Shayavi stood over a mess of clothes, equipment, and supplies she'd spread out over the floor, staring in frustration. She still wasn't sure what she needed to bring with her, and every time she packed and unpacked her stuff, she realized she'd forgotten something. She would then add a few more items to the mix, which quickly became way too many things and thus, forced her to rethink the entire lot all over again.
"Screw it" she uttered. She threw her original items back into the two duffel bags she'd brought with her when she came on with the Resistance and left it at that. One bag for tools and equipment she'd need for the job at hand, the other full of personal items. Whatever was in there, that's what she was taking. No more double-guessing.
She sat on the floor, her back against her bed with her legs outstretched, feeling the weariness of the day finally catching up to her. Tipping her head back to rest against the bed, she closed her eyes and listened to the beautiful silence around her. All day (and all night, for that matter), her ears were subject to the mechanical, noisy sounds of her job. When she got the chance to finally have a moment of peace, she really tried to enjoy it. This was one of those times.
Except, even as she sat there, Shay's thoughts drifted to the mission she'd be joining in the morning. Her emotions were a mix of cautious excitement and suspense. And of course, there was Poe.
Shay groaned and rubbed her face. The last thing I need to think about is him. I need to think about the squadron's ships. The mission. THE MISSION, Shay. The General is trusting you to help them.
But it wasn't her skill level that caused her doubt. It was the little nod Poe gave her, and the smirk she could read in his dark eyes from across the briefing room. It was the same look he'd given her when he asked if he could confirm the fact he could 'do it all', as she'd teased him for in the hangar.
All of it was more questions than answers, which frustrated her to no end. She hated guessing games, and she hated when men interfered with the task at hand. Shay was all too familiar with that, and she swore she wouldn't let Poe Dameron, or anyone like him, interfere with her task...no matter how handsome he was.
Shay pushed herself to her feet, standing once more over her now-packed duffels. Action always helped distract her from her own thoughts, so she decided to head to the hangar one more time. She needed to check on the Y-wing she'd been assigned for the mission. Through all the fuss of ensuring Dameron's ship was ready for the mission, she had to remember to not neglect her own.
Grabbing a bag in each hand, Shay went to pack her ship and give it a final once-over before she turned in for the night.
At the same time Shay was packing her Y-wing, Temmin Wexley walked back to the pilots' quarters with Poe and BB-8. They had both just done the same as Shay; each giving their squadron's ships a final inspection before turning in.
"So what do you know about this mechanic that's coming with us?" Temmin asked.
"Well, for starters - she fixed my ship in less than three days" Poe replied, eyeing Temmin knowingly. He knew is friend's expressions like the back of his hand, and seeing the jovial smile appear on Temmin's face confirmed what he already knew.
"That's some feat. Especially for your wreck of an X."
Poe gave a guilty chuckle. "Right. That's enough proof for me, and obviously for the General as well."
"Yeah, okay - but have you met her?" Temmin asked. "Do you know what she's like, personality-wise?"
This is where Poe hesitated. Rolling next to him, BB-8 chirped a response that only Poe understood. It was the same thing he'd spoken to him in the hangar 'new girl is kind and pretty'. If only Poe could tell Temmin that.
"She's..." Poe chose his words carefully. "Spunky."
Temmin looked at him. "Spunky."
And kind and pretty chirped BB-8 again.
Poe shrugged at his friend. "BB-8 likes her."
"That's good news for you" Temmin joked.
"True." And it was. BB-8 was Poe's most trusted confident; droid be damned. He trusted him more than most sentient beings.
"Pantoran, too" Temmin added, continuing the conversation as they walked. "They're a calm bunch. Good to have in a mechanic."
"Also true."
"I always had a thing for Pantorans."
Poe looked Temmin in surprise. "What?"
"Pssh. Those eyes of theirs? Crazy hot. I dig the blue, too."
A spark of jealousy ignited in Poe's chest.
"I mean, ya know..." Temmin shrugged one shoulder. "I think they're hotter than the Twi'leks everyone gets hard for."
