Wowowowow! You guys are such amazing fans. I honestly didn't expect to hear from you, but I got some great reviews and I'm glad to see you're all still out there. As promised, I will be uploading a chapter per week until the end of the story. Anyway, I just wanted to thank you all for being so supportive and understanding and a big shoutout to kylya, Theodosia Marie, Alice-Ann Wonderland, thedragonhorse, CordeliaWho, and LoveFiction2019 for leaving reviews. It means so much to me and I love hear your thoughts and opinions!

Oh, and by the way... don't worry but THAT ending of the last chapter WILL be brought up, just perhaps not right away... ;)

xoxo

Mistro

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The following morning, Poe struggled to get out of bed. He knew that a long day rest ahead of him, as far as long days went, and he wasn't particularly looking forward to it. He and Leo had discussed some basics of the mission the night before, and Poe had relayed that Oddy Muva would be joining them. No harsh words were passed between the two young pilots, their strength better in number.

Now that the hours were ticking down, anxious thoughts about Oddy began to spring up. When Poe trickled into the hangar to check on his ship that morning, Oddy stood beside it with his familiar grin. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

"I think that does it," Oddy said from the side of the X-Wing.

"Great," the pilot replied. He was now sitting in the cockpit, checking that everything was in order. "BB-8, run a diagnostic on the port stabilizers. Make sure we're good." Poe's words were monotonous as he stared down at his friend from above. The Abednedo didn't even glance up. "The signal's coming back perfect! Thanks, Oddy. You're a Jedi with this stuff." Although Poe was suspicious of his friend, the readings were truly too good not to compliment. "Best tech on the base."

"I don't know about that." Oddy smiled. "Your girl Mara's not too shabby herself."

Poe began to climb down the ladder, his gloved hands gripping the cold metal. "How about you take the ship up for a spin? Make sure everything works the way it's supposed to." He needed a moment alone with Mara and Leo to reconfigure the plan.

"Your ship?" Oddy gasped. "You're going to let me fly your ship?"

"Looks that way. The Resistance is gonna get you your own ship one of these days, and you'll need some time under your belt on something better than a training sim." Give him what he wants. The pilot thought inwardly to himself. Let him feel safe around you.

"Thank you, Poe. I swear I'll keep it safe. Not even a dent." Oddy's smile was genuine. "You're the best."

Poe hesitated to say the following sentence. Oddy was so preoccupied with the X-Wing, a look of total lust in his small eyes, that Poe didn't want to distract him with even bigger news. He was worried the poor man might collapse from a heart attack. "Oddy, I'd like you to join us on this mission. If you're up for it, it'll take less than a day."

The mechanic nearly collapsed in a state, his thin frame clutching the wing of the ship. "I-I'm sorry. What?"

"Part of our operation requires mechanics. According to Threepio, we have to receive some information from a missing droid, as if I hadn't already done that enough these past few days."

Oddy looked worried, but Poe couldn't tell if it was because he was a traitor or because of the mission. "Where are we going?"

"That's the fun part," Poe said sarcastically. "The mission is based on Kaddak."

"Kaddak?" Oddy choked. "I've heard that place is bad news."

Poe nodded in agreement. "No denying that, buddy. But Threepio has a droid there that's collected a vast amount of information on the First Order, including Leader Snoke's whereabouts." Poe eyed Oddy from a distance, but none of the mechanic's reactions seemed out of the ordinary. At any rate, if he really was working for Terex, it was likely that he had no direct contact with the First Order base. "All of a sudden, we lost the signal. It's up to us to go and find that droid."

Although the original plan was to locate a Resistance spy, the decoy plan was ironically not a decoy. Leia had informed Poe of it the night before, creating a rather convenient situation for the two missions to overlap.

"If you'd really have me, I'd be honored to join you." Oddy's head hung low in respect and Poe felt his stomach churn.

"We'll leave within the hour, but I do still want you to test fly my ship." Oddy opened his orange eyes curiously with no matching brows to raise. "Can I meet you at the end of the landing strip in thirty minutes?"

The man nodded. He would have waited years to go on a mission with Poe Dameron. Waiting was his forte.

With a friendly pat on the back, Poe left Oddy alone in the hangar. His stomach had twisted itself into an unsalvageable knot with the idea that their plan might not work, but it was their only plan, and it would have to do.

As Poe made his way outside, something about the direct sunlight made him wince. He raised a hand to block its rays, but the sensation continued. An unwelcome noise broke out around his skull without warning, his entire body feeling like a taut string. He could feel his legs beginning to quiver slightly in the core of their muscles, his hands instinctively reaching for his ears.

It was the memory of torture.

