Chapter 6

The Traveller

He hadn't given her all the credits he had on him, but most of them. There had been no time to negotiate. No time to think things over. The X-Wing had taken off and just hearing the sound of the engines coming to life had made his stomach tighten. He had no idea where she had gone to. Was she getting backup? Would she go to Tuanul directly? If so, what he was doing here was utterly futile.

The speeder bike wasn't moving nearly fast enough, though he was pushing it to the limit of its capability. Heart racing, he approached the shuttle. Time was of the essence. When he finally sped over the last dune, the speeder lifting higher off the ground than he would have liked as he shot over the ridge, Poe's insides squirmed. The shuttle's ramp was closed, but as he drew nearer, it was lowered, revealing one of the Troopers standing at the top of it. A sense of familiarity washed over Poe as he slowed down, letting the Speeder move up the ramp and getting off.

"Close the ramp," he ordered, not bothering to identify who he was talking to. Turning around he saw that the Stormtroopers had already gathered in the main room, lined up as usual. "I have the coordinates," he announced and, leaving the speeder bike where he had shut it down, moved up the shorter ramp to the cockpit. Looking out the viewscreen he saw what he had already suspected. The sun on Jakku set quickly and it was high time they got a move on. "We don't have much time. The Resistance might very well be on its way there." He heard that two of the Troopers had followed him into the cockpit, their steps echoing loudly in the empty space.

Sitting down in the pilot's chair, Poe opened up the planetary map of Jakku, searching the coordinates the old woman had given him. The settlement that was shown to them barely even registered as such. "Here it is…" he muttered, getting up again. "Get us there as quickly as possible."

"Yes, Sir."

Poe turned his head and moved to the side, so the soldier could take his seat. "Safe flight, Triple-Zero." The man turned his head, looking at Poe as if he too hadn't expected him to use the word almost resembling a name.

"Sir?"

Poe nodded. "Now!" There was no time to explain that he preferred saying only the shortened versions. No time to explain, no time to think about correct procedure.

The engines came to life. He felt the shuttle shudder beneath his feet as the repulsor lifts disconnected the ship's belly from the sand and he took a deep breath. "I want the two of you to remain here in case we need to make a quick escape. Nines, you'll be guarding the ship."

Cursing Hux in his head, Poe moved down the ramp again and nodded at the other two Stormtroopers. "Slip right? Eight-Seven?"

They must have heard Poe talking to the other two Troopers. They didn't seem startled by his usage of the names now, or at least their surprise didn't show. "You're coming with me. We might run into some trouble and I need your backup for this."

Looking up at the chrono, he realized that he still had about half an hour left, before they'd reach the village. Ample time to change into his uniform as per Hux' request. Following orders wasn't hard to do, especially not, when he fully understood the necessity of the order given. Hux' goal was clear to him and he knew why it was important for the Order to achieve it without brutal force at first. They'd make their move on the Republic sooner or later. Now was not the time to waste resources, but to show presence.

Lor San Tekka had been an informant of the New Republic in the days it had been founded, retrieving information the failing Empire had deleted from its archives to make sure the Rebels didn't get it. Later, he had retired to Jakku. To this village called Tuanul, a place sacred to the people of this rock, at least to those who believed in the Force. It had been a secret hideout to believers back in the day of the Empire's suppression of any form of religion and later on its location had been kept secret and that was that. Believers still found their way there, but the Order asking for the location would have looked suspicious.

Poe himself wasn't sure what to make of the Force and he was relieved in a way that he didn't have to worry about it. What he didn't have to know he didn't have to understand and the Force was something he certainly didn't have to know anything about. Ren too, with his troubling access to the Force, was none of his business. He didn't have to deal with the man, and even if he did, Ren was his superior in every way and Poe in no position to question him or his motives. The thought was disconcerting and calming at the same time.

Shedding his civilian clothes and putting on the uniform again felt alien and familiar simultaneously. It was strange how quickly he had become accustomed to wearing his costume again and how his back straightened automatically when he closed the buttons on the teal tunic of his uniform. It was like a shield he could hold in front of him but at the same time he realized that his shield might very well get him into more trouble than he was aiming for.