Poe kept his focus on the hallway ahead, processing his friend's admittance. "Yeah, can't argue that" he replied, not knowing what else to say. It was more of a programmed response than anything.
They arrived at their respective rooms, and Temmin gave a friendly slap on Poe's shoulder. "Sleep well, Commander. See you bright and early."
"You too, Wexley."
Poe watched after him as he headed a few doors down, lining his key card up to the reader on the door. He realized he was frowning when he let himself and BB-8 inside, and was glad to be alone in his room once again.
BB-8 sounded out a series of werps and blips, asking if Poe was okay. He sat down on the bed across from his droid and sighed. "Okay for now, just tired." The droid looked at him curiously. Somehow, he knew Poe was lying.
"You see right through me, don't you" he said to him with a smirk. "Alright. Guilty as charged."
More werps. This time, BB-8 asked if Poe was thinking about Shay. Poe couldn't lie to his friend, so he admitted it.
BB-8's head lowered, as if thinking for something to say. With a laugh, Poe tapped him on his domed head. "Don't worry, BB-8. It's fine. She is pretty, and she is kind. I just..."
The droid re-centered it's photoreceptor eye on him, waiting for the rest of his answer. Poe wasn't really sure what the rest of that sentence was, so he laid back on the bed with a sigh.
"Ahhhhhhh BB-8, I don't know...It's been so long since..."
Whiiirrr whiiiirrrrrrrrrrr.
"Right, exactly." Poe wiped his face in frustration, not at all unlike Shay had just moments earlier. "I just can't focus on this right now. I've got a mission. I've dedicated myself to this whole thing that's so much bigger, ya know? How can I care about anything other than that?"
Silently, BB-8 sat on his base at the foot of the bed. No sounds came from him this time. This caused Poe to smile up at the ceiling. "What? No words of advice for me?"
Bleeeerrrrpp.
"That's probably smart of you" Poe answered with another, longer sigh. "I'll figure it all out at some point."
Satisfied with his answer, BB-8 rolled over to his charging base and waited for Poe to power him down. It was the droid's signal to the both of them that sleep was needed. Tomorrow was a big day, and BB-8 was trying to let Poe he needed to let his thoughts go for now.
Poe took the hint, and was thankful for it. "Read ya loud and clear, buddy." He stood and went to set the droid up for powering. "See ya tomorrow."
BB-8 gave a cheerful response, and then Poe powered him down. Not long after that, Poe was about to force himself to do the same - but again, he had that nagging in the back of his mind that he had to answer. Before he went to sleep that night, he had one more thing he needed to check on...and that was Shay. Making sure ships were ready was one thing, but making sure a new member of the Resistance was ready on the eve of their first mission was another.
So when Poe knocked on the heavy metal door to Shay's quarters, it came as a surprise to Shay to see him standing on the other side. It was more of a surprise to Poe, however, to see Shay was dressed down in something other than her mechanic jumpsuit. She wore a dark navy tank top and sleep shorts, and her violet hair was loose about her shoulders, which drug his eyes downward to her athletic, slender frame.
"Poe?"
"Hey" he said. "I'm not interrupting you, I hope?" He nodded at her attire, wondering if he'd woken her.
"No, not all." She smiled, and it was all Poe needed to calm himself.
"Great" he stammered. "I was uh...I just came from the hangar...was thinking about tomorrow and wanted to make sure you're all set."
Shay leaned against the doorway, but never made any motion for Poe to come in. Her smile remained, however, which he took as a good sign.
"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little anxious" she admitted, rolling her eyes at herself. "But it's nothing I can't handle. So, yeah..." She looked at him bashfully. "I'm as ready as I can be, I guess."
"Is there anything I can do?" Poe asked, eager to help.
He wanted to calm her nerves. He could read on her face she was more anxious than she was letting on. If there was something he could do or say, he would.
"Truthfully?" Shay studied his expression, but there was nothing but trust in his eyes. "You could tell me I'm not going to be a burden on this mission for you guys."