The electrocution method that Hux had used against him was coming back in waves, triggered each time he felt a flare of stress. The sharp sensation seemed to be locked in his memory without a key to release it. Additionally, a crushing sensation swept over him as if his head would burst. That was no doubt a side effect of the Force, and Kylo Ren's dark purpose for it. How long would it take to shake off the feeling? Could it ever be shaken off? Was this the beauty, and darkness, of the Force?

Mara had also woken up early to check on the X-Wings that had returned from Starkiller Base. The work was exhaustive and extensive, and truthfully she wondered if she was even capable of repairing over half the fleet. However, the sound of heavy boots at her back gave her a good enough distraction to halt the difficult work. The face of Poe Dameron greeted her, but something was off. His face writhed in pain and his damp hands were clasped over his ears.

"Poe?" She cried, dropping her wrench and rushing to his side. "Are you okay? What's going on?"

It took the pilot a moment to steady his breathing. He nearly collapsed against her, but held himself up with a groan. It was only as his heartbeat began to steady itself that he realized the amount of pressure that had been put on him in the past several days. "I'm fine." His voice shook. "I just... I must have eaten something bad at breakfast."

Mara wasn't going to press him any further for an answer. If she had, he wouldn't have told her. It was his job as a Resistance pilot to deal with whatever faced them: battle, death, torture. Poe knew that better than anyone and wore it like a medal on his chest. However, Poe had seemed to sweat himself to sleep the night before.

"Leo is waiting for you at the ship." She tried to change the subject. "We checked everything and the systems are in good shape. All you need to do is get Oddy and take off."

Poe gripped her hand as they walked towards the end of the runway together. BB-8 rolled over to join them, an excited whizz flying from his speakers.

Poe followed the droid's gaze to a giant junker ship. It loomed down at them like an angry mother. "Holy shit."

"I know, right?" Mara laughed. "This used to be Leo's ship. We had it when we lived together on Coruscant." She regretted the words as soon as she spoke them, but Poe didn't seem to notice.

"You said it, BB-8! Just look at this beast!"

Mara's brows rose upon hearing Poe's comment. That was what her and Leo had named it, after all: The Beast.

Leo also heard Poe's exclamation as he waited near the ramp of the ship. Mara noticed that he looked strikingly taller in his Resistance uniform, as if he hadn't been tall enough. "Are you unfamiliar with the operation of this ship, Commander?" Leo asked, surprisingly with respect.

"Nah," Poe smirked. "I can fly anything. I just wish I didn't have to fly this."

Mara playfully slapped him with her glove. "It might not be your X-Wing, but this type of freighter is often used for smuggling, and your cover story is that you're pretending to be smugglers."

"Pretending?" Leo chuckled. "I used to be one."

Poe nodded in agreement, still taking in the ship's massive size. "It all makes sense. I'm just thinking – if we get into some sort of trouble, this brick might not be all that helpful in getting us out."

Leo wiped the sweat from his forehead as the sun beat down. "Well, then the answer seems simple. Avoid trouble."

The conversation could have continued to flow in a negative route towards their fears for the mission, had it not been for a gentle tug on Poe's sleeve. Mara was behind him, smiling wider than ever, her pink cheeks radiant in the bright sunlight. He knew part of her smile held concern, but both of them chose to ignore it. "I should get back to work," she said.

Poe's mind briefly snapped to the night before as his eyes flickered towards her lips. A memory that felt like a lifetime ago came back to him in the span of a second.

Mara's brown hair trickling over his shoulder.

Soft lips lingering along his collarbone.

The weight and heat of her body against his.

He snapped out of it. "You should, shouldn't you? I suspect the General will be waiting for you." He flicked a strand of her hair into her eyes, smiling all the while. This mission wasn't particularly dangerous – the planet was, but not the mission – and she had nothing to worry about.

"I'll be waiting for you." She leaned in to kiss him, hoping that Leo had already turned away.

Poe smiled against her lips, whispering into her ear just before she departed. "You'd better be."

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

From inside the ship, Leo and Poe tried not to cross one another with any pettiness. Overall, things were going well. Poe could see that the new pilot had even managed to let go whatever hold he had on Mara. With their backgrounds as rebels and their desire to fight for the same cause, Poe wondered if they could even be friends. Just the thought of it was enough to make his head start ringing again.

"Thank you so much, Poe." Oddy showed his gratitude for the twentieth time that day as he sat in the cockpit. "Getting behind the controls of an actual ship... on an actual mission... I can't believe it."

"I'm glad you're here too, Oddy." He and Leo exchanged a knowing glance. "But don't thank me yet. This planet we're going to is completely lawless. The New Republic tried to bring it under control a few decades back. They sent a good sized fleet, but none of them came back. Not one." Poe didn't want to strike fear into the men's hearts, but truthfully it was in his own. Kaddak was a hellhole, opening its pit to only the finest scum in the galaxy. It was worse than Megalox in that sense, as its pillar of construction was built only on lies. "This place is bad news."