He could feel the shuttle slow down. Now was not the time to think about the trouble he might have to face. The time to react would come if and when trouble arose and not a moment before then. He had been in tight spots before and so far he had managed to get out of each of them. So far things had gone well. There was no way of telling if things would go wrong this time. Yes, the Resistance was on its way, or had already been here, but they weren't about to enter the village with a whole battalion of Stormtroopers, thus evoking open hostility from the people living there. This might very well work.

Or not.

Upon entering the cabin, Poe saw that the Eight-Seven and Slip were waiting for him, blasters at the ready. Looking out the piece of viewscreen in the cockpit he could see from down here, he saw that the sun had set fully and night had settled on this side of the planet. One last look out the viewscreen, then he nodded towards the two soldiers who were going with him. Nines was already walking down towards the other two Troopers.

"We set down as close to the centre of the village as possible, Sir," Nines declared. "Not a lot of people here as far as we can tell."

Poe nodded. "That's what I thought." Another weak smile, then he pushed the button, lowering the ramp. It took him a moment to adjust to the dark around him, broken only by lights of fires here and there. The temperature had dropped considerably and he felt the cold night air creep up his sleeves. Fighting back a shudder, he made his way down the ramp, Eight-Seven and Slip right behind him. Already people had entered what must be the town square with the large vaporator cistern in the middle of it. The buildings surrounding it weren't more than huts, Poe realized. These people here were poor. Poorer probably than many others here on Jakku, focusing their lives on nothing but basic needs and the worship they were carrying out here.

An alien, an Abednedo by the looks of his long, noseless face with the protruding eyes standing out at the side of it, approached him, something long and apparently heavy held loosely in his left hand. Poe focused on not looking at the thing directly, but instead keeping his eyes trained on the alien. So far he had only seen pictures of the species, but had never met one of them. The humanoid's deep voice cut through the night air like a knife and already Poe could feel the control over the situation slipping from his grasp before he had even seized it. The other people behind the Abednedo were staring at both Poe and the shuttle behind him with a hostility he had barely ever encountered. The silent threat in their presence was obvious. Their fear palpable.

"Who are you and what do you want?"

Poe raised his eyebrows, pretending not to be worried at the look on the faces in front of him. He was only glad to know the Stormtroopers had his back, though of course overpowering them wouldn't be a hard feat for the two dozen or so people gathered in front of them now. "My name is Major Poe Dameron," he said, his voice firm and decisive as he took a step towards the Abednedo. Telling the man that he was with the First Order was of no use. He must already know and he didn't want to aggravate him more than he already had. "As you can see I haven't come here with a strike force. I only came here to talk to someone." He had to fight the temptation to let his eyes wander over the faces of individuals in front of him. He had already seen that they were men, women and aliens of all genders. He had no idea what San Tekka might look like today anyway and this alien seemed to be the leader of this group.

"Who?" The Abednedo asked, gripping the staff in his hand tighter and Poe raised his hands in a calming gesture though his heart was racing now. He couldn't risk an open fight. Not with only four Stormtroopers at his side and a goal set for him by his superior. Despite the cutting night air, even though his nostrils were burning with the cold, Poe managed a weak smile.

"I do not want to cause trouble." Saying this he realized that they had probably really started on the wrong foot here. Arriving after dark and accompanied by soldiers on top of that. "I only want to talk to him." He only hesitated for a moment, before reaching for the holster at his hip and taking the blaster out. Immediately the Abednedo took a step back, raising his own weapon in an unmistakeable way and only now did Poe see that what he had taken for a club only moments before was actually a crudely constructed blaster. Behind him, he heard the Troopers raise their own weapons.

Shaking his head, he stretched out the hand holding the blaster, hilt pointing towards the alien. It was most likely that what he was doing here was infinitely stupid. His heart was throbbing in his throat, but there was nothing for it. The least thing he could do was to make sure the alien didn't see him as a hostile. What he wouldn't do however was to order the soldiers behind him to drop their weapons.

He and the alien locked eyes and just for a moment Poe thought the other would simply pull the trigger, blast a hole through Poe's chest and be done with it, but then the scowl vanished. With a grunt, the alien took hold of Poe's blaster and put it away in a pocket on the baggy tunic.

"Who is it you want to talk to?"