"A burden?" Poe almost laughed. "Are you kidding me? If General Organa says-"
"-But I want you to tell me" Shay interrupted. "Just the Leader of the Black Squadron. One on one. You'd tell me the truth, right?"
Poe took a step forward so that he was within inches of Shay. His gaze was firm and steady, as were his hands as he placed them on her shoulders. "I've never been more sure of anything: you will not be a burden on this mission."
Shay felt heat from his touch spread through her body in a way she'd not felt before. He was looking at her more than just the leader of a mission or another member of the same team with the same goal. He was looking at her the way she wanted him to; with respect and reassurance, and with great tenderness.
"Do you trust me?" he asked.
Shay nodded, her eyes locked on his. "Yes."
"Good." He let go of her shoulders and smiled.
"Do you trust me?" Shay now asked. If this was going to work, they needed to trust one another with whatever awaited them on this mission.
"More than you realize, I think" Poe answered. The seriousness in his eyes melted into something more light-hearted as he glanced away from her. "Even if you did hide the fact you knew you were coming on this mission from me earlier."
His joke eased the tension between them, and Shay let out a relieved laugh. "I knew I would hear about this at some point."
"Oh you did, did you?"
"Mmmm hmm."
"So what - I'm predictable now?" Poe teased.
"Hardly." Shay lifted one hand to cup his face, her eyes never leaving his. "In fact, you might even be more of a challenge than your ship." She gave him a wink, then backed up to her door once more. "Goodnight, Commander."
Poe smirked as she slipped halfway back inside. "Goodnight Shayavi."
Their eyes never left one another's until Shay disappeared behind the whoosh of her closing door. Poe exhaled hard, a rush of emotion and heat washing over him. Slowly, he let his forehead come to rest against the metal door and he closed his eyes.
If there was ever a chance he had of getting sleep that night - it was almost certainly gone.
The next morning was a mix of anticipation and controlled chaos. Hundreds of bodies on board showed up to see Black Squadron off on the mission, the General at the forefront of those assembled.
Shay took the time to introduce herself to each member of Black Squadron. If she was going to be travelling and aiding these individuals, she wanted to be sure she personally met them all and made herself as available to them as they needed. The Squad was comprised of six humans, three alien species, and one near-human like herself. Each one of them was friendly and accepting of her, gladly welcoming her aboard the mission.
In greeting each of the members, Shay had been surprised by one of Poe's closest pilots - the one that went by the name Wexley. He was a tall and husky human, with a friendly smile and bright eyes. He'd been especially chummy towards her, asking her questions about her whereabouts and how she came to be part of the team. He seemed genuinely interested, but Shay felt like there was more behind those questions. She had no reason to suspect this, but being around men and working with mostly men her entire life had taught her to read between the lines...every line. Despite this, she was thankful for the warm welcome. It helped to ease her anxiety over joining the mission, and little by little, her fears disappeared altogether.
At exactly 0600 hours, ten X-wings, and Shayavi's Y-Wing, took off with the blessing from everyone there along with good wishes of luck and success. Once Shay was inside her ship, she felt the most comfortable she had since she arrived with the Resistance. Once they made the jump to hyperspace, she felt completely at ease. It was always the build-up to something that made her anxious rather than the action of it, and this time was no different.
Once out of hyperspace, Poe checked in with everyone to ensure their radios were synced and that their coordinates to the landing base upon Lahsbane were correct.
"How you doing back there, Pewcha?" he radioed privately to Shay.
"Great now that I hear how clear your comms are." She heard his laugh through her headset and smiled.
"I wonder who had a hand in that?" he teased. "Thanks again, by the way."
"It's the least I could do" she radioed back.
The lines went silent for the rest of the journey into Lahsbane. The trip itself into the mid-rim hadn't taken as long as Shay expected, and she was thankful for the timely arrival. She could see Poe's black and orange X-wing leading the rest of the ships into the planet's atmosphere. After being on the Resistance transport for two weeks, and the frozen white landscape of Orto Plutonia before that, the lush green of Lahsbane came as a welcomed reprieve for Shay.
