Hello all! Thank you for the nice reviews! :D I hope you like this chapter - it takes place during the battle of Takodana. :)

Mistro

~.~.~.~.~.~

There were some things in the universe that could frighten even the strongest of warriors. For some it was the loss of a loved one, for others it was as simple as what lay in the dark.

For Poe Dameron, fear masked itself in silence. His life had been filled with color and noise. Jet engines, passionate Rebel rallies, his grandmother's consistent chatter, and recently Mara's abrupt laughter… there was rarely a time when he knew ultimate pause. The thought of being alone with nothing but the sound of your own breathing was a struggle to comprehend, and thus sparked fear whenever such a moment came.

Unfortunately, it was his duty to step into uncomfortable positions.

When Leia had informed him of his next mission, the last place he had expected to return to was Jakku. BB-8 was still missing, and considering he had the map to Luke Skywalker, this was a problem the Resistance could not simply ignore. Poe was also worried about his robot friend, but there had never been a pinch of doubt within him as to his safe return. Granted, it had been taking a few days longer than expected, but Poe was still hopeful that the droid would return unscatched.

Leia's faith in the BB unit was slightly less fervent. She had instructed Poe to return briefly to Jakku to attempt the tracking of his signal. They both understood the risks, but Poe was certain the First Order was no longer looking to the billowing orange waves of the sand planet.

And all of that had brought Poe back to the middle of the desert. It made him sick just thinking that his abandoned TIE-fighter was somewhere under the dunes, his short-lived friendship with FN-2187 somewhere along with it. What had he called the boy again?

Ah right, he smiled to himself. Finn.

Poe hadn't told Mara of the torture that had been inflicted on him, nor of his strange attachment to a rogue Stormtrooper. It would be something to discuss over a beer, but he wondered when such an opportunity would present itself.

"Dameron… This is General Organa coming through. Do you copy me?"

Poe squinted against the early rays of the sun. "Loud and clear, General."

"What's the status?"

Poe glanced down at his communicator, the glare bouncing from the silver lid and straight into his eyes. "I'm not picking up anything, General. If I could be so bold to say it, I might suggest my droid has run off."

"Run off or been stolen?"

Poe flinched. "I don't have an answer to that, but if my gut is anything to go by, he's safe."

"Unfortunately your gut does not predict anything but your hunger." Leia's voice was audibly peeved, but her breath seemed to catch in her throat. "Something's happening here, Dameron. I'm going on pause. Don't turn off your communicator. Make sure you're alone."

The only thing in sight was a white sky paralleled by an orange horizon. He would be surprised if even the bugs were listening. "Is everything okay, General?"

Leia quickly tapped back into the speaker. "Dameron. How fast can you get off of Jakku?"

"In about twenty minutes," his words matched the speed of hers. "Why do you ask? What's going on?"

"We've just gotten a message through of an attack by the First Order on Takodana. I need you here to lead the squadrons into attack. It could be that the droid is there."

Poe had already been running back to his ship as soon as Leia's voice expressed a sense of hesitation. His fingers danced over the controls like a gambler's hands on cards, but he continued to keep his voice steady. "This is the first frontal attack they've made against a Resistance support planet. Get my team ready and I'll meet them on the way to Takodana."

Leia hesitated, but expressed her eventual agreement. There was something more she wanted to say, but stopped herself short. It made no difference to Poe. He would soon figure out, as he passed into the atmosphere of the lush, green planet, that the First Order had destroyed the entire Republic Capital Star System.

The war had truly started.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~

Mara was knocked out of her chair by a forceful shove of her companion's boot. She had been sleeping peacefully after a long night with Elida, but sleeping on the job was not cutting it. When she stared up in bewilderment at her attacker, two strong fists reached for the front of her uniform.

"What are you doing?" She shrieked, attempting to kick off her colleague.

"The entire Republic Capital Star System has been hit by the Starkiller Base. The entire X-Wing fleet is preparing to head out to Takodana where the First Order has just arrived, and you're sleeping?"

Mara glanced up at her screen with droopy eyes, the red dots of X-Wings beginning to appear in battle mode. She noticed the count was considerably less compared to that of yesterday's, meaning that many pilots were already on missions or had been lost alongside Jackson. Sitting up straighter, Mara checked the exact X-Wing count. They were missing a third of their pilots.

"Max, what do we do?" She turned with wide eyes. "There aren't enough pilots to take on a First Order fleet."