"Probably me," The voice speaking those words sounded old. His face illuminated by the flickering flames of a nearby fire, the old man stepped out of his circle of villagers. How old he was, Poe couldn't tell, but he immediately felt the aura of authority, inherent in something other than rank, reach out through the crowd, which parted for him to let him move forward towards Poe.

"What could the First Order possibly want to talk to me about?"

Pursing his lips, Poe looked over his shoulder at the Stormtroopers and the shuttle, then back at the man now standing next to the alien. "Lor San Tekka?"

The man nodded briefly. His hair was white, just like his beard and eyebrows, but despite that, the man emitted an energy, Poe wouldn't have suspected of him. San Tekka had been born in the waning days of the Old Republic and had seen not only the Clone Wars, but also the rise of the Empire and the war that had ended it and Poe couldn't help but be impressed by what he had read of San Tekka. The man was not only well-travelled, but also well educated. It was a shame he was standing on the wrong side of this emerging conflict. The First Order could profit greatly from his cooperation.

"I'd rather not discuss this in public." He took another look at the people gathered behind San Tekka, at the weapons they were all holding and the determined looks on their faces.

San Tekka nodded again. Decidedly. Curtly. "Very well," he said, making an inviting gesture. "This way." The invitation was nothing but a command. Poe recognized it as such at once. And in this matter, he didn't have much of a choice.

The Stormtroopers didn't follow them directly. Poe didn't look back, as he walked in front of San Tekka past the crowd in front of the evaporator, but he knew Eight-Seven and Slip would make to come after them as soon as possible. It was their job to protect him and the mission and they'd perform their duty to do so under any circumstances. And the villagers would let them pass. Why wouldn't they? They weren't the ones outnumbered after all…

San Tekka walked next to him now and they only had to walk across the villages square to reach the small hut the old man was aiming for. A curtain of rattling wooden pieces was all that was separating the inside of the hut from the rest of Jakku. It couldn't be comfortable or healthy to live here, Poe thought, as he pushed the curtain aside and entered the single room living space. The scent of herbs he couldn't identify exploded in his nose before he had even seen the dried plants hanging in bundles from the ceiling. The furniture could barely be called even that. The narrow cot in the corner was the only thing looking even remotely like comfort.

"Sit," San Tekka said, unceremoniously pointing to a small stool next to the fire burning merrily in the centre of the hut.

"Thank you," Poe said in a low voice, declining the offer of a seat and remaining standing where he was. Through the curtain he could see the Troopers approaching, but they remained outside. "Thank you for seeing me."

"Not much I could do, is there? Closing my eyes would have seemed childish."

Poe couldn't help but smile. "Probably."

And here they were. Facing each other. Staring into each other's eyes and Poe felt like all of this was already slipping through his fingers.

"I know why you're here." San Tekka said, just as Poe had expected he would. "The First Order has been looking for me for a while now."

"And yet you have stayed in the same spot for quite a while," Poe answered in the same, calm tone of voice. "Why?"

San Tekka laughed. A low, rumbling sound that made Poe's insides clench. There was no going forward from this point. None that could guarantee a safe outcome of this mission for him or his soldiers. And it was Hux' fault. Hux, who had underestimated the danger he was sending his people into. Hux, who was so overly confident in the Order's aura and so utterly inexperienced in the field.

"Can you blame me for staying in a place I consider home and hoping you won't come to find me?"

Poe swallowed. Nothing he could answer to that. Nothing at all. He didn't have a home. Not really. The only home he had ever had, had run off on him two years previously. "I need you to hand over the map," he said quietly and taking a step towards San Tekka. There was nothing he wanted to do less, but it had been asked of him and that was that. The fact that the people outside were a considerable threat had to be ignored. At least for now.

In one swift motion, San Tekka reached for something at his belt, a knife, not longer than the length of a hand. Poe took a step back, as the old man jumped forward. His reflexes kicked in, before he knew what was happening. San Tekka's eyes flashed in the light of the fire and Poe felt a sharp pain, as he held up his hand, catching the blade with his bare palm. The sharp pain made him gasp, but he didn't let go. San Tekka's breath, hot and stale, hit him straight in the face and low growl formed in his own throat, as he grabbed San Tekka's other arm and twisted him around, disarming the man, and now holding the knife in his bleeding hand. San Tekka was out of breath, kneeling at Poe's feet, his back towards him. "I don't blame you for trying," Poe muttered, shifting the knife from one hand to the other.

