Glitter and Gold
Chapter 22
33 ABY – D'Qar
"You're unbelievable, you know that, right?" Jessika scolded, slapping Poe on the chest.
"Don't forget annoying," Paige piped up behind him, accompanied by the swift slap to the back of Poe's head as she stepped past him to stand at Jessika's side.
Poe pouted over at his friends. "What's with the slapping?" he groaned, rubbing the back of his head. The two women simply looked at him, clearly feeling no pity. "I just don't get it. You're going to let the Reaper play around in your heads," Poe said, genuinely confused.
Jessika and Paige traded an exasperated look. "First of all, no," Jessika insisted. "Vex is teaching us to protect our minds and how to protect ourselves and the resistance if someone did try to interrogate us,"
"You'd think you'd be first in line, Poe," Paige pointed out. "It's you General Organa always sends out in her secret missions. How would you protect our secrets if the First Order caught you?" she questioned.
"I'd never tell them anything!" Poe said, disgusted by the mere thought.
"As if you'd have a choice if you came up against someone with powers over the Force!" Jessika argued.
Poe drew back, brows furrowed as if he'd never considered it before. Paige stepped forward, laying a hand on his arm. "Why don't you just come with us? Jessika and I'll keep the two of you civil," she suggested gently. Jessika nodded along in approval.
"She won't want me there," Poe said, looking hesitant. In that moment, the two women knew they had him.
"Alright, Poe, I know you're not going to want to hear this, but listen," Jessika began, stepping forward and taking hold of Poe's other hand. He sucked in a breath, turning his eyes towards her. "Vex is really trying, Poe," she continued, only for him to open his mouth to argue.
Paige quickly covered his mouth with her hand to stem his coming barrage. "It's hard for you to see because you're, well, talented with people. Think about how Vex grew up. This is probably the first time in her life when she's ever had to make friends," Jessika explained.
"She's told us, Poe," Paige followed. "She doesn't know what to do about you,"
"Do about me? Like I'm such a problem?" Poe protested, brow furrowing.
"You've never acted like this towards someone before, Poe. You've never treated someone so suspiciously," Paige said.
"We've never had a First Order defector before. Especially one we know has killed so many," Poe retorted.
"Poe!" Jessika scolded, slapping him on the arm. "Vex would not have brought Anakin here if she had any nefarious intent. If you spent any time with her, you'd know Vex loves him more than life itself. And she's trusted General Organa with him," she explained.
Paige nodded vigorously in agreement. "Show Vex the same charming, friendly Poe that you show us," she said.
"It's going to have to be you to extend the olive branch, Poe. Vex doesn't know how," Jessika told him.
Poe sighed, eyes lowering to the floor. "Alright," he voiced quietly. "I'll try."
It'd taken less than five minutes for Poe to put his foot back in his mouth in Vex's presence. From the moment he'd arrived with Jessica and Paige, Vex had seemed ill at ease with his presence there. Her eyes constantly darted to him as she spoke, explaining what she would teach them, as if she expected him to pull a blaster on her at any moment.
If he had to admit it, Poe had been less than kind to Vex. He'd seen her cloaked in the streets of the town, a flash of her lightsaber on her hip and he'd accosted her. He'd unknowingly pointed a blaster at her son – something Poe had never meant to do.
When he'd told Leia he'd suspected Vex to be a scared mother, he wasn't lying. Everything about her simply screamed desperation – and the way she'd reacted to the blaster in the boy's direction? She'd obviously had reason to fear for her son's life. Poe believed Vex's story, believed her intentions.
But there was just something in his gut that told him something wasn't quite right. Not that something was wrong, per se, but something inside Poe told him Vex was different. And she was different. Entirely unlike anyone Poe had ever known. Not that he knew her well, of course. He would never pretend that.
It was his gut feeling that made him act this way. That, and the fact that if she chose to, Vex could quite easily destroy the rebellion singlehandedly. Poe had felt the power with which she channeled the Force, pinning him in place. It was like trying to move while cased in cement – hopeless. If Vex had chosen to, she could have easily killed him. That's why he was acting so suspicious, trying to advise Leia to use caution.
It wasn't that Poe thought Vex would betray them, it was the thought that she could. She had more reason than most to oppose the First Order, but she had a much greater potential to destroy the rebellion as well. She was strong enough. Poe didn't know if anyone could stop her if she tried.