Large open canyons stood as borders to spidery rivers forking off into smaller branches. Green trees with knotty trunks towered above the canyons, their canopies flat and broad as they flew over top of them. Since Shay was unfamiliar with Lahsbane as a whole, as well as the city-state of Jahsop they were to land in, the scenery spread before her was an eyeful. She gazed out of her cockpit down at the land below, smiling to see tiny homes here and there throughout the trees.
She followed in line behind the squadron as they came in for their landing atop a large docking platform near a settlement of large clay-colored buildings. Unlike Shay's marshy, flat home planet of Pandora, Lahsbane seemed to have way more geological barriers for which the settlements had to rearrange themselves around when built. Their landing platform was heavily disguised by nearby hills, and the settlement buildings were built back into the canyons, appearing as if they were part of the canyon themselves. For a Resistance base, Jahsop was perfectly hidden.
As the team landed, Shay could already see the challenge that awaited her: pollen was everywhere, and was already forming a thin veil over her cockpit shield. It was the substance General Organa had warned them of, and she wasn't kidding: the stuff was everywhere.
As if reading her mind, Poe radioed back to her. "You see that stuff, Pewcha?"
"Almost impossible not to" she replied with distaste. "Where's it coming from? The trees?"
"Your guess is as good as mine, but I'd assume so. Gonna be a pain to clean, you think?"
"I've encountered worse, trust me." She hoped she was right.
In unison, the squadron members exited their ships, ensuring their cockpit shields were closed so that the pollen didn't accumulate on the inside. Shay instructed they also close their intake valves for the time being, which would save time in the long run for her to handle the pollen.
Two things became clear to Shay in those first moments. The first was that the pollen didn't seem to accumulate on her, or her clothes. It accumulated on all things metal, as it appeared to her in those early moments. She made note of this in a small notebook she brought with her; a trait she'd picked up from her father when she first began mechanic work.
The second thing she noticed was that no one had come to greet them. Again, she had no experience in the culture of those than inhabited Lahsbane, but it struck her as odd nonetheless.
Poe approached her and the rest of the squadron members, helmet in hand and BB-8 not far behind. Shay was beginning to believe what he said when he mentioned he and the droid were best friends. It seemed neither left each other's side for very long, even when they did.
"Alright, here's where we part for now" he spoke to the group, but mostly to Shay. "Our business is inside, and my hope is that things go smoothly, at least to start. The Lahsbee are our allies, but they're a reserved folk. They're not entirely impressed with technology, and are off-put by it. We're only here to get information that will help us in the next part of this mission, then we'll move to set up camp nearby. Understand?"
His tone was informative and assertive. Shay could easily see why he was appointed leader, if for no other reason. "Understood."
"BB-8 will stay here and help you if you need it. In the meantime, I'll radio you to let you know the progress, or if we need any help."
"Hopefully it's not the latter of those two." She gave him a knowing smirk, and he returned it. It was weird for her, though she understood the reasoning, behind his professional tone towards her. They shared a moment the night before when he came to check on her. Though it had been quick, they both touched one another for the first time in a way that was more than just friendly or professional. That version of Poe was the friendly, caring, thoughtful version. Now, Shay was getting to know the Commander version of Poe. Duty called, and he answered. Whatever happened between them the night before had been shelved, but she still felt the closeness of him.
Now, as she watched Poe lead his crew away, Shay wished them a silent good luck, then got to work.
Poe had expected someone to greet them at the landing platform, but Leia had warned him about the Lahsbee. Apparently, what she said had been right so far. But the closer Poe and his team got to the main entrance of the settlement, the more and more concerned he became. Even the most reserved colonies still practiced some form of welcoming to its guests, despite whatever beliefs they held about technology or other opposing cultural practices.