"Everything alright, Sir?" Slip's voice coming from outside. They had taken position at either side of the entrance and would come in at Poe's command. That wasn't necessary though. Not right now.

"Everything alright," Poe gave back, still holding the knife in his hand. Why was he the one having to do this? Why him? He was no good. No good at making people talk. That was Meelan's job. Not his. "I really don't want to cause any more trouble than I have to," he said to San Tekka, pushing the old man away from him and moving around him to crouch down in front of him. "I have my orders and I need that map."

San Tekka's upper lip twitched, as if in a sneer. "You said your name was Dameron?"

Poe raised his brow, trying to divert his attention from the pulsing pain in his right hand, from which huge drops of blood kept dripping onto the sandy carpet at his feet. "So?" The one question was already distracting him, and San Tekka must know it. Poe didn't take his eyes off him for one minute, kept focusing on any sudden movement the man might make.

"Any relation to Kes Dameron?"

Poe's silence must have been answer enough. Hearing his father's name spoken by this man, right here, right now, sent his thoughts racing without one clear image sticking out of the turmoil of faded memories rushing through his brain.

"Your father, I guess?"

Still no answer. Poe couldn't give him one. Instead his fist was curling tight around the knife he was holding. No. San Tekka would not bring him to do this. He needed that map, he reminded himself. And to get the map he needed San Tekka. "He's dead."

"So is your mother, I guess… what happened to you?"

The leather straps wrapped around the hilt of the knife in his hand, were rough. He had to force himself not to grab it too tightly. He couldn't lash out. He simply couldn't! But facing this man's senseless accusations was hard. Harder than he would have thought. What did he know? How could he possibly stand up to him and blame him for something he could neither help nor wanted to change.

"Slip!" He called out to one of the soldiers waiting outside, his voice restrained by a forced calm. Still he didn't take his eyes of those blue ones across from him. "Leave the blaster outside and come in."

"You should know that my people will not stand for this."

Poe nodded. "I am aware." He was. He had known that this wouldn't end well from the moment he had been assigned this mission, but that didn't mean he wouldn't try. Slip entered the room, but Poe didn't look up, unwilling to give San Tekka even the slightest chance of attempting another attack at him. "Search him." His voice was flat. Emotionless. Just the way it was supposed to be.

San Tekka flinched, as the Stormtrooper followed Poe's orders, but the curt shake of the head told Poe that Slip hadn't found anything. "The room then. Use the scanner."

It didn't take Slip long this time around. In these surroundings with so little technology, finding the satchel in which San Tekka had put away the data storage device, wasn't hard. Poe looked down at the leather pouch resting in the palm of his hand. He had dropped the knife. Slip would be able to protect him against any further attacks on San Tekka's part. The feeling of triumph he had expected didn't erupt inside of him.

"What now?" San Tekka's voice was calm, but rough. "You're never getting away from here, Dameron."

"Let me worry about that." This man had known his parents, was probably the only person he had ever met who could tell him about them. But he didn't want to know, did he? What use would knowing be? Quickly he put the satchel in the pocket of his trousers and grabbed the knife again, so San Tekka wouldn't attack him with it again. "Bind him," he said, coming to his feet again.

Just as before, Slip didn't hesitate to follow Poe's order. He couldn't be sure of course, if the data storage device Slip had retrieved actually contained the map piece they were looking for, but what choice did he have? Already the villagers must be closing in on them. Poe turned to look at the opening. Everything seemed to be calm. At least for now.

"Your mother would be ashamed of you."

Poe's head snapped around. The old man was still kneeling in front of him, one of his trouser legs soaked in Poe's blood. His stomach tightened as he took a step back. "You would know," he whispered. It was all he could say. All he could do was to look the man directly in the eye.

"We got company!"

The voice came from outside and despite San Tekka's words still echoing through his brain, Poe was glad to be allowed to push them away, even if it meant that the time for action had come.

"Who?" he asked, picking up the knife again and cursing San Tekka for the hand injury. He couldn't hold anything with it, let alone fight. But of course he didn't have a chance against blasters.

"Zeroes just commed in. X-Wings according to the scanners. Thirty seconds out of range."

