Chapter 6
Poe grabbed two drinks from the table in the corner of the mess hall that was serving as a makeshift bar, and led Nell by the hand over to a table in the corner. Around it sat Jessika Pava, Temmin 'Snap' Wexley and Ello Asty.
"Nell! There you are! I see our brave commander has been leading you astray..." Jess quipped, wiggling her eyebrows at Poe, who rolled his eyes, smiling. Nell chuckled and blushed once again.
"Alright Pava, that's enough. You left this poor girl to fend for herself in a room full of drunken pilots – I did the chivalrous thing here. Nell, sit down, let me introduce you to your future squadron." Poe grinned and proceeded to make the introductions as more pilots joined the table, until Nell's head was reeling in the struggle to remember all their names and designations. She sat back in her chair, taking a sip of the drink Poe handed her. The amber liquid was pleasantly warming, and slightly dulled the ache in her chest that remained. She took another sip, and another. Before she knew it she was on her third glass.
Nell couldn't remember a time when she'd felt so welcomed in to a group of people. In her old life the people she knew were nice enough, but she always felt like an outsider. On D'Qar she'd found a group of people with a common cause and drive to see justice in the galaxy. She felt as if she wasn't hiding her true self any more. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed Poe regarding her quietly as the other pilots clamoured around him. Nell offered him a small smile, but his warm brown eyes saw through her.
Nell stood quickly, stretching and yawning. The room swayed a little, so, making her excuses, she quickly left the mess hall, running the rest of the way to her bunk. She wasn't ready to talk to the intriguing pilot. Poe made to follow her, but was stopped by Jess's hand on his arm.
"Poe, don't. Let her go, there's something you should know. She from Hosnian Prime – she's lost everything. You need to give her some time to deal with that." Poe frowned and sat down heavily, rubbing his jaw with one hand. He wanted to get to know the mysterious girl, but knew he couldn't rush things. Turning to the rest of his squadron, he stood up and bid them goodnight, leaving for his quarters. He had some thinking to do.
Nell tossed and turned in her bunk, her head spinning after the long day's events and not slightly because of the three glasses of Corellian Fire Whiskey she'd drunk that evening. She couldn't sleep. Every time she closed her eyes she saw the faces of her parents and friends. She saw her mother screaming, clutching to her father, their faces bathed in red light, cowering as their world erupted in to flames. She could hear the cries and screams of the people of Hosnian Prime, powerless to stop their doom, paralysed in fear as the red beam came closer and closer to their planet.
"I should have been there" Nell murmured, tears clouding her vision. The pain in her chest grew almost unbearable, and she staggered to the 'fresher, retching in to the sink as she let her tears flow freely. Nell crumpled to cool tiled floor of the room as exhaustion overtook, falling in to a deep sleep.