The group came to a long flight of steps that led to the building they were instructed to go in. Still, no one came out to greet the squadron, and soon, it wasn't just Poe who started to sense something was amiss.
"Whaddya think, Commander" Wexley asked, coming forward. "A little quiet, huh?"
"I don't like it" Poe answered, eyes grazing their surroundings. "Someone should have shown up by now."
After years of learning to trust his instincts, Poe was starting to feel the urge to grab his blaster. He held off, wondering if perhaps the General had instructed their welcoming party to stay inside The galaxy was at war, so traditional rules were often bent. Maybe they were just doing as they were told.
He led them forward, albeit cautiously, looking in every direction for a sniper or surprise attack that could be waiting. Finally, the doors to the building slowly began to drag open, giving the squad some sense of ease.
Still, Poe remained watchful. "You stay here" he told his group. He was shaking his head, his brow pinched. "Something's not right. I don't want all of us walking into a trap, if that's what this is."
"Let me go, then" volunteered Jessika Pava. "We can't have you walking into a trap alone, you're too valuable."
"I appreciate that, Pava, but it has to be me who goes" Poe told her, his voice full of the gratitude he felt for her. "They'll be expecting me, especially if this is just an oddity of the people and not a trap of some kind."
"And if it isn't?" Wexley asked.
Poe patted his blaster. "Then you'll hear this and know."
It was the final answer, and his team accepted it. They waited outside at the steps while Poe went in and beyond the double doors that were now fully open.
Once inside, Poe listened for every footstep that might be heard - but there was none. It was well lit, giving the feel that someone must have been home. He stopped and looked around at two columns of stairs that branched off and up to some unknown floor above, but no one was seen and nothing was heard. The structure itself was made of some sort of hardened clay, close to a cement-like substance; hard, solid, and not the type to carry sound easily.
Poe's hand went to the hilt of his blaster as he walked forward. "Hello friends of Lahsbane! Poe Dameron here." He stopped and listened, but heard nothing. "I've come to meet with Brok Grannion, leader of the Lahsbee people."
Again, nothing.
And then - footsteps. Heavy footsteps.
"Well, well. Commander Dameron. I don't think we've had the pleasure of meeting yet?"
Poe knew the female's voice before he even saw her, which is why he withdrew his blaster and fired a shot at by the time she came into full view.
Captain Phasma deflected the shot with embarrassing ease. Around her, a dozen other Stormtroopers filed out from either end of the hall near the stairwells, coming from unknown hiding place Poe had not seen.
"Fuck" he uttered, running backwards and firing shot after shot as laser fire began against him.
"GO!" he yelled to his squad as he breached the door. "BACK TO THE SHIPS! GO GO GO!" Fear drove adrenaline through his body, making his shots at the troopers more accurate and much quicker than before, knocking two of them back and a third one as he started down the steps. Beside him, the members of his squadron were firing, flanking him and keeping him covered as they made their way back down to the platform.
Poe fired another shot, sending one more trooper flying backward in its tracks. That's when he realized he better hoof it. He wouldn't be able to take them all before he and his team got to the ships.
And that's when he thought of her.
Shay.
His heart leapt into his throat. He took off at an even faster rate, his feet pounding hard against the ground to get back to the ships.
Shay heard the blaster shots from the platform, a dart of fear shooting up her spine.
BB-8 immediately turned his head towards the source of the sound, rocking on his spherical body.
"Please tell me that wasn't them" she uttered, eyes widening as she heard a series of additional shots being fired. "Is that them, BB-8?!"
A string of frantic blips and beeps came from the droid, who began rolling away from Shay and towards Poe's ship. Shay knew immediately what he was doing, and decided she better follow suit.
"This is not good, this is not good" she repeated, strapping herself into her ship. She flicked a few knobs and fired the engines, feeling the ship rumble to life. Ahead, she saw BB-8 rise up and into his spot in the rear of Poe's ship, also igniting the engines and readying the ship for a quick departure.
