A/N: Sorry it's been a while guys! I don't have days off anymore from work, so it's been a bit busy, but I am still totally committed to this story! I would love to see it hit 100 followers. That would be crazy to me! I love all the feedback you've given me and I read each and every one, even though sometimes it might not seem like I do. I appreciate you all. Here goes!

Chapter 15

Anticipation

Two days later, Vara stood in one of the empty classrooms, leaning on the holotable, fixated on the projected images on the wall. Only two hours before, she had introduced the Advanced group as well as the technicians and other new recruits to the First Order high command. The projections included General Hux, Kylo Ren's right hand man, and his underlings, as well as Captain Phasma and a branch containing the fabled Knights of Ren. The Knights were still not confirmed to truly exist, but there was enough evidence to point to it. Rey had even seen them in a vision, led by Kylo himself. There was still some uncertainty about who had made it off of Starkiller Base before it was destroyed, but they could probably assume that these most important people had evacuated. Vara studied them intently, thinking about the lesson. It had been the quietest session she'd ever taught, with the fewest questions and interjections from the group. They had been studious, but also seemed...frightened. Vorik had sat in on the class, taking in as much as he could before they left for Coruscant the next day. One of his goals was to bring back as much information as he could, bringing everyone up to speed on everything that had happened to the last detail.

"You coming to get lunch?" the young man asked, standing in the doorway to the classroom, waiting patiently for his sister.

"Yeah," she said, clearing her throat. She reached down and cleared the projector, flipping it off with a wave of her hand. "Strange class today."

Vorik nodded. "Having these people in front of them makes it real. All those lives lost, and here are the people who orchestrated it in front of them. It's harsh."

Vara nodded. "They need to know. No way around it."

The cafeteria was buzzing with activity. Vara got her food and found Teran, sitting with Elias and a few other Advanced group recruits. Making her way over to them, she sat in the open chair next to Teran. The table quieted down instantly.

"Don't mind me, guys. I'm not a spy. If you can't be open with your CO, then there's an issue," she said.

"Are you open with the Commander?" Teran asked slyly. She nudged him with her knee under the table.

"I am," she said to the group. This could be an opportunity to earn their trust. "Any concerns I have, I bring them to him. I want you guys to do the same with me. I'll give you any information I can."

One of the recruits swallowed the bite he was chewing and leaned in a little. "Was the Commander really tortured by Kylo Ren?"

Vara nodded, looking down at her tray for a moment. "Yes. If they want information, they'll take it."

The table was quiet for a moment. The same recruit, named Scio if Vara remembered correctly, nodded slowly.

"They got what they wanted that time," Vara said with a sigh. "But we can't let that control what we think of them. There is a way to defeat the First Order," Vara asserted. "That's what we're all about. The Resistance is dedicated to bringing them down. There's a way, and we're going to find it."

"To answer your question from the other day," Elias said, his voice no longer hushed. "That's why I joined the Resistance. Even after Hosnian, the New Republic was looking the other way."

Scio nodded. "I want to be around people like you. People that actually take action."

"Good, because we need you," Vara replied with a smile. "I -" She was interrupted by the comm on the belt of her flight suit beeping loudly. "Sorry, guys. Probably important." When she checked the screen, she saw that it was Poe, asking her to meet him by the classrooms. "Yep, that's the Commander. I'll meet you all back at the classroom for a brief simulation drill after lunch, all right?"

They said their goodbyes as she finished her bite and took her tray back. Vara hurried to the hall full of classrooms, where Poe was leaning up against a wall, scrolling through his datapad.

"What's up?" she asked, coming to a stop in front of him and leaning over to look at his datapad screen. To her surprise, he leaned forward and kissed her, wrapping an arm around her waist.

"That's what," he said with a smirk. "I knew everyone was going to be at lunch, and I wanted to see you alone before we left tomorrow."

"Right when I was in the middle of giving an inspirational speech to my new recruits!" she exclaimed dramatically.

"You give speeches at lunch? Captain tip number one: let people eat in peace," Poe said.

"Follow your own tips," Vara replied. "I didn't even get to finish my own."

"Tip number two: forsake meals in the name of romance," he teased. Vara rolled her eyes.

"Hey, why are you wearing your flight suit?"

"Taking that VCX on a test run before tomorrow. Should work fine, I just want to check it out. Why are you in yours?"

"We just came down from another training flight. We're trying to get them in the air at least three hours a day."

"How's it going? Being a teacher, I mean."

"It's actually okay," she said, shrugging. "Sometimes it's weird that these people even listen to me, but I"m just happy helping them get into the Resistance and teaching them how they can help."

Poe smiled. "I knew you were going to be good at it. Didn't I say that once?"

"More than once."

"One of these days," he murmured, turning so VAra's back was against the wall and he was pressed up against her. "I'm going to take you into one of those classrooms and -"

He stopped his sentence abruptly as they heard footsteps approach from the next hall over. As they always did, Poe tried to take a step back, but Vara felt herself tugged with him.

"What the hell?"

"Your Freitek!" Vara yelped. The life support system that Poe had on his chest had gotten caught on Vara's vest somehow, tying them together as close as possible.

"Where?"

"That thread, there, get it!" She knew that anyone who saw them would spread word around the base like wildfire. She wasn't ashamed to be with Poe by any means, but it wasn't exactly the impression she wanted to give to the recruits and her other officers.

"Be careful, this is my lucky support unit," he grumbled, fiddling with the gadget.

"Here, let me try -"

Then the footsteps rounded the corner, and of course, it was the same group that Vara had been sitting with at lunch. Teran, followed closely by Elias and Scio with a few others, stopped in their tracks, startled by the two officers. Vara could just picture how they looked, their hands on each other's chests with barely an inch between them.

