"This First Order has been spotted in the New Alderiaan system." Admiral Tek'kapa pulled up a holographic map.

"Do we know why?" Leia looked at the map of the core worlds system. New Alderaan was on the outer edge of the core and this was the closest the First Order had come to any system belonging to the Republic.

"Nothing concrete, probably a show of force against you, General."

Leia's heart constricted, "I have an asset stationed on New Alderaan, an important one, we will need to extract her."

"This is hardly a priority General, no one knows your asset is there and she should be able to take care of herself."

"Admiral." She bit at him, "I would do the same for your assets. I am only sending a few trustworthy people to pick her up."

"Hey kid, ready for your fist important mission?"

Poe Dameron had been in the Resistance for one month, he had just defected from the Republic and they weren't quite sure what to do with him yet. Traxen Gen, a former Academy teacher turned Resistance Commander, said they would probably give him a squadron, they just need more time to figure out what to do with him.

He stood up quickly, "What is it Commander Gen?"

"An extraction of an asset from New Alderaan, personal mission from the General."

"Who are we picking up?" This was perfect, a personal mission from the General would prove that he was trustworthy.

"That's classified. The First Order has been in the system and we must avoid them at all costs."

"I won't let you down."

As soon as they dropped out of light speed by New Alderaan, Traxen sent a signal down to the planet.

"Hopefully she gets this down there and meets us at the landing site, that way this will be as simple as possible."

They waited a few minutes with no response. Traxen's lips tightened into a line, "This communicator goes directly to her bracelet, she can't take it off so why isn't she responding? We will have to take a look. Get a blaster, set it to stun."

"Stun?"

"Trust me, it will be simpler."

They landed at a small docking station in a small village far from the Capitol. Poe had a hard time keeping focus as they walked through the town. It was beautiful, tan stones made up every building, vines grew on walls covered in small purple flowers and the lake glinted in the sun. It was how he imagined paradise almost. At the very end of the village was a small house, right on the lake with a boat docked.

Traxen looked around, "Go around the back, there is another door to the kitchen, keep that on stun."

"If the First Order is here-"

"Stun." He repeated firmly.

"Yes sir."

Poe hopped the small fence that kept the most unruly garden he had ever seen from creeping into the street and made it to the back door. He crouched and opened it slowly. He could hear Traxen in the front, calling someone's name softly. He wished he had asked for a name now.

He took a few steps, blaster raised. No one was in the kitchen, he straightened and started to move on to the rest of the house. Poe had barely taken one step before someone heavy fell onto him from the ceiling and knocked him to the ground. Arms wrapped around his neck and tried to strangle him.

He flipped onto his back and tried to dislodge the person but they had him in a vice grip. Traxen came into the room shouting and then there was a woman's scream and a thud. Poe felt the person being dragged from him.

He rolled over and rubbed at his neck. Traxen was standing above him, 'You okay Dameron?"

"What in the force was that?"

A face peeked out from behind Traxen, his assailant he assumed. It was a woman with hair so yellow he wondered if it was actually gold. She seemed small but he knew how much of a punch she packed. She was using Traxen as a shield, "Who is he?"

"He's a pilot, he's good." Traxed quirked a smile at him.

"I can see that." She moved out from behind her human shield and squatted in front of him. She looked at him like she was dissecting him with her amber eyes. "He can't speak."

"I can-"

"Don't." She cut him off, standing up.

Traxen was working hard not to smile, "Maia, where is your bracelet? We sent a message nearly an hour ago to meet us at the landing site."

She looked down at her wrists, "I'm not sure."

"You weren't supposed to be able to take it off."

"It gave me bad dreams."

"I don't think the bracelet was the reason. Grab your bag, we are taking you to Leia." Maia nodded and left the room.

Poe looked behind him and saw a small middle aged woman clutching her chest and a bag of dropped food at her feet, "Let me help you ma'am."

"I'm not leaving if he speaks!" Maia yelled from another room.