Poe felt his heart drop. Without giving it another thought, he took the satchel out from his pocket and shoved it at Slip. "It's safer with you…." He murmured. In this uniform and after his speech after leaving the shuttle, he'd be the one the villagers would shoot first. Slip might have a chance.. "Go ahead. Now! Don't worry about us. Tell them to lift off and get back to the Order." He remained standing there. Just for a moment. Just long enough for Slip to get a head start. Outside, he heard him colliding with Eight-Seven.

"You're not getting away with this…", San Tekka spoke up again and Poe looked down at him, his insides burning.

"I'm sorry it had to be this way." Poe said truthfully. San Tekka had been an obstacle. Not his enemy. Not really, even if the throbbing cut in his right hand told a different story.

San Tekka snorted. "Whatever you say, son." The look in his eyes was full to the brim with a sadness Poe couldn't even begin to fathom. "You better remember what your parents fought for and figure out if you really want this map in their enemy's hands."

Poe turned away without another word.

"Sir, you're hurt-" Eight-Seven sounded sincerely shocked as Poe stepped out beside him, but Poe waved him off with his good hand in which he was still clutching the knife. The villagers had dispersed somewhat, but still keeping an eye on them. Immediately he realized that coming out here had been a mistake. A horrible one at that. Especially without San Tekka and clutching a bloody knife in his hand. Already he could feel the tension rising. The next moment the whining sound of engines made him look up. There they were. He felt his insides churn as he spotted the three starfighters flying low overhead not towards them, but at their shuttle.

Before he could say anything, before he could move anywhere but one step into the direction of their only escape, the X-Wing in the lead, the black one, fired three swift bolts of red at their shuttle, which was just sitting there, unable to fire up its shields this close to the ground or aim its laser cannons. The shuttle was hit just as Slip put his boot on the ramp.

A wave of blazing heat hit him straight in the face. Momentarily blinded by the explosion, Poe stumbled backward, using his good arm to shield his eyes from the glaring light, only held upright by a strong hand on his arm. "Sir?"

Breathing heavily, Poe opened his eyes. Already he could hear the villagers approaching. Already he felt their looming eyes on them, their anger no longer concealed, as the X-Wings spun around in the air to rush back in their direction.

Heart hammering wildly in his chest, Poe shook his head. "We need to get away from here."

The next moment they were running. Running as fast as Poe had never run in is life. Running into the dark. Running away from the speeder. Away from the burning shuttle with three of their men still on board. Dead. All of them dead. In one swift swoop. But he couldn't think about that now. Not now.

A violent strike to the back send him sprawling to the ground. His hand scraped over the sandy surface, as he tried to catch himself, but at the same time a pain he had never experienced erupted on his back. Coughing, he tried to lift his head. Out of the sand and the dust to free his mouth, his nostrils, but he couldn't move. Not even his hand.

"Sir!" Eight-Seven was over him, as the burning sensation was eating away at the very core of him, making him choke on his own tears.

"Get away from here!" Poe managed, as footsteps drew ever nearer. He was gone. Lost. He had failed and this was exactly what failures had to face. Defeat.

"No." The answer came quicker than Poe would have thought possible. Like Eight-Seven didn't even have to think about throwing the order right back into his face. "Not a chance, Sir."

Poe groaned, as those strong arms lifted him up unceremoniously, stretching the skin on his back in the process and blinding him nearly with the pain of it. An unarticulated sound, more a wail, than anything else, escaped his lips, when Eight-Seven threw him over his shoulder, the white armour plates hard against his body, all the air pressed out of his lungs.

"There's a speeder…"

He couldn't even lift his head to see the villagers getting closer, but he could hear their blaster fire sizzling through the air, right at them. Right in their direction. And still he was unable to do anything but be an extra weight on Eight-Seven who should get away. Get away as quickly as possible. To save himself. To report back to Hux.

Bile rising in his throat, almost choking him, he was put down again, into a sitting position, something solid right behind him, keeping him upright. Shrapnel from a building nearby hit him straight in the face, as the speeder beneath him came to life and an arm wrapped around his middle. "Stay with me, Sir…" The voice was determined, not panicked.

Poe blinked, as another laser bolt shot straight past his right ear and the speeder came to life. He couldn't even lift his hand to support himself, had to rely wholly on Eight-Seven's arm around him, as they shot out into the dark only illuminated by laser bolts, which were soon lost in the night.