Eris ran back to the speeder, glancing at Poe to find him on his feet ready to fight, before she jogged around to where Naka Iit sat. "How far's the town?" she asked not bothering to explain.

And Naka, valuing nothing greater than his life, didn't waste time asking for the explanation when it was clear someone was coming. "Just over that hill," he answered pointing to the sandy incline masking the small Blowback town behind it.

"There a ship?" she asked without pause.

"Old, but yes, should Ohn relinquish it," Naka answered watching her turn to the man.

She stared at his open face, his still warm dark eyes, the concern laying in their depths. He was her best option, and she wondered briefly if he always had been. Without time to think she shook her head looking down at the sand. "Take him go," she bid Naka. Without looking she told Poe, "if the ship's ready and I'm not back just leave."

Poe was almost thrown off his feet as the speeder propelled forward and he steadied himself against the side watching Eris turn to face whoever she'd seen coming. "I don't like leaving her," Poe told Naka as he sat back knowing he might need all the time she could get him, whether or not he liked the thought of her fighting on her own.

"That woman, my mad friend, has become far too good at being alone," Naka told him with a nervous laugh. "She can handle herself til you get the ship running."

He turned to the Blarina seeing the slight tremor in his hands, he wasn't used to being hunted – Naka Iit had realized this was The Order and he was carrying both targets. "You think your friend will agree?" A ship was the last piece of the plan, one they now needed desperately.

One they all needed desperately. "The trouble you both cause better be worth it," Naka said releasing a relieved breath when the speeder breached the hill and they saw the town at the bottom. The vehicle rocked from how quickly Poe turned at the high-pitched whine that carried loud on the wind, and he just about jumped off at the sound of returning fire. "You want to help your woman get her a way off Jakku."

Poe was forced to sit back knowing he was right, Eris had known it too – she was the distraction. Whether or not the two of them realized it at the time they acted as a team: she stayed behind fighting for time, and he was the negotiator. It wasn't hard to convince Ohn Gos to give up the ship, the second Blarina was a Resistance sympathizer who loathed The First Order – and it only helped more when Naka Iit explained the two humans were marked and their hunters were coming to collect.

Naka Iit hadn't lied the ship was old – a BT-7 Thunderclap, once a Republic military ship one he'd fancied himself captaining as a child when he'd been with the Republic. The irony wasn't lost on him, nor was the state of it. It'd been shot down many years before and was left to rust, crucial repairs were made such as refitting the ion drive and replacing both the piloting console and the power generator. But the shield had been blown, Poe wasn't sure if the targeting controls would even work and without them the blaster cannon would be all but useless without a skilled gunman.

After several minutes, minutes too long by Poe's book as there was still no sign of Eris, he climbed aboard the ship sat himself in the pilot's seat and held his breath as he flipped switch after switch waiting for the first hum as it fired up for the first time in at the very least a decade. Sweat beaded on his brow, his body sat tense and anxious, his heart hammered loudly in his ears as he waited. And waited.

There was a soft clicking to his right, a loud clank to his left, and with a jarring roar the ship burst to life. He gave a loud whoop as the lights flickered on and the starmap glitched in and out. All he needed was to be able to set a course. And get off the ground, but if the high whirring coming from both his left and right were anything to go by then he was sure both engines had turned on.

Without hesitation, or second thought, he was out of his chair running for the hatch with his boots clanging loudly on the chipped rusted metal of the floor. "What'd I tell you," Naka Iit said upon looking up to find the man waiting, "a mad man will not abandon his fearsome woman. Though why, I could not tell you."

"The Resistance isn't in the habit of leaving allies behind," Poe answered as though that were all she was to him.

Something Naka had figured earlier that morning, she was no innocent flower nor would she willingly offer aid. "She does not seem the kind to be taken easily."

Poe nodded his agreement, she hadn't been easy to catch and only fool's luck had their paths crossing. Only now there he was, a former Republic pilot currently with the Resistance, faced with the chance to leave the bounty hunter that'd done nothing but cause them trouble and add to their losses – he could very well let chance rule her fate, a very slim chance but the galaxy would in fact be rid of her. And yet Poe was waiting, had never once thought of leaving her behind regardless that she might very well change her mind and decide his use had run out. "She'll go," Poe said without doubt.

"Then you are crazy," Naka Iit explained hearing the rumbling of a speeder behind the hill.

Poe shrugged knowing he probably sounded it. "We of the Resistance prefer the term courageous."