He began to add in separate codes linked to pilots not included in the battle squadrons. "Leia's just wired me to tap in several rookies. We won't have enough to make up an entire team, but about three more will do." His head shook with every word. "I can't believe this is all happening. I can't believe that the entire star system is gone."

Mara's brain instantly trickled somewhere it shouldn't have. Was she on the list? Without a second thought, Mara found herself running towards the hangar in search of the General.

"General Organa!" She shouted out, approaching a frazzled Leia on the edge of the garage. Leia hardly took notice of the pilot as a frustrated L'ulo continued to plead.

"General, please." L'ulo had never considered himself desperate until that moment. "We need more rookies with flying skills. If we don't have backup, there's no telling what will happen."

Leia's head shook once, her mind as far away as Naboo. "We can't take the risk."

"BB-8 may be there! He's the only hope we have in finding Luke Skywalker!"

Leia's head nodded briefly towards the mechanic as chaos ensued behind her. Pilots fiddled with their uniforms before ultimately giving up and preparing their ships first. "Mara can understand this better than you can, L'ulo. She's monitored their ships. The rookies don't even have numbers yet."

"We just need one good pilot to hold the centre line… someone who can control an X-Wing… someone who understands its basic functions in order to-"

"I can do it."

Mara's voice took both of them by surprise, but not herself. If anything, she felt calm offering her name for battle. Her back was straighter than it had ever been, her eyes so large it would have been difficult to believe she was asleep only minutes before.

"Mara, don't be foolish." L'ulo looked at her with something akin to pity. "You crashed your ship in the woods only yesterday."

Mara raised a hand in defense. "That was my leader's fault. I've studied X-Wings my entire life. I think I proved that to be true on my first day at the base, against Poe Dameron, I might add." L'ulo had already turned away in frustration, but Leia's ears were still tuned. When she caught Mara's eye, the girl couldn't still her voice. "I've technically trained as an X-Wing pilot, despite not having been in battle. My aim is also acceptable, as I've been practicing with the guns." She glanced towards L'ulo. "You can back me up on that one, L'u."

The Duros shook his head. "I won't agree to this, Mara. You're not a pilot. You could put us all in danger."

"Yes, I could. But what other choice do you have?"

There was a long pause as the two stared at General Organa. Her old face seemed calmer, the wrinkles softer against her eyes. "General…" L'ulo started. "You can't seriously be considering this."

"I am considering this, L'ulo. We don't have much time and Mara has experience. She's also the only pilot that has willingly come up to offer herself for the position, unlike your trainees." There was a dangerous glare passed between them before L'ulo willingly made his way to his X-Wing. When the women were alone, the conversation became far more serious. "You know what it is that you're getting into, don't you? This is a matter of life and death. Those aren't romantic words to scare you into doing well. I mean it, Mara. This could be the end of your life, and you need to be prepared to accept that fact. Opposingly, if you risk the lives of other pilots, you'll be going to prison for war crimes." Her eyes glanced to the girl's stomach. "Your past cannot propel you into making a bad decision this time."

"I don't want to hurt myself anymore," Mara mumbled. "I merely want to help the cause that I've supported since I was a child. My skills are valuable to the team right now, and if I didn't offer them, I would never forgive myself."

Leia nodded, thinking over her words without much consideration. "They need another pilot. You can keep your balance and your aim." She reached to the side where a metal cart of helmets rested. Only a single blue one remained, and Mara knew who it used to belong to. "Make Jackson proud that you're wearing this. He'll be pleased it's been passed on to you."

Mara took the helmet, and that seemed to be the end of things. There was no going back without looking like a nuisance and quitter. It wasn't that she wanted to turn around and run, but she had to ask herself what the real reason behind her bravery was. Did it have something to do with her old acceptance of death? Did she want to take revenge on the First Order for what they did to Poe and her parents? Or perhaps had she finally grounded herself in the fact that she was part of the Resistance. She could offer them as much as the next pilot.

Flipping down the shield of her helmet, she smiled. It was certainly the last reason.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~

Takodana had been hit by the First Order about five minutes before the Resistance could arrive. The beautiful and peaceful planet was now a war-torn ground, but its pride still remained. Maz's Castle, an iconic watering hole, was still standing despite the fires billowing from its upper windows. The courtyard had been demolished into rubble from bombs, blasters and lasers, but it was a comfort to know that the First Order was looking for something rather than executing an attack with no purpose. It meant that BB-8 was there, somewhere, in the wreckage. Poe could sense it from a mile off, as if his droid's wiring was connected with his inner thoughts.