But Poe couldn't sense anything other than good intentions as Vex explained her intent on teaching the three of them to shield their minds. He could see her anxiety caused by his presence, but that was it. And for some reason he couldn't, that irked him. Poe wasn't the danger to others, she was!
"Would you like me to leave?" Poe said suddenly, interrupting Vex mid-sentence. Jessika immediately threw an elbow into his ribs, drawing a groan from his throat.
Vex's cold gaze focused on him, delicate lips tilting into a frown. "Why do you think I'd want you to leave, Commander Dameron?" she questioned in the utmost politeness. He knew why, and so did she. He could see it in her eyes.
"You seem nervous having me here," Poe answered anyway, ignoring the two other women in the room. Jessika and Paige had fixed him with glares powerful enough to melt ice.
Vex exhaled heavily, tensing slightly as she crossed her legs before her. All four of them in the room sat on pillows on the floor in a relaxed position. "You doubt my faithfulness to the cause. Of course I am unsettled by you showing up here unannounced," she replied calmly.
"It's our fault, Vex," Paige interrupted, leaning forward. "Poe was being insufferable, and we thought we could help," she explained.
Vex's eyes flickered towards her friend, the ice of her gaze softening. "I understand, Paige. I'm afraid I don't think Commander Dameron and I will ever be able to be friends," she pointed out in a gentler manner than Poe expected.
Poe sighed, rolling his eyes. The Jedi's laser-eyes swiftly returned to him. "Or perhaps he does not think he needs this training. As I understand it, General Organa trusts you with many secrets, Commander Dameron," Vex remarked, in an entirely more formal tone than Poe was used to.
He didn't know if he preferred this unruffled, unable to be perturbed Vex more than the one who raged and fought with him. At least he'd known the latter was genuine. "She does," Poe said proudly, chest puffing out.
Jessika was shaking her head next to him, rubbing a hand across her face. "Idiot," she muttered under her breath. Poe flashed her a quick look of confusion before Vex spoke again.
"If you were ever captured, god forbid, do you really think you'd be able to hide your secrets from Kylo Ren or Snoke?" Vex questioned. Her expression was smooth, no hint of emotion. Poe was sure that spelled trouble.
"I would never tell them anything," he said quickly. And then Vex began to laugh – a bitter, low noise escaping her throat. Poe couldn't help but be affronted, his brows drawing low. "I wouldn't!"
Vex tried to stifle her mirth by covering her mouth with a hand, drawing in a deep breath. "Of course not! Not voluntarily, of course. I believe that, Dameron, I promise," she said, breathing quickly to urge her laughter away. It took a moment, but her expression became empty once more. "If you were captured, you'd be sent to be tortured to reveal what you knew. If you could hold out against the First Order's low-level officers, eventually Kylo Ren would come to you. And while you were in blinding pain from your torture, you wouldn't even realize that he had slipped into your mind and taken what you knew," Vex explained, gaze focused on Poe alone.
She didn't want to see the horror that were undoubtedly painted on her friends' faces. No, she only wanted Poe to understand. As spooked as he clearly was, he didn't seem convinced. "Shall I prove it to you, then? How easy it is for a trained Force-user to steal information?" Vex suggested, raising an eyebrow.
"This is a bad idea," Jessika interjected, brows furrowed.
"How?" Poe questioned.
"Ask me a question. Something I couldn't possibly know. I will invade your mind and find the answer," Vex answered.
Poe pondered the idea for a moment before nodding. "Fine," he muttered. Vex waved her hand as if to tell him to go on. "Tell me the name of the first girl I ever kissed,"
Vex nodded as if to signal her understanding and let her eyes flutter shut. Her brows furrowed as she sought out the answer. Poe wondered if he should feel something – something bad, but all he felt was a slight prickle behind his eyes. It didn't hurt, it was just there. As if his mind was trying to tell him something was there that oughtn't be.
"Akiva Foss," Vex said suddenly, eyes still shut. All the breath left Poe's lungs in a whoosh. The prickle behind his eyes was gone. "The girl you first kissed was your childhood friend, Akiva. She was crying because her older sisters had told her she was ugly. You kissed her and told her she was the most beautiful girl in the galaxy," she continued softly, as if she was witnessing the memory herself. "She took ill the next year and passed away. I'm sorry," Vex said, brows knitting together.