Naka looked up at him dryly and replied in a toneless voice, "I see no difference." He watched Poe nod seeing the boy knew it was a foolish dream trying to reign her in, yet he still held hope. "Nor do I believe she would harm you, steal you maybe, but not harm," he admitted earning Poe's questioning stare. "She has grown fond of her mad man."

With a breath of a laugh Poe shook his head refusing to think she liked him that much, though he did know she liked him. And it was something she wasn't happy with. Though his once smirking mouth fell into a straight line at the flash of metal coming over the hill. The pale clothes meant Eris but another speeder rounded the top also decked in white – however the dark creases in his uniform and helmet marked him a stormtrooper.

Poe ran forward drawing his blaster raising his arm and narrowing his eyes to get a better view of the still far away trooper.

At a blue beam suddenly shooting past her Eris turned to see it hit the stormtrooper square in the chest sending him tumbling into the sand, and without a driver to break the speeder continued on. Eris swerved right letting the vehicle dart past and crash into the side of someone's home, and she came to a quick violent stop a few paces from Poe. "Thought I told you to leave," she growled looking instead to the ship. There were several holes in the outer structure framed by scorch marks, wires dangled under the belly, but it was running and they needed to go.

Poe extended his hand first to Naka Iit and then to his softer friend Ohn Gos. "Thanks for the help, she's got the money I promised," he said jerking a thumb to where Eris stood with a stormtrooper's rifle slung around her shoulders, hearing that promise for the first time.

"Yeah whatever," she said pulling a few chips from her pocket and shoving them into Ohn's hands. "There's more coming, we gotta go," she said shooing him up the ramp all but shoving him inside. But her gaze was pulled back to the two short aliens who'd made themselves accessories, by choice, possibly putting targets on their own backs – kindness wasn't something she was used to. "Thank you," she said softly, her brows drawn together, her lips pulling tight in a frown. "Now run."
With no time, nor the care, to wait for a response Eris climbed aboard the ship recognizing a Republic emblem painted on the outside. She moved hastily passing the med bay, briefing room, and abandoned armory. What she wanted was the main deck and she sorely found that the only thing functioning was the main console with the navigation computer. Not even the secondary laser canons were up which meant the primary wouldn't be either – she'd be shooting blind. Not only that but Poe would be acting as both pilot and copilot, a rather difficult feat when half the controls were out of reach.

"TIE fighter's on the way, think we stand a chance?" she asked leaning against the chair he sat to see what he was working with, which wasn't much. He'd be flying just as blind as she'd be shooting.

Poe threw himself to the right, toggled a switch he hoped was the right one, and sat back feeling Eris' hand around the back of the chair through his shirt. "Not in the slightest," he answered not sounding the least bit deterred.

It'd taken her a moment to hear more than his enthusiastic tone, and then she looked at his face – he looked like a kid getting to fly with his parents for the first time. Not a pilot in an all but useless ship. Glancing around the captain's chair she spotted a headset clipped to the wall and she grabbed it pulling it over his head and fixing the mic to sit closer to his mouth.

Poe heard the thud of her feet on the metal knowing where she was going. "Gun's to the ri-"

"Right," Eris yelled back already down the stairs and rounding the corner.

"You been on one a these before?" he yelled and threw himself over to the copilot's panel before sitting back in his chair, not knowing if she'd heard. And then a soft rustling sounded in his earpiece, almost like a cloth rubbing against his ear.

"Yeah, can you hear me?"

He smiled at the sound of her crackling voice over the com. "I'm sure you figured out targeting's down, hold on I'm bringing her up."

Eris was unprepared for the sudden lurch of the ship and was left grabbing the handles of the rifle's stand to keep from being flung out of her seat. "Are the shield's down too?" she asked feeling the ship begin to sway.

"Yes ma'am," he ground out as he tried to level them. "Right engine's stuttering. How close d'you say the fighter was?"

"I'm more worried about the stormtroopers, they weren't that far behind," she said feeling the ship almost wobble back and forth as he fought to keep them from falling to the right with the faulty engine.

"How far?" he asked knowing if he took off now the engine might blow completely, and they wouldn't be goin anywhere then. At the sound of blasters he flinched remembering the hatch was still open – as the means to close it was on the copilot's side.

Eris leaned forward trying to see out of the gunner's window. "You turn us right I can blast 'em."

"Can do," came his fuzzy reply in her ear.

She waited until the white-clad stormtroopers were directly in front of the rifle canon, looked instinctively at her com-system only to be reminded by its black screen she had no target lock. So she fired, letting loose a wall of lightbeams cutting through both trooper and clay structure. "Got 'em, work on gettin us the hell outta here I can see the TIE fighter coming and she's comin fast."