"It's not what…" Vara began, trailing off.

"It's exactly what it looks like," Poe said, finally breaking the thread that held them together. "I'll see you guys out there!" he said merrily, kissing Vara on the cheek and jogging away. She just sighed.

"Well," Teran said. "That support unit certainly took your breath away, didn't it?"

"Oh my god, Teran," Vara groaned. "Go get in the simulator."

"But I'm not a pilot!"

"I don't care. That pun was awful," she said, pointing to the classroom. Giggling, Teran headed inside with Scio.

"So," Elias said as he passed Vara. "You and the Commander?"

"Um, yeah," she said, biting her lip. "We have a...thing going. We're really busy with the Resistance, but...yeah. I like him."

He nodded slowly, going inside and sitting in his seat, the brooding look on his face growing deeper.

"Great," Vara mumbled. "This is great. That won't make things weird at all."

It started on Coruscant. The city-planet was easily recognizable even though Vara had never been there, packed to the gills with beings of all species hurrying every direction on their own agendas. Vara was running, pushing through the packed street just behind Poe. He had her hand in his and was running as hard as he could, calling for her to keep up. Suddenly she realized that someone was chasing them, and she caught up just a little, following Poe at full speed. Her breath became haggard as they raced to the landing pad where their ship was, which was getting closer but somehow staying the same distance away. The city around them began to grow darker. Looking up, Vara saw the blackness of space closing in, as if the night sky was falling in on them. She stumbled to a stop, staring up at the stars growing bigger and bigger as the sky collapsed.

"Come on, Vara!" Poe's voice echoed, snapping her back into action, but to was too late. She felt the hand close on her jacket and yank backwards -

And then she fell into a pile of snow. The cold startled her, and she scrambled to get back onto her feet. Poe, still grasping her hand, helped her up, and they wordlessly stared into the white oblivion of a blizzard, the city-planet gone. Determined as always, Poe began to walk, leading her on just as he was on Coruscant. She followed faithfully, almost relieved that the being that had been chasing them before was gone. There wasn't much time to relax, however. The scream of a TIE fighter in the distance sent adrenaline coursing through her. They had to get off the planet immediately, but they had no ship. They were stranded in the middle of nowhere in a blizzard, and the TIE fighter's arrival was imminent. She looked at Poe, and the same dilemma was mirrored in his eyes.

"There!" she cried, spotting a cave a hundred yards away. They began to run for it, progress slowed noticeably by the deep snow. For a moment, it looked like they were going to make it, but the TIE fighter was gaining on them, getting closer and closer until it was almost on top of them, lasers melting the tracks they had just made. They dove for cover behind a rock, almost disappearing into the deep powder. Gripping Poe's hand like she'd never let go, Vara turned to him as he spoke.

"Vara, I love -"

An arm came around the boulder and grabbed Poe, yanking him away from her. She screamed his name, taking in the image of the man in black robes that was dragging him through the snow -

As soon as the dream had started, it was over. Vara sat upright, breathing hard, clutching the sheets in her fists. Her eyes took a moment to adjust in the darkness but as soon as they did, she grabbed a t-shirt and threw it on over her sweaty tank top. She didn't even bother with shoes before she made her way to the Commander's quarters, knocking lightly on the door. Poe had never been a heavy sleeper. Just as she predicted, he was at the door in a few seconds, hair tousled with sleep. His expression went from slightly tired to alarmed in the blink of an eye.

"What's wrong?"

"We can't go."

He took her hand and brought her inside, shutting the door behind them. "Why?"

Keeping a tight hold on his hand and sitting on his bed, she recounted the dream in exact detail. He sat next to her and listened intently, running his hand over her back, soothing her. The lamp on his bedside table was the only light, sunrise still at least a few hours away.

"This one feels like the last ones?"

"Yes. The hyperrealism, the jumping from planet to planet, the way I was pinned down when I tried to get up. It was the same feeling. And the running while holding hands...my parents were almost exactly the same in the one on Takodana."

"I hate to say this, Vara, but we have to go. The General got this set up and we need to take every opportunity to try and get to the Order."

She shook her head. "Is there any way it could be someone else?" Even as she was saying it, she knew it was impossible. There weren't enough people that had the knowledge they needed available. She and Poe were the only ones.

"I think you know the answer to that."

She nodded. "I do." With a sigh, she leaned on him a little. "Okay, we'll go. But I want an escort back, or something. Someone else so it's not just the two of us. It was just us in that dream. Maybe that'll break the pattern." Deep down, however, Vara knew that if the Force gave someone a glimpse into the future, it wasn't likely to change.

"I'll ask about it first thing. We'll either take someone else tomorrow or have someone with us on the trip back to D'Qar."

Vara sighed. "I wish that I'd have a nice dream every once in a while."

"When you do, you tell me, all right? I better be in it."

"If it's really good, then you will be." She looked out his window, staring into the darkness. The trip was now looming over her, threatening.

"Stay here with me. I don't want you to go back and sleep alone," Poe murmured, wrapping his arms around her.

"Yes, please," she said. "Though it'll probably be a while before I can fall back asleep."

"That's okay. Will being here with me help?"

She smiled, taking the sight of him in - his dark eyes filled with concern, the stubble lining his jaw, the curly mess of hair that he usually never tried to tame. "I think that'll help a lot."

Poe reached over and clicked off the light. Vara slipped her sweater off and lay next to him, an arm over his torso as she curled around him. After a few minutes, she felt his breathing change, growing slow and steady. Even with the warmth radiating off of him, she was awake for a long time, staring into the darkness, thinking about the journey ahead.