny the man's last wish, but also not wanting to believe it was her husband's last request.
"So very beautiful" he whispered before his gaze left hers and stared up at the ceiling of the ship instead.
Lyra looked at him through her tears before she began to shake him gently. "Tij, Tij no, no please, no. Wake up, Tij please wake up, Tij please" she cried out. When she realised he had passed on, she let out a gut-wrenching cry as she leant over his lifeless body, holding him tight.
Poe reluctantly knelt down to her height, not wanting to upset her more. "Lyra sweetheart, I'm so sorry, we need to leave before anyone else finds us."
She refused to move, instead crying over Tij's body.
Poe touched her back softly. "Baby, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry to do this but we have to leave, we have to go now" he whispered.
"I'm not leaving without him Poe, we have to bury him. We have to give him a proper send-off" she sniffed as she looked up at him.
Poe nodded slowly. "Ok, alright, Chewie, can you help please?"
Chewie gently took Tij's body from Lyra's grasp as Poe helped her up and all four of them made their way out of the control room back towards the docks to escape.
As they walked through the halls of the ship they came across a few stormtroopers who drew their blasters on them but Lyra's anger and grief made her an unstoppable force, she threw the stormtroopers back against the walls, killing them instantly from the force of the impact. Poe watched on in equal parts awe and fear as Lyra cleared a path for them to their ship.
As they made their way on-board and Poe and Chewie piloted them back home and Finn helped cover the cannons, Lyra held Tij's body close like he was still alive, cradling his head in her lap and stroking his cheek softly. He looked so peaceful there in her arms, like he was merely sleeping.
Poe kept looking back at Lyra, his heart broke for her. She had tried so hard to keep both him and her husband safe and here she was, grieving her husband's death, for all her power, she had been helpless against stopping Pryde's quickness.
When they touched down on Ajan Kloss once more, Poe approached Lyra.
"Sweetheart, we're back home. You want to come with me back to our room?" He leaned down and rested his hand on her back again gently.
She shook her head. "I can't leave him, I don't want him to be alone."
Poe swallowed as he nodded once. "Lyra sweetheart, we need to get him to med bay, the healers they need to….. we just need to get him to med bay. Chewie can take him, he won't be alone."
Her hands shook as she looked down at Hux once more.
"You, you promise he won't be alone?"
Poe nodded, pushing her hair back behind her ear. "I promise my love, I promise he won't be alone. It's ok Lyra, everything is going to be ok, I know it doesn't seem it now but everything is going to be alright. Let me help you sweetheart, will you let me help you now?"
Lyra paused, looking down at her fallen husband one last time before she nodded, reluctantly letting him go for one final time.
Chewie helped take Hux's body to the med bay as she reached for Poe, wrapping her arms around him. Poe held onto her tightly before he lifted her up and carried her to their shared room. She allowed herself to cry against his neck as he held her close.
As Poe carried her to their room, he approached their bed, placing her in it before getting her comfortable and drawing the bed covers over her.
"Sweetheart, you stay here, try to get some rest ok."
She reached for his hand. "Don't leave me. I don't want to be alone right now" she whispered.
"I'm just gonna check on Hux ok? I'll be right back. I'm gonna make sure the med bay are taking care of his, of him, ok? I'll be back sweetheart I promise."
She nodded slowly, releasing her grip on his hand as she allowed him to leave to check on Hux's body in the med bay. When he was sure the med bay staff were doing what they could to keep Hux's body intact until Lyra was ready to bury him he returned to her.
Lyra was still laying there, her eyes open as she stared blankly ahead. He got into the bed next to her and rested his arm around her waist, holding her close. She entwined her fingers through his own as she inclined her head towards him.
"I couldn't save him Poe, I tried but I couldn't" she whispered, her eyes already heavy and puffy from crying.
He shook his head slowly. "Lyra you can't feel guilty for this. You did everything you could, Hux would have always put his own life ahead of yours, it's why he protected you all these years, it's even why he took you away from me all those months ago. He wouldn't have allowed things to happen any other way."
She broke down, realising that she would never see Hux again. She would never be able to tell him how proud she was of the man he had become, she would never be able to tell him he was a good man, or hold him, or make him feel wanted and loved. She would never wipe his tears away or heal his wounds or be able to stroke his messy hair back from his face in the morning when he woke. He was gone. Forever.
Poe held her, allowing her to rest her face against his neck once more as he comforted her with gentle shushes and kisses to her forehead until eventually, emotional exhaustion took her and she fell asleep in his arms.