He had managed to meet his team at the edge of the atmosphere. The ship's fleet was perfect in number, but he could have sworn many of his men were deployed on missions. There was a likelihood that several of his pilots were rookies, but it was a time of war, and Poe could only hope the fight would propel them to do their best rather than second guess their life decision.

He had already taken roll call briefly over the headsets, leaving three more pilots on his list. "Blue Three, do you copy?"

"Copy that, Commander."

Poe recognised the voice instantly, feeling safer with Jessika at his back. "Green Commander, over?"

"I've got you, Poe." It was L'ulo, his voice calm despite flying into high speed.

The last ship to take note of was flying in the centre line. It was the ship that had belonged to Jackson, the boy that had died only yesterday. He wondered briefly who was taking his place, but could not afford the luxury of making an introduction. "Blue Four, this is Commander Poe Dameron coming in." He double tapped his headset when he got no response. "Are you hearing this, Blue Four?"

From the other side, a scratchy pause came through. After a quick cough, the pilot finally spoke. "Yes, Commander."

Poe's body instinctively twitched at the unusually lowered voice. Why did it sound worryingly familiar? He had met briefly with the rookies a week before, but none of them had sounded quite so odd. It was like an actor taking on a role unassigned to them, but he could not afford to dwell on it. His fingers clicked off the communication button, preparing for battle, but he hesitated a moment before reaching the treetops of Takodana. Like a curious cat, he privately switched his communication device on with the new pilot. "Blue Four, can I ask who is in command of this ship?"

A long silence broke out. Either the pilot was refusing to answer, or their signal was worse than he had expected.

"Blue Four, do you copy?" A seed of dread was beginning to plant in his stomach. He heard the pilot's radio click off, and perhaps with good reason. They had nearly reached Maz's castle, where the First Order ships had already lowered themselves to the ground.

"Keep just above the water line!" Poe shouted over the headset to all pilots. "We're going to take them by surprise!" He couldn't resist a grin, but noted how twisted the gesture felt in a time of war. He couldn't help it. Battles got his blood flowing, and the idea of taking out TIE fighters left and right kept him up at night. "Keep going straight at them!" He thought about the three rookies behind him. "Don't let these dogs scare you!"

"Copy that," Jessica cheered.

Snap joined in. "We're with you, Poe!"

The pilots were all hopeful and ready to fight. Only Blue Four expressed any hesitation, the ship's speed slowing slightly. Mara was behind the control board, her chest heaving as an onslaught of TIE fighters headed straight for their fleet. Without being able to properly react in time, she shot her blasters at an oncoming enemy. Within a few rounds, she struck its vertical wing, sending it flying towards the water in a puff of smoke. Her hands shook as they lifted from the guns, her mind processing the first life she had taken in battle. What was the Trooper's number? FN... she would never know. Down below, on the surface, she could see other Troopers up against various creatures of Maz's Castle. If she could have stared longer, she may have even taken note of a blue lightsaber somewhere in the midst of the smoke.

"Blue Four!" Poe Dameron was shouting into her headset. She was right in thinking that he did not know it was her, but hearing his voice in the middle of the attack was far from comforting. "Stay on my tail and watch my back, will you? I'm heading in deep and I need you behind me."

Mara's voice shook in response. "Copy that."

Poe's eyes narrowed while he took out another fighter. That made three already, but he couldn't focus on battle. Who was Blue Four? It was most certainly a woman - the pilot had just given herself away.

The two of them made their way to the opposite side of the castle, Poe's ship travelling more quickly and smoothly than Mara had ever seen. It was true that he was the greatest pilot in the galaxy, but she wondered why he trusted her at his back. Moving to the left of his ship, she sent her aim towards a duo of fighters on their left. She knew exactly where the oil tanks were at the base, sending the starfighters into a burst of red and orange flames.

Poe cheered from the headset. "Great shot, Blue Four! Keep aiming for those oil tanks!"

Mara's fingers danced over the keyboard to tighten her blasters inwards. That would give her double the amount of boost and a higher speed, considering Poe was moving forward quicker than any ship she'd ever steered. "Might I make a suggestion, Commander?" Mara's eyes were flickering down to the surface with every blast she heard, Troopers flying backwards as X-Wings replaced their aim towards solid ground.

"Have at it, kid!"