He did as told, knowing just how fast those fighters moved, hearing her curse as the ship dropped left. "Give me a minute," he said hearing her hiss they didn't have a minute, "almost got her, there we go," he said feeling the right engine stall for half a second before whirring at full speed.

Eris grabbed the side of her chair and pulled herself back into it, adding an extra foul word for effect. Once settled she noticed first the bare sand beneath them, not a speck of anything other than brown in sight, and then the TIE fighter quickly gaining on them. "Get me in position I can shoot 'em," she said refixing her own mic that'd fallen off when she'd tumbled.

"At this point, Eris," he said charting their course for D'Qar, "I'd take you anywhere."

Locking her seat in a forward position, as her best bet at shooting them was head on, she replied, "watch out captain I might mistakenly think you're fallin for me."

He grinned at the teasing heard even over the com, getting them ready for hyperdrive which thankfully most of those controls were on his side of the console. "You take these bastards out I might consider it," he said three parts joking and one part serious. "I'm gonna try to jump before they catch up, let me know if they're t-"

Poe was thrown forward as their ship took a direct hit hearing something clattering angrily in the back, possibly to his right. "You alright?" He steered them left seeing the sleek black fighter dart ahead and circle back – what he wouldn't have given to try his hand with one those again. "Eris?" he asked when no answer came. Reaching a hand to his ear he realized the sound wasn't coming from behind him, it was coming from Eris' end. "I need you talk to me sweetheart," he said trying for anything that'd get answer out of her. "I can't be flyin on my own here."

"Give me a minute," came her slow muted reply.

Poe tried steering out of the way but the TIE fighter was faster, and their gun had a target lock. He was thrown to the side as they took another hit, and before they spun out of control he'd already steadied them knowing the fighter had probably circled back to hit them again. "We don't got a minute, Eris. Get off your ass and start shooting."

Only Eris wasn't on her ass, she was pulling herself off the floor and onto her knees reaching blindly for the chair. The first hit had her head slamming into the rifle and she'd fallen limp to the floor, the second had thrown her shoulder into the wall. "Then get me one," she seethed.

At her next harsh words he almost winced, not appreciating her attitude. Least of all when she was the only chance they had of getting off the planet. He had little else to do but fly up, no shields and no weapon's online, they were a sitting target. "Dammit," he growled jolting at yet another hit, and if he was right they were aiming at the gun. "Tell me you're alright."

Eris picked herself up off the floor, again, and ran back to the gun. "Yeah I ran to the hall that time."

"You're supposed to be shooting," he yelled trying and failing yet again to steer them out of the way of the TIE fighter.

"I COULDN'T SEE, DAMMIT," she cried, her infuriated voice cracked in and out of his ear piece from the volume she'd thrown it at him.

There wasn't much he could say to that considering she was taking the brunt of it all. That she hadn't been knocked out was all he could ask for. "Alright, they're back around your end," he told her.

But before he'd finished she was already saying, "yeah my head cleared, stop talking," she said bitingly hearing his heavy sigh on the other end. "Thirty marks left," she ordered, blinking around her still slightly blurry vision. "Twelve marks up," she next said waiting as he complied. Straining her eyes she leaned forward, watching the stormtrooper's canon's move as they locked onto her, "three marks right."

Though Poe was quick to do as told, considering she was his eyes, he was also quick to say, "Eris he's gonna start shooting another hit's gonna blow through the wall." It'd taken him several moments of hearing the same low whine before he understood it was air from a cracked hull, another hit it'd blow and take her with it. "Eris," he warned counting the seconds now.

She barely heard his voice her focus was so severe, her body absolutely still as her eyes stayed locked on the ship that now had them in firing position. "Two marks up," she said watching the fighter move quickly along her field of view having anticipating his movements knowing he was trying to take out the gun. He moved from right to left, her view was a rectangle with a circle in the middle where the barrel of the canon aimed through the window. When The Order's ship passed into that narrow circle, in front of her canon, she fired a stream of shots. The first few were premature, the next hit the TIE fighter's wing, the one after that hit the ship dead center.

At the sound of an explosion, thankfully not in his ear, Poe gave an exhilarated holler as he set about getting them into hyperdrive.

"That good enough for ya, captain?" she asked sitting back breathless and tired.

Poe shook his head unable to wipe the grin from his face. "It'll do," he answered glad he was right about her being a good shot. "Come back up, I could use a copilot."