Shay lifted her helmet back over her head. Through the orange tint of her visor, she saw bodies running forward towards the platform, followed behind by multiple laser fire. Poe was at the forefront of those running, much to her relief. Behind, she saw nothing but white bodysuits.
"Storm troopers?" she shouted in shock. "Ohhhhhh no no no, not on MY watch."
She pulled the lever and lifted her Y-wing off the ground, retracting the landing gear. Without hesitation, she directed the ship over towards the source of laser fire being directed at the squadron and began firing at the storm troopers. In her first pass, she directed two solid rounds of shots at the set of troopers directly behind the Poe and the others. She took them out effortlessly, with minimal fallout.
She pulled the ship back in a tight barrel-roll, redirecting her cannons over the second set of troopers making their way down the steps. This time, she fired at a column nearby, which fell directly in front of them, halting any further troopers from making it onto the base.
By this time, Black Squadron had been able to get to their ships and follow suit. Thankfully for Poe, BB-8 had wasted no time in getting him ready for a quick take-off. As soon as he was strapped in and off the ground, he radioed to Shay privately. "Shay!? Are you alright?"
"Yeah!" She banked her ship and avoided a missile shot from a hand cannon somewhere below. "But I'm ready to get out of here as soon as you are!"
Poe grinned, hearing the slight humor that was still evident in her voice. "Alright then - follow me, I'll get us out of here. Watch those blasters behind you!"
Poe's ship took off with a burst of speed; the rest of his team following close behind. In no time, they were out of range of any threat from the First Order, and Poe led them to a completely different spot on the planet where they would set up camp. He felt it was too risky, given the ambush by the FO, to go to the original location. The rest of his team agreed.
They were lucky, and he knew it. No lives were lost, but something had gone terribly wrong in between the time their mission plan was devised and now. Once they staked out a good spot on which to camp that provided complete coverage, Poe took those first moments on the ground to hug each one of his team members, including Shay.
"That was some seriously good work back there" he told her, helping her unload her stuff from her Y-wing. "Really quick thinking, and damn good aim."
Shay shrugged it off, though Poe's words felt good to hear. "I was just doing what was right."
"Yeah, alright but aim like that? That's not something you just do."
A crooked smirk played across Poe's face when he looked at her. "C'mon, I'm trying to compliment you here."
"Nope."
"Not even a little?"
"Not even a little."
Poe set one of her duffels down and turned to her. "At least let me thank you, then."
The corner of Shay's mouth lifted. "Fine. But I was still just doing what I thought was right."
"But you didn't have to, and you did without thinking twice." His words were serious, but his gaze was tender. "I just want you to know, I appreciate it." He glanced over at his squadron setting up camp nearby. "We appreciate it."
Shay's smile widened and she bowed her head a little. "You're very welcome then, Commander."
"No wonder General Organa trusts you so much." He said this and the twinkle returned to his eyes. "Speaking of which - let's get her on the line, and stat. We need to figure out how this went so wrong so fast. They'll be searching for us, and we need to know our next move."
"Phasma?" Leia's voice sounded as surprised as Poe's originally had. "How?"
Poe, Shay, and the other members of the squadron sat inside Poe's tent, huddled around a small handheld holoprojector. General Organa's blue electric figure hovered above the device, looking at Poe but speaking to all of them seated about. She listened as Poe recounted the events that played out earlier, her head dipping in disappointment and anger.
"I'm so sorry" General Organa said. "The last thing I expected was that."
"We know" Poe told her. He felt sympathy for her, and wished she wouldn't take on the weight of every mission. He could see that weight affecting her, even though it was only a hologram of her. "Please don't blame yourself. None of us fault you for it."
The General gave him a tight-lipped smile. "I'll converse with the others here and get you a revised docket as soon as possible. Are you safe for the night?"
"Affirmative, General." His eyes scanned those seated about him, seeing nods from all around. "Everyone's fine."
"Excellent. Don't move until you hear from me."
"Got it, General. Thank you."
Poe watched the blue hologram disappear and looked at those seated around him. "Guess we've got a long night ahead of us."