"We've only got eight hours left. So, what are we gonna do?" Poe asks. He finishes wiping his hands and wraps his arm around Pandora, knowing she's missing her uncle.
"What can we do? We gotta go back to base." Finn replies.
"We don't have time to go back. We are not giving up. If we do that, Chewie died for nothing." He argues.
"Poe, Chewie had the dagger!" He tells him.
"There has to be another way." Pandora says, agreeing with Poe.
"Well, there isn't. That was the only lead on the wayfinder. It's gone." Rhys replies, mourning his uncle and wanting to return to their parents.
"So true. The inscription lives only in my memory now." 3PO adds.
"Hold on. The inscription that was on the dagger is in your memory?" Poe asks.
"Yes, Master Poe. But the translation from a forbidden language cannot be retrieved. That is short of a complete redacted memory bypass." He answers.
"A complete what?" Finn asks.
"It's a terribly dangerous and sinful act performed on unwitting droids by dregs and criminals." He explains.
"Let's do that." He replies.
"I know a black market droidsmith. But he's on Kijimi." Poe says.
"What's wrong with Kijimi?" Rhys asks.
"I had a little bad luck on Kijimi." He answers.
"You can't be serious! We can't do this to our family." Pandora argues, pulling away from him.
"Nobody wants this, Pan. But if this mission fails, it's all been for nothing. All we've done, all this time." He tells her. She shakes her head, tears filling her eyes at the thought of hurting a family member. Poe wraps his arms around her and pulls her close, and she buries her face in his neck. He strokes her hair, knowing it's hard for her because she's not able to speak with her parents after another loss.
"We're all in this. Until the end." Finn adds. He stands and holds his hand out to Rhys. He joins him and holds his hand out to Rey.
"For Chewie." He says. She takes it and stands.
"For Chewie." She agrees. Finn holds his hand out towards Poe.
"Hands?" Poe asks.
"Hands." Finn tells him. Poe rolls his eyes but takes it, keeping his other arm wrapped around Pandora. 3PO moves to join them, grabbing Rey's hand and resting his other on Poe's shoulder.
"Kijimi." He says. He keeps his arm around Pandora, taking her to the cockpit with him. He sits in the pilot's seat and starts the course to Kijimi while she sits in the co-pilot's seat next to him.
Poe sits back and pulls Pandora onto his lap. She rests her head on his chest, and he starts stroking her hair again.
"I know you're hurting, Pan. I know you're struggling, but I'm here for you. If you want to talk, I'm here to listen. If you don't, I'm here to hold you. Whatever you want, I'll be here for you always." He tells her.
Pandora nods and holds him tighter, silently telling him that she's not ready to talk. He kisses the top of her head, adjusting to get more comfortable. She keeps her head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat, knowing that even just being near Poe makes her feel better.
***
"They're everywhere." Poe announces as he returns. "All right, I know what we should do."
YOU ARE READING
Pandora's Box
FanfictionDin and Cordelia Djarin have already had their adventures throughout the galaxy, and now it's time for their children to have their own. Following Pandora and Rhys Djarin as they fight with the Resistance against the First Order.