Eris pulled the headpiece from around her head and threw it on the floor reaching a hand to her temple to feel her hair was damp from where the blaster's stand had cut through her skin. Her fingers were left crimson, and without much else to do she wiped them on her already bloody scarf. Slowly she walked through the ship back to the bridge finding Poe sitting exactly where she'd left him. "Did the best pilot in the Resistance really ask for my help?" she asked coyly sliding into the copilot's seat beside him.

He chuckled reaching an arm to shove her lightly. "More so your company, if I'm bein honest." He turned to find her smiling, a smaller thing without the flash of her teeth or the wrinkling of the corner of her eyes. But it was a smile all the same, til he noticed the blood. "You alright?" he found himself asking yet again.

She leaned away from the hand he brought up to touch the side of her head and brushed his concern aside. "Don't touch me I'm fine."

"But you're bleeding," he cooed, "you poor thing.

"Knock it off," she told him slapping at his hand hearing him still chuckling. "And call me sweetheart again,"

"Yeah yeah, you'll break my jaw," he said hitting her leg lightly as a show he was glad she was alright, since she wasn't letting him show it any other way.

With a wry stare she turned to him finding him smirking with pride over his half-witted retort. "I was gonna say rip your tongue out," she replied only half joking because the rest of her was stuck feeling like she was forgetting something. She'd been thinking it the moment he'd gotten the ship in the air, she was missing something. But another smack landed on her leg, a little harder than his last one, and her mind followed her eyes and looked at his exuberant face. "I was right about you," she said quietly, bringing a hand to her aching temple, "you are a damn good pilot."

He grinned at the compliment figuring she didn't give them often. "Guess I was right about you too."

"What that I'm a good shot?" she asked letting her eyes fall to his tan shirt. It wasn't as orange as the sand but her mind still thought of it, of the glimpse she'd gotten of the ground before she looked to the sky after the TIE fighter.

"No," Poe said pointing to the switch he needed her to flip to get them accelerating, "that you've been into me from the moment I started shootin at ya," he said glancing at her face to see he'd made her smile again, but it slowly melted from her face. "What is with you and smiling," he said hitting her arm when she didn't move, "come on, Eris, do your job."

Her gaze fell to his mouth to see his white teeth, white teeth framed by brown skin – she hadn't seen even a speck of white in the sand, which meant the guy Poe shot had got up. Turning blindly to face the console she thought back to the stormtroopers she'd taken out with the blaster cannon, the two that'd been following further behind than the others.

Impatiently Poe reached for the switch since she wasn't moving and sat back turning to look at her: her eyes stared sightlessly in front of her, widened as she sat lost in thought. "Hey," he said gently turning her chin so she'd face him and when her colorful eyes found his he was alarmed to find them filled with panic, "what're you thinking?"

She stared at him wondering how she could've missed it, she'd seen for herself there hadn't been a stormtrooper lying in the sand. "I only shot two of them," she said breathlessly arriving at what she'd overlooked – there should've been three.

Poe's jaw slackened startled by the implication of those words, and he watched her throw herself out of the copilot's chair reaching for the blaster at her belt. Out of instinct when she fell against him he reached to catch her instead of immediately drawing his own blaster to shoot the guy that'd hit her. He'd somehow gotten a hold of her arm, his other hand still fighting to keep the old ship steady as the hyperdrive propelled them into light-speed, and he felt her hand slip from his grasp. "Eris," he called half turning to look after her, finally reaching for his blaster.

Only he couldn't tell apart the grey of her suit from the white of the stormtrooper's armor, her shoulder was wedged into his middle as she pushed him backwards out of the main deck. Poe watched her throw an arm out reaching for a button on the wall, saw too late her plan, and watched the pressurized doors snap shut behind her. "Eris," he called again though this time infuriated. She'd locked them out of the pilot's bay on the chance the stormtrooper got the upper hand and killed her - she was still protecting him.

His back glued to the chair as they reach light-speed and he convinced himself Eris could handle herself. She just needed to hold on for a few minutes while he kept them steady. A few minutes and he could go out there and help her. But then the ship lurched nearly throwing him from the chair as the right engine stalled.

Another cliffhanger, I swear this one wasn't intentional. But I just wanted to give a heads up that this story is quickly coming to an end, I'd guess no more than 5 chapters really, cause I'm ending part one more around where the movie ended. Just wanted to let you guys know, and to thank you all again for reading cause really it makes my days easier to deal with sometimes. So thank you, I greatly appreciate it.