Poe simply looked at her, jaw hanging open. The sting of that wound had long since passed. But the discomfort etched into Vex's expression told him she felt it now. Her eyes opened after a moment, looking at him carefully. Differently. Poe wondered what she saw now that she hadn't seen before. Paige gently touched his elbow, looking moved by the sweet memory.
"Do you believe me now?" Vex asked. Poe nodded swiftly. "What did you feel when I was in your mind?" she asked, almost curiously.
Poe let out a breath, trying to put the feeling into words. "A prickle. Like an itch that didn't itch, if that makes sense," he said.
Vex nodded slowly, as if considering his words. "I didn't want to hurt you. I promise you, if you should ever fall into First Order hands, Kylo Ren and Snoke would be much less gentle than I," she said decisively.
Her eyes left his and Poe felt strangely bereft in a way he couldn't describe. He believed her. He'd never met a trained Force-user until Vex, so he'd had no real concept of their power. Poe had always suspected Leia had a touch of the Force about her, but she'd obviously chosen not to pursue it like her brother had. Vex had just shown him how easy it would be for someone like her to take all he'd held sacred.
That strange feeling in Poe's gut was still there. He didn't know what it was, but it twisted nervously at the thought of Vex. She was someone he simply didn't understand, and that concerned him. He normally had such a talent with people, but with Vex, all he seemed to do was put his foot in his mouth. Poe just didn't get it. What in the hell was making him act this way?
Leia wasn't exactly sure what had happened between Poe and Vex lately, but she knew something had changed. Ever since he'd attended Vex's training, they'd been acting different. Not a bad different, but weird.
Poe was the reticent one now. When he and Vex were in the same room, he'd avoid looking at her or engaging her. Vex however, when she'd done everything to avoid him, now seemed to watch him often, with a considering expression on her features.
Leia knew better than to ask either of them what had happened. Both were as obtuse about their own feelings as the other. Where Poe sometimes had trouble identifying his, Vex would never vocalize hers. So she thought, instead, she'd put them in a situation where they had to settle things between them. One way or another. Whether it was enmity or friendship between them, Leia couldn't have them vacillating between the two.
Poe and Vex would head out on a mission together to recover information on the new base the First Order was building on a planet that would supposedly be powerful beyond the galaxy's worst nightmare. Beyond Leia's personal agenda for pairing the two, she had logical reasons as well. Poe was experienced in carrying out covert missions when Vex was not. Vex was experienced in dealing with the First Order and extracting information where Poe was not.
They would go to Ibaar, where many First Order officers apparently spent their shore leave. It would be easy to accost one or two and extract information about the new base. It should be a quick mission, in and out – provided they didn't get discovered. That was why Leia had decided they should take Vex's ship. As a First Order craft itself, it would look much more ordinary on Ibaar along with the other officers' ships.
Poe hadn't been happy about leaving his X-wing behind, but couldn't deny his excitement at getting his hands on a First Order craft. It was a larger and faster ship, with better weapons and cloaking. For their mission, it was a godsend. Leia only wished they had more just like it.
She'd given them three days to get ready. If it weren't for Anakin, Leia would have given them less time. But she knew this would be the first time Vex would be without her son. She gave her three days to adjust to the idea of leaving Anakin behind with her and Ayla'Lyn. A preparation for when she'd send him away.
Now, watching Vex as she was about to leave had a guilty feeling roiling around in Leia's stomach. She didn't doubt her decision. Vex squeezed her son close, peppering his face with kisses. She spoke to Ayla'Lyn quickly, no doubt giving instructions as though the Twi'lek woman had never cared for a child before, much less hers. Leia knew that feeling. She'd been the exact same way with Ben once, and watching Vex do the same with Ben's son had Leia feeling all sorts of things.
Leia hoped beyond all things that she was doing the right thing for them all.
Review, Please.
I know you are reading. I know it sounds kind of silly, but it really helps me continue writing when I know I have someone cheering me on. So right now, I'd simply like to thank every person that's reviewed. You are the reason I still write this.
Thank you,
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Much love, Suz Singer.