As if on cue, the ship entered the planet's atmosphere. From up above, the men could easily make out the giant, pink diamond that rested in the center of the city. It was known to all as the Sliver, its name and purpose an unequal match for its beautiful hue. Surrounding it were dotted rooftops on a sandy earthen floor, scattered around until they ultimately led out to barren waste land. If you were flying into the planet, there was nowhere to hide.

"Did Threepio tell us where to look for his missing droid?" Leo asked as their ship swung by the Sliver. It was beautiful in its scale and color, but something menacing radiated off its sharp edges.

"This isn't the kind of place to mention that aloud," Poe replied. "The walls have ears on Kaddak."

"You mean the city's full of spies?"

"Operatives. I would use the word 'operatives'. Unfortunately, I don't know where to start looking. I've been in contact with one of our other operatives to see if they could offer us a friendly clue."

"Alright. Let's go in easy. We've got to keep our cover low at all times." Leo directed the words more towards the mechanic than Commander Dameron.

The three men had finally landed, making their way into the surprisingly fresh air. The temperature was mild, enough for a light jacket and nothing more. The sky was blue with puffy clouds dotted across it like streaks of oil paint. Busy crowds bustled below them, and parents grasped small children's hands so as to not lose them. Overall, it was a picturesque scene to those who had no idea of the horrors that lay below.

"Why are you so worried about this planet, Poe?" Oddy chimed. "Just looks like any old backwater space port."

Without having to say anything, a body suddenly fell from the sky and sliced through the air in front of them. The white clouds were momentarily shrouded. With a loud shriek, the man tumbled in a steady path downwards until his body disappeared between a splay of rooftops.

"Was that... Did someone just-"

"Yeah, Oddy." Poe dug his fists into his pocket. "That's the way they handle problems here. Take them to the top of the Sliver and toss them off. When they hit the ground..." He grimaced against the sunlight. "Well, problem solved."

"But none of these people even looked at him!"

Poe's tone was dark. "Just another day on Kaddak. That's why we need to find that droid and get out of here. This isn't just another spaceport." He began to walk towards the staircase, being sure to keep his head down and his profile casually out of sight. "It's a bad place filled with bad people."

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

The men had made their way up to the 45th floor of the Sliver, taking a rest at what appeared to be a cantina. No matter how many times Poe flew around the galaxy, a cantina always seemed to be the best option for hushed whispers and silent nothings. Granted, cantinas always had ears, so you had to be an expert about which table you sat at and just how many beers you drank. Leo didn't waste a second to grab them all something, and as they sipped on their cool bottles, the conversation reached muted tones.

"Give us what you've got, Dameron." Leo encouraged him with another swig of his drink. "What sort of droid are we looking for?"

"Before we get to that, we have to talk about how to keep each other safe." Poe's eyes danced around the room. He spotted various races and creatures whose cold and unloving eyes made him long for Mara's embrace. "The social interactions between the various criminal factions here are very complex. It makes it pretty tricky to see everything at once, even if you're a droid programmed for diplomatic relations."

Oddy finally gave in, setting his bottle on the bar with a thud. "Are we here for a reason? If it's so dangerous, maybe we should just go."

"We've got to wait here," Poe whispered hotly. The sunlight was kissing them from a large window, making up a wall to the outside view. Only one other body had managed to fall that morning, which seemed rather quiet for Kaddak. "We've got to wait for Threepio's operative. He should be here any minute."

Something began to nudge Poe's foot. He glanced down to see an MSE-6 droid making its way around the men's shoes.

"Wouldn't happen to be this little guy, would it?" Leo joked. When Poe only smiled in response, he couldn't help but match the pilot's enthusiasm. "You've got to be kidding me. Nice thinking, Poe. Nobody's going to look twice at these little guys."

"If you two would just stand casually in front of him and BB-8, this little guy can input his information into our little guy." Poe casually moved to the side, helping to block BB-8's round figure. "He's been rolling around cantinas all day. If someone's mentioned our missing droid, he'll have heard about it."

"That's genius!" Oddy cried.

The men stood in silence as they waited for BB-8's processing. Leo glanced over at Poe and found himself weakening as many girls likely often did. Leo had to hand it to the guy - his bravery was interstellar. Coming to a place like this? Just after a mission on the First Order base? The only reason Poe had brought Leo was for more manpower and as a test of his loyalty, and Oddy was of necessity. The Resistance Commander would have gone alone if he could have. Dameron was a bit of a rogue and a fighter, and yet he had the sensitivity to worry unconditionally about others. For him to be so highly renowned across the galaxy, Poe Dameron had to be a good man.

Perhaps Leo hadn't given him enough credit for that.

"Oh, this is just great." Poe's attitude suddenly shifted into one of disappointment, his hands running through his tousled hair. BB-8 was speaking quickly the pilot. "Our crucially important information that may very well cripple the First Order is being held by the Rancs."