"Thank you." The woman batted her eyelashes at him, "You gave me such a fright, I didn't think anyone would ever be here to get her and she would terrorize me for the rest of my poor, short life."

"Terrorize?"

"I can still hear you!"

Poe helped pick up the food and then looked into the rest of the house. In the main room, various things were hanging from the ceiling; clothes, bits of glass, feathers, even a fish skeleton. There didn't seem to be a pattern, but it kind of made sense to him. He reached up and touched a feather and it fell from it's bindings to the floor.

Maia appeared at that moment and he wondered if she would attack him again. "No, no, now it's all out of balance." She looked worriedly around the room.

"I can put it back."

"No." She pulled down a sock from the other side of the room, "That's fine, not as good as it used to be." She shot him a look.

"My name is Poe Dameron."

She made a 'hmph' sound at that, "More like Slow Yameron more likely, you keep talking and I thought I told you not to."

"Quiet isn't something Poe does." Traxen had a bag over his shoulder.

The woman sighed, "I am simply trying to enforce some modicum of control over my slice of the galaxy. It's just fun to see the look on his face when I give him orders." She grinned and he realized she was playing with him. He put a finger to his lips and bowed his head a little. "Good soldier."

"We have to get going Maia." Traxen reminded her.

She turned on the small woman, "Your planet depends on keeping the balance of my things. Touch them and poof, no more planet."

The woman actually looked a little scared. Maia then hugged the woman shortly before turning to them, "Lead the way my little flies."

They were shut in the cockpit before Poe felt he could speak, "Who is this?"

"The General's ward, Maia. That's about all I know. I've brought the General here a few times to see her."

"Has she always been like this?"

"She used to be quieter, but yes, she has always been eccentric."

"That is not exactly the word I would use."

"Yeah I wouldn't say that, she won't like it and neither will the General."

"Why is she like this?"

Traxen shrugged, "Some people are just weird Dameron."

That seemed to be all he wanted to say on the subject. Poe went back to check on the hyperdrive system which was known to be temperamental, much like their passenger. She was sitting at the only window in the back of the shuttle, gazing at the stars. "What color is the sky there?" She seemed to be pointing to a specific star system but he couldn't tell.

She looked at him expectantly but he just smiled. She seemed to realize what was going on and gave him a grin of her own, "Your ship is a piece of junk and the ride is so jerky I'm surprised I haven't been thrown out yet. Who taught you how to fly, Ewoks?"

Poe didn't respond.

She sighed and looked back out, "I hear there is a planet with a moon and around that moon is another mood of it's own. On that second moon is a plant that if you eat it will allow you to fly. But you can't land so you fly into space and fall down to the planet and the plant uses your body to make new plants."

"I've never heard of that planet."

"The only real pilots are pilots who have gone there and survived. Your body is the most difficult shuttle to pilot." She gave him a look up and down. She didn't seem to care that he had talked, "I've always wondered what color the sky is on that moon."

"Gold." He found himself speaking, "And when the sun sets it turns blue and the colors fight in the sky. But right where the two colors meet is the most beautiful color in the galaxy. It doesn't have a name but people pay millions to see that color."

"Sunsets happen every day."

"Someone on that planet is very rich."

"I see that color a lot." She said softly, looking back out. Poe was unsure if he should keep talking or get back to work. She didn't acknowledge him again so he went back to work. She didn't say anything else the rest of the way to D'Qar.

Traxen called for the General to meet them at the landing site. Poe went into the back to tell Maia they were about to land, but she wasn't there. The hair on the back of his neck stood up. He turned and saw she had gotten up into an upper corner of the shuttle, one foot was on the top of the door to the cockpit and the other was balanced on a bolt sticking out of the wall. That must have been how she had gotten the drop on him earlier.

"Where are you taking me?" She demanded.

Putting aside most of his questions, he smiled his most winning smile, "To Leia."

"I don't believe you. Why didn't she come a get me herself."

"Isn't it a little late to be asking that question?"

"What planet are you taking me to?"