"If you make a loop around the castle dock, you'll be able to trap them into a point. You could make two or three rounds in a circle between the dock and the edge of the forest. I think you'd be able to confuse them enough to take out double than you would have, had you stayed on the coast line." Mara tried to make her voice an octave lower, but as the plan continued to formulate in her head, she could hear her true voice coming through with excitement. It seemed Poe hadn't noticed as the mission idea settled into his head.

"Great idea, rookie." He quickly turned his ship back towards the castle's courtyard where the land fighting was happening. "Where'd you get that plan from?"

Mara had intensely studied the Battle of Scarif when she was a child. The heroic actions of Jyn Erso had always been on Mara's mind before she trickled into sleep. The battlegrounds and starfighters of that fateful day were similar to Takodana's, thereby leading Mara to suspect the Rebel's methods several decades ago would prove more than useful in taking out a couple of TIE fighters.

"You could say I learned from a friend," Mara smiled over the intercom. She was partially saddened by the fact that she remained anonymous to Poe, but was inwardly full of joy that they were in this together.

"Let's hope your friend is as smart as he sounds." Poe was making his way to the front of the attack line. "Let's give it a shot!"

Poe followed each of her instructions down to the detail of his turns. Her heart twisted with his confidence in her, albeit not knowing her identity. He was a hero to so many, but modest in his faith towards others. Due to his tightly steered pathway, she could not watch his back except for on the sidelines. She shot at various Troopers below in order to help the civilians, but occasionally let her eyes dance to the sky.

Poe's moves were flawless. He took out fighters without any effort, his ship sailing upside down, sideways and straight ahead in the way she had encouraged him to. It only reinforced her idea that they were a good team, making her stomach flop with the realisation. His shout of joy came through her headset without warning, his raised fist visible from her position.

He laughed with a rush. "Now that's more like it!"

Mara noticed the various puffs of smoke coming out from the water. If she counted correctly, Poe had just taken out eight fighters in less than thirty seconds, not to mention a pile of Troopers below her that had not been there before.

"They're retreating!" L'ulo's voice came in through. "The First Order is retreating; we've scared those rats away!"

Mara's guns pointed a final blast at one of the TIE fighters, its firm frame collapsing into the water before her eyes. From her spot above the trees, she could see a hooded figure at the edge of the forest line. His body was tall and lean, his arms carrying what appeared to be a young woman. Was it true that they were scared out of battle, or was there something the Resistance didn't know? Cocking her head to the side, Mara had to wonder if the man was Kylo Ren. She had yet to see him in person, but judging by the rumours of his appearance, there was no better candidate. Her body reacted to shoot at his ship, but her hesitation lasted until their eventual departure.

"Good work, team!" Poe's voice once again cut into her subconscious. "The General has nearly arrived and has given us the order to head back."

"To the base?" Jessika's confusion echoed all of their worries. "Shouldn't we be helping Maz?"

"It's not safe here," he clarified. "Not to mention the General has some… private business to take care of." He caught sight of Han Solo on the ground, a man he only had the honour of meeting two or three times. "If BB-8 is on the ground, they'll get him back to D'Qar safely."

"Alright," Snap sighed. "Let's head back. Fantastic work today, everyone."

Poe smiled to himself, happily drumming his fingers against the shooter controls. Through his side vision he could see Blue Four coming out above the tree line, the sleek windows of the X-Wing hiding its helmeted pilot. Turning on a private signal, he tapped into her headset. "Blue Four, it's Commander Dameron. Do you copy?"

Mara coughed to regain her lower tone. "Loud and clear, Commander."

"Thanks for your help out there. I'll refer you to the General." He paused, a slight blush rising to his cheeks. "The pilot who used to steer that ship would have been proud."

Mara felt her stomach drop to the floor. Something in Poe's voice told her that he knew. He had found out her secret and didn't seem angry. There was no way of knowing if this was true unless she asked him, but perhaps there was still a chance not to upset him. Poe had wanted so much for her to be safe. If he knew she was piloting a battleship, there was no way of knowing how he would react.

"Thank you, Commander."

It was the only response she could think of. Although it was against the rules of the squadron, Mara turned off her headset for the journey back. Her heart was too loud to comprehend any words of congratulation, and so she opted for total silence. Unlike Poe, she embraced moments for reflection. It offered time for composure, calmness, and the gathering of one's breath.

And although she was overwhelmingly proud of herself, those three things were all something Mara desperately needed.