As the Resistance splinters apart to carry out their various tasks for the upcoming mission, Poe lingers, staring up at the map projected out in the middle of the command room. Once, he wouldn't have questioned their plans; he would have been eagerly charging forward, reluctant to wait another second before attacking the First Order.

But with Leia gone and Finn off-world recruiting escaped stormtroopers, he has the responsibility of everyone's lives weighing down on him. One foolhardy decision could destroy everything, and he hates it. If he could, he would hand the decision-making power over in a heartbeat and return to what he excels at: flying.

The only thing that stops him is the knowledge that Leia thought he and Finn were the best choices for the role. He refuses to let her down by backing down now.

'Are you alright?' Rey asks, her voice echoing around the otherwise empty room.

He flinches. Apparently, he isn't alone after all. 'Do you think we can pull this off? I don't want to send our people into a bloodbath.'

Rey hesitates, and he appreciates that she's giving this the time it deserves instead of just spouting out her initial reaction like he would have done. 'I know we can.'

'How?' he asks, latching onto her certainty like a lifeline. 'We lost three pilots last time. If that happens again, then at some point, we're won't be able to go on.'

'We made mistakes last time; we didn't plan it out well enough. We're not going to do that again.' She gestures out the one-sided glass overlooking the main wing of the base. It's a lively hive of activity as the rest of the Resistance bustle around, eagerly preparing for the mission. 'Besides, they may have strength in numbers, but our strength lies in our dedication. Every single person out there has lost someone to the First Order's tyranny and knows what's at stake if we lose. That counts for something.'

Poe nods as he processes her words. They aren't new to him, but it's a relief to hear them from someone else. Coming up through the ranks, how many times did he watch missions succeed purely because of the passion and creativity of the Resistance forces? How many times did he implore Leia to let them at a situation with a hundred to one odds because he knew they could pull it off?

Now he's the leader, his thoughts need to be measured and calculated. He can't take risks on a whim and trust that they will pay off; he has to weigh up the chance of success and whether the Resistance can survive if they fail.

But at the same time, there's danger in going too far the other direction. If they only enter battles they know they can win, nothing will ever change. They may save a handful of souls in backwater planets, but the First Order will stay in power until, ultimately, the Resistance's lack of progress causes them to defeat themselves.

It's his job to find a middle ground — to avoid the battles that aren't worth it while trusting in their ability to win the ones that are. After all, that's what brought them this far.

'You're right,' he says, turning away from the map. 'We've got this.'


A/N: Prompt: 'Make ten men feel like a hundred.' from Rogue One