Leo's head snapped sideways, his blue eyes wider than saucers. "Oh, that's just lovely."

Oddy looked between the men. "Who are the Rancs?"

Leo smiled weakly, offering Oddy a sarcastic look of comfort. "Let me put it this way. You know how that guy got thrown off the Sliver just after we landed? If my choice was that or dealing with the Rancs..." He watched with weary eyes as the repair bot moved along. "...I'd take my chances with the fall."

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

Mara was in full research mode. She wanted to be able to predict Terex's next move before he was even able to, but one thing she was nearly certain of was that he would end up on Kaddak. Seeing Oddy leave with the boys that morning and watching him avoid her gaze made her almost certain in her suspicions. Again, she had not reported her thoughts to Leia. It was a secret that would sit with her until Poe and Leo had their evidence.

Mara stared at the green monitor before her, wishing absentmindedly that there had been more color choices. She thought she was doomed to see green until her death. It wasn't rich and refreshing like the green on Yavin 4, but dull and insignificant. Why hadn't she brought her paint set to the base? There were countless things to draw inspiration from. Hundreds of faces to sketch. However, as much as Mara hated to admit it, there was no free time to unleash her creativity. She had no choice but to continue working, sending her scrolling through the files once more.

"TK-603", she muttered. "What secrets are you hiding?"

Mara had managed to find out more information about Terex's partner, TK-605, than the man himself. 605's real name was Corlac, and it seemed that he once held more ambition than Terex did. When the Galactic Civil War ended, Corlac had gone rogue. He preached that ambition, rather than conformity, was worth living for. Who needed the Imperial fleet? Who needed the New Republic? Who needed anything but themselves?

Corlac and his partner had spent about a year on Jakku building an Ugly out of an abandoned AT-AT walker, a pair of S-foils, and a pair of TIE Interceptor wings. Mara's brows rose when she came across a sketch of it, rather impressed with their makeshift engineering skills. Her eyes continued to scan the old reports, which were nearly three decades old, attempting to understand a complex story purely based on facts.

One thing noticeably stood out.

Mission statement made with TK-603 to Outer Rim Territories. Kaddak.

Mara held her breath. Of course, there was no denying it now. Kaddak was an old base of Terex's where he had likely made connections and held lustrous power over the criminals there. If Terex was going to fight against Poe, Leo and BB-8, he wasn't going to be alone this time. He was going to be surrounded by some of the most vicious pirates and gangs in the galaxy, all of whom Poe was unaware held strong ties to Terex.

Unsure of what to do next, Mara turned off the monitor screen. Hadn't she known that this plan was going to end up like this? Wasn't that part of their goal, to prove that Oddy was guilty by meeting Terex? All of that boiled down to a simple realization.

They were in unimaginable danger.

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

The Rancs hideout was less than impressive. It was in the bottom floor of the Sliver, where pink crystals rained down from the ceiling in stalactite cones. Bright banners holding the crest of the Rancs, battered from years of conflict, hung down in muddy red hues. Poe thought it clashed with the overarching pink tones, but his interior design preferences were of little importance.

"I don't like this, Poe." Leo shook his head, not even trying to hide his trepidation as he scanned the hardened faces of nearby pirates. Their eyes, glossed over with hatred and scars, followed every step that the Resistance pilots took.

"Don't worry." Poe's voice was less than comforting. "Just let me do all the talking. Although, it's not the talking I'm worried about." Poe glanced down at the gun holsters on their trousers. "Keep your eyes open and your hand near your blaster."

Oddy's face twitched, his long orange mustache drooping even further. If Muva was a traitor, he still hadn't been expecting this. Poe was just waiting to see if Terex turned up anywhere on the planet, a telltale sign that Oddy was not as innocent as he looked.

Poe approached a desk at the entrance of the arched hall. A heavy-set man with an unforgiving gaze glanced back at them, disinterested in what they had to say. "Hi there." Poe offered a smile and stood in silence as his greeting went unaccepted. "All Honor to the Mighty Ranc Gang. I'm here to ask about a droid that your boys may be selling."

"Uh-huh." The man stood up, his height now twice the size. "You're Poe Dameron, right?"

"Yeah." Poe's brows came together. "So what?"

Without a second of hesitation, the man lifted his arm. A blaster set to stun struck Poe immediately in the chest, sending his body spiralling backwards and onto the metal floor with a loud crash. BB-8's electric shocker immediately broke free from the front of his spherical body, flashing blue sparks with an unspoken warning. Leo and Oddy both rushed over to check on their fallen Commander, their eyes blank as they glanced back towards the man who had shot him.

Looking disinterested, he blew on the tip of his gun, sending away a puff of blue smoke. "Just wanted to make sure."

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