"D'Qar, the rebel base."

She jumped quickly and he tried to catch her but she wasn't trying to be caught. She put her knees on his arms and pressed down, "You will tell me the truth."

"I am." He insisted. She seemed to consider this for a moment and he took her hesitation and flipped their positions so she would stop attacking him. "I'm not lying to you."

"Dameron, what are you doing?" A familiar voice demanded.

Maia was grinning viciously, she had planned this. He got up and tried to help her up but she pushed him off. Leia walked up the ramp and to the woman, "Are you okay?"

"Fine as the sun and the moon."

Leia glared at him, "I expect an explanation."

Poe stumbled over his words, trying to explain and then Maia giggled, "Yameron is fine, I started it."

"Thank you!"

"Did you give him the scratches?" Leia asked.

"He kept talking, it was upsetting the balance."

"Of course." Leia already looked tired and he could see why Maia didn't live here.

"Come on, lets get you settled." Maia suddenly seemed hesitant to leave the shuttle. Leia took her arm, "It will be fine, be brave."

"Like you."

Traxen was shaking his head at Poe from the cockpit, "Come on kid."

He didn't seem Maia for a week. Until he found someone yelling at her for harassing the battle droids. She seemed to be insisting they weren't happy and they would be happier if they were around soft music instead of blaster fire. She also seemed to have convinced the droids of this too.

She was cradling a BB unit protectively, his BB unit, and was singing to him softly. The mechanic was about to comm someone but Poe stopped him, "I've got this, go do something else."

The mechanic didn't seem happy about this but looked back at the woman singing softly to the droid and stomped off. BB-8 chirped happily at him.

"He says you need to stop eating teylan fruit or it will turn your hair green."

"I don't think you can speak droid."

"I don't think you want green hair."

He sat down cross legged across from her but at a respectable distance , "I see you've met BB-8, BB-8 this is Maia."

BB-8 chirped and whistled.

"I see." Maia responded seriously, "Well, I suppose he's okay then."

Poe grinned, "Being 'okay' is better than you attacking me."

"Don't get used to it. I'm still not sure this is really a Resistance base."

"Leia is here though."

"My dreams can be real." She rocked BB-8 a little, "He likes to be sung to sleep."

"Does he now? You will have to come sing him to sleep every night."

She gave him a look that was terrifyingly similar to the General's 'stop talking Dameron' look. "I will do no such think Foe Clameron."

"I thought it was Slow Yameron?"

"Talking is fine now, suggesting I go to your room and sing to your droid isn't."

"How did you know he was mine."

"He won't stop talking about you, he might have a crush."

BB-8 beeped quickly and swivled to look at him.

Maia laughed and set him down on the ground again. "Maia, what are you doing?" Leia appeared behind them, apparently the mech had commed someone. "And Dameron, don't you have a ship to look after?"

Poe scrambled to his feet, "Yes General."

There was a knock on his door after dinner. He answered, surprised to see the General at his door. "Come in."

"I won't be staying long." She wrinkled her nose at the mess of clothes on his only chair, "I just wanted to say thank you Poe, for being kind to Maia. Not many people are patient with her, and that includes me sometimes."

"She's a laugh General. But I don't think she should be around droids anymore."

"She once convinced C-3PO that it was proper custom to always greet her as Her Mightiness. She let it go on for a month." Leia smiled, "She keeps us on our toes."

"Can I ask. . ."

"Why she's like this? She was left in my care many years ago. She saw something very traumatic and it left a scar on her that's never quite healed. But she's getting better. She used to not talk to anyone, preferring her own mind to other people. But she's gotten more social. And she can do most things by herself, although I wouldn't trust her to do them consistently or without someone to keep her on task. She resents needing a caretaker but she almost burned the house down several times because she disappeared in the middle of cooking. In a few years, after being around more people again, she might return to who she was before."

"Who was she before?"

"I haven't the faintest idea Dameron, but it will be interesting to find out. Thank you again, for keeping an eye on her."