When I heard Lando's call to action, for a moment I thought I was in a nightmare. The Empire was back. The fear was back.
Then I saw Jacen, my darling Jacen, tighten his jaw and I knew.
It wasn't a nightmare. It was a dream.
And when I joined the armada...
When I joined the armada, I knew it wasn't a dream.
It was the purest, brightest flame of hope that this galaxy could ever give. Twenty-five thousand ships- it could've been five thousand or five million and I'd have felt no different. All flying for the sake of their children, and their children's children, all so we could finally see the dark shadow of the Empire cast away, all so we could finally know peace for generations. Were we soldiers? Were we pilots? No. We were parents, children, traders, workers. People. Working to build a better future- or, tear down a worse one. Who's to say?
Lando requested my help specifically. I rebroadcasted his signal on every transmission band I had. He gave me command over part of the armada to help direct us to Exegol. Sabine and Ezra, as the Force would have it, were alongside me. I saw them just... nod and steel their jaws. They knew what they had to do.
So they did it.
They flew as Spectres Five and Six.
I heard the fragments of Acting-General Dameron's message. "There's just too many of them," he was saying. And Lando, bless him, he's always been theatrical.
"But there are more of us, Poe. There are more of us."
It gave me chills.
The Millennium Falcon dropped into formation in front of me, and I swear I could hear Lando laughing like a madman.
He's always been a showboat. For once, I didn't mind.